Page 31 of Cuddling Carly

From the porch, a rhythmic squeaking reached Carly’s ears, and she looked to see a figure in a rocking chair slowly moving back and forth. She assumed it was just an animatronic but based upon what she saw before she’d even reached the gates of Mountainville, she half expected the lifeless thing to bolt out of that chair and lunge for them at any moment.

Daddy was there to protect her, though.

Two more figures appeared but with their size and the way they walked, she could see that it was just Harrison and Stryker stepping out through the front door on the shadow-heavy porch. A moment later, they’d reached the group.

“Hey, guys. And you must be Wade! Good to meet you. Stryker and Harrison here,” Harrison said, shaking the cowboy’s hands.

“Word travels fast,” Wade said.

“Yeah. Mountainville isn’t very big.”

“Hey, aren’t you—”

“Harrison Trent. Yeah. The actor.”

Carly was kind of surprised Wade recognized him. As hard as he worked on the ranch, she assumed he didn’t have much time for movies. But then again, she didn’t really know.

“I don’t see a lot of movies, but you were in that western. What was it called? Came out a few years ago. I loved that thing!”

“Gunfight at Big Rock,” Harrison said. “It was a lot of fun getting to play a gunfighter. This guy directed it.” He hooked his thumb at Stryker.

“No kidding? That’s awesome,” Wade said, looking and sounding seriously impressed.

“Thanks,” Stryker said. “Glad you enjoyed the movie.”

“I love the book series it’s based on. But westerns are mostly what I read and watch.”

That completely tracked, Carly thought. She could just see Daddy riding his horse during the Old West, a pistol strapped to his side, probably defending innocent folks from bullies and bad guys.

“Thanks for testing the haunted house for us,” Stryker said. “We appreciate all of you doing this.”

“You kidding? We wouldn’t miss it,” Eli said. “We look forward to this all year.”

“Yeah. And a chance to go in early? There’s no way we’re saying no,” Katie told them.

“Well, all the same, thanks. And please give us your honest feedback,” Stryker said. “It’s completely different from last year. But the basics are the same.”

“That’s right,” Harrison said. “A mix of animatronics and live scare actors. No one will touch you. The whole thing takes about thirty minutes to get through, but if at any time it’s too intense, just walk out any of the clearly marked exits.”

“And, we aren’t planning on having any emergencies, obviously, but if one were to pop up, those exits are where you need to go, too,” Stryker added.

Carly couldn’t stop grinning. Did some people have to tap out? Probably, else they wouldn’t give that disclaimer. This must be one scary haunted house!

She couldn’t wait to experience it.

“All right. Are y’all ready?” Stryker asked.

“Ready!” the Littles said.

Wade just chuckled as he took hold of Carly’s hand.

One more scary laugh was heard from somewhere deep within the structure as the group trudged toward the haunted mansion.

***

Bats flew overhead. Witches cackled in the distance. The sound of chainsaws filled the air. Clowns, monsters, wolves, and even a giant spider scared Carly out of her mind. At times, the effects were so good, she couldn’t tell who was a real actor and what was an animatronic.

“That was the coolest haunted house ever!” she practically yelled as they came out of the exit. “That part when Frankenstein’s monster busted through the wall? Come on! Ten out of ten jump scare.” She giggled before including, “Let’s just say I’m glad I was already wearing a diaper.”