Chapter 24
24
The last day in October dawned bright and chilly and, Ethan was glad to see, dry as well.
He spent an extremely busy day with his dad ensuring that the train was ready at the station, that all the parts were working properly and that the carriages were also ready to go. Eddie was also on hand but appeared to be struggling a bit with the workload, so Ethan made him rest before the busy evening ahead. The last few days had been manic and they all felt weary with the strain of making sure that everything was prepared.
Ethan returned to the station, just as the sun was beginning to sink down towards the horizon. It was only when he stepped out onto the platform and saw that Katy had been true to her word about giving the platform some properly sophisticated but spooky decorations that he remembered about the decorations for the train.
He sent a quick text to Dodgy Del and was relieved when his cousin replied that he was heading over with a van full of Halloween decorations. There really wasn’t a moment to lose, thought Ethan. It was now teatime and there were already a few trick or treaters about on Railway Lane.
Ethan was pacing up and down nervously when his brother came out of Platform 1, dressed in a vampire costume.
‘What’s up?’ asked Ryan.
‘You’re not here for a donation, are you?’ said Ethan. ‘Because it feels like all the blood has drained from my body anyway.’
He looked up as Bob and Eddie walked down the platform.
‘Why aren’t you all wearing costumes?’ asked Ryan.
Ethan looked down at the blue overalls that protected his clothes from the smoke and soot from the steam engine. ‘We’re wearing what we always wear,’ Ethan told him.
‘Not much of an effort,’ said Ryan, making a face. ‘Have you seen Katy? She looks amazing.’
Ethan had to concede that his brother’s girlfriend did look incredible as she headed out of Platform 1. She was dressed in a bright pink skirt suit with pink high heels and a blonde wig.
‘You look very pretty, love,’ said Eddie as they drew nearer.
‘Thanks,’ she replied. ‘I’ve gone full Barbie.’
But Ethan wasn’t in the mood for small talk as there was still no sign of Dodgy Del.
‘Where is he?’ he snapped, glancing at his watch and seeing that only another four minutes had passed since the last time that he had checked the time.
‘He said he was on his way,’ replied Ryan. But even he was looking a little concerned. ‘It is getting a bit tight time-wise though.’
‘He’s never let us down before,’ announced Bob, who appeared to be taking it all quite calmly.
‘You are joking, right?’ said Ethan, raising his eyebrows at his dad. ‘Between trying to burn down a field, crashing a tractor and almost ruining the fireplace in Ryan’s coffee shop, you mean?’
‘Well,’ said Bob, a small frown appearing on his brow. ‘I never said he was perfect, did I?’
‘He’s here at last,’ said Ryan, looking through the narrow alleyway onto Railway Lane, where an old van had just pulled up in a puff of grey smoke. They all quickly rushed to greet him.
‘Nice van,’ said Ethan, as Dodgy Del climbed out of the driver’s cab.
‘Does it always smell like that?’ asked Ryan, wrinkling his nose.
‘Yeah, but you get used to it,’ said Dodgy Del, going round to open up the back of the van. It was full of boxes. ‘There you go, Uncle Bob. You asked and I’ve delivered, as promised.’
‘Thank you, lad,’ said Bob, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
‘Don’t thank him yet,’ Ethan told his dad. ‘We need to get this lot up and around the train carriages sharpish.’
So they all grabbed a box and began to carry everything onto the platform.
‘Shall I start to open them up?’ asked Katy, pulling out a pair of scissors from her suit.
‘Yes, please,’ said Ethan, carrying the last box from the van.
‘It’s just like Christmas,’ said Katy with a smile as she unpicked the Sellotape on the top of the box.
Ethan watched as she carefully opened up the lid before her smile dropped and she quickly closed it again.
‘What is it?’ asked Ethan, rushing over.
‘I… I… I think it’s the wrong box,’ she stammered, beginning to back away with wide eyes.
Ethan immediately flung open the box that Katy had tried to close and stared down at what she had seen. Even he flinched at the sight before him.
‘Del!’ he roared. ‘What on earth is all this?’
Del casually wandered over to see what all the fuss was about, but his congenial smile faded into confusion as he took in the contents of the box. ‘I dunno,’ he said.
Ethan stared down again once more. The box appeared to be full of bloodstained sheets, as well as scary-looking zombie masks. ‘Where are our child-friendly Halloween decorations for all the family?’ asked Ethan slowly.
Still frowning, Del bent over the next box and opened it up. He tried to mask his small gasp of horror, but it was too late.
‘What’s in that one?’ asked Ethan sharply, his stomach plummeting.
‘Nuffink,’ said Del quickly.
But he wasn’t quick enough for Ethan, who nudged him out of the way and looked down to see a whole load of plastic severed limbs, all in various shades of deformity but all equally disgusting.
Katy, meanwhile, was ripping open a box and gave out a small scream of alarm.
‘What is it?’ asked Ryan, heading over to join her.
But Katy merely shook her head and closed the box up once more. ‘Clowns,’ she muttered. ‘Really scary clown faces.’
Ethan turned to Del in despair. ‘Del!’ he shouted. ‘The passengers are going to be here in less than an hour. What are we going to do?’
‘Well, you asked for scary,’ said Del, looking a little guilty.
‘Del, this isn’t scary,’ Ethan told him, groaning. ‘This is X-rated, Hammer House of Horror stuff rather than the Disney Halloween vibe we were going for.’
‘Whatever’s the matter?’ asked Harriet, rushing out of the lavender spa with Paddington the dog next to her to see what all the shouting was about. She was dressed as a witch and Paddington had been turned into a large, fluffy pumpkin.
‘It’s Del, of course!’ replied Ethan, rolling his eyes before turning back to his cousin. ‘We’ve got little children coming! How are they going to react when they see…’ He interrupted his rant to open up another box and grimaced. ‘Disgustingly realistic squelchy body organs.’ He gulped.
Harriet looked into a box and pulled out a life-size zombie doll that looked so realistic that Paddington took one look, howled and shot back inside the lavender spa.
Ethan groaned. It was a disaster.
‘We’ll send out an SOS,’ said Ryan, getting out his phone. ‘Ask for any help at all from everyone.’
As his brother sent out the distress call, Ethan turned to look at Dodgy Del.
‘Well done,’ he drawled. ‘You’ve just replaced the classic Nightmare on Elm Street with what appears to be Nightmare on Railway Lane.’
‘Might still be a big hit,’ muttered Del.
‘I suggest you get out of here sharpish,’ warned Ethan. ‘Otherwise, the only thing being hit will be you, dear cousin. How could you do this to Grandad on his big day?’
Del shot a sheepish smile at Eddie, who just shrugged and smiled. He did seem a little quiet that evening, thought Ethan. Perhaps the strain of getting the Halloween train ready on time was showing.
As Del rushed out of the station, Ethan wondered just how quickly they could decorate the train for their paying customers. And, as a heavy drizzle began to rain down on them, whether the evening was a disaster before it had even begun.