THE MOMENT
Technically, it was March everywhere else, so the chill in the air wasn't an impossibility. And, it wasn't unheard of for people to leave up decorations long after the holiday passed. As the pair of friends entered town, Crystal's face lit up at the sight of jack-o-lanterns, she didn't initially know where Monday was taking her and the spooky ambiance of the town made her giddy. Monday relaxed too once they reached the downtown area. It had been a surprisingly busy weekend and she decided to reward herself with a break and some time with a good friend.
"... the good thing is...," Monday continued their conversation as they strolled past the shops, each one pushing Halloween merchandise. "...even though we're getting busier, everyone's distracted by the wedding. This weekend, we faced one that took all five of us; they're getting stronger too." Crystal listened, but her head was on a swivel as she eagerly tried to see everything at once. She even thought she saw some monsters manning the business, and maybe some walking around; but, they also could have been in costume. Either way, she was thrilled just to be in the odd town.
"Turbo's been trying to upgrade our magical powers to keep up, so I hope that works. If not, I might need to actually tell my mom."
"Oh! Can I go if you do!?" Crystal asked. The sudden mention of Monday's mother was enough to distract her from the town. Ms. Sharp was one of the most powerful women in the multiverse and Crystal had questions.
"Maybe," Monday shrugged. "I'll have to see what the situation is when I go; but, I'm hoping I don't have to. What about you?" she asked. As close as they were, they most often spent time apart pursuing different things. She wanted to catch up in person for once. "Any luck with Parker Lewis?"
"Not really," she shook her head. "I'm trying a different approach. Turbo said I didn't need to track him down anymore; but, I still wanted to. Then, Auntie Donna reminded me to be careful, because I was having too much fun chasing him. As long as I was enjoying the chase, my Ability told the universe I wanted to keep chasing him forever. So I'm taking it easy for a bit and questing with Keys," she shrugged. "But I'm super glad I came with you," she giggled as they turned a corner. They'd found the main street and it was far more active than what they passed already. Plastic orange jack-o-lanterns glowed on every lamp post and cloaked, robed, or hunched figures scurried along the assortment of tables and booths. Some were obviously in costume. "I love this town!" she laughed. And, Monday joined in as she led them to the biggest house on Main Street. It was a dark wood three-story mansion with bald trees in the front yard surrounded by piles of colorful leaves. It was practically Spring everywhere else; but, here it still looked like peak Fall.
"Strangers!" a sudden yelp distracted both girls as they arrived at the house gate. "You're strangers! You're new!" The bushes next to the fence rustled and a young, nervous man in scraps rushed out. "You have to believe me!" he stopped a reasonable distance away, realizing that they were only teenagers. He didn't want to scare them off, he hadn't seen a new person in months. "Something strange is going on here!" They giggled at him as Monday looked him up and down.
"You could say that," she said. "I'm Monday, and this is my friend Crystal," she introduced them. "What's the problem, Sir?"
"I'm Jed, I moved here in October...," he gestured up and down the street. "IT'S STILL OCTOBER!"
"I'm pretty sure it's March," Crystal said.
"Maybe somewhere else, but look around!"
"Have you been to the Mayor yet?" Monday pointed at the house they were headed to.
"I got here the last week of October, my appointment to meet him was in November, NOVEMBER NEVER CAME!"
"C'mon," Monday giggled and walked forward again to push through the gate.
"Why didn't you leave?" Crystal asked. "Do you just hang out in the bushes?"
"I saw you arrive; but, couldn't catch up. I took a shortcut," he said. It seemed more important that she not think he spent his time hiding in the shrubbery. "I didn't leave... because I thought it was happening everywhere...," he shook his head. He was disappointed in himself for not trying harder than he did. To be fair, he was experiencing supernatural stress. He actually let a couple of months go by just to be sure everything was repeating. The odd town offered very little in the way of timekeeping. It was impossible to find calendars and the very few people he did ask, the ones that didn't spend the whole month in costume, always insisted it was October. His phone was no help, he'd broken it the second month and it never got repaired, unlike the rest of the town. He tested it, he left deep gouges in park benches and broke more than a few street lights. Every month, they were there brand new again. Something was going on and he didn't know who to trust, so he kept to himself. He followed the girls to the doorstep and Monday banged on the heavy knocker. The door opened immediately to reveal a tall, thin, pallid butler in a dark red suit holding a serving tray.
"Miss Monday, Miss Crystal, so glad to see you," the butler smiled and held out the serving tray with two elaborate ice cream desserts. They were loaded into tall glasses with golden straws; one had a heavy dose of red syrup, he rotated the tray to offer that one to Monday.
"These will get you started while you relax," he said. "One with unicorn blood, and one without."
"Thanks Gideon, you're the best," Monday grabbed the red one as Crystal snatched the other one.
"Mayor Graves is expecting you; but, since this is a cordial visit, you can take your time in getting to him. You didn't mention you'd be bringing another guest," Gideon cast his eyes at Jed.
"We found him in the bushes," Crystal giggled, and Monday nodded.
"He's new in town, and kind of fell through the cracks. He doesn't know how things work here yet, can the Mayor talk to him while we relax a bit?"
"Of course, he's always ready to assist the citizens," Gideon bowed and stood aside to let them all in.
"This way, Sir," Jed nodded and began walking. But, Monday stopped him.
"Hey, so, just to get you caught up. You're totally safe; but, the Mayor is a vampire, and the time loop here is intentional. But, it's only the town that resets every month, the people know what's going on. It's kind of like a shortcut to maintenance, you know? If all the buildings and stuff are brand new every month, they don't have to spend money on employees and replacements. He's been doing it for centuries, it works great."
"Huh?" Jed was about to panic. "VAMPIRE?" he asked. Somehow the time loop was less of a concern. A crown of rainbow light appeared over Monday's head as she stared into his eyes.
"Relax. Go in and listen; then make up your mind after," she said. His shoulders dropped immediately.
"Yeah, okay. I'll hear him out...," Jed nodded as he walked away.
"Poor guy...," Crystal shook her head with a giggle. "...I guess he hasn't realized the town is full of monsters either."
"That's a detail I can understand getting confused," Monday shrugged with her own giggle as she moved to the den to make herself comfortable. "Some of them are wearing costumes."