Kate, the Tiki, and My November Promise.

"Having invoked my name twice this week as someone whose 'help' might be required, I see that you did not truly need me tonight after all," said Black Rose Kate. I couldn't tell whether she sounded pleased or disappointed.


We were in the little alcove by the front door. I had just finished putting all the toys and candy into the plastic cauldron when my pirate friend turned up, ferried here as usual by Ariel Allegra. Ariel said something about a date and some hard to get theater tickets, and left immediately.


"I didn't need you for my preparations, no," I admitted. "But I'm always glad to see you, especially at Halloween."

"Naturally," said Kate. "If you're going to spend four hours sitting just outside your front door, 'tis better to have someone to talk to as you do it. Especially someone ye don't see every day."

"Exactly," I said. Any second now, she was going to give me grief on the usual subject, but I was ready for her.

"But that was not what you were talking about in the blog entries Ariel showed me," Kate went on. "When you said you might need me to bail you out, what did you mean, exactly?"

"I meant pretty much what you think I meant," I said. "I wanted your help with costuming."

"Costuming," she said, deadpan. "Ye know true and well that I am a pirate, not a seamstress."

"I do," I said.

"Therefore you were making your usual lie to the world," Kate said. "You implied that I am no more than Karen Blocher in fake pirate garb."

"As far as the world knows, that is correct," I said. "I've explained before why I'm ambiguous in my blog about whether you're an actual time traveler or just one of my more interesting fictional characters." Kate looked slightly mollified at the backhanded compliment. "But I actually had a slightly different game in mind for this year. We can play it anyway if you like."

"What sort of game?" Kate asked sharply.

"Rather than my pretending to impersonate you, I thought we might impersonate each other," I said.

"To what purpose?"

"I'm interested in finding out more about your actual clothing, not just my store-bought imitations," I said. "And I'm equally interested to see whether you could or would dress and behave as I do, if only for half an hour."

For a moment Katie Specks glowered at me. Then suddenly she laughed. "Aye, then. An ye truly wish it, you may wear my salt-stained tunic and all. And in return, ye would have me done this paper likeness of a heathen god?"

"Yes, and wear it while handing out candy, and speak modern vernacular as you do it."

Kate nodded. "An interesting challenge," she said. "I'll do it."

(Tomorrow: How she did!)

This is the first entry in my November NaBloPoMo run of fiction-related entries. I don't promise to post fiction every night in November, but I will work on one or more pieces of fiction each night throughout the month, and let you know what I'm up to. But right now I'm exhausted from my late night mask assembly last night, so here are a few more photos, and then I'm off to bed!

"Pumpkin Pie Pizza" at the office pot luck

What is this? What was I trying to do? Can you guess?

Chocolate spiders.

Good night!

Karen