There was something creepy about the shop, but Brian couldn't quite put his finger on what. The woman behind the front counter was certainly weird, as Brian still couldn't figure out how she had known his and Bethany's names. Yet, there was something else about her, like she was displaced from time. It was 2018 and the woman looked like a mix of images of women from the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s. But there was something else that seemed off about her, which Brian couldn't fully articulate what exactly it was. Then there was the costumes.
Some of them looked normal enough. Walking toward the back of the shop, he saw pirates, witches, ballerinas, princesses, Norse Deities, super heroes and other things people normally dressed up in for Hallowe'en. But, the deeper into the store he went, the odder things got. There was a display of bridles, bits and saddles, but nothing else to indicate an equine costume of any sort. On one rack hung a series of fake cow teats and bull horns, while two nearby tables had pig snouts and chicken beaks, each separated with a card in front that either read, "Hen" or "Cock" or "Boar" or "Sow" with the beaks that were marked "Cock" also including combs. In an open display were fleshy looking suits that were white, peach, copper, brown, dark brown and, oddly enough, yellow, lurid pink, blue, orange, red and cornflower blue. Closer inspection and Brian was officially wigged out to discover they were fully body suits consisting of a footed-pant-like bottom, torso section that had arms with gloves and mask that fully covered the head, which all looked, in Brian's opinion, much to realistic. And when he touched them, they also felt warm, like they were real.
"That's just not right," he thought as he stepped back from the display case and wanting to get out of the shop as quickly as possible, he started to hurry to the back.
In the back of the store he found Bethany sorting through a pile of costumes. Upon seeing him she smiled and stated, "I found the perfect costumes for us," and reaching over to two outfits she'd hung up on the side of a display case, she held them up and gushed, "What do you think of these? They're perfect, aren't they?"
Truthfully, Brian thought they looked utterly ridiculous and he wondered how Bethany could think they were excellent. Staring at them, unsure what to say, he studied the different outfits. The one she was holding in her right hand consisted of a tight pair of cut-off blue denim shorts, complete with a red fox tail connected to the back, a short-sleeve black shirt he was sure would expose the midriff and hang off at least one shoulder, a skimpy looking black bra and a small plastic bag with something inside he couldn't quite make out. The other outfit also had denim cut-off shorts, only they were a blue-white sort of colour and had a white fox tail connected to the back. In addition, he could see that it came with a white t-shirt that had been tied in front, another skimpy-looking bra that was lacy white with tiny pastel blue flowers printed on the bit that went over the tits and also a small plastic bag.
At a loss as to what to say, he slowly nodded and asked, "And how are they perfect? I could never be able to wear something like that," as he indicated the outfit in her right hand.
"Oh come on," Bethany squealed, still grinning. "I mean, that's the point of Hallowe'en. Wearing something we don't normally wear, dressing as something we aren't. It will be fun. And besides. If you're worried that it shan't fit, the tag on them guaranties one size fits all. So, what do you say? Will you be my foxy lover for one evening?"
Brian, trying to stall for time, hoping to see an alternative, unsure why Bethany even thought wearing the costumes would be a good idea, Brian shrugged and muttered, "I dunno," and began looking through a nearby rack.
A look of pouting crossing her face, his girlfriend stated, "Well, there is the moose costume I was considering. But, if we do that, you're going to be the back end," in a tone that didn't match the look on her face and instead hinted at a subtext of trying to be playful, yet also trying to get him to make a choice.
Not liking being boxed in, Brian turned away from the costumes he was looking at. Peering at the two costumes, he reached out and took the one on the right. Examining the shirt and shorts, both of which had a tag that read M/L while the shorts had what looked like either an X design of a leather thong on the back above the tail or was actually holding the shorts closed in the back, he couldn't decide, he asked, "Why is this so important you that we do this," and bouncing the small bag in his hand, unable to figure out what was in it, he added, "I mean. Except for handing out candy every so often, we don't really celebrate Hallowe'en. It's just another day. And now, suddenly you want to."
A shrug and Bethany started reach for the costume, telling him, "I don't want to have this fight again. It's just that I want to try something new. If you don't want to do, fine. I'll go by myself."
Brian, starting to feel like a heel, withheld the costume. As he did this, he quietly replied, "I dunno what I want. It's just, Hallowe'en was never really important for my family growing up. My mother raised me and my seven brothers and sisters by working two jobs and just barely putting food on the table. The only real celebrations we had we're birthdays and Christmas, with most of the presents coming from charities and as hand-me-downs," and pulling on the tag of the bra, he read 26AA, which didn't mean anything to him.
"I know," Bethany said in a hushed voice.
A silence falling between them, Brian fidgeted with the costume, wondered why the bra had padding in the front and after a moment, he said, "If it's important for you, all right. But just this once, okay?" as Bethany exclaimed, "You know what, never mind. We have a good thing, so let's keep it the way it is."
Both looking at each other, grins spreading across their faces, Bethany asked, "You mean it?" to which Brian nodded and shrugged, "But just this once. After that, let's go back to celebrating the way we normally do."