“A horror competition?” Jenna asked as they entered the convention center. Her voice rose to break through the din of a thousand conversations and echoey speakers.

Sallie nodded, trying not to smirk at the righteous matron appalled by Jenna’s western Pennsylvania vowels that turned the word into one syllable. It did twist the term into something less appropriate for the appalled woman’s younglings to hear, but that was the risk one took in public. It wasn’t as if Jenna had meant to introduce the redheaded family to risqué ladies of the night, after all.

Nor did Sallie want to meet her friend’s legendary temper. Especially not when Jenna was notoriously touchy about her accent. No, she’d keep her mouth clamped firmly shut.

Well, about that, anyway. She hurried to explain. “Sure, the whole con’s movie themed. The horror display’s in the back. And the part I really want to see is dessert!”

“Eat it,” Jenna corrected primly. “You mean eat dessert.”

Sallie grinned. “That, too.”

Twenty minutes later, she bounced with anticipation in the display’s seating area. “This is gonna be so cool!”

Two minutes hadn’t passed when she flattened into disappointment. “How mundane.”

She went to eat the cherry from her sundae, and realized, in horror, it was in fact a human eye. Sallie stabbed it with her spoon and waved it at Jenna. “Yeah!”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” the brunette said faintly, and pushed her black lagoon cheesecake away unfinished.

“Relax,” Sallie said unconcernedly. “It’s – mmmph – yeah, just a cakeball.” She swallowed. “Delicious.”

***

You have to stop taking the prompts so literally, said Dear Spouse, and he was right! Thanks to Ben for the delightfully spooky human eye prompt; mine went to Becky this week along with privacy-minded sea serpents. Check out more and join the fun, over at MOTE!