Fashion Show!

My Christmas dolly diorama. 

It's some hybrid of sleigh ride and caroling.  

Don't think about it too hard, just enjoy the seasonal 

T-shirts.  

     After holiday markdowns and Santa's visit, more of them!  I bet the bottom halves of Khalil and Jeremiah are cold.  Also Hagrid's toes.  Hagrid is tickled pink at shirts he can wear, and even talked me into letting the gold and black be a year-round shirt.

Santa also brought Grumpy Bear Cutie Reveal and a whole bunch of clothes!  (Also some Mini Brands Home, but that's got no bearing on the fashion show you know I planned immediately.)  The clothes are second-hand and not all in pristine condition, some need repairs, but Santa did an excellent job of finding me a variety.  No complaints.

I decided to use the dolls in the diorama (and Grumpy, because none of the diorama females are standard body molds.  Susan B is curvy, Morgan and Diana have the athletic/heroine mold, Rose-Grace has a Wild Hearts body) as models in the fashion show. 

Are we ready, kids?

We'll start with the Disney Princess gowns.  I'm assuming the solid-color skirts go here because they were packaged with the gowns.  Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel, Rapunzel skirt.  (Grumpy's built-in top helps with modesty!)

Mirabel, Isabella, and Merida

Anna, Belle skirt, Belle, Elsa skirt.  Rose-Grace's improvised top is not part of the fashion show.  

Three versions of Elsa.  The sheer fabric on Morgan and Diana's shoulders were in bad shape, so they went bye-bye.  Other wise, all fashions shown are as they arrived.  

The red/yellow on Casey would work better as a top, or on a shorter friend. The red on Diana (I'm pretty sure) came from a Holiday Barbie.  I suspect the ones on Susan B and Morgan are hand-made.

More dresses.  

Susan B's house robe is really quilted.  I think it and the dresses on either side of her are hand-made.  

Skating costume and some more dresses.  I promise, we'll get to britches eventually.

I wonder where they are going, all dressed up?

Susan B finds another dress that better serves as a shirt.

The dress on Susan B looks like it came off a teddy bear, definitely needs some taking in.  Or turned into a skirt.  She's one movement away from a wardrobe malfunction!  (And yes, I know Diana looks like Jeanie dressed her.  Because I did!) 

Look!  Britches!  Now Susan B looks like Jeanie dressed her. 

Rose-Grace and Grumpy rocking the micro mini skirts.  Or are they shorts?

Now that we're into britches, the guys join the party.  

Ignore the dice bag holding up Khalil, he has a bad case of the floppies.  

Hagrid is wearing his original pants.

Now we're just getting silly.  Ron's in a life vest and Yule Ball Harry is wearing a coat with shorts.

Now Casey's wearing a coat with shorts!

Now, I know that Baywatch suit came on a full-size Barbie!  But it was even too small for Grumpy?

Trying really hard not to go off about doll proportions here.  Barbie's unrealistic, but them undies came off a doll with a head bigger than her torso.  

Back of the jackets modeled elsewhere.  The blue one says POP, not POO.

The swimsuit tops are too big around the chest (under the boobs).  

You saw Casey model the gingham, but it was very tight, and the others' waistband were too small even on Casey.  These things will fit Emma, Dan, or Roxy.  Maybe even the Harry Potter girls - they're quite skinny. 

All told, a very nice addition to the doll wardrobe.  

Loose Ends

Doll County Paranormal has a final meeting about the Witch's Cove investigation before turning the job over to a video production company.  

Jeremiah: Let's go over the data from the Raging Rapids area.  Diana's data tells us this land was originally owned by a farmer named Schmidt, and remained in the family until bought by Kida.  

Nova: Lottie reported it as a sad place and we got the photos of the white shape and the vortex of lights in this area.  The best guesses on the single EVP are "leave me alone" and "repeat the note".  There are records of several deaths, as we can expect with a multi-generational family farm in the days before hospitals.  

Esperanza: "Leave me alone" and the sadness Lottie sensed makes me wonder if there were any suicides.  But nothing on record supports that.  

Nova: We do have a few questionable deaths, but nothing so obvious as a note days after being left at the altar.   The strange thing, in my opinion, is this:  We got the photos, which indicate something very strong there, but none of the witness reports were on this side of the park.  

Kenna: It hides from the living, but can't hide from the camera.  It really does want to be left alone. 

Hagrid: Definitely more sightings at the grove by The Overlook.  Kids, mostly. 

Peeta: We ran the movement patterns through a comparison program.  Closest matches were small animal activity and children running.  And by children, the computer specified ages three to five.  

Hagrid: Them EVPs sure sound like kids laughing.  What did we decide they say? 

Jeremiah: First one is "Can't catch me", "Fantasy", or "Don't touch me".  The first and last ones seem very fitting for kids at play.  Second one is probably a response to our asking for a name.  "Antonio." But others heard "Float my boat", "Broke my nose", and "Don't I know".  

Diana:  Well, what I found in the archives fits almost perfectly.  There was an orphanage in the area.  (reads from tablet)  Hillcrest Children's Home, managed by two spinster daughters of the Chase family.  A tornado took it out in 1959.  

Lottie: It must not have been like the orphanages I read about in stories.  None of them are happy places.  

Diana: The ladies who ran the place must have been very nice.  (refers to the tablet again)  Census records list a few boys named Tony - some with Latin last names, so possibly short for Antonio.  One Antonia, in 1930.  And "broke my nose" is a fairly common complaint among rowdy children.  

****

While they talk ghosts, the Pike women enjoy the newest luxury at Windu Acres.

Morgan: I could've used a hot tub back when I was digging up bones for a living.  Academic life is making me soft.  (pokes at her belly)  I've been slacking off on workouts since Candy left.   What is with her, running off to war zones and disaster areas every chance she gets?

McG: She always had an overdeveloped sense of adventure.  I'm pleased that Rose-Grace is more of a homebody. 

Rose-Grace: Hey, don't put the mothers of your grandchildren into competition!  (they all laugh)  She's not comfortable staying in one place long - that's why she divorced Pike when he left the military - but I wish she'd satisfy her wanderlust by selling her photos to travel magazines instead of news magazines. 

Morgan: Probably the result of growing up in foster care.  They move kids around so much. 

Rose-Grace: You'd be amazed how many of those moves are for the kid's safety.  The screening for foster parents is nowhere near as good as it should be.  (pointedly changes the subject)  I heard a rumor that you were applying for Mrs. Moneybags.

Morgan: Mom wishes.  You'd think after getting eight grandchildren out of my brother, she'd leave me alone, but no.  My biological clock is driving her nuts.  

McG: I just mentioned the idea.  As a topic of idle conversation. 

 

The EVPs

 Jeremiah tells the team to listen closely to the audio files from Peeta and Frodo's equipment.  

Peeta: Do the motion sensors first.  I'm sure we got something there, the way that one kept falling despite being weighted.  (The data comes up on Jeremiah's screen.  It's like a flatlined heart monitor, but the line wiggles slightly before a large jump.  The pattern repeats twice.)  That was me making it stay upright.  We stepped out of range and started doing EVPs.

The line on the screen remains flat, except for rapid bursts of small spikes. 

Jeremiah (to Esperanza, the team rookie): Normal footfalls, like Peeta and Frodo would have made, don't look like that.  Might be small animals.  Remember, we never assume it's paranormal until we've eliminated all other possibilities.  

Peeta: We put down the powder.  No paw prints.  

Frodo:  The EVP we got definitely isn't animals.  Give it a listen.  (To Esperanza) Electronic Voice Phenomena.  

Jeremiah cues up the file.  Frodo is heard asking any spirits to talk to him, then a distorted voice is heard.  The voice is followed by distant childish laughter and Jeremiah pauses the recording for input from the team.  

Frodo: Can't catch me.  

Jeremiah: I hear "fantasy".

Esperanza: No, it's "don't touch me".  

Jeremiah (to Esperanza): You see how we all hear it differently.  That's the norm.  A clear EVP is rare.

The recording continues with the laughter and Frodo asking "who are you?" Jeremiah pauses it again after the voice, or a similar one, responds.

Jeremiah: Antonio?  Did we just get a name? 

Nova: Sounds like "don't I know" to me. 

Frodo: Float my boat.

Hagrid: Broke my nose.

Esperanza: Man, this is nothing like those ghost shows.  They're always like "oh, yes, a kid named Antonio dropped dead in this very spot in 1834".  

Hagrid: They get the history and stuff beforehand, don't they? They're listening for certain things.  It's like that thing with faces, para-doily, but with ears instead of eyes.  This way we'll know it's probably Antonio if we find an Antonio in the history.

Jimin: That's why we avoid places like Lizzie Borden's house - everyone knows that story, everyone has opinions, so they're likely to hear what they want.  (laughs) I saw on one of those shows, they insisted the EVP said "Lizzie killed me" but it sounded to me like "feta cheese".

Ken:  Normally all we can make out is vowel sounds and tone.  It's like back in the day, when everyone was hearing devil messages in records played backwards.  What we do is note what our impressions are and then compare to the history.  

Esperanza: Play that last one, the one from near the log ride. 

Nova: Hey, that's my husband you're bossing around!  (To Jeremiah) Play it.

Jeremiah plays it. 

Jimin: Leave me alone.

Esperanza: Repeat the note.  

Results Are In

 After gathering data, Doll County Paranormal gathers in the Overlook to corollate the data.  

Jeremiah:  EMF readings seem normal, except for the unusual spikes Hagrid noticed.  Esperanza, do we have any sources of electro-magnetic energy around there? 

Esperanza:  That's the lightning bolt and magnet marker, right?  We've got two of them at the Windigo, and Kenna said they were right under the tracks at the time.  

Jeremiah:  So probably interference from the coaster.  Let's move on to the photographs.  

Frodo: That was Ken and Nova.  (To Ken) Y'all better have found something.

 

Jeremiah (clicking through the photos):  Nothing outstanding.  Little bit of either backscatter or orb activity, but so far...  Whoa!  Will you look at that! 

Jeremiah:  Didn't you report feeling watched near the Raging Rapids, Nova? 

Nova:  Yes.  But where is that other one from?  Raging Rapids, also?

Kenna: The ride lights don't look anything like that, even if they had been on.  There wasn't, by any chance, a dance troupe with flashlights out there with us?

Esperanza: I'm way more interested in the white blob with the pink blob under it.  That second one could be backscatter. 

Kenna: It's inconsistent with the backscatter in the other pictures, though.  And there's connecting lines.

Peeta: Let's check the sensors and EVP attempts.  I want to see if Frodo and I got anything.  

Hagrid: It was weird how that one sensor kept falling over.  We got em weighted so they shouldn't do that.  

Jimin: Esperanza and I picked up temperature drops all over the place, but nothing dramatic.  These pictures and any possible EVPs are probably our only solid leads.  

Esperanza:  As far as we know.  We don't know what happened on Lottie's walk through or in the park history.  Jeremiah has to compare all the different sources before we know for sure. 

Jeremiah: Exactly, Esperanza.  All we know from any of that is that most reported activity is along the path we put the sensors by.  I was with Lottie, of course, on her walk-through, but neither of us has shared anything.

Peeta:  That's nice.  Can we get to me and Frodo's work? 

Ghosts and Gossip

 

Doll County Paranormal begins an investigation of local amusement park Witch's Cove.  They split into teams of two.

Jimin:  The most common mistakes made by beginners are pareidolia and backscatter. 

Esperanza: I know about pareidolia.  That's when we see a face where there is no face, because our brains are wired to look for them.  We use it in theater, for subliminal creepiness in a scary production.  

Jimin: Good.  Backscatter is when things like dust are mistaken for ghostly orbs.  Always look for a practical explanation first.  And don't take it to heart if we tease you.  We're still teasing Nova about a screech owl.  

Nova: We're picking up something.  Quit leaning on the post and take some pictures.  

Ken: I'm just catching my breath.  

Nova: Take pictures while you do it.  Especially towards the Raging Rapids - I feel like something that direction is watching us. 

Hagrid: Check this out. 

Kenna: That's probably radio transmissions.  A steel coaster is basically just a big twisted antenna. 

Hagrid: Sure, some of it.  Maybe even most of it.  But there's weirdness on each end of the frequency range.  Spikes at the same time, on each end.

Frodo: This path is supposed to be a very active area.  Jeremiah wants the trip sensors on either side.  Mine's good, but what is going on at your end?  You got fairies dancing around over there? 

Peeta: Only fairy around here is me, smarty pants.  I can't get the damn sensor cone to stay upright.

Frodo: Sounds like a personal problem to me. 

******

Meanwhile: At Sunburst, after a meeting of the Teacher's Union.  

Rallee: I'm glad we got everything sorted.  I was really dreading a strike.  As superintendent, I get all the blame if that happens.  Maybe I should try for that new WDLC show.  I could retire from the whole mess.

Gwen: I'm actually thinking about applying.  I love to teach, but I sure ain't in it for the money. 

Snape: It's practically prostitution, Gwen! 

Rallee: It can be argued that all marriage is prostitution.  

Gwen: You both are such sourpusses.  Why am I sitting with you? 

Suzie: You aren't seriously?

Doreen:  Already mailed the application packet.  I'm not desperate for a man to define me, never have been, but I get tired of sleeping alone.  Two of my kids are grown and in serious relationships.  Tommy's the same age as the potential stepchild.  

Suzie:  Two?  Who is Bonnie dating? 

Midna: Everything good?  Anyone need a refill?

McG: Perhaps you can settle an argument for us.  How do you feel about this Mrs. Moneybags program WDLC will be putting on? 

Midna (shrugs): It's not anything I'm interested in.  Seems like a goofy way to get a husband, but I've seen goofier.  

Susan: You agree, then, that there's nothing immoral or unethical about it?

Nancy:  But it's so decidedly unromantic! 

McG:  Not all women can be as fortunate as we are.  Particularly in modern society.  

Nancy:  My daughters are grown, so I can't forbid them, but I have strongly advised against it.  

McG: I'd tell my daughter it's a bad idea if she shows an interest in anything but dinosaurs.  If she ever marries, it's bound to be a Velociraptor.  

Pillaging the Pumpkin Patch

 Early November on Windu Acres

Fred: Why can't I ride back here with Stacie?  It's not fair.

Mace: You can if you agree to pay the ticket I'll get.  Got a couple hundred bucks laying around? 

Fred: How come we're taking the horse trailer but no horse? 

Mace: Hagrid will meet us there.  Anything that is too mushy for us, he takes to the preserve for the wild animals. Our stuff goes in the bed of the truck, his in the trailer.  

Fred: I like Hagrid.  He's like a giant hairy kid!

Hagrid: Once you adopt a few more helpers, or the ones you got grow up, you'll be able to keep the patch open after Halloween.  Do hay rides and stuff. 

Sulu: We did have live music this year, thanks to Mattie.  

Hagrid: Are you gonna adopt more kids?

Sulu: Five's our goal.  Bobby's hoping the next one is a boy. 

Stacie: You played for the customers?  I'd get stage fright so bad! 

Mattie (shrugs): More like I just played during down time.  Customers liked it, so Dad gave me more down time.  Some girl with pink hair tried to start a fight with me about Finnick.  It was weird.  

Stacie: Esperanza.  She's probably convinced he's cheating on Nakoma with you.  

Mattie: As if.  He's disgustingly in love with Nakoma. 

Mace: Hey, we ain't paying you gals to gossip!  

Mattie: We're waiting for you big strong men to start chucking pumpkins at us.  

Hagrid:  Dang, girl!  Where'd you come from that you think we're gonna throw these at you? 

Mattie: Give me a break.  I'm new at this farm girl stuff. 

Fred: This is neato.  Can we get in it?

Bobby: It's just a decoration.  I wish we'd get big enough to help, but Daddy says we have to weigh more than the pumpkins.  

Vivica: He's fibbing.  Mattie don't weigh more than the pumpkins and she gets to help. 

Fred: I babysit our little twins all the time and StepMommy says it's a big important job. So we are helping since we gotta keep Diana safe. 

Once the pumpkins are loaded, they discuss lunch. 

Hagrid: You pick the place, I pay the bill.  That's the deal every year and you know it. 

Mace: Might be a little different now that I've brought these two. 

Hagrid: Nope.  I expected Tanner, anyway. How's he working out? 

Mace: He's good.  Needs a poke every now and then, but who doesn't? 

Fred: Hagrid, tell Grandpa Mace to let me ride in the horsey trailer with you.  

Mace: Hagrid ain't the boss of me.  The only reason he's allowed to ride in the trailer is because he's a grown man and can pay his own ticket.