TWENTY FIVE & SIX
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CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Interviews resumed and Rodney stepped into Eddie’ s office.“ We have spiders,” he announced with a huge smile.“ Eight guys from the wrestling team saw the post for small, athletic and don’ t mind working in cramped quarters. These guys are going to love sweating their asses off in the costumes,” Rodney stated.“ Take them aside, make sure they are under the height limit and tell them they are all hired.”“ I’ m on it,“ Rodney said. He returned a few minutes later and handed Tracy seven applications and stuck his head in Eddie’ s office.“ One of them was five-six but they are sending another little wrestler,” he said with a shrug.
Sam watched the video of the Kim and Lee and contacted George for the information on where he found the costumes. She began auditioning“ Cats” and“ Witches”. Eddie didn’ t want ugly hooked nose witches, he wanted beautiful, bizarre dancing witches to end the show.“ I want them to tease the mortals that made it through the haunted house. I want Raquel Welch looks with Don Rickles attitude.“ You know what I mean? Kinda like you,” he laughed.“ Flattery won’ t get you anywhere,” she said, strutting out of his office. The two day rush filled the roster. He needed characters as well as ushers. Everyone was excited about being able to take a break from being a monster to being an usher.
Brad Miller was given two“ Mad Scientist” exhibits to decorate. With Eddie’ s big budget he was able to create two similar but different laboratories. Eddie’ s hope was the audience would think they had already seen this show. In lab A the group of eighteen witnesses are led into a darkened room lit by flashing lights on panels covered with dials and switches. There are two rows of benches at the front for each of the eighteen. The ushers ask the witnesses to sit while the scientist prepares his victim. Two large globes housing dancing, lightning storms sit on opposite sides of the room. Two thick wires with an arc of electricity that starts at the bottom and finishes at the top with a snap and spark, sit back and center. Beakers filled with crimson, amber and chartreuse fluids appears to bubble over against a backdrop of foggy mist that comes from nowhere and everywhere. A steel table with a body partially covered by a white sheet is front and center. A pale mannequin’ s head is facing the group now seated across the front of the room. The scientist shuffles slowly, hunched, crooked, turning dials and glancing at the group. The ankles and wrists of the body on the table are bound by thick leather straps. He reaches for an over-sized throw switch, makes eye contact with the group and sneers. The eyes of the witnesses follow his slow regard to the table. The switch makes contact. The eyes of the girl on the table fly open and her body begins to shake wildly on the metal table. Designed to startle. This lab created the setup for lab B. In this second identically reproduced lab with the lighted dials, electric pulsing globes, body parts floating in specimen jars, Brad has the mad scientist conduct the same process as the previous lab except this time when the switch is thrown electricity courses through the benches to the shock and awe of the witnesses.
The“ Spider” exhibit became his pride and joy. The area beneath the web was transformed into a desert canyon. Rock walls and cacti kept viewers on the path. Snakes, scorpions, tarantulas and large centipedes moved among the rocks and plants on the backs of invisible electric train sets. Miles of model train track wove it’ s way through tunnels behind the false rocky cliffs. The entire room came alive under