World Refrigeration Day?

(this story is 13+)

A yawn echoes down the hall as the sun creeps into the kitchen, Carson’s sitting at the island with a bowl of cereal. He looks over his shoulder to see Kamden walking in, his brown and white terrier at his side.

“Good morning.” Carson greets him, in between spoonfuls of Boo-berry cereal.

“Morning,” Kamden grabs a bowl out of the cabinet, “care if I join you?”

“Go right ahead,” Carson passes the jug of milk across the counter.

“Is it just us awake so far?”

“Skyler and Aylin are probably out on a hike with Pepper, besides for that I think everyone else is sleeping in.”

“It’s weird with so many of us gone today.”

The house is quite empty: Logan, Saige, Maisie, Estella, and Florence went off to the Crossland’s family home, Echo was spending a few days over at Venus’ place, Ivy, Emmi, Rashmi, and Wren were having a sleepover at Henri and Zabie’s house. That leaves only 10 of them home, including Aylin and Skyler. 

“Yeah, it is.” Carson sighs, “A little too quiet. I’m not used to it.”

Kamden looks down at the dog sleeping curled up in a ball next to the stool, “It was just me and Alaia for a while, so I’m used to the quiet.”

“It must be so different.”

“Yeah it is, but it’s not bad, just different.”

Carson looks over at the box of halloween cereal, “So I’ve noticed you wear a lot of orange and black, do you like halloween?”

“I don't dislike halloween but I wear a lot of orange and black because I’m a huge Orioles fan. Kinda have to be, being named after the ballpark, my dad was a huge baseball nerd.”

“Oh, I was hoping I'd have someone else on my side, oh well.”

“Hey I didn’t say I hate halloween, if I had to choose a holiday to get excited about it would probably be halloween.”

“So you are on my side?”

“I’m not saying I’m not not on your side.”Kamden laughs.

They sit in silence for a bit, Carson finishing his bowl of cereal. “Ya know I used to love christmas,” He taps the bottom of the empty bowl with the spoon. “Don’t tell Logan.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, it was my favorite time of the year, the lights, the cozy warm vibes, and of course the presents. I believed in Santa until I was in highschool. The Christmas of ninth grade is when my parents told me. There was nothing more little Carson wanted then to work at the north pole with the jolly old man himself, and to learn all of it was fake? I was devastated.”

“That must suck.”

“Yeah,” Carson lets out a sigh, “But then i found the wonderful, magical world of halloween, where it seems the whole world comes together to give out candy, put up decorations, get in the spooky spirit. Most importantly, there’s no big halloween overlord to believe in, it’s all ghosts, ghouls, zombies and witches, no big man in a red suit that everyone lies about, it’s just halloween.” Carson pauses, as Kamden shifts in his seat as if to pay closer attention, “No one knows as a kid that one day you’ll wake up around the holidays and that warm fuzzy excitement, that you’ve counted on your whole life to fill you with cheer, will just be gone. Vanished into the night, and you’ll never get it back. That innocence, that joy of anxiously staying up for Santa, hoping he got your letter, looking out the window for the reindeer pulling the sleigh, all of it just gone in an instant.” 

“After my parents died, the holidays have never been the same, but Kailani and I found new ways to make the holidays our own. Maybe you just need to find something that makes Christmas feel like home again.”

Carson smiles, “Don’t worry, I’ve found my holiday home with halloween. It took a while, but carving pumpkins replaced baking cookies, dressing up took the place of the reindeer. I just get sentimental this time of year, and Logan being obsessed with it doesn’t help.”

“I don’t understand being so obsessed with a holiday that it becomes your whole personality, but hey Logan seems to be doing pretty good so what do I know.”

“If you had to choose a favorite holiday, what would it be?”

“June 26th.”

“That’s a holiday?”

Kamden nods.

“Isn’t that… stitch day?”

Kamden lets out a chuckle, “Do you think you’re talking to Berlyn? I have no clue when stitch day is.”

A door opens and the sound of paws pitter pattern fills the hall.

“Good morning pups.” Kamden pats Daffodil on the head, as Petunia waddles over, shaking her entire backend. As Kamden slides out of the stool onto the ground, Petunia rolls on her back happily kicking her stubby little legs in the air asking for pets. “Don’t worry I’ll pet you too Petunia.”

Kailani yawns as she stumbles into the kitchen, “I hate this.”

“Hate what?” Kamden scoops Petunia up in his arms, then looks at his sister.

“Grace was at the fire department all night, I mean she was supposed to be, she started working more hours and I don’t like it.” Kailani rests her head on Daffodil’s shoulder, “You miss her too don’t you big girl?” Daffy wags her tail and gives Kailani a big kiss. “Ugh, thanks girl.” 

“I completely forgot she was gone all night.” Kamden places Petunia on the ground.

“Well that makes sense, seeing as you didn’t have to try to sleep with an empty void laying in your bed. I barely got any sleep. Then of course once I do fall asleep these two little rascals,” she points to her dogs, “wake me up.” She slumps down onto one of the dining chairs, “She’s wanted to be a firefighter her whole life, I know this is her dream, but god I worry about her so much.”

“Do you want some coffee or something?” Kamden starts to make his way over to the coffee pot.

“No, she should be home soon, then maybe I can get a nap in. I know it’ll get easier, but I still don’t like it.”

“Well you have fun, I promised Berlyn I would watch Cars with them today, and I guess I’ll have to add figuring out what holiday is on June 26th to my to-do list.” Carson gives all the dogs a pat on the head before walking down the hall and up the stairs.

Kailani stares at her brother, “Kamden. What on earth were you two talking about?”

“It’s Carson we were talking about holidays.”

Kailani pauses, blinks a few times, “And you told him your favorite holiday is June 26th?”

“Just testing the waters.”

“Kamden.”

“I just wanted to see if he knew, he clearly doesn’t, so whatever.”

“Oh my god Kamden.”

“Okay, leave it. I dropped one damn hairpin, that doesn’t mean anything.”

Kailani jokingly rolls her eyes, “Sure it doesn’t.”

“Well look who’s wide awake now.”

She sits up in the chair, “You gave me something else to think about. Give me the deets.”

“There are no deets. We were just the only ones down here.”

“Well at least tell me what he said.”

“We were just talking about Christmas, that’s all.”

“I’m sorry, did I hear you right? Carson was talking about christmas?? The king of halloween was talking about his most hated holiday?”

“Yes. He told me why he doesn’t like christmas.”

“Hold on what. We’ve been trying to get that out of him for years and he just all of a sudden told you? Carson is like the hardest person to get to open up and he just told you?”

“I don’t see why it’s such a big deal?”

“Kamden-”

Kamden walks over to his sister, sitting down across the table from her, “Kailani, just leave it. I dropped a hairpin, he didn’t pick it up, now just leave it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Kamden I-”

“I said leave it, ‘lani, please.”

“I’m sorry.”

In Berlyn’s room, Carson’s setting up the movie while Berlyn pops some popcorn.

“Dude I’m so glad i got this popcorn machine, it’s so cool.”

Carson fiddles with the dvd player, “Uh yeah. It is.”

“You alright? You’re usually more enthusiastic about Cars.”

“I just feel like I was supposed to understand something that I didn’t. It feels important.”

“Maybe I can help?” Berlyn brings a bucket of popcorn to the small blue couch at the foot of his bed, setting the bucket on the side table.

“What’s June 26th?”

“Oh stitch day. He’s 626, so 6 26, June 26th.” Berlyn grabs one of his stitch plushies, “See in ‘Lilo and Stitch’ there is-”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Oh.” Berlyn sits on the couch, “You’ll have to figure that one out on your own then.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is important. We can postpone the movie if you want.”

Carson pulls out his phone, “National chocolate pudding day?”

“Nope.”

He scrolls further, “World refrigeration day? That can’t be it. Canoe day? Are canoes important to Hawaiian culture? Oh wait nope, that’s in Canada. Tropical Cocktails Day? Hawaii is tropical right?”

“Madagascar Independence Day?” Berlyn offers.

“No, that's definitely not it. I can’t find anything else. Maybe he just really likes chocolate pudding?” 

Berlyn grabs a handful of popcorn, “Maybe, or maybe it’s an anniversary?”

Carson looks up from his phone, “Like his parents anniversary? How am I supposed to figure that out?”

“Something bigger than that. But I think you’re going to have to figure that one out on your own.” Berlyn jolts up off the couch, grabbing the stack of DVDs on the coffee table, “Still in the mood for Cars?”