DISCO
AUGUST 2024
The School of Magic and Divinations’ Annual Freshmen Ball
A.L. Davidson
There was one night that Miss Eloise loved above all other nights in the bustling college town of Broochport. Tonight was that night, and she was elated to see the grand ballroom of the prestigious School of Magic and Divinations so full of young bodies. The annual incoming freshmen ball was always a sight to behold; the elaborate decorations, the decadent food, the way the will-o-the-wisps hung on the chandelier to light the ancient wicks, it was all so magical!
But she found herself pouting when she realized not a single soul—living or dead—was dancing! The music was less than enthusiastic and she could sense a wave of… what was it… boredom? yes! boredom! roll over the students. They were always a bit awkward, but this was abysmal!
Nothing the chaperones did seemed to brighten the low energy; the shy spirits, woeful werewolves, and vapid vamps seemed to have trudged into the ballroom with their fashionable suits and sparkling gowns. It lingered like a bad omen, and she was utterly dismayed to see such a delightful night be so downtrodden. Her initial belief was that someone hexed the school, but no matter how high or low she and the other adults searched, not a single ward or sigil seemed out of place.
“This is such a shame! Young people these days, I swear,” Professor Pyle said with a hearty scoff as he sipped his pixie punch.
“Indeed! The living have no life in them and the dead are dreadfully dreary, it’s like all of the energy has been sucked out of the school!” Miss Eloise replied, saddened.
“It’s real odd,” Zeb—Broochport’s self-proclaimed paranormal expert—replied with pursed lips and a musing tone. He fiddled with his ‘ghost-friendly, ghost-capturing’ (patent pending) camera that he offered to use to film the event for the school’s promotional campaigns. But he felt as if it would be a waste of battery to record any of the disaster unfurling before them.
Miss Eloise grabbed the ruffly fabric of her ballgown and huffed as she began making her way down the stairs to rectify the problem, urging the annoyed Professor Pyle to follow. They made their way to the beautifully designed ballroom floor and shooed away the many students who were standing around like grave markers. She worried if they lingered there too long the cemetery moss would wander in and cling to them thinking a new home had been built for them.
With a flourish, she clapped her hands. The bejeweled bangle around her wrist bounced and the room was suddenly awash with dancing lights of autumnal colors. She stomped her foot and the sigil sewn into the sole of her high-heeled shoe ignited. A quartet of zombie musicians appeared on the stage in their finest suits with boney instruments in hand. They began playing some funky tunes as the magical Miss Eloise snapped and pointed to the sky. A disco ball appeared, dangling from the center of the massive chandelier, and a swarm of ghosts burst into the ballroom and began circling the sparkling orb, causing it to spin round and round and round.
The orange and yellow lights caught the twinkling edges of the disco ball and turned the once dreary ballroom into an electrically retro dance floor. Miss Eloise thrust her hand out, asking for Professor Pyle—who was already loosening his tie—to take her hand and boogie down alongside her.
Some of the students began laughing. A few of them, seeing the sheer enjoyment on the face of the stern teacher and the beloved coffee shop owner, felt their postmortem-stiff bodies begin to loosen. Professor Papadopoulos—a massive gorgon, father to the sneaky twins that ran the police force in the magical monster-haven known as Wylder Wood, and notorious grump on campus—could not help but bounce his snakes to the familiar tune. The werewolves began to howl and a few of the students began bopping along to the beat.
After watching Miss Eloise and Professor Pyle hustle, sliding their bodies across the floor with fingers pointed and hips swaying, the mood in the ballroom lifted. The awkward supernaturals and cautious cryptids found their footing and filled the dance floor. The once-somber September evening was filled with laughter, and groovy steps. The start of a magical new year was christened under the glistening lights of a disco ball.
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