Adopting Hole 11 proved to be a jackpot for Nicktor at Halloween. The haunted golf course hole saw huge crowds each night in October. Golfers and fright fans alike delighted in the screams on the fairway, the monsters in the trees and the secrets of a newly installed haunted house that overlooked the green.
Valentine’s Day flopped. Thinking he could capitalize on haunted scenes throughout the year, Nicktor hired full-time actors. The Ghosts of Christmas Past Haunted House was profitable, but the Valentine’s Day Couple’s Haunted Holiday did not catch on.
Nicktor hated Valentine’s Day anyway. Sure, he knew how to scare and delight people at Halloween, but he seemed to only know how to scare people away on Valentine’s Day.
After sparse attendance on Valentine’s night, a woman booked the last showing with special instructions. Cass was bringing a guy named Gary, whom she wanted to scare. Cass mentioned seeking vengeance, which Nicktor wanted to offer after losing so much money on Valentine’s Day.
The couple started in the forest and encountered a cupid with glowing red demon eyes. He held up his bow and fired at them. Red lights illuminated Frankenstein’s monster hiding behind them in the forest. The monster screamed, “I love you,” and chased Gary deeper into the forest while Cass stood back and laughed. As they continued, a vampire jumped out of a coffin, and a werewolf also chased Gary into the next scene.
The couple continued onto a section of the golf course lined with free-standing portraits you might see at a funeral but that looked like online dating profile pictures. The portraits came to life and tormented Gary about his poor dating strategies while leaving Cass alone.
As they entered the haunted house doorway, Nicktor appeared and held Cass back as Gary entered alone. They listened as Gary confronted the long-term commitment section of the horrors. A skeleton Bride and Groom chased him around as more and more domestic tasks became terrifying.
“Thanks for this,” Cass said, laughing. “I had a bad breakup recently, so I decided to bring my brother here just to torture him. Best Valentine’s Day in years.”
“Wait, he’s your brother?” Nicktor asked. “Did he do something to you?”
“Nope, it’s just funny that he’s so scared.”
The front door opened, and Gary, covered in flour that made him look like a ghost, emerged screaming and running up the golf course like a Scooby Doo character.
“Did we take it too far?” Nicktor asked.
“Not at all,” Cass said. “When you spend a Valentine’s Day with monsters, the next one has to be better, right?”
The Finch Golf Club is part of a series, you can read other entries here.