"In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house;
And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room;
And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard;
And in the dark, dark cupboard there was...a skeleton!"
-Traditional Halloween Tale (in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware)
We've finally entered into October which means everyone has started to bring out the decorations of skeletons and pumpkins while others indulge in scary movies and the overrated pumpkin drinks; oh, and we can't forget the well-awaited sweater weather. On the other hand, there lies the group of people who prepare for something else every Halloween season, some may even label it as their "Christmas Season," those who work as scare actors in Haunt attractions.
For about four years after I hang up the summer uniform, I prepare for the "haunting" season. I won't lie, at first, I never had been a fan of the Halloween season; I always loved the magic and imagination of Christmas; this year though, something has changed for me. This season, a new change occurred which reminded me as to why I love my job and why I always come back. I had been petrified this year because as a supervisor, it was the first time I would be running a one-woman show, with no partners in crime to fall back on.
Let me give you a peek into my mind as we grew closer to the Halloween season:
Oh my god, I'm learning a new ride.
What characters will I use?
Will I be great as a solo supervisor for our Halloween season?
Will my new crew like me?
Can I think of great ideas for the guests?
Can I do it?
But on the outside, I never showed fear (haha get it? Sorry, bad joke). This season, I was going in full force and head first. But this article isn't to just blab on about how I grew as a leader, I always force myself to grow; this is about the supervisor team and how I finally understand their admiration for this season. For every Halloween season, I kept to myself, I always felt out of place. These supervisors were different and unique, sometimes I even felt intimidated. When I first came in, I was the baby. Here I was coming in at 21 and I was put with the creative and more well-experienced. I have had someone told me that they weren't sure about me when I got promoted but four years later, it's turned into a whirlwind of fun and excitement.
Now I can't say understanding the other supervisor's admiration of Halloween was easy, but it only took four years to get there. Let me put it this way, when we're all kids, dress-up is the best part of life! For a moment in our life, we can be someone else that we've always looked up to or thought that their villainous personality was cool. For a month, this team that I'm a part of gets to dress up as their imagined alter egos and give guests the scariest time of their life.
It took me four years to get here, which means for me that I've taken my job for granted, and I never want that to happen again. I'm incredibly used to being the well-experienced and wise supervisor during the summer, but when switching to our Halloween season, catching onto the excitement of others is refreshing; not to mention, it's my turn to look up to the other supervisors for ideas and motivation. My hope is that I can be half of the scariest and imaginative leader that they are.
So here's to the dark nights where the dead are alive and to more years of creating friends and memories at the place where I call home.
Stay tuned and don't forget to always check under the bed for those monsters...we may be waiting.
