Here's a little something that working in a Haunted house has given me an idea for…

Disclaimer: I do not have any personal involvement with those portrayed in this story…

Kim and Ron's First Haunted House

"C'mon Kim… Please? I really, really want to go through a Haunted House this year, but I don't want to go without you." Ten-year old Ron Stoppable had been itching to go through a Haunted House when his oldest Cousin Reuben told him it was so much fun. Now he was old enough to go, and he wanted Kim to go with him. So as they walked home from school on Thursday, Ron had sprung this idea on his best friend.

Next Ron attempted to employ a puppy dog pout, but he ended up just making Kim laugh. "Ha ha ha… OK Ron OK. I'll go with you. Jeez… Just don't try that look again, please? I've perfected the PDP, and yours… well, let's just say you have a ways to go."

"Thank-you Kim! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ron said excitedly while jumping up and down holding onto his best friend's arm. Kim had to stop walking to let her friend calm down. She couldn't help but smile at Ron's reaction, and Kim shook her head while asking Ron what day he wanted to go.

"How about Friday night? Saturday's Halloween, so after going through the House, we'll be amped up for Trick or Treating the next night." Ron's excitement was starting to become infectious.

"That does sound like fun Ron. Just so you're not wearing that Ballerina costume again. It's looking a little… tight on you." The fiasco of her going as a cowboy and Ron as a ballerina was still fresh in her mind, even though it was a few years ago. Ron tried wearing that costume again last year, and it didn't fit him too well.

"Oh I've grown out of that for sure Kim. This year I was hoping we could dress up in costumes that actually go together."

"What do you mean?" Kim stopped short, and was now looking at her friend out of the corner of her eye.

"I was thinking we could both be dressed as escaped prisoners! You know, with the black and white striped suits, ball and chain… the whole thing!" Kim brought her fingers to her chin thinking the idea wasn't half-bad. "Or, we could go dressed as different items from Bueno Nacho's menu! I could be a taco, and you could be a burrito Kim! We could go as 'Platter Number 3!"

Quickly Kim stopped where her friend was going with that second idea. "I like the 'Two Prisoner's' idea Ron. Let's do that."

"Well… OK Kim. But I think you would look badical as a burrito." Ron then playfully raised an eyebrow.

"That's just… eww, Ron."

"OK… 'Two Prisoner's' it is." Ron said, happy that Kim liked at least one of his ideas. The two then continued their trek to Kim's house for an after school snack. "But I seriously can't wait for the Haunted House tomorrow night!"

…x x x x…

The next day in school, Kim could tell her friend was getting more and more excited as the day wore on. Kim herself was starting to get a little excited about going through the haunted house, as this was going to be her first time through one as well. Ron had never asked her if she had been through one, but she decided that Ron really didn't need to know that little fact. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him… and all that.

After the last bell rang Kim found herself being physically dragged out of the school by her best friend. "What's the hurry Ron? We aren't going to the Haunted House until 7 and it's not even 3:30 in the afternoon!"

"Mom said she was going to make our costumes, and I can't wait to see them!" Ron tried to pull his best friend along faster, but all Kim did was start to walk a little faster, which was still too slow for him.

As soon as they reached the front door of the Stoppable house, Ron bolted in yelling out, "Mom! Kim's here and she wants to see the costumes!" Mrs. Stoppable came out the Living room where she had her sewing machine set up holding the two costumes in her hands. "Aren't they great Kim?" Ron asked his friend excitedly.

"They are very nice Mrs. Stoppable." Kim said, looking at one of the homemade costumes. On the left breast of each costume was the name of the person who was to wear it, Kim Possible, and Ronald Stoppable. "The names are a nice touch." She was about to mention that Prisoner's names on their uniform was usually only the last name, but she thought better of it.

"Thank-you Kimberly. I found the pattern in one of my 'Better Gardens and Homes' magazine. I'm almost done with the 'ball and chain'."

"That's cool Mom. Kim and I are going to be the best Trick-or-Treaters out there on Halloween!" Ron couldn't help but bounce up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Oh Kimberly?" Mrs. Stoppable asked, "Did your mother say you could go to the Haunted House with Ronald?"

"Yes Ma'am, she said yes." Kim replied while letting go of the hem of a pair of prisoner pants.

"I'm glad you're going with Ronnie," Mrs. Stoppable said as she watched her son head towards the bathroom to wash his hands before having a snack. "He can get so scared watching those old black and white monster movies, and I was worried about him going through a Haunted House. But with you going along, I'm sure he'll be fine. Your mother and I were able to work things out where I would take the two of you to the House, and then she would be picking you up in about 30 minutes. I guess it's only supposed to take about 20 minutes to walk through."

Mrs. Stoppable then leaned in closer to Kim and spoke in a hushed tone. "I'm telling you this since my little Ronnie can be a bit scatter-brained at times, and I want to make sure both of you get home on time."

"No Problem Mrs. Stoppable, I'll keep an eye on him for you."

By now Ron was finished washing his hands, and walked back into the kitchen where Kim and his mom now were. "Hey Kim… Ya wanna stay for an after school snack before heading home? We're having bagels and cream cheese."

"Sure, but I'll only take half of one, if that's OK." Kim said while pulling out a chair and taking her seat.

"That's fine Kimmie." Mrs. Stoppable said. "Ronald can eat the other half."

…x x x x…

After finishing the bagels, Kim went home, and Ron reluctantly worked on his homework at the behest of his mom. It wasn't long after that the Stoppables had Dinner, and then it was finally time to go to the Haunted House.

At about 6:40 Kim arrived at Ron's house, and his mom then drove the two to the Haunted House, dropping them off near the front, where a line was already starting to form.

"Looks like we got here just in time Kim." Ron said while watching the first few customers 'furble' (1) along through the ropes designed to keep the customers in an orderly line. The two ten year olds hopped out of the car, and Mrs. Stoppable drove off, waving goodbye.

"This is going to be so much fun Kim!" Ron said, but he didn't notice that Kim was reading a set of rules posted outside of the haunted attraction. They read the following:

Please try not to touch the monsters, as they will not touch you.

Do not separate from your group if at all possible.

Do not touch or take any props in the Haunted House.

Have fun!

Ron?" Kim said as she turned around to her friend, "Have you seen these…" Ron wasn't behind her anymore, as he was now standing on the other side of her, ready to go in. The group before had already entered the house, and it looked like they were next.

"One dollar please." The attendant said.

"That's all?" Kim said, surprised at the cheap price.

"You're each under 12, right?" Both Kim and Ron nodded. "Then it's only a dollar for each of you."

The two kids reached into their own respective pockets and pulled out a dollar, handing it to the attendant. "Thank-you. Please go on in, and remember the rules."

The two entered, and immediately found themselves walking through a fairly elaborate maze that was filled with stage smoke, and their ears were being assaulted with the recorded sounds of various Halloween sounds such as creaking doors, screeching bats, and loud moans that sounded like the undead walking around.

Every once in a while a small mechanical prop would pop out and startle Ron, but that was it. Kim was non-too impressed, as she thought that there would be…

"Raaaarrrgghhh!"

An actor from the Haunted House jumped out of a recessed area, and scared poor Ron into running further down the corridor, and he stopped as soon as he noticed that Kim wasn't with him. He again heard the roar, and then something that sound like a dull thud.

Kim then came walking through the smoke and looked at Ron. "What? He surprised me." Was all Kim said, and the two of them continued on.

They emerged from the maze, and entered another room. This room was set up to look like it was a graveyard, with tombstones and grave markers all along the path they were walking on. A small mechanical cat slid out from behind one of the tombstones hissing at Ron, who shied away, but he didn't seem too scared.

Once again the mechanical scare didn't phase Kim at all, and then suddenly from what looked like a freshly dug grave out jumped an actor dressed in old torn-up clothes, and looking quite dead with sunken eyes, cheekbones, and gray skin.

"Aaaarrggghhhh!"

Immediately Ron took off running out of the room, and then stopped again when he realized that once again he had left Kim alone with another ghoul.

He heard the creature yell out again. "Aaaarrggghhhh!" Ron then thought he heard someone say 'oof', but thought nothing of it as Kim then came jogging out of the room to catch up to him.

"Did he scare you Kim?" Ron asked, all excited and slightly out of breath.

"I… wouldn't say 'scared' Ron, as I knew he was there already, but he did surprise me a bit.

The two young kids then walked down a hallway that took a sharp turn, and then they found themselves standing at the entrance to the next room. It was a set of double doors that weren't much more than a couple of large sheets of plywood, with holes cut in them to look like windows. One Word was painted across both doors, and it read "Morgue".

"More Gwha." Ron said, trying to read the word.

"Its pronounced Morgue." Kim said, correcting her friend, but not in a manner that made him feel dumb, like many students had done to him in school. "It's where they take dead bodies in a Hospital." Kim knew this, because having a mom who worked in a hospital, Kim tended to learn a few things.

Pushing their way through the doors, both kids' senses immediately were heightened. To they're right was three large drawers recessed into the wall, obviously used to place bodies to keep them cool. The words above the drawers said so: "Body Cooling Drawers"

To their left was a wheeled gurney with what looked like a body lying on it, covered with a light sheet. They hadn't walked too far in, and one of the drawers began to quickly move in and out from the wall, looking like a body was trying to get out. While their attention was directed at the moving drawer, the body on the gurney sat up, and the sheet fell away exposing what looked like a victim of a horrendous motorcycle accident!

The helmet was still on the person, but about one fourth of it was missing, exposing the mangled face of the rider. His black leather jacket was ripped to shreds and covered with blood. Ron immediately stepped back away from this hideous thing, and as soon as the body set it's feet on the floor with a thud, Ron was out of the room, screaming like a little girl! He was half way down the next hall until he once again realized that he had left Kim in a room full of live dead bodies!

Just as he started back to get Kim, Ron thought he heard someone yelp, and then nothing. Again, Kim came jogging out of the room, and to Ron's side. "That one really scared me Kim! I didn't expect that guy to jump up! Are you OK? Did he scare you too?"

This time Kim had a look on her face that Ron couldn't quite read. She almost looked mad… but he wasn't quite sure. "Let's just say that he tried to." Was all that Kim said.

The two then walked through a couple of switch-backs, and Ron noticed that gradually the walls were starting to look like they were made from stone and brick. "Where are we now?" Ron said to no one in particular, but Kim was right at his side.

The next room's entrance was almost hidden, as it was just after a sharp turn. Both stopped and took in the scene. To their right was a large arched opening made from stone blocks that had bars all along the inside of the arch. To their left was a set of two barred windows.

"I… think we're in a dungeon Ron." Kim said, and the two slowly took a step forward, not sure which side the scare would come from. Inside one of the barred windows, a head with glowing red eyes popped up behind the bars, making both of them turn and look.

Then suddenly without warning a loud bang sounded behind them causing them both to whirl around, and sure enough, there behind the bars was a rather large man who was dressed like an executioner! In one hand he held what looked like a large axe.

"Come over here, Blondie!" The large executioner yelled out, reaching through the bars towards Ron, who stepped back and tripped over his own feet, falling into the wall behind him. He twisted around and in two large steps, Ron was out of the dungeon and a few feet into the next hall. Immediately he was mad at himself for once again running out of the room, leaving Kim all alone with this huge guy who looked like he was ready to kill.

Hitting the wall with slight frustration, Ron then heard a strange high-pitched noise come from the dungeon. Thinking it was supposed to be a rat squeaking, he turned to head back, and sure enough Kim was striding out of the dungeon with an even madder look on her face than before.

"Are you sure your OK Kim?" Ron asked his friend, concerned that she was mad at herself for getting scared.

"Yes Ron, I'm fine. These guys are just starting to get on my nerves a little bit is all."

"Well…OK. I think we're about done, so it's gotta be over soon. I hope so. I don't know how much more I can take. These are some pretty scary places!"

Kim took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her self down, and the two walked down another long hallway to what looked like a large door made out of wooden slats. They could see what appeared to be red light seeping through the slats, and underneath the door.

"I guess we push it open?" Ron said, and he gave a gentle shove to the door, making it swing open, causing rusty old hinges to squeal in protest. Kim unconsciously took hold of Ron's arm with one of her own and the two kids slowly walked into the room.

Inside it was very hot and all of the walls, including the floor and ceiling, were a mix of dark and bright red colors. On opposite corners of the room, about 3 feet up, were two red curtains. By now Ron had pretty much figured out the system, as a mechanical scare would distract their attention, and then the real scare would jump out from a different part of the room.

One of the curtains started to shake, but Ron didn't pay attention to it this time. His eyes were on the other curtain, as he was sure someone, or something, was going to jump out at them. Both he and Kim were watching the other curtain, waiting for whatever it was to jump out at them, but then suddenly both felt a presence right behind them.

Before either Kim or Ron could turn around, a deep booming voice filled the room saying, "Welcome to Hell!"

The two young kids whirled around, Ron first, and then Kim. As soon as Ron saw what was behind them, he immediately bolted out of the door and out of Kim's grasp! It was none other than the devil himself, complete with red skin, horns, a tail, and a large red trident-shaped spear!

The door Ron shot through led him directly outside, and he saw a few other people standing out their watching other customers as they came out of the house, scared out of their wits. Ron was certainly no exception here.

But Kim… she literally stalked out of the Haunted House, her head stooped down between her shoulders, looking like she had just been given a duty she did NOT want to do.

"Kim!" Ron said, walking up to his friend. "That was AWESOME! I loved it! I'm sorry I ran out of the rooms scared, leaving you there, but some of those guys were really, really scary! Didn't they scare you as well?"

Kim didn't say anything, as she continued to look like she was in some sort of funk. Then a voice was heard calling them from across the parking lot.

"Kimmie… Over here!" It was Kim's Mom, waiting to take the two of them home.

Both Kim and Ron walked over to Mrs. Possible, and just as they were starting to head towards the car, a voice called out. "Oh Mrs. Possible!" All three turned around, and the person who had been taking money at the door was walking up to them.

"Yes?" Was Anne's response.

"Mrs. Possible… I'm afraid I have to tell you something that you may not like."

Anne looked at the two kids, and she could immediately tell by both of their postures who this was about, and it was about her 10 -year old daughter. "Kimberly Anne… what did you do this time?"

The man who had walked up to them spoke. "Mrs. Possible, I'm afraid we are going to have to ban your daughter from coming into this Haunted House ever again this season. I'm sorry."

"Kimberly Anne Possible… what did you do?" Anne's voice told Kim that her mother would brook no argument.

"I was only defending myself Mom!"

"Dear…"

"Oh Kay Mom." Kim said, breathing out, and standing up straighter to look her mother in the eye. She figured she may as well tell the truth and get it over with quickly. "The Maze Monster, I kinda punched him in the arm when he scared me."

"OK…" Anne said, knowing that her daughter was prone to lashing out when things surprised her. She wasn't surprised that Kim had struck out when frightened.

"Then a grave-yard monster scared me, and I may have… punched him in the stomach. But it was only a result of him surprising me!" Kim's mom just nodded at the fact that her daughter had now struck two people who were not expecting anything like this from a 10 year old girl.

"Kimmie, Honey? Why don't you just summarize the rest, please?"

"Fine…" Kim groused, and then proceeded to shorten her story. "The next guy I kicked in the shin, and the next one I… kind of… did a snap kick."

"A… snap kick?" Anne asked, not quite knowing what her daughter meant at first, but then realized, "Oh, you mean between his…" Kim just nodded. All Anne could do was wince at knowing exactly what her daughter had done to that poor man.

"Then the last one… The Devil?" Kim said, "I… sort of elbowed him. In the face." She then quickly said, "But it was all an accident! They shouldn't have tried to scare me!"

"Kimmie Honey…" Anne said, "Something tells me we may have to keep you from watching those Karate movies on TV, and enroll you into some self-defense classes. Maybe then you can control your reactions better."

"OK Mom." Kim said, straightening up a bit more. "Am I in trouble?"

"I feel like not letting you go Trick-or-Treating tomorrow." Kim' shoulders fell. She had let her best friend Ron down. She wouldn't be able to go with him on Halloween night. "But I think I can hold off on your punishment until after Halloween."

"Oh Thank-you mom! Thank-you, thank-you!" Through this entire conversation Ron had been standing back a respectful distance from Mother and Daughter. He knew exactly when to stay quiet.

Mrs. Possible then said good-bye to the man who worked at the Haunted House, and then walked back to her car with Kim and Ron a few steps behind.

"Kim…" Ron whispered to his Best Friend before getting into the car. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't gotten scared and ran out of those rooms, you might not have done those things. Can you forgive me?"

Playfully Kim pushed her friend into the back seat. "Ron, you big goof… Of course I forgive you. But those things might not have happened if I had the sense to run out with you."

For the rest of the ride home, Kim and Ron excitedly talked about the different things they had seen when walking through their first Haunted House.

…x x x x…

Meanwhile, back at the Haunted House…

"OK you guys… back to your positions. All has been taken care of." The owner of the Haunted House, the one who had been taking money at the entrance, ordered his employees back into the house.

All five went back to their positions, nursing the various injuries they had sustained from a little red headed terror that would soon become the worlds most famous teenager.

The End…

I know this wasn't really that scary, but I'd had this idea for quite a while, and I just HAD to write it out. Hope Y'all enjoyed!

Furble: (Furbling): To needlessly walk through ropes designed to keep crowds in an organized line when no one else is standing in line.