After shooting a look of disdain at his older brother, little Sheldon crossed his arms over his chest, struck another pose, and looked expectantly at his family.
When he realized they were all staring back at him blankly, Sheldon shook his head in disappointment. He turned specifically to Mike and asked, "Mike, do you know who I am dressed as today?"
"Carl Sagan, right?" Mike guessed.
"Congratulations! That is completely correct." Sheldon cheered happily, finally satisfied enough to sit down at the dining table.
"Carl Sagan? Who's that?" Georgie asked curiously.
"The host of Cosmos," Mike explained casually. Seeing that Georgie still looked confused, he thought for a moment and added, "Carl Sagan is a very learned man. He has made significant achievements in humanities, astronomy, environmental science, and more."
Okay, despite Mike's extra explanation, Georgie still looked lost. Asking Georgie—who wasn't exactly a scholar—to know about academic experts was admittedly a bit of a stretch.
Sheldon, however, was very pleased with Mike's answer. He chimed in, "Carl Sagan is a remarkable man. He is my idol now."
Ever since Paige had dissed Professor Proton's science show, Sheldon had been on the hunt for a new TV idol. And Carl Sagan from Cosmos, being both young and knowledgeable, fit Sheldon's requirements perfectly.
"I thought your idol was Hawking?" Georgie asked, surprised again.
"One can have multiple idols. Although in my heart, Carl Sagan can't compare to Stephen Hawking, Carl's level of knowledge allows him to barely qualify as my idol," Sheldon said haughtily.
"Is that how it works?" Georgie looked like he was getting a headache trying to follow Sheldon's logic, scratching his head comically.
Honestly, just remembering a name like Hawking was already a big ask for Georgie.
"Alright, eat up. We have a lot to do later," Mary urged grumpily, glaring at her eldest son's antics. As the planner for the church's Halloween event, she was under a lot of pressure.
Just as the family was finishing dinner, there was a knock at the door.
Mike, who was closest, got up and opened it.
"Trick or treat!!!" x3
Three kids in costume shouted happily from the porch. Well, Tam didn't really count as a "kid," but he was there too.
"You're a... Flower Fairy," Mike said to Bobbi, the little girl from next door.
Bobbi was wearing a pink dress with little wings, a sparkly antenna headband, and carrying a flower-shaped lantern. With an outfit that cute and distinct, it wasn't hard to guess her character.
"I'm a Flower Fairy!" Bobbi curtsied happily after being identified correctly. On Halloween, having someone guess your costume right is the highest form of validation.
"And you're Superman," Mike said to her brother, Billy.
Blue and red bodysuit, underwear on the outside, plus a cool cape—Billy's character was easy to spot.
"I am Superman," Billy grinned. He held one fist across his chest and punched the other toward the sky, doing a classic flying pose and spinning in a circle.
Even though the chubby Billy wasn't the typical build for a bodysuit, he looked very spirited.
"And you are..." Mike looked at Tam on the end. He thought for a moment. "Gandalf the Grey? Or Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Tam was wearing a black robe with a wide-brimmed wizard hat, a long fake white beard stuck to his face, and holding a small stick. With this mix-and-match style, Mike really couldn't tell who he was supposed to be.
"I wanted to be Gandalf the White, but I couldn't find a suitable white wizard robe or a long staff..." Tam admitted awkwardly.
"Well, your white beard looks a lot like Gandalf's," Mike offered a polite compliment.
"Candy... Candy..."
At this point, the Sparks siblings, happy their identities were confirmed, started chanting for treats.
Just as Mike was wondering what to do, Mary walked over. She smiled and said, "I'm sorry, we didn't buy candy this year. How about some pumpkin cookies?"
She handed out a few homemade pumpkin cookies to the three at the door. Having received their treats, the Sparks kids quieted down.
Strictly speaking, you don't have to give candy on Halloween. Snacks, small toys, or souvenirs usually satisfy the kids just fine.
"I'm not here for treats. Is Sheldon home?" Tam asked timidly. He had come to the Cooper house because he and Sheldon had made plans earlier.
"Shelly is eating. Why don't you come in and wait? You can try my apple pie," Mary invited him warmly. She had a good impression of Tam, who was always a well-behaved kid.
"No thanks, I can wait at the door," Tam said quickly. After the intense board game incident last time, he was still a little afraid of Mary.
Meanwhile, Sheldon had already spotted Tam. Not wanting to keep him waiting, he shoved the rest of the apple pie on his plate into his mouth and rushed to the door.
"I'm done..." Sheldon mumbled through a mouthful of food. "We can go now."
He slipped out the door and joined Tam and the Sparks kids.
Normally, Mary would have scolded Sheldon for such poor table manners. But on this special holiday, seeing her youngest son so happy, she didn't say anything. She waved to the four kids and watched them leave.
After quickly finishing her own dinner, Mary rounded up Mike and the others to head to the church. They still needed time to get into costume before the event started.
On the way to the church, even though it wasn't fully dark yet, the streets were already filled with people in strange outfits. You could see devils and angels with their arms around each other, getting along famously. The costumed crowd was happily interacting with passersby.
When Mike and the others made it through the hordes of "monsters" to the church entrance, Mary looked at Georgie, who had tagged along. "Georgie, didn't you say you had things to do today?"
"I... yeah, I do have stuff to do. I'm gonna take off now!" Georgie gave an awkward laugh, then turned and vanished into the crowd.
Watching her eldest son flee the scene, Mary shook her head slightly. She probably had a good guess as to what he was up to.
Mike and Mary entered the classroom being used as the staging area. Suddenly, accompanied by a sinister "Mwahahaha," a demon with horns on his head emerged from a puff of smoke.
"Welcome to Hell..." The demon wore a ferocious expression, his voice deep and terrifying.
Mary was startled by the performance, then frowned. "Cut it out, Randy. We're in a hurry."
The demon blocking the way was indeed Mr. Randy, who had arrived early to get into costume. His job tonight was to guide guests through the "Seven Deadly Sins" exhibit.
"How is it? My Satan look?" Recognized, Randy dropped the act and returned to his normal voice.
Dressed in black leather, with heavy demonic makeup and holding a thorny whip, Mr. Randy certainly looked intimidating.