They Knew My Name

Years ago my boys and I drove to Duluth one October day. Not to see the beautiful fall colors but to have the bejesus scared out of us. We were heading to the William A. Irvin haunted ship tour. Here’s the link https://duluthhauntedship.com/ The website calls it the Terror In The Twin Ports Tour.

This was the scariest haunted themed event I have been to, ever. You start by climbing the long stairs up to the engine room where the terror begins. It has been a few years but all I know there were ghouls everywhere. Disturbing vignettes as you crossed the deck of the ship. Various creatures of fear would pop out from crates.

A vampire jumped out at us from behind one of the crates. He was a scary vampire. Not the sexy kind. He held an intense gaze and kept repeating, “You are mine.” He just walked slowly towards us. Herding us to the open door.

We were not moving fast enough because a group of zombies appeared and surrounded us. The zombies left a path for us to enter the narrow passage. Here is where it got interesting. I was left behind by my boys to deal with flesh eating zombies.

All of my boys by this point had used me as a human shield at least twice. This action, by my boys, has kept them protected from armless dead, aliens, and other assorted scary things.

I crossed the threshold of the doorway that led to a narrow passageway. I could see my boys halfway down the corridor where all sorts of terrifying things jumped out at you. I saw zombies chasing my boys down the corridor. I decided I would run to catch up to them when a werewolf stood in my exit path. Glowing eyes and growling. I decided to turn around to get away from the werewolf guy. I almost hit Lunatic Man with a blood covered hatchet.

Hatchet Man spoke, “Mona we have been waiting for you.” He raised his hatch. That didn’t scare me. It was the fact he knew my name. I turned to Wolfie, “How does he know my name?” Wolfie howled and stepped behind the curtain.

Hatchet guy moved closer to me and repeated, “Mona we have been waiting for you.”
I dashed down and out of the corridor into a bigger space where my boys waiting for me, I thought. They were not.

“They know my name!” I said to my boys, who smiled.

My youngest pointed to something behind me. A hoard, okay 4, undead humans came towards me saying, “Mona we have been waiting for you.”

I turned and began pushing my family towards the door. It could be safety or hopefully the end of this haunted house.

It wasn’t the end of the haunted house or safety. I continued to be told by every creepy scary character that they were waiting for me, Mona. The boys continued to use me as a human shield.

The haunted house was scary and the actors were amazing on their own but by using my name, it added to fright. At one point when I was separated from my boys, they were watching from afar, I asked the monsters to please stop using my name. I couldn’t take it anymore.

The Angel of Death nodded and said, “Mona you are at the end.” He pointed to the door just past my family.

We went to the bowels of the ship where a maze was waiting for us to make our way to the exit. We did get separated but all was good. My name was not called out as my youngest son and I tried to find our way out.

We met up with hubby and my oldest son by the exit door. As we left, Lunatic with Hatched called my name. He said, “Mona we will be waiting for you next time.” He then turned his head in an ominous way you see in horror films. I pushed everyone out of the exit.

At the bottom of the stairs, I found my family laughing. “Who told them my name?”

“We all did. It was great!” My oldest son said.

“Really,” I said. I gave the three my glare that could stop a rabid dog or werewolf.

The boys had frightened expressions on their faces. My hubby opened his mouth to speak.

“Don’t” I said and intensify my glare, “Because that was awesome.”

Laughing we went to the car.

On the long drive home I thought of ways to get even with my boys.