Beetlejuice: the Musical Short Story Book

Once in a Blood Moon (Part Four: Back to Normal)

Adam, Barbara, and Betelgeuse had worked hard on that potion for at least an hour and it was nearing midnight. Charles and Delia were tired and had gone to bed not to long ago after the Maitlands assured them that Lydia would be back to normal by the time the morning rolled around. Naturally, the two living adults said it was okay and left them to it. They grew close enough to trust each other during situations like this.

But it was starting to become difficult and that in itself was annoying all three deceased people. Barbara was currently concentrating, pouring something carefully into a vial that Betelgeuse had summoned thirty minutes ago. They'd failed to fully make the potion that would return Lydia back to normal five times in the last thirty minutes and they couldn't fail this time.

She was nearly done with doing it this time around when Betelgeuse placed a hand on her shoulder, both scaring her and breaking her concentration. She turned and glared at him with a look that could kill him twice. He backed away apologetically, his hair turning a mix of blue and purple.

"Never do that again!" she growled before turning her attention back over towards the vial and emptying it before summoning all the ingredients for the potion and starting all over again. 'Seventh times the charm,' she thought to herself as she added and mixed all the ingredients one by one. 'It better work this time.'

It did. She added the last ingredient successfully this time and satisfied, she levitated the potion over towards Lydia, who was laying on her back on her bed and looking up at the ceiling whilst laughing. Barbara set the potion down on Lydia's bedside table, away from the stack of papers that contained various dangerous spells written in the languages Betelgeuse told them they couldn't understand. Barbara wondered the reason why Lydia was looking up at the ceiling and laughing at the same time and didn't think about it until she looked up and saw the ceiling was entirely ice.

"Lydia? Why is the ceiling ice?" she had to ask.

Lydia turned on her side and looked at her with an equally bemused and silly smile on her face. "Why? Because it's funny, Barb. I figured making the ceiling ice would make you laugh but I guess it didn't work."

"I thought Betelgeuse was the one who made the ceiling ice," admitted Adam. Betelgeuse turned to look at him and shrugged.

"Riiiiggghhhttt..." Barbara playfully rolled her eyes and levitated the potion into Lydia's hands right as the teenage were demon sat up and returned her ceiling to normal. "Lydia, you need to take this potion right now."

"What if I didn't want to?" asked Lydia, inspecting the potion.

"Well, you're going to need to take it by the morning or the effects your current state will become uncurable. You'll remain a were demon forever if you don't take this potion," the female ghost reminded the teen with a laugh.

"But think about it, Barbara..." Lydia looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "I could have cool demon like powers forever. Think of all the fun and awesome things that I would get to do with them. I could-."

"Lydia," sighed Barbara.

"Fine!" The teenager rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'll take it. But, one really quick question before I do: what does it taste like?"

"The Handbook says the potion to reverse the effects of a demon bite on the night of a blood moon should be tasteless to the dead... don't know how it would taste to living. Why don't you give it a taste and find out?"

Lydia did. She finished drinking it and looked at the Maitlands with a slightly disgusted look on her face. "Ugh!" she groaned. "Why did this have to happen? That stupid potion tasted like mint and garbage mixed together. Very very bland and gross."

"So, it does taste differently to the living," said Adam as Barbara quickly jotted that down into her notepad with all the other helpful information that she'd gathered about Lydia's current (and potentially former) state.

"Did it work?" asked Barbara as she handed Betelgeuse the notepad of information about the effects of a demon bite on a living being and he teleported away to give it to the head of the Netherworld and tell them to pass it along to the deceased people who wrote each new edition of the Handbook. Perhaps it could be included in the next edition (whenever that would come out).

Lydia tried snapping her fingers and was surprised that nothing happened. She looked up at Barbara and Adam with a smile on her face (the fangs showing clearly of course). "Looks like it did. Back to being old human Lydia. Not the were demon Lydia."

"Good news is you'll experience some side effects from this whole incident. Like the fangs of course," said Adam, summoning a mirror and levitating it over towards Lydia. She looked at her reflection in it and examined the fangs. She had to admit, she looked even cooler with the fangs than without. She couldn't wait to see the reactions of her friends at school when they saw them.

"Do you want us to stay with you for a while, make sure everything really is fine?" asked Barbara as Lydia put her pajamas on.

"No. I should be fine. G'night," said Lydia. The Maitlands gave her each a hug and a faint kiss on the head before leaving.

Lydia happened to get into bed right as Betelgeuse entered her room through a door to the Netherworld. He sat on it and looked at her.

"Betelgeuse?" Lydia looked back at her best friend with a look that could kill him twice but didn't.

"Yeah?"

"Never do that again!"