As reported last week, the bookstore recently became possessed of an evil toy baby who an opportunistic local merchant divested herself of in the guise of giving us a prize to give away at our Find Waldo Local party. Though we were initially leery of handing on this evil being to an innocent child, the baby persuaded us to carry forward with that plan.

Nonetheless, as the party approached we found ourselves still beset by doubts as to the wisdom of our actions. Someone suggested having a seance to speak with the baby directly and clarify matters. This seemed like an excellent idea, though Meg did put forward that a tarot reading might be safer. But time was pressing and so Meg, Nick and I gathered together for the seance, of which a transcript is below.

Meg: Oh, thou Baby, mighty perfidious one, we summon thee to speech.

Nick: Oh, formidable one, Changeling of Babylon, we call upon thee.

Kenny: Oh, Bringer of Calamity, oh Infamous Infant, we adjure you to open your mind to us.

Baby: I am here. What ails your flaccid minds?

Meg: We seek assure that no ill shall befall the receiver of you as a Waldo party prize.

Baby: As to that, limpid ones, I was in Alexandria before the library burned, in Pompeii before Vesuvius spoke, in Chicago before the fire caught, on the Titanic before it sank, and I am here still. I am fine. Nothing ill has befallen me. There is nothing to fear.

Meg: Oh, thou Baby, mighty perfidious one, we thank you for assuaging our pathetic fears.

Nick: Oh, formidable one, Changeling of Babylon, we thank thee for dispelling our unworthy concerns.

Kenny: Oh, Bringer of Calamity, oh Infamous Infant, we commend you for inducing us to renounce our facile moral anxiety.

And so we carried forward with our original plan, both for the party and for the baby. I must say it was really nice to see the party return after its two-year absence. Things started out with kids picking up their coloring contest supplies.

Here is a young lad handing in his entry.

Next, it was time for cake.

While the kids were noshing and drinking, Meg and I scrabbled to do the contest judging.

Then it was time to give away all the prizes… including the Baby. The Baby spoke with my voice and lo, it had a new home.

We got a nice note with the photo below from some of our prize winners the next day.

The Baby had been right. All was well. And all would remain well. Forever.