Haunted corn field

I went out last night with some friends to Maris Farms in Buckley, Washington. We went to walk through their haunted corn field maze and woods. It was terrifyingly fun. The actors were really good, and when one of our group asked if they got paid, the gal responded, "no, we're volunteers, but it's very rewarding." I can vouch for the fact that they found it rewarding - we were scared out of our minds (and yes, that includes the men in our group).

I learned some interesting things about myself walking through that maze. Here goes:

• I still really hate spiders.
• I don't like it when the ground I'm about to walk over pops up and becomes a creepy creature.
• If I'm ever in a situation with a crazy man and a chainsaw, I'll just cower and "protect" my head with my hands. Somehow, I doubt that my hands would do much to protect me from decapitation, but hey, whatever. Apparently that's my first reaction.
• Corn field mazes are creepy even without any actors. They rustle and make weird shadows in the dark, which creates its own atmosphere. So, the corn becomes an actor as well.
• After reading Steven King's, "It" as a kid, I still don't like scary clowns, and the guy who was a psycho clown on stilts last night just solidified that fact. Non-scary clowns are just sad, really; but the scary ones still freak me out.
• I will gladly sacrifice my friends to run away from the children of the corn.
• Given the right situation (such as a children-of-the-corn girl following me through the corn singing "la la la la" in a creepy voice and then screaming randomly), I will actually scream on demand. Yes, she said "Scream" instead of actually screaming at one point, and I obliged. Funny then and now.

It was such a blast though. I don't know what it is about being scared that can be so much fun, but I guess it's because you know that you're in a relatively safe environment and everyone else around you is in on it, too. It's the whole suspend the reality thing and just have a good time.

After the 1-1/2 mile walk/run through the maze and woods, we headed over to the Bonney Lake Tavern (BLT). We had a few beers and recounted the events of the night, several of which involved me hiding behind A.'s back, and one of which included S. falling on her ass. Fun times.