By Dannicka McGrath, Photo Editor
Normal people don’t celebrate when other people lose control of their fecal matter. However, at my job, being the cause of such an incident is one of the greatest honors.
I work at the No. 1-ranked haunted house in Kansas, Field Of Screams at 4055 N. Tyler. My job is to be terrifying.
The management at Field of Screams has developed a few different codes over the years, and if you scare any visitor enough that one of the codes must be called, you earn an achievement badge, just like in the Girl Scouts:
Code green is vomit.
Code yellow is urine.
And code brown is, well, poop.
I got my first confirmed code brown two weekends ago. I was working in the fog tunnel and stayed hidden until I was right next to a group of patrons. Only then would I either jump out and say “Hi, there” loudly in my character voice.
A 50-something-year-old lady let out a guttural scream before getting a shocked look on her face. She looked straight at me, and to her husband, she said with the widest eyes I’ve ever seen, “I just sh*t myself” and ran down the tunnel before being scared by another actor and falling on her behind.
I now possess the elusive code brown badge.
Scare badges were implemented last year to highlight actors' success in the field, and many of them don’t involve any bodily fluids. The Jack o’ all Trades badge is awarded to an actor who is great wherever they are, whether they are acting or helping behind the scenes. The Crowd Favorite badge is pretty self-explanatory, though its winner is chosen by the other actors and staff. The Monster Mouth badge goes to an actor with the craziest phrases.
But the code brown badge is special. Normal badges are handed out weekly, but the code brown badge is more exclusive, if you will.
I honestly feel bad for celebrating this poor woman's misfortune, but this is a huge accomplishment in my line of work.
Field of Screams is open until Nov. 1, so if you haven’t had a chance to go yet this year, this weekend is your last chance.
Just remember to use the restroom before you come. Or don’t. I’m still itching for my code yellow badge.
PHOTO: Dannicka McGrath
