The New Iberia boy’s mother promised him a brand new pair of Nike tennis shoes if he survived the terrifying 10-minute tour, which included a foray into a morgue, graveyard and a scene from hell.
“It was scary,” Nicholas said moments after winning the bet. “People were grabbing me. They were beating chains on a boat.”
  
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Like Nicholas, 4-year-old London White had reservations after a few minutes of standing in line with his father. White eventually pulled down his Transformer Megatron mask and walked inside.
Tiesha Webb, 8, who helped design the haunted house, said she had seen enough Thursday night and declined to accompany her friends through the tour.
“Hell was the scariest part,” she said. “The skeleton man started coming at me.”
The After School Program focuses on activities like the haunted house and also allows students to receive help with their homework. More than 200 children are enrolled in the program in City Park and West End Park. On Saturday, scores of children toured the haunted house with their families. Each paid $1 admission, money that goes directly to the program, said Krystal Boyance, a program director.
“I was expecting less but I’m really glad,” Boyance said of Saturday’s attendance. “It gives the kids something to do after they finish trick-or-treating.”
Boyance said the scares proved successful, too. One girl became so afraid she ran out of the building.
But not everyone in attendance Saturday was spooked out.
“It was funny to me,” said Karen Mason, who brought her 6-year-old daughter Brittany and 9-year-old son Joshua.
Brittany did not share her mother’s sentiments and was crying as she hurried out of the last room.
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