The Ruins of the Mortuary
The air was crisp, the night sky was clear, and the full moon was glowing nearly as bright as the sun. It wasn’t too hot or too cold, it was just right. Everywhere, excitement bubbled up and became so concentrated, that you could taste it. A breeze tugged at the trees and blew off a few amber colored leaves. Laughter and festivities filled the streets of Eversun City.
It was the perfect night for Trick-Or-Treating.
“W-wait up!” a small white-haired boy called. He was trailing behind, dragging a large bag of candy. His heavy samurai costume was weighing him down. His friends looked back at him and laughed.
One of the friends was a slightly taller boy with pink hair was dressed up as a doctor. He grinned and began to tease his lagging friend, his golden eyes bright from Halloween excitement. “Darky! I really hate to have to say this, but I’ll say it anyway. I. Told. You. So!”
“If we help you carry that bag, will you be able to move faster?” the other friend suggested. He, like the others, was also short and he was wearing a costume that made him look like a crimson, futuristic robot. The slow pace was making him impatient and his blue eyes sparked in irritation. After all, Halloween never lasts forever and he definitely wanted to get as much free candy as he could. Without waiting for an answer, he lifted Darky’s bag of candy and walked on ahead.
Darky’s annoyance was apparent in his blue eyes as well, but he managed to huff, “Gee, Twinkie, thanks a ton.” He meant it. It was hard enough to walk around in armor for so many hours. He just didn’t have the stamina to handle all of that for the whole day.
With Twinkie at the lead and the other two following, they walked up the steps to the next house. Ding dong, the doorbell rang. There was a faint echo and then silence. Ding dong, it rang again. No response.
“Come on guys,” the boy with pink hair said, a little worried, “I don’t think they’re home.”
“They’re in there alright, Gale. I can smell the candy, er I mean, I can smell them,” Twinkie sniffed.
Nodding, Darky thought up of a brilliant plan. “I know! Let’s sneak in and grab a few pieces! Just a few though. If they have candy in there, then they’re definitely giving it out. They probably went out to get a cup of tea or something down by the inn.”
Gale frowned disapprovingly, but he was outvoted, and being the oldest in the trio, he had to come with them and make sure nothing to serious happens. They peeked in through the closest window. All the lights were off, the only sources of light available were the bright moon and a dying fire in the fireplace. The room they were observing was decently furnished with a medium sized couch and a small chair with a coffee table beside it. It was probably the living room.
The curious bunch tried the doorknob. To their surprise, it opened with ease, as though the house was welcoming them. The air was warm and smelled of cookies and sweets. Moonlight spilled into the entryway and revealed a small basket of candy on a small stool by the door. Next to it was a note. “Please take one” was written on it with handwriting that resembled calligraphy. Beneath in tiny letters and in a messier script were the words “and only one.”
Although an obvious warning was right under their noses, they were too busy to notice. They dug through the basket, looking for their favorite candies. Gale grabbed a Milky Way, Twinkie dug up a pack of Smarties, and Darky grabbed whatever he could.
“You’re only supposed to take one,” Gale said sternly. “Read the note.”
“It doesn’t matter, nobody’s here and nobody will notice. I’ll just make sure not to take too much and nobody will know.”
“Good idea!” Twinkie exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in delight. He grabbed a fistful of candy happily while Gale looked on in thought.
After a while, Gale picked up another Milky Way and sighed, “Shall we move on, you little thieves?”
Despite Darky’s confidence that they wouldn’t be found out, they still doubted that they were safe. The atmosphere in the house had changed. The sweet sent that had drifted towards them when they walked in had disappeared and the air smelled stale and felt bone chillingly cold. The sudden change made their hearts race with unexplained panic and they froze on the spot, trying to come up with reasons why it had happened.
The door behind them swung shut and the ground began to shake. A chandelier fell and shattered into pieces right beside them. Several sharp shards of glass cut into Twinkie’s arm and he yelped in pain. Blood began to ooze out of his arm and his eyes began to water. The ground became steady again.
“You’ll be okay Twinkie,” Darky assured, but he was still scared. His eyes darted from corner to corner, then to the door. “Gale and I both know some Doctor skills that can fix you up in a jiffy.”
Gale nodded in agreement and reached out his hand, nearly touching Twinkie’s injured arm. A faint glow came from the cuts and eventually died off. They wounds were healed, but the blood that had flowed out was still there. “You might want to clean that up,” he laughed uneasily. “You might get attacked by Vampire Bats.” They laughed a little, until he said grimly, “I was serious.” Silence.
“Let’s get out of here, and quick!” Twinkie screamed, breaking the silence the same way the chandelier had broken. He dashed to the door, but there was something there.
Someone was standing in their way.
It was the Leech Lich.
“Well hello there, you little thieves,” she growled, and spat the last word with disgust. “I thought I had left a note saying to only take one.”
“Eeeerrrr, ummmm, well…” Darky trailed up, his face reddening with guilt. Gale smacked the back of Darky’s head. “Owww…” Twinkie snickered.
The Lich continued. “You have both trespassed and disobeyed a simple request. You have stolen from me. You have broken my chandelier and…” she sniffed the air and looked at Twinkie’s blood-covered arm, “smell very… tasty.” Her eyes narrowed as she grinned, planning up ways to eat the children and drink their blood.
Realization of her last words hit them like a brick wall. They weren’t fast enough to escape out the window, they had to fight. Darky brought out a large wand, Gale took out a pair of boxing gloves, and Twinkie pulled out a sword that glinted in the moonlight coming from the window. Their eyes burned with the need to survive. The Lich grinned and her sharp teeth gleamed brightly in the darkness...
In a quick and sudden movement, she came forward and swiped at Twinkie. She chanted a curse. Twinkie began to sway, his legs felt weak, but he swung he sword at her with all his might despite being temporarily crippled. Lightning sparked out of the blade and jumped out at her. All the attack could do was burn one of her sleeves. She laughed at the attempt and began to weaken Twinkie further. Gale jumped in and pulled Twinkie out of the danger he couldn’t run from.
“I… can’t move… my legs,” Twinkie shivered. Although the Leech Lich hadn’t actually made any sort of physical contact with him, her curses took a large toll on him.
“Stay right here, and don’t move until you feel better,” Gale commanded. Twinkie nodded in response and Gale ran back in to help Darky, who was using a hit and run tactic. It was hard to tell who was winning from this distance, but it was obvious that Darky needed all the help he could get.
Gale jumped in the space between the two fighters and punched towards the Lich’s direction. A shockwave shot out of his glove and hit the Lich, hard. She doubled over and screeched, but she wasn’t done yet. She sprang at Gale, spitting out words he couldn’t understand. Gale prepared himself for another attack, but he couldn’t move. The Lich had cursed him and froze him in place. She circled Gale and continued weakening him with more of her spells. She eyed her dinner the same way the average American child eyes a Happy Meal.
Darky, who was waiting for an opportune moment, casted a spell that made lightning bolts shoot from his wand and at the Lich. The attack shot her back down onto the ground. She writhed in pain as he continued to send out sparks. When she managed to somehow get to her feet, Darky used an ice spell to freeze her lower half. She couldn’t move and a yell erupted in the room from behind her.
Twinkie ran like mad and drove his sword into her chest, where her heart would have been if she were human. His sword burst into flames, which spread and burned the Lich. Her unearthly screech filled the house as she became burn to a crisp. The Leech Lich was no more, but the whole house began to catch on fire due to the final blow.
Gale was unfrozen, now that the Lich was gone, and cleared a path with a shockwave. They ran out the new “door” in the wall and ran away from the house. When they knew for sure that they were safe, they sat down and gasped for air. The sun began to rise.
“Looks like Halloween is over you guys,” Darky said, sleepily. He smiled, relieved that they were all alive and well, even though he had lost his candy in the fire, which was burning in the distance. He laughed, “Looks like we all learned something.” They turned to him curiously. “Twinkie learned that Trick-Or-Treating at the Mortuary is a big no-no.”
Twinkie spat back playfully, “And you learned that stealing candy is a really, really, reaaaallllyyy big fat no-no.” He stuck his tongue out and started making a funny sound that people normally call a “fart”. Darky glared at him.
“Well,” Gale chuckled, “guess what I learned?”
“What?” they asked in unison.
“That you two are hopelessly irresponsible,” he grinned as he revealed three big bags of candy and a basket with a note. “Now let’s go do something about that fire.”
The end.
The air was crisp, the night sky was clear, and the full moon was glowing nearly as bright as the sun. It wasn’t too hot or too cold, it was just right. Everywhere, excitement bubbled up and became so concentrated, that you could taste it. A breeze tugged at the trees and blew off a few amber colored leaves. Laughter and festivities filled the streets of Eversun City.
It was the perfect night for Trick-Or-Treating.
“W-wait up!” a small white-haired boy called. He was trailing behind, dragging a large bag of candy. His heavy samurai costume was weighing him down. His friends looked back at him and laughed.
One of the friends was a slightly taller boy with pink hair was dressed up as a doctor. He grinned and began to tease his lagging friend, his golden eyes bright from Halloween excitement. “Darky! I really hate to have to say this, but I’ll say it anyway. I. Told. You. So!”
“If we help you carry that bag, will you be able to move faster?” the other friend suggested. He, like the others, was also short and he was wearing a costume that made him look like a crimson, futuristic robot. The slow pace was making him impatient and his blue eyes sparked in irritation. After all, Halloween never lasts forever and he definitely wanted to get as much free candy as he could. Without waiting for an answer, he lifted Darky’s bag of candy and walked on ahead.
Darky’s annoyance was apparent in his blue eyes as well, but he managed to huff, “Gee, Twinkie, thanks a ton.” He meant it. It was hard enough to walk around in armor for so many hours. He just didn’t have the stamina to handle all of that for the whole day.
With Twinkie at the lead and the other two following, they walked up the steps to the next house. Ding dong, the doorbell rang. There was a faint echo and then silence. Ding dong, it rang again. No response.
“Come on guys,” the boy with pink hair said, a little worried, “I don’t think they’re home.”
“They’re in there alright, Gale. I can smell the candy, er I mean, I can smell them,” Twinkie sniffed.
Nodding, Darky thought up of a brilliant plan. “I know! Let’s sneak in and grab a few pieces! Just a few though. If they have candy in there, then they’re definitely giving it out. They probably went out to get a cup of tea or something down by the inn.”
Gale frowned disapprovingly, but he was outvoted, and being the oldest in the trio, he had to come with them and make sure nothing to serious happens. They peeked in through the closest window. All the lights were off, the only sources of light available were the bright moon and a dying fire in the fireplace. The room they were observing was decently furnished with a medium sized couch and a small chair with a coffee table beside it. It was probably the living room.
The curious bunch tried the doorknob. To their surprise, it opened with ease, as though the house was welcoming them. The air was warm and smelled of cookies and sweets. Moonlight spilled into the entryway and revealed a small basket of candy on a small stool by the door. Next to it was a note. “Please take one” was written on it with handwriting that resembled calligraphy. Beneath in tiny letters and in a messier script were the words “and only one.”
Although an obvious warning was right under their noses, they were too busy to notice. They dug through the basket, looking for their favorite candies. Gale grabbed a Milky Way, Twinkie dug up a pack of Smarties, and Darky grabbed whatever he could.
“You’re only supposed to take one,” Gale said sternly. “Read the note.”
“It doesn’t matter, nobody’s here and nobody will notice. I’ll just make sure not to take too much and nobody will know.”
“Good idea!” Twinkie exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in delight. He grabbed a fistful of candy happily while Gale looked on in thought.
After a while, Gale picked up another Milky Way and sighed, “Shall we move on, you little thieves?”
Despite Darky’s confidence that they wouldn’t be found out, they still doubted that they were safe. The atmosphere in the house had changed. The sweet sent that had drifted towards them when they walked in had disappeared and the air smelled stale and felt bone chillingly cold. The sudden change made their hearts race with unexplained panic and they froze on the spot, trying to come up with reasons why it had happened.
The door behind them swung shut and the ground began to shake. A chandelier fell and shattered into pieces right beside them. Several sharp shards of glass cut into Twinkie’s arm and he yelped in pain. Blood began to ooze out of his arm and his eyes began to water. The ground became steady again.
“You’ll be okay Twinkie,” Darky assured, but he was still scared. His eyes darted from corner to corner, then to the door. “Gale and I both know some Doctor skills that can fix you up in a jiffy.”
Gale nodded in agreement and reached out his hand, nearly touching Twinkie’s injured arm. A faint glow came from the cuts and eventually died off. They wounds were healed, but the blood that had flowed out was still there. “You might want to clean that up,” he laughed uneasily. “You might get attacked by Vampire Bats.” They laughed a little, until he said grimly, “I was serious.” Silence.
“Let’s get out of here, and quick!” Twinkie screamed, breaking the silence the same way the chandelier had broken. He dashed to the door, but there was something there.
Someone was standing in their way.
It was the Leech Lich.
“Well hello there, you little thieves,” she growled, and spat the last word with disgust. “I thought I had left a note saying to only take one.”
“Eeeerrrr, ummmm, well…” Darky trailed up, his face reddening with guilt. Gale smacked the back of Darky’s head. “Owww…” Twinkie snickered.
The Lich continued. “You have both trespassed and disobeyed a simple request. You have stolen from me. You have broken my chandelier and…” she sniffed the air and looked at Twinkie’s blood-covered arm, “smell very… tasty.” Her eyes narrowed as she grinned, planning up ways to eat the children and drink their blood.
Realization of her last words hit them like a brick wall. They weren’t fast enough to escape out the window, they had to fight. Darky brought out a large wand, Gale took out a pair of boxing gloves, and Twinkie pulled out a sword that glinted in the moonlight coming from the window. Their eyes burned with the need to survive. The Lich grinned and her sharp teeth gleamed brightly in the darkness...
In a quick and sudden movement, she came forward and swiped at Twinkie. She chanted a curse. Twinkie began to sway, his legs felt weak, but he swung he sword at her with all his might despite being temporarily crippled. Lightning sparked out of the blade and jumped out at her. All the attack could do was burn one of her sleeves. She laughed at the attempt and began to weaken Twinkie further. Gale jumped in and pulled Twinkie out of the danger he couldn’t run from.
“I… can’t move… my legs,” Twinkie shivered. Although the Leech Lich hadn’t actually made any sort of physical contact with him, her curses took a large toll on him.
“Stay right here, and don’t move until you feel better,” Gale commanded. Twinkie nodded in response and Gale ran back in to help Darky, who was using a hit and run tactic. It was hard to tell who was winning from this distance, but it was obvious that Darky needed all the help he could get.
Gale jumped in the space between the two fighters and punched towards the Lich’s direction. A shockwave shot out of his glove and hit the Lich, hard. She doubled over and screeched, but she wasn’t done yet. She sprang at Gale, spitting out words he couldn’t understand. Gale prepared himself for another attack, but he couldn’t move. The Lich had cursed him and froze him in place. She circled Gale and continued weakening him with more of her spells. She eyed her dinner the same way the average American child eyes a Happy Meal.
Darky, who was waiting for an opportune moment, casted a spell that made lightning bolts shoot from his wand and at the Lich. The attack shot her back down onto the ground. She writhed in pain as he continued to send out sparks. When she managed to somehow get to her feet, Darky used an ice spell to freeze her lower half. She couldn’t move and a yell erupted in the room from behind her.
Twinkie ran like mad and drove his sword into her chest, where her heart would have been if she were human. His sword burst into flames, which spread and burned the Lich. Her unearthly screech filled the house as she became burn to a crisp. The Leech Lich was no more, but the whole house began to catch on fire due to the final blow.
Gale was unfrozen, now that the Lich was gone, and cleared a path with a shockwave. They ran out the new “door” in the wall and ran away from the house. When they knew for sure that they were safe, they sat down and gasped for air. The sun began to rise.
“Looks like Halloween is over you guys,” Darky said, sleepily. He smiled, relieved that they were all alive and well, even though he had lost his candy in the fire, which was burning in the distance. He laughed, “Looks like we all learned something.” They turned to him curiously. “Twinkie learned that Trick-Or-Treating at the Mortuary is a big no-no.”
Twinkie spat back playfully, “And you learned that stealing candy is a really, really, reaaaallllyyy big fat no-no.” He stuck his tongue out and started making a funny sound that people normally call a “fart”. Darky glared at him.
“Well,” Gale chuckled, “guess what I learned?”
“What?” they asked in unison.
“That you two are hopelessly irresponsible,” he grinned as he revealed three big bags of candy and a basket with a note. “Now let’s go do something about that fire.”
The end.
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