Nathan and the Haunted Forest (part 2 of 2)

In the dark and creepy scenery of the Haunted Forest, rests a quiet little house.

This house looks warm and inviting, soft music could be heard from inside and a small garden filled with lovely flowers runs along either side of the house.

            Inside this lovely house was an elderly couple, just as sweet and innocent as can be. A house guest recently arrived at the house and was now being treated to soft music, stories of the old days and the nicest shackles and chains anyone could ask for.

            Nathan sat in the basement of the house, chained to the wall and chewing on candy he had stored in his pockets. “Just great, I should never have trusted those old people. There isn’t even any candy down here!” Nathan said to himself through a mouthful of maple candy.

            The basement was divided into three separate rooms, once you walk down the stairs there is the ‘guest room’ where Nathan was being held. The back of that room had a door, where the old man was sharpening knives. The second room had a tool bench, a stool and a wall covered in knives and chains. Nathan didn’t even want to think about what was in the third room.

            Then there was a knock on the door. The old woman who was still sitting upstairs grinned, showing off a pair of razor sharp teeth. She moved to the door, almost floating as she moved. With the sweetest smile and the nicest voice she answered the door. Nathan could hear her echoed voice from the basement. “hello?” said the woman. “No, I don’t believe so…” She replied. The visitor’s voice was too distant to hear. “you are welcome to come in and look” Said the woman. The door opened, then closed. The door locked and two sets of feet began walking down the stairs into the basement. “Well at least I wont be alone” Nathan sighed.

            The old woman smiled as she led the way, only Nathan could see her real teeth. The stranger followed the woman into the waiting trap. The old man sat at the bottom of the stairs with a net, rope and a newly sharpened knife. “I think your friend might be here after all” said the woman just as they were about to reach the bottom of the stairs. Then without warning, the old woman was struck hard on the top of the head with a hammer. “Urg” was all she could say as she collapsed and rolled down the stairs. The stranger ran down toward Nathan. “Look out!” Nathan shouted through a mouthful of candy. He unwrapped another piece and put that in his mouth to join the others.

            The stranger turned around and saw the old man. The old man was smashed over the head with a metal mallet, but not before he slashed the stranger across the chest. The old man stumbled and the stranger rushed over to Nathan. “Come on, we gotta get out of here” Said the stranger. It was so dark in the basement Nathan just now recognized the man as his friend Stephen the goat farmer. Stephen broke the chains with his hammer and helped his friend stand. “How did you find me?” Nathan asked. Stephen smiled “I followed the candy wrappers” Stephen replied.

            The Old man charged at Stephen with a knife about to stab the poor farmer in the back. Reacting quickly and using the infinite energy supplied by eating gluttonous amounts of candy, Nathan leapt forward and hit the old man with a leaping Nathan punch. It was called this, because it was a move invented by Nathan and he was terrible at naming things.

            The punch was so STRONG, that the old man spun around and slammed against the wall after being struck. “One more thing, how did you know these old people were monsters?” Nathan asked as they walked up the basement stairs. “They were monsters?” Stephen replied. “Haha, oh yeah, I forgot that you are completely insane” Nathan laughed. Joking aside, Nathan never let Stephen meet his parents or grandparents. Stephen wasn’t completely stable and this was a problem sometimes.

            Nathan and Stephen stepped out into the cold, murky air of the Haunted Forest. “Ahhh, Fresh air! Well, sort of” Nathan said. “so how do we get home from here?” Nathan asked. He turned to Stephen, who was now busily burning down the house of the old couple. “Hm? What did you say?” Stephen asked, he seemed distracted at the task at hand. Which was arson. Nathan noticed the trail of candy wrappers that lead back home but then noticed another trail. This second trail was the original trail of maple candy he was following. He thought it ended here, but in fact it went off deeper into the forest.

            “NO! we are going home!” Stephen said. “But…I want to see who dropped all of this candy!” Nathan replied. Stephen sighed. “Ok, but only because I am incredibly curious about it too. just save some candy for me” Stephen said. “Wha?” Nathan half said with a mouthful of candy. He was already three candies in on the trail before Stephen could even agree to anything.

            The two men followed the trail of candy for an hour, eating candy as they went. To their amazement, when the trees parted they found a town. It was Hallows end. “We made it to Hallows End before Halloween!” Stephen said excitedly. The two friends ran into town, Nathan picked up any stray candies he found as they went. The trail ended at a store. There were crates of Maple candies stacked outside of a giant Halloween candy store and one of the crates had a very small hole in it. “They must have traveled through the autumn forest and the haunted forest just to deliver these candy crates to Hallows End before Halloween!” Stephen said. He was glad that question was finally answered and excited that this mystery brought them all the way to Hallows End.

            Nathan was already inside the candy store at this point. The store, named “the candied Pumpkin” Had a large sign, shaped and painted to look like a Jack o Lantern trick or treat bucket. With pieces of candy overflowing from the bucket and across the sign was the name of the store. The pumpkin bucket was orange, with eyes painted black and the candy wrappers were painted different colors, orange and black, pink and white and yellow and red. The inside of the store was full of different colored lights, bins full of every kind of candy you  could ever hope to eat and if you bought enough candy to fill one of the trick or treat buckets than you got the bucket for free. Nathan came out of the store with two free trick or treat buckets full of candy. “here, thanks for saving my life or whatever” Nathan said shyly then gave Stephen one of the tick or treat plastic buckets. Stephen’s had a skeleton face on it and was painted white, Nathan had the original orange Jack o lantern.

            The two sat down on the yellowed autumn grass, on a hill just on the edge of town. It was night, the stars sparkled and Hallows End lit up with yellow and orange lights. Lanterns with various colored fire, orange lights. Pumpkin decorations and the large Jack o Lantern at the center of town burned brightly for all to see. The two looked down at the town and rested as they ate candy. “Happy Halloween buddy” Stephen said with a smile. “Happy Halloween” Nathan replied.