Times End

The air was chilly and cold, snow covered the ground and snowflakes drifted through the air, occasionally flying into things and getting stuck. Lanterns hung from thin black metal poles that dotted the road. The road and everything else was covered in snow. The surrounding trees were covered in snow and the lake was frozen.  Fog hung in the air, adding a pale gray and darkness to the white sheets of snow.

Through the fog a man could be seen. He wore a brown overcoat, black shoes, warm leather gloves and a scarf. He wore a bowler hat and was walking up the road. Wind blew, but he didn’t fight against it, he just walked like normal. He walked up the road calmly and didn’t seem bothered by the ice, snow, wind and cold. The man’s white hair blew around, messing it up. The man had a trimmed white beard, it came down to his neck. The man was thin and old, but didn’t seem burdened by that either. In his hand he carried a lantern. It was a metal lantern with a handle and the light was glowing a pale blue. It helped him see through the fog and did a better job than the street lamps that were burning their normal fire and producing yellow light.

The fog parted as the man passed, as if the blue light was repelling it. The man walked at a slow and stead pace, where he was headed, was a mystery. Then the man stopped and pulled a pocket watch from his side coat pocket. He looked at the time, then clicked the top several times. The very next second, the man was gone. He vanished from existence as if he never existed at all.

The old gentleman reappeared in a completely different place. This place was an empty chuck of land, floating in a dark and endless abyss. The ground was cobblestone and chest high walls were built alone the edges of the floating island. The walls were brown old brick, but were in decent condition. These plain old walls were the only thing keeping someone from stumbling off the edge and falling into the endless abyss. Old Fashioned black metal street lights sat in each corner of the main square. The square was the center of the island, from this location, little cobble stone paths ran off into different directions. Each stone path linked smaller floating islands to the main square. On the southern side of the square is a half built bridge that doesn’t go anywhere. The old man refers to is as “The Bridge to the abyss” because walking over the bridge would cause you to fall right in.

Each little connected island or ‘room’ also had small walls build along the edges, but no roof or doors anywhere to be seen. If you go to the north there is a lone door. The door has never been opened. It doesn’t seem to lead to anything though. Its just a door sitting in the middle of one of the rooms north of the square. All of this was know as the End of Time. this floating island was like a lost and found for the universe. Anything with memory and importance that is lost, ends up at the End of time. there is a room on the cobblestone island that is filled with trinkets, knick-knacks, mementoes and anything that was a physical with hopes, memories and sentimental attachment attached to it. But for the more obscure things, like a single thought or the name of a long lost friend, those things all end up in a large leather bound book. The book had its own stand and was located in the square with the old man. The man, who was named ‘Zindel’, would also use the book to summon up the words of other books and documents through history.

            The creation of the island of cobblestone and walls wasn’t a plan, but series of random events. There was a point in the future when time, the universe and all of existence ends. The dark abyss of nothing was all that remained. But such an enormous event as all of time suddenly stopping made this moment in oblivion to be linked with every time and place that had ever existed. The story of Zindel and his floating island will have to be for another day. For now, this is how the End of time came to be and how it works.

Now Zindel lives for eternity in a place were time doesn’t exists. He uses his perch to oversee time and watches it all pass before his eyes on an infinite loop. Time is a tricky thing, its hard to explain and isn’t something you can see or hold onto, yet everyone believes in it and is conscious of it at all ‘times’.

Zindel had been visiting an old wintry land that was familiar to him before he returned to the end of time. He cannot interact with anything in any time, but still likes to go visit. Occasionally Zindel will peek into a random country on earth and view a New Years Eve celebration. To him, it looks like a countdown to the end of time, but to the others, it is a great and wonderful time. It is a time for hope for the future and reflection on the past. Every year the people of the land want to receive a better year than the last one and every year seems just a new and fresh as the last one. It’s a cycle the people get stuck in. they have anticipation for the New Year and are tired of the old one. It is as if they are stuck in a time loop. Zindel watches this and laughs. The blissful optimism is as funny as it is enviable.

Time ticks on, the world clock ticks, tick tick tick. But still life goes on, so lets all enjoy this New Year and look forward to the challenges and rewards it will bring with it.

Happy New Year!

Red and the winter festival part 2

It was the night before Christmas and Yule town was just finished setting up for their Christmas Eve party. Red stepped into the town square and saw tables set up outside full of food and various drinks. There was eggnog, spiced wine and brandy and for the children there was juice, hot coco and some kind of fruit punch. The food was an assortment of cheeses, roast meat with garlic cloves, lots of fruit, cakes and pies. Red was getting hungry just looking at it all.

The mayor walked up to the center of town and stepped up onto a newly built stage. “Greetings people of Yule, let us begin the joyous celebration at once!” Said the mayor. The people in the town square cheered. The party had officially begun and Red couldn’t wait to dig into a little bit of everything. There weren’t many partygoers at first, but as time passed villagers joined the party until the entire village was there. The stage now had a band on it. They played happy, festive music that filled the air and mixed with the sound of laughter and talking.

The entire village was dressed in colorful red and green and white clothes, some had little sprigs of leaves with berries pinned to their hats or dresses and some walked around with long walking canes painted like candy canes. Red was quickly caught up in all of the merriment and festivities and for a brief time forgot the danger that forced him to flee to the winter land in the first place. As Red danced and drank a man walked up to him. “Merry Christmas!” Red said happily, not really looking at the man. “Yeah, yeah. I need a word with you” Said the man gruffly. Red turned and focused on the man standing in front of him. The man wore an old fashioned black cap, with a scarf wrapped tightly around his face, he was dressed in plain winter clothes that were colored black, gray and tan. His clothes were so plain he almost stuck out in the crowd of people dressed like candy canes and Christmas trees. Red followed the man to the edge of the party.

As soon as they were away from the rest of the villagers the man spoke up. “Listen, I’m just a messenger. I’m here with a warning. You’ve made some powerful enemies and running into the winter lands isn’t going to save you. There is someone on the outskirts of town here to kill you. If you don’t meet him in an hour, he will destroy this precious town” Said the Messenger. Red was stunned. He couldn’t believe someone found him all the way out here. “who’s after me? And who are you?” Red asked. “I was paid to tell you to go face your doom outside of town or the town gets destroyed. You don’t need to know my name. You know who is after you, the question is who did they send to kill you. I don’t know the answer” The messenger said. Then before Red could reply, the man walked off and left the village.

Red didn’t want his trouble to effect the town so he went to meet with the mysterious assassin. Red walked for an hour and finally saw a tall thin figure standing in the distance. The figure quickly disappeared and reappeared directly in front of Red. The man wore pale blue robes with a hood, had white hair and bluish skin. The man put his hood down and stared at Red. “I am the Warlock of the winter wasteland. I live so far north that neither man nor animal lives there. It was to my surprise that a messenger from a far off land found me and offered me anything I want, the only thing I would have to do is kill a young man named Red. I used my magic and tracked you down. Now I am here to kill you. What do you have to say, Red?” Asked the Warlock. Red wasn’t sure what to say. It seemed desert assassins couldn’t survive the winter lands, so they hired one of the inhabitance to kill him. Red knew he couldn’t talk his way out of this and wasn’t sure if he could even win this fight, and he could only think of one thing to say “What was your price?” Asked Red. The Warlock smiled “Your not going to plead for your life, or bargain? I respect that. All I asked for Women, full of energy and life. Young and beautiful women are a rare commodity out in the wasteland.” Replied the Warlock

Red clenched his teeth. Red didn’t want to die, but now he knew that if he did die, helpless women would be shipped to the freezing wasteland like cattle, used as payment. Without a word Red pulled out two black and silver pistols and began firing. Streams of bullets flew at the Warlock with incredible speed and accuracy. Red never had to reload or buy bullets. His gun was given to him by Death itself and these guns could shoot bullets made of pure silver and death’s own decaying magic. The silver bullets would rip through undead and werewolves with ease and the decay magic would rot away at living tissue.

The bullets all zoomed toward The warlocks head, but before they hit, the warlock vanished in a puff of snow. “As long as there is ice and snow, I cannot be destroyed” Said the Warlock, his voice echoing through the valley. “We will see about that” Red said. He stood in place and slowly turned in a circle as he held his guns up ready to continue shooting. He wasn’t going to let the Warlock sneak up on him. A gust of freezing air and snow rushed up from underneath him, causing all of his muscles to stiffen and he was thrown off balance. The cold was so extreme some of the skin on his face and neck felt like it was burning. Luckily heavy clothing, a long coat and leather gloves covered the rest of his body.

The warlock appeared as Red tried getting the ice and frost off of his face. The Warlock grabbed a hold of Red’s neck and Red could instantly feel his skin burning from frostbite as his air way was slowly crushed by the Warlocks strong, bony grip. Red fired off shots at point blank but the Warlock was gone in a split second. Red gasped for air and coughed. Red was hunched over but tried to regain balance. He waited for the wintry bastard to reappear. The Warlock did appear again and was about to strike, but before he could, he was hit with a blinding light.

Red stumbled back away from the evil Wizard and opened fire. Two shots hit before the Warlock disappeared again. Red looked back to see where the light came from. It was from the village. it was almost midnight, which meant Christmas and the village lit up their tree and placed a bright shining star on the top. Without even realizing it, the village of Yule might have saved his life.

            The Warlock reappeared but was moving slower as the decay of death slowly poisoned him. None could escape the grasp of death, wizards and common men alike were at Death’s mercy. The Warlock pushed out his hands and shot a blast of ice. Red dodged it and opened fire. The bullets flew out like a machine gun and hit the Warlock. The evil wizard’s hands, chest and head were now full of bullets. The Warlock didn’t bleed, because he had no blood or humanity left in him, instead he just stood with a shocked expression, then a strong wind blew and his body faded into the snow.

            Red was badly injured but was able to hobble back to Yule town. Just as he arrived he heard a roaring cheer from the villagers. “Merry Christmas!!!” they said in unison. It was Christmas. The lights from the village glowed bright and sparkled like stars in the sky. Despite his injuries, Red felt an overwhelming sense of calm and joy. This is what Christmas was about, Joy and being with loved ones. Red knew he had to leave in the morning, to avoid any further threat to the town, but he would treasure his time in Yule town and always remember the Joy and happiness of Christmas.

Red and the Winter festival part 1

A young man in a long brown coat walked through the winter forest. The man was named Red. He traveled across the land, from the winter continent to the spring valleys. He never used his real name and instead was just referred to as ‘Red’ because of the bright red shirt he wore under his brown trench coat. Red also wore shin high brown boots and tan pants, with the legs tucked into the boots. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. Every so often in the right light his eyes would look dark crimson, this added to his nickname of ‘Red’.

            Red traveled through the winter lands and just made it through the forest when he noticed a sparkling village in the distance. Red was cold and tired and was looking forward to finding some place to sleep and get something to eat. He eagerly walked toward the town. The closer he got to the town the more he noticed all of the little lights and festive looking decorations on each house. The lights on each house reflected off the snow and made the whole area sparkle. Night slowly crept in and the darker it became the more vibrant the village looked. The red, green and white lights shined like a beacon for all travelers. Each house had an old fashioned and cozy look to it, each roof was covered in lights and every door had a wreath of evergreen branches on it.

            The village of lights was so close now. Red was so tired from all the walking he barely made it in through the town entrance. He leaned against a green lamppost and stopped for a minute to rest before he walked through the town to search for an Inn. Red looked up and noticed a hanging sign attached to the lamppost. It read “Yule town”

            “Well at least I know where I am now.” Red said to himself. It saved him from having to ask someone. After resting, Red began walking again. He strode through the middle of town. The town had a cobblestone road that went in different directions through the whole town, little stone paths branched out from the main road and led off to each house. At the center of town was a giant green tree covered in bright lights and decorations. The tree was surrounded by cobblestone, but was standing in dirt. Red assumed the village grew the tree at the center of town, that or they built the town around the biggest tree in the forest.

            As Red made his way through town he saw happy villagers going about their day, they all seemed merry and cheerful. They dressed warmly, but seemed used to the cold and never even flinched when the wind and cold picked up. Red on the other hand retreated into his coat with every freezing gust of wind. Red eventually found the Inn. It was the local tavern and the upstairs had beds for travelers. It was a big building decorated and designed the same as the houses, but this was larger and had big windows on each end of the first floor. Red looked in as he walked toward the door. A fireplace with a roaring fire warmed the area and the patrons ate, drank and laughed. Red pushed the wooden door open and a cold breeze followed him in. no one seemed to notice. Red felt the rush of warm air and let out a sigh of relief.

            He walked up to the bar and sat down. “I’ll have whatever everyone else is drinking” Red told the bartender. This town was so unique, Red hoped the alcohol would be just as unique. The bartender smiled and set down a mug of warm purple liquid. Red took a sip. It was warm, spiced wine and it warmed him right up. “Not bad” He muttered.

            The tavern carried on in a jolly manner and a small band of musicians played festive music. “Is there a celebration or festival going on?” Red asked the bartender. “There is a big one coming up soon, but our town is usually like this. It might be a little livelier tonight though” The bartender said with smile. Red nodded “Thanks, maybe I will stick around then. I will need a bed for tonight, or maybe till after the festival” Red told the Barkeeper. Red paid up front for the room and then paid for his drink.

            It was very late now and Red slowly climbed the stairs, he found his room and used to key to open the door. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. The room cozy, it had a single mattress bed with a basic wooden frame, white sheets and a red blanket. A nightstand was next to the bed with a candle on it. On the opposite side of the room was a small chest for Red to put his belongings. The room was on the small side, if Red sat in the middle of the floor and stretched his arms out on either side of him his fingertips would touch the bed with one hand and the chest with the other.

            Red dropped his small bag of possessions into the chest, snuffed out the candle and went to bed. The bed was so comfortable and he was so tired he fell asleep immediately.

            That morning was the day before the festival. Red had forgotten to ask what the name or purpose of the celebration was, but he put that out of his mind for now. Red stretched and put his brown coat back on and grabbed his belongings. he left his room and locked the door behind him. He walked down to the tavern on the first floor. It was quiet and peaceful, which wasn’t unusual for morning, but it was quite a contrast from the jovial singing and dancing from the night before.

            “Morning” said the bartender. Red turned and smiled. “Good morning. I forgot to ask last night, but I want to know more about your festival” Red said. The bartender smiled “Well, its called Christmas. It’s a word from the old world, no one knows what it means, all we know is it is a time of peace and joy. We decorate with bright lights, lanterns, evergreen branches and we even decorate the tree in the center of town. Its our Christmas tree. The rest of the year we just call it Yule tree and we take down all the decorations and lights. Our homes usually have some lights or some little decoration all year, but its on Christmas time that we truly let loose. For this land it marks the end of the year. Even though we aren’t sure the original purpose of the celebration, today we use it celebrate a year of good will and good fortune. To help make sure the next year is just as good, everyone in town exchanges gifts as we sit under the giant Yule tree. Then we will drink hot beverages and sing. It’s a good time. Tonight is Christmas eve, so there will be a little party then the gifts will be exchanged tomorrow. Then tomorrow night we sing and welcome the New Year” The bartender explained, His face beaming with joy and pride.

            Red smiled “wow, Its pretty good luck that I arrived when I did.” Red replied. Red was on the run from assassins and criminals and hadn’t had a chance to stay in one place for too long. Yule town was far off the normal roads and trade routes and it was so cold, Red doubted desert assassins would show up looking for him. With that kind of peace of mind all he had to do was relax and enjoy the celebration.

Jack Frost

In early December Fred was driving home from work. He wore a heavy brown jacket a wool hat and brown work boots. He drove an old sedan and had the heat cranked up. He sped down a lone country road, the road was clear but snow piled up in the open field next to the road.

The dusty smell of an old car’s heating system and the sound of Christmas music filled the car. Fred hummed along to one of the many tunes that he knew by heart, but kept forgetting the name. As he was driving he spotted a young boy walking alone through the snow in the snowy field. Fred carefully slowed down and then stopped his car. He opened his door and stepped out. He took a few steps away from his car and called out to the boy. The child didn’t respond. Fred heard crows and looked up, spotting a murder of crows flying overhead. Fred walked into the snow, it wasn’t too deep and only went up to his ankles. It wasn’t that easy to walk in though. Fred called out again as he walked closer to the boy.

After a few minutes Fred was only ten feet or so from the boy and yelled again, this time getting a little angry. The boy looked up. He had crystal blue eyes that were alert and showed a sense of intelligence and cunning, but his face was that of a young boy. His hair was white and his skin pale as snow. The boy smiled and a chill went down Fred’s spine. Fred blinked and the next moment the boy was gone. The crows no longer seemed interested in this spot and flew off in different directions. Confused and a little scared, Fred walked back to his car. When he got to his car he silently drove home and never told anyone about what he had seen.

Fred was just one of many to have seen this boy. The boy was actually not even a boy, but the spirit of winter, Jack Frost. He had pale blue skin, crystal blue eyes and hair made of ice and snow. He was small like a child but was devious and intelligent as a creature centuries old. He could look like a human, or close enough to fool people, and loved to play tricks. Depending on his mood he might do something as innocent as lead some poor chump out into a snowy field and then disappear or maybe something more sinister like using wind and snow to hide and knock down markers on a hiking trail and laughing as winter hikers got lost and muddled around in the snow.

Some have called Jack Frost an icy devil or snow demon and compared to the saintly Santa Clause, he might be. Jack Frost isn’t really evil though. He doesn’t care about corrupting men’s souls or trying to end anyone’s life, he only cares about having fun, even if it is at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, some people have died from Jack’s cruel tricks. He never had intended to kill anyone, he just doesn’t seem to realize or care how dangerous winter can be for humans and how fatal his tricks can become. Since Jack Frost's tricks can be so deadly, crows follow him around as they look for their next meal.

So if you ever find a boy alone in the snow and surrounded by crows, it is best to ignore him and save yourself the grief Jack Frost will most likely bring.

The Journeyman part 2

Jorn kept running and the roars grew louder and more intense until finally the sound came from right above him. Jorn looked up and something dropped down from the ceiling. It smashed the stone steps and anything else in its way, making a large open space in the castle. This new creature had the shape of a dragon currently, but its body was made from a twisting shadowy darkness and it would occasionally change its size or shape in small ways. This explained how it fit through all the doors and hallways. Jorn swiped the kings sword through the air, not sure exactly were the shadow serpent was. It was so dark and Jorn could only see glimpses of shapes before the beast moved. At least the lumpy flesh monster had pale skin and solid features. There was no way to fight a dragon made of shadows in a castle where there is no light. Since flailing his sword didn’t seem to work Jorn turned around and ran back up the stairs. To get to the main exit, he would have to run past the dragon and he didn’t like that idea. So instead he backtracked hoping he could find an alternate route.

            The journeyman ran like mad as he heard the shadowy serpents body cut through the air as it moved, never touching the ground once.

Jorn was almost back to the armory, he thought maybe he could trap the dragon in there if he ran in, then double backed. It was a stupid idea but he wasn’t thinking very clearly. The dragon seemed to be getting closer and it lashed out with dark tendrils. The tendrils struck Jorns arm and back. Each strike felt like being hit with a sword that was shot out of a cannon. Jorn stumbled forward and then fell on his face. His old sword clanged against the ground and slide across the floor out of reach. The King’s sword seemed to be bound to his hand though and didn’t move when Jorn fell. Jorn was on the ground now, bleeding but still alive. He gasped for breath and scrambled to his feet. He saw movement in the corner of his eye and swung his sword. The kings blade sliced through the air and struck an oncoming attack from the dragon. The dragon roared loudly, its roar seemed to be coming from every direction.

            The Journeyman hoped to trap the dragon in the room, but now it seemed he was trapped. Jorn wasn’t a knight and didn’t think he could kill a demon shadow dragon. He would have even had a tough time even trying to kill the twisted flesh freak from earlier. Dark tendrils shot forward again, and luckily Jorn was able to strike them with his blade. The Kings blade seemed to be doing some of the work, making Jorns reflexes better and his strikes stronger.

            The dragon was tired of being slashed and instead of attacking with its tendrils or claws it opened its mouth and let out a blast of dragon breath. Jorn saw the inside of the dragon’s mouth for a split second, it looked like a glowing portal or ball of dark energy was contained within the creature’s throat. Then the dragon breath filled the air. It wasn’t fire or toxic and it didn’t even smell that bad. Instead of normal dragon breath this dragon had a demonic haze that it could breath out. The demonic breath affected the victim’s soul. It poised their very roots and prolonged exposure would turn the victim into a demon as the soul corroded away.

            Jorn’s muscles tightened in pain. His veins constricted and his eyes opened wide. He stood in this state for a few seconds as he was paralyzed with pain. He knew he needed to escape, but he was cornered and the demon breath was filling the room. The only hope was to open the dormant portal. Jorn figured he was going to die anyway, he might as well take his chances with the portal. He stumbled over to it as he felt his senses going numb. The portal was soon within arms reach and Jorn struck it with the kings blade. Blinding light bursts out from the small portal as it opened. Jorn waiting to see what he just released from the portal. He could have just released the next plague on human existence, all because he wanted to buy a few more precious seconds of life.

            What emerged from the portal was not a demon, but a knight, a shimmering knight with sturdy armor. The dragon reared back and was about to launch forward at the new intruder, but before it could, the knight lifted his sword up and stabbed it forward. Light surrounded the blade as the sword stabbed into the dragon’s head. The Shadow dragon roared and began rapidly changing shape. The shadows seemed unstable and it began lashing out all around it. The knight blocked with his shield but the force of each attack pushed him backward. Jorn realized this knight was his only chance for survival and tossed him the kings blade. The knight saw this, stabbed his own sword into the stone castle floor then caught the king’s blade. As soon as the knight touched the sword it began to glow and give off even more power than before. It was clear the knight was no ordinary man. The knight ran forward at the twisting mass of shadows. The dragon was still striking out on all directions and even though the knight was hit, he continued to charge. Then when he was within range he stabbed the center of the shadow dragon with the king’s blade. The screaming of a thousand souls echoed through the hallways and the shadow dragon melted into the ground. Once defeated all of the souls he had consumed were released into the air. They flew off rapidly in different directions like bats from a cave.

            The Knight turned to the Journeyman and returned the King’s blade. Jorn knew the knight deserved the sword more, but took it anyway. Without saying a word, the knight stepped back through the portal. Jorn was tempted to follow. The knight was so powerful that he must have been from a world were humans ruled. Before Jorn made up his mind to follow, the portal closed. The portal not only closed but also disappeared as if it never existed. Portals open all the time, the really skilled can close a portal,  but no one has ever destroyed a portal before. Jorn stared at the empty space were the portal used to be. His mind was lost in wonder and amazement. Then he realized he needed to get back to his village. The shadow dragon might have been dead, but the castle was still dangerous.

             Jorn slowly made his way out of the castle. Even though the castle was till full of demons, it was possible that none of them bothered the Journeyman after they all heard the shadow dragon die. Not all demons know fear, but they do know that they would prefer to stay alive. So Jorn was free to leave the castle in peace. The very moment he stepped onto the grass just outside the castle walls, the Journeyman sighed a heavy sigh of relief. He had survived and even had the king’s blade to show for it. The village would be so proud, they might even call Jorn a Hero. And even though the knight saved his life, he still made the trip by himself and did what most ordinary men would fear to do.

            As the Journeyman walked home, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of world lay just on the other side of that portal

Autumns End

The wind blows and dry fall leaves rustle and rattle as they glide along the pavement. The air has gotten chilly and the trees have lost all of their color. The official end of autumn might not be till December, but by late November everyone is preparing for winter. Autumn is a strange time of the year, it’s the shortest and the most beautiful. The trees turn yellow, orange and red like a great glowing fire and like a flame they only last a short time before being snuffed out. Autumn’s beauty cannot last forever, though some of us wish it could. It is the same reason that autumn is so short as it is lovely. Autumn is just a transition between summer and winter. The leaves absorbed as much sun as they could in summer and for a month or so they release their leaves and let the wind blow them away as they prepare for a winter hibernation.

In the united states there are states that get warm weather all the time, there are some states were it feels like spring all the time, either early spring with its sunshine and mild weather, or late spring with cool weather and rain on a daily basis. There are places were it is cold and snowing constantly, yet there are no places that experience a longer autumn or a perpetual autumn. To keep a balance of chilly weather that’s not too cold and leaves always on the brink of loosing all of their leaves would be impossible. So even though the season is not officially over, we all know that by the end of thanksgiving, it will be Autumn’s end. So wish it good-bye and good luck and prepare for the winter ahead. It is ok to be sad when your favorite season passes, but don’t forget to enjoy the time you have in between as you wait for the Autumn to leaves to come around again.

The Journeyman part 1

There was a land that was dark and chaotic. Monsters lurked around every corner and portals that lead to other realities were scatter across the land. These portals were easy to access and the results of opening them were unpredictable. These portals could unleash dark energy that would ravage the area or the portal could open a door to untold nightmares and monsters. Portals could also be used for good though. Containing healing light, magical treasures or even doors to other kingdoms were the humans thrive.

            In this story we follow the Journeyman in the land of twilight, the world on the brink of complete darkness, where humanity struggles to hold on. The Journeyman named Jorn had traveled to a large dark castle. The castle was once a bright and busy place and the king of the castle ruled over and united the whole land, but a portal had appeared and carelessly opened inside the castle walls. Demons flooded into the castle, killing the royal family and all of the strongest knights.

            The Journeyman was going to the castle in search of a powerful sword that was in the king’s vault. Enough time had passed that most of the demons had dispersed through the land and if Jorn was careful he might be able to steal the ancient blade away from the remaining demons of the castle.

            Under cover of night, Jorn crept softly into the castle through a large hole in the main wall. He couldn't use a torch without alerting any enemies, so his eyes had to get used to the complete darkness of the castle. Jorn kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as he walked. He wanted to be ready for anything. Jorn had come prepared, wearing leather boots and gauntlets, chain mail vest under a leather chest piece and a bronze helmet that covered most of his head and face. He wasn't a trained warrior or knight so all he carried was a long sword and a small shield and since he was trying to sneak into the castle he didn't bring any metal armor, not that he could afford it in the first place.

            Jorn’s heart had been beating quickly ever since he first stepped into the dark castle. He inched along the ground, barely lifting his feet up at all and every step down was slow and deliberate. As he moved through the castle corridors he felt like something else was moving through the castle too. Like some kind of invisible creature was moving through the darkness without making a single sound. All Jorn had, was a feeling. Logic told him he was being paranoid but instinct told him that if he were to reach out into the darkness his hand would grasp something made of nightmares. Something that would be so horrible it could only exist in the worst parts of his mind. Jorn tried to calm down and continued to move through the dark halls. He never made any sudden movements and found that every step forward was unhindered.

            Finally he reached a large pair of doors with a lock. Beyond this door should be the room where the kings sword was kept. Now it was time for the loud part. Jorn rustled through his bag and pulled out a lock picking kit. He sat there and fiddled with the lock, trying his best to pick the lock as quickly and quietly as possible. Anything of value was always behind a locked door or inside a locked chest and since Jorn didn’t know where the keys were, he would have to pick the lock. Picking locks wasn’t too much of a problem for the Journeyman. He had a variety of skills like lock picking, the hard part was trying to avoid drawing attention as the metal of the lock clinked around with the pick.

            With one final click and a sudden pop, the lock was sprung and the door opened with a loud long drawn out creek. The sound of the metal lock springing and the creaking of the door echoed down the stairs, through the hallway and bounced around the castle for a few seconds before everything returned to being dead silent. Jorn was relieved that he got the lock open safetly, but was now nervous again as he realized how much noise he just made. It was time to get the sword and then make an escape.

            He knew what the sword looked like by a painting he saw in the village if the king holding the sword. So now the trick was finding it. The room was filled with armor, swords, cannons and gunpowder. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs and some of the weapons and armor were rusted or rotted away. As Jorn searched he eventually came upon a chest. It was wood with gold lining and had a big old lock on it. Jorn didn’t know if he had time to pick another lock and figured if a special sword was in that room it was probably in the fancy box. He only had one option left. Jorn unsheathed his sword and struck down at the chest. The lock was too big to break, but the hinges that were attached to the rotting decades old wood would break with enough force. Jorn struck the same spot twice, making more noise than he would have liked. Finally the chest opened and inside was the Kings sword. It looked new and shined even though there was no light to reflect off of it.

            Then something caught Jorn’s eye, a faint glow in the corner of the room. He walked over to it and noticed it was an unopened portal. Dormant portals just look like small little orbs of dull light until opened. This light had a bluish hue, not that the color of the portal meant anything to Jorn. While he was investigating the portal a large monster had crawled into the room and located the source of all of this noise. The Journey man looked up his eyes wide and terrified as he saw a giant humanoid creature. It had eyes that were black as coal, sickly pale skin that had a sheen on it, like a mucus or moisture of some kind. The creature was bald with floppy eyes and a big stupid face. Inside his mouth were jagged teeth and a large tongue that seemed to be coated in thick toxic saliva. Jorn could see all of this because the giant had its mouth open and drool oozed from his mouth and ran down his tongue then dropped off and made a little splash on the ground. The saliva changed the spot on the floor from gray stone to a fragile looking black stone, like burned wood. Jorn held his old sword in one hand and the new sword in his other. He stood ready to fight as he slowly moved around this abomination.

            “Your soul looks delicious. I haven’t had human in so long” the abomination said, its words were slow and gurgled by the thick saliva in its mouth. The creature moved forward with the speed and agility that you would not expect from a lumpy flesh monster. The creature tried to grab Jorn with its large fleshy hands. The creature had broken and jagged fingernails, which weren't dangerous, but this further added to the disgust and horror Jorn felt toward the creature. The journeyman narrowly escaped the creatures grasp. Then spun around and stabbed both of his swords into the creatures arm. The old sword left a wound, the kings sword left a wound but also seemed to burn the monster. The lumpy sack of flash recoiled in pain. Its face twisted into an angry grimace. It then slammed its fists into the ground. The sound echoed through the castle and then the ground began to rumble. The fleshy ogre gave a taunting smile then ran off. Something bigger was on its way and it didn't seem to make allies. The abomination disappeared into the darkness with the same unrealistic speed that it used during the battle. Jorn tried to run out too. He left the armory, ran down the hallway and reached the stairs. The ground rumbled and he heard a roar. Something big was chasing him, but Jorn didn't know from which direction, or how it could even fit in these narrow hallways.

The Clock Ticked

The clock ticked. Tick tick tick. The sound echoed through the dark hallways of the oversized house. Moonlight shined through one of the windows, the image of the window was projected to the floor. The clock ticked and everything else was silent and still. Tick tick tick. Then footsteps were heard, hasty and quick footsteps. the wood floor creaked under each footstep and was joined by the sound of slippers slapping the ground with each quick step.

A pair of legs rushed passed the window and disrupted the image on the floor for just a second. The clock continued to tick and the footsteps grew faster. Then in the darkness a figure stood before the clock as it ticked and as the ticking echoed through the house. Such a soft noise traveled so far and seemed so loud in the dead of night. The figure hastily grabbed the clock and shook it with annoyance. After a few moments of fiddling with the clock, the ticking eventually stopped. One last tick could be heard and the faint little sound bounced through the whole house and seemed so loud for just a second. Then all was silent, everything still.

The clock lay motionless and silent on the table, no longer telling time or ticking away the seconds. The footsteps quickly moved back through the house. The slippers slapped against the ground, the floor creaked and the light from the window was disrupted. The footsteps walked quickly and then they too stopped. All was silent in the house and all was still. The night continued on and time passed, but the ticking had finally stopped.

Czars and the Dark secret of Hallows End

            The Czars of Halloween stood at the center of Hallows End. Their names were Poe and Nyx. Nyx was tall and slim, had brownish orange eyes, olive skin and short brown styled hair. Poe was slightly shorter and didn’t stand up quite as straight, but was also slim like Nyx. Poe had thin black hair, the front came down to his eyebrows and the back went down to the bottom of his neck. He had pale gray eyes and pale skin. Since it was almost Halloween the two were dressed up. Not in costumes, but dressed up for a party. Poe wore a black bowler hat with a white stripe in the middle, a white shirt, black vest, jacket pants and shoes. He also had a black bowtie with skeletons on it. Nyx wore a black shirt and jacket, orange vest, black pants and dark green orange shoes. He didn’t have a hat, but did have a long straight orange tie with little pumpkins on them.

            The two stood in the center of the city and marveled at the decorations and lights. “I love this place year round, but there is something about Halloween that really brings out the spirit” Poe said as he stared mesmerized by a pumpkin light that was blinking and changing colors. “Yeah” Nyx muttered back as he too seemed enthralled by the majesty of this rapidly color changing pumpkin.

            Hallows End was a small town, even after years of success and tourism. The buildings looked old fashioned and twisted, some even seemed stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster. Strings of orange and purple lights ran along the tops of the buildings and orange pumpkin lanterns were strung between buildings and over entrance ways  Jack-o-Lanterns were placed at every door and most doors had Halloween wreaths set up. Made of black sticks from the dark woods and tied together with festive ribbon. The great pumpkin stood at the center of town. It was a large Jack-o-Lantern that would mysteriously start to glow when Halloween began to approach. There was also a large fountain in the town, it was a stone statue of a skeleton drinking from a beer mug. It looked as if the skeleton was drinking and water would pour out through a hole in the back of his head, never even reaching the holes in his rib cage  Every Halloween the fountain water was drained, cleaned and the water was replaced with pumpkin ale. So party goers would line up behind the skeleton and put their mugs under the hole in his head as the ale literally passed right through the poor undead statue. It was customary to then say “Thanks for the drink and sorry about your luck”. This would be said with a tone of pity as if the town really was swiping beer from a skeleton that was so desperately trying to drink something.

The residences of Hallows End were out in the streets singing, drinking and setting up more decorations for the fast approaching Halloween day. It was Hallows eve and there was still much to be done. Poe and Nyx had regained their senses four hours later after being entranced by the pumpkin that flashed lights and changed color. The all Hallows eve party was about to start. This was the countdown to midnight, which made it Halloween. Then the next day everyone would have a different kind of party that was bigger than this one, to celebrate a happy Halloween and celebration of another good year past. For in Hallows end, the end of Halloween meant the end of the year.

Poe and Nyx walked to the bar Jack and Lanterns. They smoothed down the wrinkles in their clothes with their hands as they walked excitedly to the party. “So Hallows Eve you wear party clothes, what are we going to wear for tomorrow’s party?” Nyx asked. “Well since its Halloween people dress up as monsters and such. But since Hallows End is full of creatures already, lets all just try to dress as spooky and Gothic as we can” Poe replied. “I’m going to dress up as a nun!” Said a villager, who was clearly undead. He was some kind of bluish zombie person. Poe tried not to laugh. For once he didn't have a sarcastic comment for this one.

The night continued on and the Czars were the life of the party. Drinks were flowing and everyone was in a good mood. The skeleton fountain only poured out free drinks on Halloween, so on Hallows Eve everyone would have to buy their drinks from Jack or John lantern. A friendly mustached man came up to the counter. “what can I get you?” Asked the bartender. “Just a beer please” said Poe as the two stepped up to the bar.” The bartender gave Poe one of the best pumpkin beers in the bar. “Thanks John” Said Poe. The bartender smiled “you got it right this time” smiled John. “sure did, you don’t look so much like your brother. Some people just aren't as observant as I am” Poe replied. “We aren't actually brothers, but thanks” Said John with a smile, then walked off. “How did you know who it was? Jack and John look exactly the same. They might even be the same person” Nyx said. ‘I just guesses as usual and this time got it right” Poe replied casually.

“Whooooo!” cheered a very drunk Pumpkin Jack, the towns own Halloween enthusiast and violent psychopath. Jack stumbled over to the Czars, dragging his orange cloak behind him. “you guys throw the best parties” Said Jack with a big drunk smile. Nyx was about to reply, but was interrupted by a rumbling. The ground shook and the lights flickered. It was two minutes till midnight, but the shaking became so violent that no one noticed. “I didn't think we got earthquakes here” said Nyx as he hung onto the bar. John Lantern was flung over the bar. “We don’t” he said. Pumpkin Jack seemed pretty stable on his feet for once and had a determined look on his face.

The party guests all shuffled outside to see what was happening. Then at the center of town the ground began to break apart under the Great Pumpkin. Jack jumped and knocked it over, pushing it out of the way just as a hole opened on the spot it had been sitting. Screaming souls and green energy blasted out of the ground in a loud and violent scene. The earth stopped shaking and when the souls had all flown away all that was left was a hunched over man in a black cloak. Jack seemed to know who this was and pulled out his sword. He lunged forward but was stopped at the last moment. He stood there his sword seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall. “You pathetic residence of Hallows End cannot harm me. I have been locked away in your wretched cage for one thousand years. This whole time I have absorbed the power of this town. Feeding off of it as you threw your parties and celebrated like fools” Said the hunched over hooded man.

Everyone seemed clueless about what were happening, Everyone except Jack and the mayor. These two were apparently much older than they let on. Pumpkin Jack’s sword was flung off into the trees by a mysterious force, then he too was thrown away without any effort. “I am the Lich. This used to be my home. But then a group of hooligans attacked me and sealed me into a magical cage. Then built a town over the wreckage of my castle.” The Lich explained. “You were the terror of the autumn land, we did it to save everyone” Said the mayor who seemed to show up suddenly. The mayor was short and round, but had noticeable muscles under his layers of fat, looking like in his younger years he would have been insanely strong. The mayor also had a thick mustache and a black hat.

Suddenly all of the residence of Hallows End dropped to their knees, Powerless and helpless to the Lich’s magic, everyone except the Czars of Halloween. Since they were from the Autumn forest, the Lich didn't have power over them. The two Czars stepped up in front of the crowd. “Listen buddy. You might have owned this place once, but this is our town now” Poe said. “Well the mayor runs it, but we help!” Nyx added, but still tried to sound tough. Poe nodded in agreement. “Yes I suppose its more of the mayors town. But our wealth and social status, plus the fact that everyone here likes us, kind of makes this our town too” Poe replied, no longer looking at the Lich. “that’s true but we usually just throw parties so the actual ownership…” Replied Nyx, but he was cut off when the Lich shouted “ENOUGH!” the Lich’s yell shook the town and would have forced most people to their knees out of fear.

“Short response. You are going to have to leave” Poe said. The two Czars looked determined to protect their town and the Holiday they loved. The Lich began to laugh. “you don’t even have weapons or powers!” The Lich continued to laugh. The Mayor made a strained noise. Nyx looked down and realized the Mayor had come ready for a fight. Nyx laughed when he pictured the chubby little mayor swinging a sword. The mayor brought a sword and an axe. Nyx threw the axe to Poe. “Right, now we have weapons. Lets end this guy” Poe said.

The Lich chuckled and then slowly began to stand up straight. As the Lich moved the sound of bones snapping and popping could be heard. Finally the Lich stood up over six feet tall and the cloak fell off. The Lich stood as a giant skeleton, green and purple flames burned inside his skull and his bone hands glowed with magic. He wore black wizard boots, and ripped black pants. His spine bones were sharp and Jagged and his empty eye sockets glowed yellow. Then Poe noticed a hole in the back of the Lich’s head. “Doesn't he look like a larger meaner version of the statue?” Poe asked. “He is. The statue was made in honor of his defeat” Said the mayor as he struggled to move and talk.

            After hearing this the Lich became enraged. Green flames burst up all around him and he pointed a magical staff at the Czars. “this is the staff of souls. I will use it to enslave your souls and torments you for all of eternity. Your misery and torment will fuel my magic as I conquer this land” the Lich said then began to laugh. The laugh was cut short when Poe’s Axe struck the Lich in the head then bounced off and rolled back toward Poe. Poe ran up a little to retrieve his weapon as the Lich to put his head back on straight. The Lich now had an axe chop mark on the top of his skull. “Fine, if your in a rush to die” The Lich said. Then dark energy waves shot forth and hit the Czars and all of the citizens of Hallows End. Poe and Nyx clenched their teeth and tried to move despite the pain they now felt.

            The Lich spun his hand around and darkness rose up into the air, the starry night sky was blocked out by an unnatural evil magic. Now the sky looked like a swirling abyss of darkness and shadows. “Already starting to feel like home” The Lich said. Nyx stood up and rushed forward with his sword. “You can’t do this to our town!” He said then stabbed his sword into the Skeletons rib cage  “I don’t have muscle, flew or organs, stabbing wont do anything” The Lich laughed. His hands burst with green flames and he reached down to grab Nyx. At that moment Nyx turned his blade with all of his strength. This twisted the sword up and broke several bones in the Lich’s rib cage. The Lich recoiled and his hands lost their fire.

            The Lich rushed forward to attack Nyx before he got away. Right before The Lich got to Nyx another flying axe came sailing forward and hit the Skeleton Lich right in the chest, breaking the rest of his rib cage  The two regrouped and moved back to avoid direct attacks. The Lich stood up and used his staff of souls to heal his broken bones. Soon he was back to full strength. Poe grinned “thank you for showing us your weakness” Poe shouted to the Lich. Without the powerful soul magic, the Lich was just another skeleton.

            Nyx nodded to Poe then ran straight at the Lich again. The Lich looked ready, his skeleton hands glowed with a green death magic and one touch could wither a person to bones. The Lich shot blasts of shadow energy out at Nyx as he rushed forward. Nyx dodged those and got up right to the Lich. The Lich reached down and was going to grab Nyx before he could strike. Then Poe flanked the Lich from the side and slashed his axe down with all of his might. He slice the Lich’s arm off, the Lich turned and tried to attack Poe with his other arm but at that moment Nyx stabbed his blade into the Lich’s skeleton face. The sword went right through the evil wizards head and made a second hole, going straight through between the eyes and out the back of the head. This hole was above the original, made by Jack a thousand years ago, when Jack stabbed his pumpkin blade through the Lich’s mouth and out the back of his head where the spine met the skull.

            The Lich let out a loud shriek and dropped his staff. He staggered backward and the two Czars went after the staff. As it hit the ground they both slammed their weapons down onto it as hard as they could. The staff shattered and all of the trapped souls were released. Then the remaining magic mixed with The courage of the Czars and went into their weapons. Poe’s Axe became large and bent like a scythe. It was black with a skull at the top and a shiny silver blade at the end. Nyx’s sword became a straight long sword, with a pumpkin for the pommel and a black hilt with orange gems. The blade was also silver and looked a little like a pumpkin carving knife, but as a sword.  “The Carver” which Nyx now calls it is different than Jack’s pumpkin sword. Jack’s sword was jagged and the hilt was orange with a Jack-o-lantern face burned into the blade.

            The two Czars marveled at their new weapons almost as much as they marveled at the glowing color change pumpkin. Then they both turned and saw the Lich was still standing and trying to summon the last of his magic to attack again. Before the Lich could do anything. Poe and Nyx attacked, slashing their weapons down at him. Orange and black energy streamed from their combined weapons as the two struck the evil Lich. The attack was so strong the Lich exploded into dark energy and his bones turned to dust.

            Hallows End had been saved and the Czars had been rewarded with fancy new weapons. The citizens cheered as the Czars slowly walked back to the bar. “I need a drink” Poe said. “Me too” Nyx replied, sounding tired.

The two drank and then slept. The next day was Halloween. The darkness in the sky had disappeared, the hole in the center of town was filled, the Great pumpkin was placed back on its spot and any damage done to the town was now fixed.

            Poe and Nyx started getting ready for the big spooky Halloween party. They wore black robes, Nyx had a hollowed out Jack-o-lantern over his head and Poe had a skull mask. “So we let home, started new lives in Hallows End, became rich and powerful, threw the best parties, defeated a Lich, saved the town and gained powerful magic weapons. What should we do now?” Asked Nyx with a smile. “Now we celebrate Halloween” said Poe as he pulled his black hood over his head.

The house of Darkwood

            In the land of holidays and seasons there rests the autumn forest, where people live with eternal fall scenery and bountiful harvest, and then there is Hallows End, where everyone celebrates Halloween and the spooky side of a fall night. Between these two places is the Haunted forest, a forest were ghosts and spirits dwell in such numbers that it seems that every tree and plant has a mind of its own. The forest has a way of playing tricks on people and has even been known to trap people forever if they wander in alone. Once a year large groups of people travel to Hallows End to celebrate Halloween by traveling through the haunted forest and as long as everyone stays together it is a safe journey.

            For the most part everyone in the Autumn Forest, Hallows End and even the people of other lands, love Halloween. Everyone except Joseph Mcgree and his wife Sarah Mcgree. This seemingly normal couple live just outside the dark forest and always dreads Halloween. The Dark Forest is the most narrow point of the Haunted forest as the forest comes to a cliffside and ends short of the drop. Its just called the Dark Forest because its dark and spooky like the Haunted forest, but this section of trees isn’t haunted. All year the Dark Forest only look menacing, but is actually as safe as any normal forest, but on Halloween creatures and monsters branch out from the heart of the Haunted forest, making the Dark forest and all of the immediate surrounding areas dangerous for anyone who is out at night and not part of a large group armed with torches and weapons.

            It was the night before Halloween and the Mcgrees stayed in as usual. They didn’t enjoy Halloween in general but the added danger made things worse. Joseph was reading when he started to hear scratching at his door. It sounded like a small animal, maybe a lost dog or a stray cat. Normally one of the Mcgrees would answer the door, but this close to Halloween they wouldn’t open the door for anyone after sunset. The scratching continued and Joseph tried to ignore it. He had to keep telling himself it was probably a tricky spirit trying to lure them outside. Sarah looked up and Joseph just shook his head. The two went back to their reading. Then they heard a soft and sad meowing. “its not Halloween yet” Sarah said. She imagined a scared cat outside, alone and so close to the dark forest at night. “No, it could be anything” Joseph said. In honestly he was thinking the same thing as his wife, but they both needed to keep each other in line during dangerous times.

            The night dragged on. Sarah was walking to their bedroom and saw a cat jump up to their window. “it is a cat!” Sarah called to Joseph. Joseph got up from his chair and looked. There was a black cat in the window, it was small and sad looking. “Maybe we could open the window quickly” Joseph said hesitantly. Just as he said this the two heard footsteps outside. They looked at each other and went to the next window to see who was outside. They both looked and didn’t see anyone. Then the scratching at the door started again, but the cat was still at the first bedroom window. Sarah left the bedroom to check the front window. “If there are monsters outside, the cat could get eaten” Joseph said to Sarah, he spoke loudly so she could hear him from the bedroom. She didn’t respond.

            Joseph slowly walked to the window, as he did the cat stood up and rubbed against the glass. “I will just grab the cat quickly” Joseph muttered. He slowly opened the window and reached his hand out for the cat. By this time the cat had a strange twinkle in its eye. Joseph realized, if this was a real cat, why wasn’t it purring, or meowing or making any noise. Just as Joseph opened the window, Sarah walked in holding an orange and white cat. “Don’t be mad, but I double checked before I opened the door. There was a cat outside. Just not the one by the w…” Sarah said but stopped talking as she saw the window open and something horrible was standing in place of the black cat.

            Joseph had turned his head to see Sarah as she entered the room, he saw her terrified expression and his stomach sank. He turned back around and a grizzled, hair claw grabbed a hold of Joseph’s face and covered his mouth before he could scream. The darkness of night hid most of the creatures face so all Joseph could see was a black hair arm, rough skinned, clawed hand and two black beady eyes that reflected the light from the house. The creature pulled on Joseph and tried to drag him outside. Joseph’s mind raced as this beast was tugging on his head. Then suddenly there was a release and Joseph was thrown back into the house and almost landed on the orange cat as he fell backward.

            When Joseph looked up he saw his wife holding and axe, which was now covered in a dark green blood and the window was closed. A hairy monster arm sat still and rigid on the bedroom floor and the orange cat started to attack its fingers.

            “I’m glad we decided to keep an axe in every room” Sarah said. Joseph just nodded, his eyes still wide with fear. Sarah’s mind was racing and her palms were sweaty, but to Joseph she appeared perfectly calm. “You know I had a choice between you and Mary Sue down the street” Joseph said with a smile. Sarah started to laugh. “Yes and with Mary Sue you would have enjoyed her pleasant company up until a monster pulled your head off as she stood there and screamed” Sarah replied. The two laughed for a few minutes, which helped relieve some of the stress and fear.

            After a few minutes of chuckling and eventual silence, Sarah finally spoke up “So what do you want to do for Halloween?” She said with a sly grin. “Well we need to think of a name for this cat and nothing beats reading a good book and staying in” Joseph said. “as long as you keep an axe with you” Sarah added.

Hollow city

            The city was dark, mist lingered over everything and the light from the street lamps bounced off the fog and gave the whole city an eerie feel. Jake held still, he heard the distant sound of footsteps, then a scream and gunfire. The city had gone to hell and it was everyone for themselves. It started on Halloween night. There was the usual trick or treaters, loud parties and everyone was wearing a costume.

 Jake was on his way to his friends how to attend a small party of friends of friends. He wasn’t too excited because he only knew the one, Bill. He didn’t know Bill’s friends so he hoped it wouldn’t be awkward. Jake was dressed as a private eye from the old detective movies. Someone thought he was dressed as a pimp, this comment made Jake’s soul hurt.

            Once he arrived at the party he tried to mingle and not be the awkward stranger in the corner. The small one bedroom apartment was packed with people. The hardwood floor creaked as the group of strangers shuffled back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. “please tell me you have beer” Jake whispered to Bill. Bill just smiled, nodded then pointed to the kitchen. Jake did the awkward “Sorry for pushing past you but I need to get to the other room” Shuffle. Jake didn’t usually drink, but in situations like this, he usually had to have at least one bear before he could go out of his way to start talking to people.

            The night moved along and everything was fine. Then an explosion went off somewhere in the city. “Someone lighting fireworks?” asked one of the party members. Then the building rocked and shook. Everyone had to grab onto something so they wouldn’t get knocked over. Jake looked outside and saw thick fog roll in. the streets were empty and besides that one explosion, everything was silent. Then another explosion could be heard. It was certainly not fireworks. Jake moved past the crowd of people and walked down the stairs and outside into the cool night air. He needed to see what was happening, he didn’t know why but he just felt the urge to investigate. “Just because your dressed like a detective doesn’t mean you ARE a detective” He told himself. Still he was curious and if someone was hurt after an explosion it is important that someone be around to help out, in case the police or an ambulance hasn’t shown up.

            Jake walked toward the sound of the two explosions. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw it. Before he could get anywhere near the explosion area, a tall slender man confronted him. Using the word ‘man’ loosely because this thing was man shaped but its skin was sickly pale with a green tint. It didn’t have eyes or a nose, just a large mouth full of rows of teeth. The slender man seemed to be wearing a suit, which was a weird choice for a monster. The creature lift his arm up and reached his hand out to Jake. The hand was slender, but bent weirdly and had long fingers with sharp claw like tips. Jake felt paralyzed with fear and the slender creature slowly walked toward Jake. It’s hideous mouth curved upward like a smile as he got closer and closer. Soon the slender man was just within reaching distance, it’s fingertips just barely touching Jake’s face. A shot rang out and the slender being stopped moving. It reached up to its chest and felt a hole. Someone shot the slender man. Jake turned and saw a cop. “Get out of here son, this is no place for civilians” the policeman said. Jake nodded at the cop and then turned back to get one last look at the slender man. But the slender man was gone. When Jake looked back at the cop he saw that the creature had moved in an instant and was now wrapping its long horrible fingers around the cops neck. The evil aura of the horrible slender monster now paralyzed the police officer. Jake picked up a large chunk of concrete, which was debris from one of the buildings, and struck the beast with the heavy chunk. The slender man recoiled and let out a hissing shriek. As soon as the policeman regained his senses he opened fire on the creature, shooting it in the head. The slender man shrieked and melted into the darkness.

            “I guess we’re even” Jake said. The cop was holding his throat and nodded slowly, the events of the last few minutes slowly sinking in as reality. “My names Bob” The cop said. “Jake” Jake replied. “Well Jake, I was going to investigate the explosion, maybe we should stick together” Said Bob. “I think so too” Jake agreed. So the two men continued toward the explosion area. They both were shaken by the encounter with the slender man, but they both knew they had to stay and help out anyone they could. Along the way, Jake found a crowbar. Since the cop didn’t have an extra gun, Jake decided to keep the crowbar as a weapon.

            The fog became denser the closer they got to their destination. The sound of fire crackling and smaller explosions could be heard in the distance, then sounds of screaming and gunfire. The two rushed ahead, as they were running a fireball flew straight at them. The two jumped off in different directions and the ball of fire exploded against the street. The two looked out from behind the cover of over turned cars and saw a enormous pumpkin headed creature in the center of town. The pumpkin head had a carved face like a Jack-o-lantern, the inside of the head was lit up by some kind of constant burning flame. The head slowly spun around searching for survivors. The body of the creature was just a long twist of vines. The head was attached to a center stalk and vines stretched out from both sides of the ‘body’ like arms. The twisted stalk went down through the road and deep into the earth where it grew roots. It looked like this horrible thing just sprouted up over night. The pumpkin head spun around and could shoot fire out of its carved mouth hole and it could make vines spring out of the ground and grab people. The whole thing was as large as the downtown office buildings. The worst part of this was at the bottom of the pumpkin monster was a little opening. This weird door into the vine stalk had monsters coming out and captured humans going in. Zombies, shadow creatures, more of those slender things, tall goblins and human sized pumpkin head monsters. The mobile pumpkin heads looked like a fiery pumpkin head had replaced a normal persons head, then the person was dressed in rags. It didn’t take too long before Jake figured out what was probably happening to the captured humans.

            “This is a nightmare. I need to check on my family and call for help. We need the army or something” Bob said as he got noticeably more nervous. “Check on your family first. Someone must have called in the army by now” Jake said. Bob nodded and turned to leave. Then quickly turned back around “Hey, you should head home too. Nothing we can do here. But in case you run into trouble. Take this” Bob gave Jake his gun. Bob was carrying more than one gun. As soon as he heard explosions in the city, he figured it was a good time to grab a second or third pistol.

            Jake was thinking about returning home, but he couldn’t remember where home was. He also couldn’t think of who he would even meet once he got home. Bob left Jake alone holding a gun. Jake just stared blankly at his gun then up at the monsters. Just one of these creatures almost killed Bob and Jake and now they are splitting up. Jake shook his head. “This can’t be real” Jake muttered. He looked up and watched the scene for a second more. Monsters were being created and pumped out of that giant plant, the city had fallen into chaos, buildings were slowly crumbling and fires were breaking out everywhere. On top of all that, Jake was so scared he couldn’t remember how to get home or even the names of his family. His memories seemed to get fuzzy the more he tried to focus on them.

            He stared off into space, feeling in a daze. Sharp pain throbbed in his head and went down his spine. Jake’s vision grew blurry and he collapsed. Every few minutes he was able to open his eyes and saw that a strange shadowy creature was dragging him off. The shadow monster had glowing purple eyes and its form would twist and change constantly. He looked up at the darkened sky and felt his body slide across the ruined concrete. Jake couldn’t even comprehend what was going on at this point. He was dragged into the large plant creature. the vines and stalk had grown around a patch of road, the round patch of road had circles and symbols painted on it. Jake was dragged into the center and the circle began to glow. Jake lay on the patch of road with half wide eyes and blissful ignorance. Red light filled the area and vines descended down from the ceiling. Shadows surrounded Jake and then the next moment, all went dark.

Pumpkin Heads

            It was a pitch black, moonless night. Five pumpkin headed figures stood in a line. Their faces were carved into different expressions and light was emitted from the their eyes, nose and mouth holes. The figures were completely motionless except for their slow steady breaths. Each breath they let out released an orange mist from their mouth holes. Their breath looked like human breath on a cold night, but this was orange and glowed like fire. The pumpkin heads wore black cloaks, which hid any further features and since it was so dark, the figures looked like five floating jack-o-lanterns that could breath.

            The pumpkin heads were at the edge of a old dark forest, outside of a small town and they were lined up and staring at a small farm house house. The house had its lights on and in through the windows an elderly couple could be seen having dinner. One of the pumpkin heads walked up to the door and lifted its shadowy claw. It banged on the door three times. The knocks echoed through the house and the elderly couple went silent. Then after a few moments the pumpkin heads heard shuffling around inside the house. Through the door, the faint muffled sound of walking, creaky floors and then a cabinet opening.  The elderly man finally answered the door. He opened the door slowly to greet his visitors and the Pumpkin heads waited with patient excitement.

When the door was finally open the man saw the five creatures. He stared at them for a moment with a puzzled look. Then he shook his head and smiled. “What lovely costumes” said the elderly man. He reached behind the door and grabbed a bowl of candy. He then proceeded to place candy into the claw like hands of the pumpkin heads as they silently stared at him, expressions fixed like Jack-o-lanterns. With one last smile the man waved goodnight and closed the door, then shuffled back to his dinner. The creatures exchanged glances as they kept their hands outstretched and filled with candy. Then at the same time, they all let out a slow crackling noise, like a fire burning away at a log. This translated into them saying “Success!” then they shoved the candies down into their fiery mouths, wrappers and all. The five creatures turned around and slowly walked off, disappearing into the night.

Czars of Halloween part 2

         Hello everyone, this is the final part of the 'Czars' origin story. The Czars of Halloween will have many spooky adventures, but i am saving those stories for another time. This story is a little long. a full page longer than previous stories. I assure you it is well worth your time though. this will put you in the Halloween Schmooood. as long as your not looking for a bloody story about an axe murder or ghosts that pull your face off. My stories are about Halloween, not murder. So with that, please enjoy!

   Years passed since the day Poe and Nyx first found a way to get into Hallows End. The two boys were in their mid twenties, they worked and lived most of their lives in Harvest town, but on special nights and weekends they would sneak away from their friends and family and hang out in Hallows End. They didn't always  party when they visited Hallows End, sometimes they would just relax at the local tavern “Jack and Lanterns tavern and Inn”. the tavern was shaped like a pumpkin, similar to the one in the autumn forest. But this one had a great big grinning Jack-o-lantern face and flames floated in circles around the tavern. Also the bartender wasn't a burly man who turned into a werewolf, the bartender here was Jack Slender and John Lanterns. The two men looked exactly the same, but wore different hats. They were also never seen together, leading everyone to believe that Jack and John were both the same guy who just changed between hats. Jack wore a fedora and John wore a bowler. They ‘both’ were thin men with brown eyes, brown hair and wore a black and orange vest, white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black dress pants, black dress shoes, an orange bow tie and had a slender mustache.

            It was the little things like ‘Jack and Lanterns’ that kept Poe and Nyx coming back after so many years. They also discovered that everyone in Hallows End had jobs and homes like every other village. This village just emitted a yearly feel of Halloween, even though they only celebrated Halloween like everyone else. Poe and Nyx would sit and enjoy the atmosphere of the town. The quiet nights had a charm of its own. Then when Halloween came, Poe and Nyx would travel through the haunted forest with the other residence of the Autumn forest and it would still be the best day of the year. Since Poe and Nyx enjoyed the daily life, the weekends, the nights and even the big Halloween party all in their own way, they two men would talk about moving to Hallows End Permanently. The only trouble would be leaving their friends and family behind. They would only see them once a year. “Do we follow our own selfish ambitions or do we stay with our family and not live life to its fullest the way we want to live?” Poe asked Nyx. They both just remained silent. To some this might seem like an obvious answer, but Nyx and Poe were seriously torn.

            Then came the day the two men would have to choose between Halloween life or the simple autumn farm life. It started as a suggestion by Halloween Jack. a man with a face covered in scars and a smile a mile long. He always carried a dangerous looking sword around with him and wore a orange cloak. “So just tell your family. Ask em to move here wit you. Or if they wont move. Just tell them how much you love Halloween and Hallows End and are thinking about moving and want their opinion. Let your family convince you to stay. You know, give them a fair shot before you decide to move for good” Jack suggested. He drank down the rest of his beer and slammed the mug down “John, get me another!” He shouted playfully. “Im Jack” Jack Slender said, wearing his fedora. Halloween Jack chuckled “Too many Jacks around here. I haven’t seen a Dennis or Robert in a while” Halloween Jack chuckled.

            Poe and Nyx realized that Jack had forgotten he was talking to them and were left with their drinks to ponder this new idea. “Yeah, we should just tell our families. Let them help us decide” Nyx said with a smile. He was surprised he hadn’t thought of it before. “Yeah. They will either be like. ‘stay with us we love you’ or maybe they will say ‘you should do what makes you happiest’” Poe said. the two agreed and finished their drinks. “By Jack, and Jack. tell John I said by” Said Nyx as the two got up to leave. Halloween Jack waved and then drunkenly fell on the floor. Bartender Jack just waved and made a motion that he would go fetch ‘John’. Poe just shook his head and followed Nyx out the door.

            Nyx and Poe were excited and a little nervous as they stumbled home. After years of living between worlds, they would finally decide on a town to live in. In the morning they would gather their families and talk it over. Tonight, they would sleep off all the pumpkin beer they drank. They each got home and slept like babies. Dreaming of each life, steady peaceful life on the farm or a weird and twisted life in the fun but dangerous Hallows End.

            That morning the two men gathered their immediate family together as one group and explained the situation. Poe and Nyx took turns explaining how much they loved Halloween as children and continued to love it as they grew up. The magic and weirdness of Hallows End was so appealing they dreamed of living there. The two men explained how they got a skull compass and since then would sneak off at least once a week and got to Hallows End to hang out or sometimes have little weekend parties at the tavern. They explained how they loved both towns so much that they needed help deciding if they should move or not. Their families were silent for a while. Some were more supportive than others. Poe’s father thought of Halloween as something for children and figured the two had grown out of it, even though he knew the two went to Hallows End every year with the rest of the village. He figured it was to flirt with ladies and drink beer, not to carve Jack-o-lanterns like a five year old. Nyx’s Father wasn’t any better and even got angry. Poe’s father might have mocked their interest, but Nyx’s father was angry by it. “You two boys need to grow up! Get wives and settle down. Not move to some town of freaks and endless parties. That place is fun for their weird parties, but that’s it. Only criminals and slackers live there” Spat the father. Poe almost hit Nyx’s father after hearing this. Meanwhile the two mothers didn’t want their kids to move away. They didn’t see the point of moving and wanted grandchildren to play with.

            Some of Poe’s siblings were supportive but most didn’t care. Nyx’s siblings and Uncle Tom were about the same. Poe was furious, He matched then overpowered the anger of Nyx’s father. “You Ignorant, lying pieces of garbage! If this is how you treat your own family then you lie every time you have said you loved either of us. You are all ignorant too. Too dumb and foul to understand that someone might work hard AND live in Hallows End. Nyx and I work hard and do everything we are supposed to. We are adults and we love Halloween. What’s more, the people of Hallows End are good people and never judge anyone. So that’s it, I am done with this sleepy, boring town.” Poe said, his normally pale face turning various shades of red. He felt so betrayed by his family. Nyx’s family tried to reason with Nyx, as if Poe was the crazy ringleader leading Nyx into disaster. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m moving to Hallows End. This is my choice. Please visit me if you ever decide to let go of your ignorance.” Nyx said slowly. He wasn’t angry, just sad and disappointed.  The night before, Poe and Nyx actually had considered staying in Harvest town. Yet their families called them foolish and said they were wasting their lives. They called the people of Hallows End criminals and slackers, people who had become great friends with Poe and Nyx and always treated them well.

            The two walked off that day and disappeared into the forest. From that day on they were never seen in the Autumn Forest again. They moved to Hallows End and got jobs, they lived in the town they loved. They got a house together and every Halloween they threw the biggest Halloween party in town, then Poe, Nyx and all the party guests would join the other villagers and tourists in the center of town and countdown to midnight. Then at midnight flames and fireworks would explode out of the giant Jack-o-lantern at the center of town. Everyone would drink and eat until they passed out.

            They ‘boys’ lived like this for years. Soon people started calling them the ‘Czars of Halloween’. This was because of how great their Halloween house parties were. Every year the party got bigger and crazier. It got to the point where they no longer just held a big party at their house, but instead threw a giant party for everyone in town and the town’s countdown to midnight became part of the huge party the Czars would throw every year. The Mayor loved the Czars for their Halloween spirit, so he and the rest of the town backed them up and encouraged every idea they had. So with the Help of the Czars, the mayor and the whole town, every Halloween in Hallows End was a party to remember.

            The rest of the year was pretty much the same as it had always been. People working on weekdays and relaxing and drinking on nights and weekends. This was the same as any village. Thanks to the Czars though, the population of Hallows End grew. More people wanted to live in Hallows End after enjoying the yearly parties so much. With a bigger population, grew better trade between lands. Soon the haunted forest had paths lit with torches and guards patrolled the roads. It was now safe to trade with and visit Hallows End. The town of Hallows End prospered, but never lost its spooky Halloween feel.

            All of this happened over the course of ten years. The Czars moved to Hallows End in their mid twenties and now by their mid thirties they helped a small spooky town thrive and prosper. In this time the Czars became wealthy with both riches and loved ones alike. All of their accomplishments were rewarded. They saved their money and bought pumpkin hill, then they built a castle to live in. over the years and after many adventures they acquired treasures and magical artifacts, which they held in their treasury vault. The two ‘boys’ might not technically rule over Hallows End like kings, after all there is still an elected mayor every couple of years, but they do sit on thrones in their castle and watch over Hallows End as the Czars of Halloween.