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.