Skeleton Picnic

Deep in the Haunted forest, on a cold night in October, thin shambling shapes traveled to a clearing of dead grass and one large table. The table was a giant tree stump that was carved into the shape of a table and was in fact still rooted into the ground by the massive roots that once fed a mighty tree. The stump was once a giant tree but now it served as a permanent table in this clearing. The clearing could only be found by those who already knew were it was and anyone traveling through the Haunted Forest would never find it by accident.

 

            The Haunted forest liked to trick travelers and lead them to their doom. The Haunted Forest let people safely travel to the Halloween village of Hallows End, but they were only guaranteed safety on Halloween day and the morning after. This strange clearing with its equally strange root table was so private that it must be host to the most evil and gruesome of events. On this chilly October night, the clearing had become the grounds for the Skeleton Picnic.

 

            Spooky skeletons shambled through the Haunted Forest unhindered by its trickery and curses. The clearing soon filled with undead figures, each dragging large heavy bags. Their bones rattled as they walked, the sounds of uneven foot steps echoed through the area as an army of skeletons shuffled and staggered over the dead grass. They all made their way to the center table with their bags. Each bag was hoisted up and dropped hard on the root table.

 

            Each of the bags spilled open when they hit the table revealing plates, cups, lanterns, miniature pumpkins and many jars of red beans. The skeletons got to work setting up lanterns in the clearing, the dark of night was pushed back into the depths of the forests by the small lights of a dozen lanterns hung up on metal rods. Each rod was stabbed deep into the ground and had a small hook on the top. The lanterns were hung from the hooks and would sway slowly in the cold October wind.

 

            The Skeletons set up the dishes in a big circle around the table and placed bottles of wine scattered through the center. Large jars of red beans were poured into oversized wooden bowls. The skeletons all sat on the ground in a circle around the wooden stump table, once they were all positioned they remained silent and motionless.

 

            A skeleton wearing a black vest, brown coat and brown pants, stood up and began to speak. “Greetings everyone, I am glad to see everyone was able to join us. Well, everyone except that Steve…” The Suit wearing Skeleton paused mid announcement and muttered curse words under his breath about Steve the skeleton. “Everyone who takes this picnic seriously made it, and for that I am grateful. As most of you know, I am Bob the treasurer of the “skeletons for the banning of dogs” club and also in my past life was an accountant for a promising tavern in the Autumn forest” Bob the Skeleton announced. “Yeah, accountant and a skeleton with a totally real mustache that isn’t fake” shouted a skeleton wearing torn jeans and a t-shirt. Several skeletons laughed and elbowed each other in the rib bones. Bob stared at the t-shirt wearing skeleton for several seconds, if he had a face his eyebrows would be furrowed. “Yes, it is totally real, So I am not sure why you said it like that” Bob said as he straightened the mustache on his face.

            Bob began again with his announcement “For those of you who are new here, Welcome and I hope you make it a tradition to join us every year. We are here to enjoy the company of our fellow Skele-brothers and sisters and talk about issues we skeletons face. Now before we get to all of that lets enjoy our traditional meal of red beans and wine” Bob announced as he adjusted the collar of his coat.

 

            The skeletons each took turns pouring red beans into their bowls and wine into their cups. The Wine and red beans had been a tradition of the skeleton picnic for over a hundred years and no one could remember why they even served food and drink at all. Many of the skeletons just assumed it was left over habits from being alive.

 

            The skeletons all started eating and drinking, immediately staining their torn clothes and the ground below them with red wine and bean paste mashed. The skeleton group ignored the wine and beans falling through their ribcages and onto the floor and pretended to have taste buds and stomachs. While many skeletons made fun of Bob for his totally real/not real mustache, every skeleton did some amount of pretending at one point or another.

 

            Bob stood up looking official as he straightened his red stained clothes and made a noise that resembled a human clearing their throat. “I have a few announcements, this is news that is relevant to all skeletons but I will have to settle for informing the skeletons who actually showed up at this meeting. First. The Grave Wagon has been active again. Every year this giant machine appears from the fog and decimates human cities. Normally that would not be a skeleton problem but many are saying that skeletons are involved. I refuse to believe this but I must mention it anyway. Humans and the monsters of Hallows End are whispering about skeletons and possessed humans being the culprits. Even if this is false, the fact that others believe it to be true will make our travels harder. So for now I urge skeletons to stay in the haunted forest and if any skeleton IS responsible for this destruction they need to step forward and take ownership of this carnage so that the rest of us wont be dragged down by his or her actions” Bob announced in a serious tone. Whispers and muttering was heard among the skeletons. Most seemed genuinely upset by this news but some cheered at the thought of humans being destroyed.

 

            “Secondly some goblin scientists have found that bone can grow hair and that it IS possible for skeletons to have some hair on their head or face” Bob said with conviction. “Your MUSTACHE is FAKE!” Shouted a skeleton in a blue hooded sweatshirt, his boney hands forming a cone in front of his mouth as to echo the words further across the table. “ITS REAL!” Bob Shouted back, his neatly pressed clothes becoming as ruffled as Bob’s nerves were. Bob touched his mustache to make sure it was on tightly, he did this as a reflex and didn’t realize he was even doing it.

 

            “Last bit of news Nyx and Poe, the self proclaimed Czars of Halloween have asked me and many skeletons to help with this years Halloween party. They say it will be important for skeletons and will be lots of fun. I don’t always agree with humans having such leverage in Hallows End but if they make a party that shows how fun and helpful skeletons are, maybe it will combat the bad press bestowed on us by this dreadful Grave Wagon” Bob explained to the group. More muttering could be heard. Many of the skeletons liked the sound of a skeleton themed Halloween party and were more concerned with the fun it could provide than the positive reputation that Bob was so worried about.

 

            The party continued on after the announcements. The cold October wind blew through the dark Haunted forest but the skeletons didn’t have skin and didn’t feel the cold. The talked and ate red beans unfazed by the cold Autumn air. The night lingered on and fog drifted into the clearing from the surrounding forest. The skeleton picnic was on its one hundred and eleventh year and the members of the picnic had been undead for a range of years. Bob had been a skeleton for almost fifty years and though he was in charge of the meetings he wasn’t the founder.

 

            Autumn was in full swing and Halloween approached slowly and steadily. It was in October that the Haunted forest and surrounding area would be more exciting than any other time of the year. The bravest of mortals might seek such excitement and if they were careful and wise they would not only find excitement but would also find that they still had breath in their lungs on November 1st.