Rain fell from the sky, beating the
ground like fingers tapping on a drum. Samantha and Rumford Gould had left Mist
Harbor but the rain followed them. “No one enjoys our company as much as the
rain” Rumford joked.
A chilled breeze blew through and rustled their cloaks.
Samantha wore her cloak with her hood up and her black leather gloves. She wore
a sleeveless tunic and black pants. She wasn’t bothered by the chill in the air
but had to keep her appearance and her hand covered at all times. Rumford
looked like he was preparing for a blizzard with all of his layers of clothes.
He wore enough clothes to cover any trace of bone or hint of green glow from
the flame in his chest. The only spots visible were his eyes and the skin
around the eyes. Rumford didn’t feel hot or cold, he didn’t get tired or need
to eat or drink, so he carried all the extra clothes, watched over Samantha
when she slept and remained covered as often as possible.
The two approached the Autumn
Forest, the forest of autumn colors, honey, apples and maple. The air was
always cooler there but it never snowed. Leaves fell from the trees and blew in
the breeze but the trees were never bare. The Autumn Forest was a beautiful
sight for most but not for Samantha.
Samantha was born in the small village of Honeydew, her life
was quiet, peaceful and boring. Every day was greeted with beautiful fall
colors and a cool breeze to temper the midday sun.
When
Samantha turned nineteen, she decided to leave her village in search of
adventure. Her journey started on a clear and sunny day when the sky was a
bright blue and the air was crisp. She was a spunky youth with a sharp tongue,
a warming smile and plans for adventure. She knew how to plant and harvest
crops and orchards, she could chop wood, hunt and ride horses. Samantha was
prepared for the long road ahead and understood that life wouldn’t always be
fair or kind outside of her village.
The
sunlight danced through the swaying leave of the forest and speckled the ground
in golden rays. Samantha’s horse trotted along the well-treaded path from the
Autumn Forest to Bright Harbor. Samantha spotted a dark haired traveler on the
path. He had olive skin, black hair, brown eyes and wore layers of robes.
Samantha rode up next to the man as he walked along the dirt road, his robes
kicking up dust as he went. “I rarely see travelers on these roads” Samantha
called to the man. The robed man flinched in surprise as he turned quickly.
“H-hello. Yes, I’m traveling” The man said nervously. Samantha gave a
suspicious look at the nervous man. “Is everything alright?” Samantha asked as
she slowed down. The man’s face started to relax “Yes, thank you. I just need
to get to Hallows End before the Halloween festival is over.
“You are
going the wrong way for that. If you want, I can take you” Samantha said. She
planned on going to Bright Harbor but a spooky town of monsters all celebrating
at once could be fun as well. “My name is Samantha, whats your name?” Samantha
asked as she helped the man onto the horse. “Rumford” Replied the man with a
big smile.
Hallows End
was a town deep in the Haunted Forest, a forest so dangerous that no one had
ever returned from the forest once they entered it. Once a year the forest
would magically open into a straight path leading to Hallows End. The bravest
residence of the Autumn Forest and some tourists would go to Hallows End every
year to celebrate Halloween. While the Haunted Forest was extremely dangerous,
the town of Hallows End was one of the safest places in the world. Large
monsters kept the peace and the town was founded on peace with all who enter as
friends.
Samantha
knew where the path would open and knew when it would open. She road her horse
to the entrance of the Haunted forest on the night before Halloween. The two
arrived at the edge of the forest and set up a small camp. There was a visible
line where the curse of the Haunted forest ended and the start of the healthy
Autumn Forest began. there was no noticeable entrance of any kind but Rumford
was an outsider and had to trust Samantha knew what she was doing.
Rumford was
slow to open up, he huddled into his robes like a turtle in his shell but as
the night went on he loosened up. Samantha turned on her charms, she was witty
and sarcastic and this connected with Rumford’s dry sense of humor and love of
sarcasm. The difference was Samantha seemed fearless and Rumford was more
timid.
The cool
night air blew through the Autumn Forest and swept over Samantha’s camp. The
wind made the flames dance. The fire danced to the song of the wind, spreading
light and heat out into the cold dark night, the flames spat little embers up
into the air like a dancer throwing confetti. The embers popped and sizzled
before burning out and drifting down to the earth as harmless ash. Rumford shyly
laughed and smiled as Samantha told stories about the Autumn Forest and her
small adventures she had so far. Rumford couldn’t take his eyes off the red
haired woman from the Autumn forest. He stared at her pale face through the
crackling flames, her green eyes were fierce and pushed back the darkness of
night just as much as the roaring flames did. He saw a heroic woman who just
started her journey, a conqueror of lands and a force to be reckoned with.
Samantha
tried her best to tell her boring stories to pass the time, she looked at her
new traveling companion and realized that there was a cute and funny guy hidden
in that pile of hair and robes. Samantha didn’t think her stories were very
interesting but Rumford hung on her every word. Stories of scaring bears away
from the fish she just caught, or shooting an arrow at a bandit who tried to
run off with and old ladies money. These weren’t big battles between wizards
and demons but a shut in like Rumford was enthralled.
“So enough
about my stories, what about you?” Samantha asked, as the light from the
campfire glinted in her eyes. “I study
monsters, supernatural events and magic. I wanted to study Hallows end for the
longest time but had to wait till the right time when the path opened. I also
had to wait till the head scholar approved of my journey” Rumford explained.
“So…” Samantha muttered but trailed off as she chose her next words. “what you
are saying is, while everyone is partying on Halloween you are using it as a
chance to study?” Samantha asked with a sly smile. “Yes” Rumford replied
innocently. “NERD!” Samantha shouted then burst into laughter. She playfully
threw her pillow at him and continued to laugh. This kind of remark would
usually annoy Rumford but somehow when the words came from Samantha he didn’t
mind at all. He smiled and felt embarrassed but also happy that something he
did made her laugh.
The two met
on that day, the night before Halloween, one hundred years ago. Present day,
Samantha and Rumford Gould, husband and wife, Crimson hand and Ghoulish
bodyguard, road to the entrance of the Haunted forest. Rumford turned to his
wife as the approached “Remember when we first met? All I wanted to do was
study monsters” Rumford joked. “NERD!” Samantha shouted with a big smile then
punched Rumford’s arm. She heard the sound of his shoulder bone crack as the
joint popped out of place. The air went dead and the two were silent. “Its
fine, I’ll fix it later. Ya know, I used to love monsters and now I AM one”
Rumford tried to joke. Samantha winced and looked like she was going to cry.
“You will never be a monster to me” Samantha said, looking Rumford in the eyes.
Rumford had a flash back to that first night they met. The dark of night, the
cold wind, Samantha’s pale beautiful face and her tender look, it was all just
like that night, so much so that he could imagine the flames crackling and he
could see the flaming glint in her eyes.
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