Santa vs Nathan round 2

Twas the night before Christmas and Santa clause did lurk, he was trying to stay hidden from Nathan, the Jerk.

            Nathan and Santa clause had a long and bitter feud and every year Santa would have to sneak into Nathan’s house to leave coal for Nathan and a gift for Nathan’s wife, who wasn’t a jerk, to Santa anyway.

            It was almost midnight and Nathan was awake sharpening a hatchet. While everyone else in the house slept, Nathan sat silently in a high-back chair next to a plate of milk and cookies. As the clock struck midnight a rustle on the roof was heard, or a clatter, if you prefer. Up on the roof arose such a clatter while Nathan sat in his chair, mad as a hatter.

           

            Nathan controlled his breath as he heard footsteps in the living room, slowly walking toward the Christmas tree. “Surprise fat guy!” Shouted Nathan as he drove his hatchet down onto the intruder. The hatchet sunk into the chest of the intruder, who wasn’t Santa clause, but an actual intruder who broke in through the window. The burglar gurgled blood as he breathed out his last words “Tell my kids, I never loved them” He muttered as he died in Nathan’s arms. Nathan wiped away one single tear from the corner of his eye and gently lowered the crook onto the floor, then opened his half broken window and heaved the dead body from his first floor window into the flower bed below. “I’ll get to that later” Nathan muttered. Then he heard more footsteps but this time they were right behind him. Nathan turned to see a red gloved hand fly right for Nathan’s face. Nathan took a sucker punch to the nose and stumbled back. He was slightly stunned from the punch and when he looked up, Santa was gone and the presents were under the tree. Also the cookies were eaten, the milk was gone and Nathan’s stocking was full of dog poop. Nathan cursed under his breath and dashed for the window.

            He scaled the side of his own house till he reached the roof and saw Santa ready to take off on his sleigh. Nathan charged at the reindeer like a madman, which frightened the poor animals. The Reindeer couldn’t talk but they could fly, and all began to run and take off into flight without Santa giving the word to go. The sleigh was jerked forward and Santa was almost thrown off the roof. The Sleigh bells jingled and the reindeer raced into the night. Santa was glad that he didn’t have to visit that house for another year.

            Just as Santa’s sleigh was about to go into warp speed, or whatever magic his sled had, Nathan popped up from the under carriage and jumped onto the seat next to Santa. Santa’s arm went up out of a defensive reflex and it pulled on the reins making the reindeer veer off course. The sleigh began to pick up speed as it flew gradually more out of control. The bottom of the sleigh even took out the top of someone’s chimney. So you KNOW it was craaazy.

            Nathan swung his hatchet like a maniac trying to finally end the immortal fat man. Santa punched Nathan in the stomach and tried to dump the hatch man over the side of the sleigh. Nathan doubled over in pain but managed to grab Santa’s jacket. The two men rolled out of the sleigh. If it wasn’t for the low hanging jingle bells Santa would have fallen to his death. Snow pelted Santa’s face as he hung onto a green rope covered in golden bells. Nathan the madman clung to Santa’s black as coal boot with one hand and swung his hatchet with the other. Nathan managed to land a hit with the hatchet, chopping santa in the lower back. Santa cried out in pain and dropped from the sleigh. The two men fell. Nathan was surrounded by blizzard winds and winter snow. It had had struck midnight only a few minutes ago and Nathan and Santa were already about to die.

            Nathan woke up in the snow in the middle of nowhere with a note pinned to his chest. “You are lucky my reindeer saved you. They feel bad for you. This saint, isn’t as easy to forgive. Try again next year. Clause OUT!” The note was written in red ink with festive Christmas lettering. Nathan lost his hatchet and would have to spend the night walking home. For Nathan a shot at the fat man was worth almost dying from a fall, freezing to death and walking home in the snow all night.

            Merry Christmas everyone and remember, if you hear rustling on the roof or in your living room, it might be burglars.

Nathan's last day

No one would forget the day Nathan left.

            Nathan worked diligently at his desk, intermittently looking up at the clock. It was the Friday afternoon of Nathan’s last day at work and he wanted to leave on a good impression. His work was not bad, nasty or degrading like some, but it consumed the majority of the day, often working eight to fourteen hours a day. Nathan didn’t mind the work or his co-workers but the lack of free time wasn’t his only issue. Nathan felt like a jazzy caterpillar excited to see what kind of butterfly he would eventually change into. Or more realistically, what kind of monstrous moth he would transform into, haunting the minds of all who gazed upon his terrible visage.  Nathan wanted to grow and become something more, but his co-workers and heads of the business were content being fat caterpillars. Not progressing further as individuals but instead plumping up on the ripest of leaves.

            Nathan’s caterpillar metaphor was probably inspired by his garden salad that he would take quick bites of in between furious typing. He felt as if he was typing the next grand novel, with the amount of work and pressure he was enduring to write the text. Instead the text belonged to a manual that no one would read except the servants of the big bosses. The information in the tome would then be transcribed and then broken down into easier to digest portions and then hand fed to the big bosses like feeding grapes to a king.

            The day dragged on and while Nathan had hoped that staying busy would hasten the day, the day moved with the speed of frozen peanut butter being defrosted by a lighter. The spirit of the last day at work hung over Nathan’s shoulder to interrupt his work and occasionally spill coffee on his desk and papers. Then the spirit would give a half hearted apology and walk off to talk to Brenda about how Nathan was “Being so weird and grumpy today”

            Nathan had the mind of a child and the intellect of a man beyond his years. He was a shining sparkle in the night sky with all of the majesty of a mentally ill dolphin. So it did not need to be said that his uniqueness was wasted on any job where the people around him were only one thing. Such mundane humans that never dreamed of greater things and if they ever did quickly squashed their thoughts with reality and other boring words and phrases.

            Nathan knew that this manual would not be the end of the project he worked on and that it wouldn’t even be the biggest blip on anyone’s radar but he wanted to leave knowing he did a great job one last time before he moved on.

            Time ticked down as the end of the day approached, One of Nathan’s co-workers Jeff Bobertson, walked up to Nathan’s desk with the grace of a stumbling cow as he let out a loud bored sigh. “whaaats happening man?” Asked Jeff, Nathan started to open his mouth but Jeff continued talking. “Right right, man can you believe this day? Its been so long and boring. Like my daughters dance recital or something” Jeff complained loudly. Nathan kept working without replying and Jeff just nodded. “right right, ok good talk man. Hey! Good luck with your last day huh?” Jeff said as he drummed his hands along Nathan’s desk.

            Nathan realized that after today he would not have to deal with the likes of Jeff Bobertson any longer, though worried that another equal annoyance would take his place in Nathan’s life. Nathan opened the top drawer of his desk and gentle caressed a claw hammer sitting neatly inside. The hammer was the only object in that drawer and it was placed so neatly and carefully as if it were a prized egg, so delicate and adored. “Not today old friend, not today” Nathan whispered as he ran his hands along the hammer lovingly.

            Nathan’s phone began to ring loudly, it was the theme song from a video game that only he and three other people played. “Hellloooo!” Nathan answered with a long drawn out voice. This was his silly voice and was enjoyed by all who knew him, unlike Jeff’s voice, who everyone hated because hes a dick. Screw Jeff.

            Nathan’s amazing and talented cousin Stephen had called to wish him a happy last day. “Its your last day! Are you going to go out swinging? Maybe play some loud fighting music as you take out a few co-workers who ate your potato salad that one day?” Stephen asked with the voice like velvet and a lisp like an awkward five year old. “No, probably not” Nathan replied with a chuckle. The two friends giggled like girls over talk of video games for the next fifteen minutes and would have done so for much longer if not for the clock finally striking midnight and Nathan’s day was finally over. It was literally the next day and his employers couldn’t hold him any longer. After a few more giggles and fond wishes the two friends hung up their phones.

            Nathan collected his things and began to walk out of his office. He said his farewells to a few people as he left, but was so tired he just wanted to leave as quietly as possible. “Hey Budddddy! You’re all done! Wanna go to the strip club or something?” Asked Jeff as he magically appeared from behind a copier machine. “What do you even do here Jeff?” Nathan finally asked after years of working in the same building. “Not much bro-syphilis. I’m the son of one of the big wigs. SO my dad makes me wear a tie and I have to hang around until he leaves. I just drink coffee and make awkward sexual advances on the secretaries and clerks who need the job too much to say anything” Jeff replied. “You know what Jeff, I WILL meet you for drink. Lets go to the strip bar all the way down town. Ya know the one with the hot strippers in the bad section of town? Meet me there in an hour” Nathan said with a wicked grin. “OH?! Awe-some. Man” I’ll see you then. Jeff slapped the nearby desk of Todd Wilkerjams. Who was abruptly startled and jumped back in his chair. Todd swore under his breath as Jeff slapped walls and doorframes on his way out of the office.

            Nathan sighed and was excited to go home, see his wife and get some sleep. For a brief second he hoped Jeff would be ok, but then decided he didn’t really care anymore and walked toward the front of the building.

            Nathan approached the exit to his work for the last time and as he neared the door he slowed his steps to appreciate the moment. A security guard named Stanley opened the door for Nathan and gave him a warm smile. “You’re free now, have a nice rest of your life” The security guard said fondly. “thank you Stanley” said Nathan with a smile. The two men stood there staring warmly at each other until Stanley motioned his head toward the exit and Nathan had a slight anxiety attack about how big the moment was. Now he was being hurried by Stanley the lovable security guard. If Stanley was lovable and he thought Nathan should leave, then disagreeing with that thought would make Nathan look like a jerk. Nathan didn’t know if he was ready for this moment as the reality of it all rushed through him like a tidal wave of uncertainty.

            Nathan slowly started to shuffle toward the door, nervously looking back as he began to leave. “Go already you freak!” Stanley yelled. This frightened Nathan who then in turn hissed loudly and scampered away out into the night.

            Nathan was finally free to set his own future and had the opportunity that few had. With a solid plan, a hard working enduring spirit, support from his wife and best cousin and the knowledge to get the job done, Nathan knew that things would be alright from that day forward.

            ALSO Jeff got stabbed in an alley outside of a strip bar by a drifter who wielded a dirty knife. LOL Bye!

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This was written with love and any persons, people or companies that this story might seem to resemble are pure fiction and not meant to insult any real people or places. Except Jeff, that dude is fictional but he's a dick.

Autumn Carnival part 4 - The Clock struck 12

            The night rolled on as the family of three continued their adventure in the Autumn Carnival. Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their time so far, the grand opening of the carnival, reflecting back on their childhood, winning the cider drinking contest, getting delicious snack and then their father got them the coolest souvenir of them all, a seed from the Carnival tree. The large Autumn tree that had green, yellow, orange and red leaves evenly throughout its branches, the tree that towered over almost every ride. That tree had produced a seed and now Wyatt’s family owned that seed. Wyatt could just picture the tree in his back yard, towering over their house with every autumn color on its branches.

            Nathan yawned loudly. It was getting close to midnight had he had been walking around with his family since sundown. His kids, Wyatt and Felix still had plenty of energy. “whose excited to ride the Ferris Wheel?” Nathan said trying to sound more enthusiastic than tired. “ME!!” Both children said at once. Nathan chuckled and then yawned again. He took a small flask out of his pocket and took a swig. The flask had jack-o-lantern on it with a devilish grin. Under the grinning pumpkin symbol the words “Grinning Jack” was inscribed. Grinning Jack was a specialty liquor store that stayed in business thanks to Nathan and a few other loyal costumers. Normally the flask had maple scotch or pumpkin rum in it, but since he was out with his children, Nathan was filling the flask with the apple cider that Wyatt won.  The sugar from the cider and the maple candies was keeping him awake.

            The family slowly approached the North root. They could see the giant Ferris wheel towering over everything else in the carnival. It was not only giant but also covered in lights that twinkled like stars. As soon as Nathan, Wyatt, and Felix got the North Root entrance they noticed the Ferris wheel before anything else. As they walked more into the North root, that is when they saw all of the adult rides. Wyatt and Felix were in their late teens so they could ride any ride in the North Root. Nathan missed having little adorable children but was happy he didn’t have to go to the East Root anymore, if he had to spend another night watching small children slowly circle around a plastic tree he would need something stronger than apple cider.

            Nathan saw a ride called the cake mixer, which looked like a giant cake mixer, but instead of blades there were seats. “You kids wanna ride the cake mixer?!” Nathan said in his most excited voice. He loved the ride because it spun you around and scrambled your guts, also Nathan liked to pretend he was being mixed into cake batter.

“No thanks, We are going to keep looking around” Said Wyatt. “Alright, just don’t ride the Ferris wheel without me. Remember it’s the last thing we do before we leave” Nathan said then ran toward the cake mixer ride, child like excitement in his eyes.

            As Wyatt and Felix walked around they saw many new and exciting rides, like the screaming pumpkin. a giant pumpkin shaped ball that people would climb into, trap themselves in and then the pumpkin would spin incredibly fast. The sounds of the screaming people came from within the pumpkin shape, thus the name. Wyatt wanted to go on the battle boats ride, like Bumper cars but on water and the sides of your boat could fire water jets. That ride was sadly taken away, maybe the cool autumn air discouraged people from enjoying water rides.

           

            Wyatt and Felix decided on riding the Balloon ride. Wyatt and Felix excitedly ran toward the ride, Wyatt remembered this was a new installment from last year and it must have been popular enough to stay. The ‘balloons’ were solid plastic and shaped like hot air Balloons. The basket part had four seats. Two on either side of the basket, so if four people got into this ride they would be facing each other. The balloon part was just sculpted plastic and painted a bright color. There was a blue, purple, red, orange and yellow balloon. Wyatt and Felix chose the orange Balloon and were buckled into their seats. Each balloon was attached to a flexible metal arm, which was hidden as much as possible to give the illusion of riding in a hot air balloon. The ride started and all of the balloons were lunged into the air. The balloons shot straight up into the air one at a time, as if being thrown by an invisible giant hand.  Wyatt and Felix felt a rush as they were thrown straight up and wind rushed over them. The rush of moving quickly upward and the cool autumn air was exhilarating. When the balloons reached their highest point they stopped and began to gently drift to the ground. The sudden and exciting rush mixed with the slow and peaceful descent was a surprisingly fun combination. The Balloons did this three times in total. Quick and sharp rocketing skyward, then a nice drifting pace as they sailed toward the ground.

            Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their ride but couldn’t wait to go up even higher when they rode the Ferris Wheel. It was a higher height but much slower and steadier pace. It was perfect for a relaxing end to a beautiful evening.

            Wyatt and Felix decided to go find their dad before it got much later. The Carnival closed at 1am but the night was considered over at midnight. That gave the workers an hour to close everything up properly. It was almost midnight and Wyatt couldn’t find his father. Felix spotted him talking to a familiar looking man. Nathan and the man were grinning and shaking hands. When Nathan spotted his kids he introduced them to the man. “Oh Wyatt, there you are. Wyatt, Felix, this is Mr. Orchard, the Carnival owner. We were just discussing the new seed and how to raise it carefully” Nathan said. Mr. Orchard was a pale, slightly plump man with a big smile and a white hair. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and an old fashioned bowtie, which was orange. He held his top hat in his hands and fiddled with the brim as he spoke. “Good evening Young Sirs. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mr. Stephen Orchard. It is nice to meet you. Mr. Orchard said with a kind smile. Wyatt and Felix smiled and both shook his hand. The family had a nice chat with Mr. Orchard but had to cut the conversation short as it was getting late. “Well I had lots of fun taking with you, but I should go. I believe you kids have a Ferris Wheel to ride before the night is over, right?” Mr. Orchard said knowingly. Old people often spoke in such way that was mysterious to Wyatt, as if they were always hinting at something that Wyatt couldn’t understand yet.

            It was eleven forty-five and the family stood in line for the Ferris wheel. The night was almost over, which was both exciting and sad at the same time. Wyatt, Felix climbed into a ferris wheel seat and Nathan sat in the one right behind them. Instead of letting a stranger sit with him, he stretched out to get more comfortable.

            The ride started. Soft music played but Wyatt couldn’t figure out from where. Ferris wheel slowly climbed higher and higher. Wyatt and Felix scaled upward, passed the people, over than the food stands, above the adult rides and then finally, higher than the wall.  For the first time in hours Wyatt was looking outside the Autumn Carnival and for the first time in a year he was looking at it from such a soaring height.

            The blanket of night covered the autumn forest. Cold air rushed through Wyatts hair and passed his face. Everything was dark out there in the wilderness and the small towns. Everyone was either at the autumn carnival tonight or home asleep so the only light for miles was the carnival. The carnival shone bright like a beacon, like a burning star alone in the sky. Autumn trees, which were once such vibrant red and orange, were now veiled in darkness, making each tree look the same. The view from the top was extraordinary as well as peaceful. Wyatt enjoyed the Ferris wheel but he would have loved to just stay at the top for hours, gazing out into the distance, feeling the cold air on his face, being above everything even the tallest walls of the Autumn Carnival.

            Wyatt and Felix reached the very top of the Ferris Wheel and as they started to descend Wyatt saw something in the distance. Over by the haunted woods, where light never glows, where only the dead walk and no one ever goes. Wyatt saw a light, a bright orange light burned brightly and something was being raised up passed the treetops. Something, like a spire was raised up out of the Haunted Forest near Hallows End, light glowed brilliantly around it and then something began to move on the spire. Something large and dangerous looking, spiked and moving was on the spire. Wyatt only saw this for a few seconds before the Autumn Carnival wall blocked his vision. Wyatt tried to sit up or even stand up to see better but knew he couldn’t and didn’t want to fall out of his seat. He went lower than the wall, under the adult rides, down to the food stands and eye level with the people. Everyone on the Ferris wheel was smiling and having a good time, but what Wyatt saw was so strange he was upset that he didn’t get a better look.

            Then the Ferris wheel started to go back up again. Wyatt remembered that he only went around once and the Ferris wheel usually goes around a few times before stopping. Wyatt and Felix were lifted up again, higher and higher till they got to the very top. Felix had a large smile on his face and was enjoying the view just as much the second time as he did the first time. Wyatt was busy scanning the landscape for any sign of that glowing spire. He looked toward the Halloween city of Hallows End but it was dark. No lights, no orange glow, no spire. In the short time it took for the ferris wheel to go down and come back up around the spire was either taken down or vanished. Wyatt knew he wasn’t imagining things but he also knew no one would believe him. He decided to not let this bother him. He would enjoy his night and worry about Hallows End another time.

            The Ferris wheel went around a few more times and by the end Wyatt was already feeling better. The cool air, the gentle rocking of the ferris wheel cabin and the view all put his mind at ease. The ride stopped and the people slowly were let off. When Wyatt, Felix and Nathan finally met up again they was talk about how much fun they had, how cool the Ferris wheel was but no mention of spires or strange lights. Wyatt decided to forget it and figured he was the only one who saw it.

            The family began to leave the park. They slowly walked toward the center tree as the clock struck twelve. A clock tower bell rang out twelve times. Nathan looked all around for a bell and finally spotted one. A large clock tower with a bell attached to it was hiding behind the giant Ferris wheel. Nathan, Wyatt and Felix both started to laugh, they had all heard the bell and no one knew were the sound was coming from.

            After the bell stopped ringing the Carnival was silent. People had either left of were leaving. Only low murmurs could be heard as people talked quietly amongst themselves. Wyatt and Felix pretended to whisper to eachother to mimic the people around them. “Psst pssstssst” They both made these noises at each other and then began to laugh.

            The walk home was nice, quiet and peaceful. They were all tired and couldn’t wait to go to bed. Excitement still buzzed in their minds as their bodies slowly walked home. The autumn forest was dark but lit up in spot by people holding lanterns as they made their way home. Nathan held his lantern up so his kids could see the trail home. As they approached the town they smelled wood smoke. The delicate and rustic smell lingered and mixed with the cold autumn air. Nathan took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night in the Autumn Carnival.

Autumn Carnival part 3 - Tricks and Treats

The family of three continued on their journey to the Western Root. The west root was home to the gift shop and food stands. The smell of cakes and pies filled the area, roasted meat was served on the bone to the more adventurous customers and hot and cold cider stalls were everywhere. Wyatt was still sick from drinking too much cider and didn’t even want to look at another glass of cider. Some of the other food looked good though and he was starting to get hungry. He hoped that eating solid food would help settle his stomach.

 The food stalls were set up on the grass all along the west root’s cobblestone path. They were all fairly small in size and only had the necessary equipment to make one or two dishes. So everything had its own food stand. Apple cider, candy and Carmel apples, fresh pie, various meat dishes and so on. At the end of the cobblestone path was the gift shop “The laughing pumpkin” the only slightly spooky thing in the whole carnival. The laughing pumpkin was a large building that looked like an old fashioned house, almost like a haunted house but with a wooden Jack-o-lantern sitting on the roof. The laughing pumpkin Jack-o-lantern was painted orange and had its mouth open like a laugh, which Wyatt thought looked cool but Felix found it unsettling. “You know sometimes that pumpkin comes down and eats kids” Wyatt told Felix. “S-shut up! I’m not a kid! So it doesn’t matter to me!” Said Felix. Nathan just laughed. The three went into the gift shop.

Inside the gift shop was not spooky at all, in fact it looked like a regular store. The store sold snow globes with miniature autumn settings and red and orange dots instead of white dots, to simulate leaves instead of snow. They were called Autumn Snow globes because leaf globes wouldn’t sound right. Wyatt found a small wooden model of the laughing pumpkin, which looked exactly like the pumpkin on the roof and Wyatt thought he might pick that as his souvenir. Not only was it cool but also Felix was scared of it, Win-win! Wyatt continued to look at the items, laughing pumpkin model in hand.

 Passed the carnival miniatures, the apple scented candles, the autumn landscape pictures and the plush toys of soft animals was a shelf that had an entirely different kind of product. In the back of the store Wyatt stood staring at a sign that said “Ready for Halloween? Come to Hallows end for a night to die for” The sign was hung above a shelf, the shelf was covered in spooky, scary and sometimes disturbing items. Wyatt had found the Halloween section in the gift shop, a section he had never seen before.

He stared fascinated at the Jack-o-lantern models that were painted to look like they were bleeding from their eyes, a painting of witches flying past the moon and a severed hand reaching up out of a potted plant, Orange and Black Candy canes, a mysterious box that screamed when you opened it and a ceramic doll that looked very ordinary but Wyatt was too afraid to touch it and find out why it was on the Halloween shelf.

Nathan found Wyatt at the back of the store. “Come on, champy. Time to go. Don’t start getting too fascinated with this stuff, remember what happened to those two boys Nyx and Poe from Harvest town. Went to Hallows end by themselves and were never heard from again” Said Nathan. Wyatt quickly turned to his father and nodded.

Felix was waiting at the front counter for Nathan and Wyatt. “I found what I wanted to get” Said Wyatt holding up the laughing Jack-o-lantern. Felix squinted his eyes and scrunched up his face to show he was annoyed at Wyatt’s choice. “I thought of something you would like better” Nathan said. “Excuse me miss” Nathan said to the young girl behind the counter. The girl turned to greet her customers “Yes sir?” She said. Her voice was soft, her skin was milky white and her hair was black like raven’s feathers. Wyatt was in love. Wyatt was seventeen and fell in love with every pretty girl he saw, so this was normal for him. Wyatt stared and was unable to talk.

 “I would like that bag of pumpkin seeds. I plan to plant a small pumpkin patch in our back yard” Nathan said to the girl. “Very well, anything else?” Asked the girl. Nathan smiled slyly. “Yes, I also want that seed there” He pointed to a small pouch containing one single seed. The pouch was behind glass and was locked in a box. “Sorry sir, that is the only item in this store that money can’t buy. The owner Mr. Orchard won’t sell it to anyone unless they have the purple leaf.

“Why do we need a purple leaf to buy a seed?” Asked Wyatt who was more curious than nervous. “Well cutie, its because this seed is from the Autumn tree at the center of the carnival. Only someone who has a purple leaf from the tree can buy this very special and very rare seed. Also no one is allowed to climb the tree to get the purple leaf. So they have to just hope the leaf falls from the branches and lands on them. So by getting the leaf, its like the tree chose them” Explained the cute cashier lady. Wyatt was still stunned when the girl called him “cutie” and couldn’t reply.

Nathan smiled “Yes and after coming to this carnival since I was a kid and bringing my kids almost every year when I was an adult, after all of this time, I found it. I waited and the purple leaf landed in my lap. On my face actually” Nathan said and pulled a bright purple leaf from his pocket. It looked like a purple maple leaf and was brighter than any color Wyatt had seen on a tree. The girl looked in amazement. “I thought the purple leaf thing was made up to get people excited” Said the girl. “Well its not, and I think you owe me a rare seed” Nathan said as he bobbed his head side to side in excitement. The girl unlocked glass case and the box the seed was in. She handed Nathan the rare Autumn Carnival tree seed along with the pumpkin seeds he bought. “Don’t leave the carnival until you have had a chance to talk with Mr.Orchard. He will want to meet you” Said the girl. Nathan took the seeds, smiled, nodded and said “Thank you”

Wyatt could hardly believe his Fathers luck. It explained why Nathan stared at the tree for all of those hours while his kids were off playing games. With the seeds safely tucked away Nathan left the store with his kids. “Aw man, I forgot to get a souvenir!” Wyatt said. I got you a souvenir, the tree seed. I got it for you kids. I want us to plant it together and grow it as big as it will get. The tree will belong to you kids and it will remind us of the good times we had here” Nathan said. The two boys were speechless. “So whose hungry?” Nathan said as he slapped his hands together.

Wyatt’s appetite had returned and he was able to enjoy a nice roasted sweet potato with cinnamon sugar. Felix got a Carmel apple and Nathan bought a whole bucket of Maple candies for himself. This trip to the Autumn Carnival was already the best one yet, but the night was still young and the family of three still had one final destination, The Northern Root and the giant Ferris wheel.

Autumn Carnival part 2 - Fun and games

The night continued on, the air smelled like fresh apples and pastries. The cool breeze blew through the Autumn Carnival. Wyatt and Felix walked through the east root, the eastern side of the carnival. They left their father to stare at the beautiful autumn tree at the center of the carnival.

Wyatt walked over the smooth cobblestone path that led through the east root. A circle of cobblestone surrounded the autumn tree at the center and then branched off into every direction. Wyatt remembered the feel of the stone beneath his shoes. He listened to the sound of the bells and whistles that would go off every time someone won a prize at a game in the east root. The cold air took him back to a day when he was still small enough to ride the little kid rides. The rides like the autumn leaf ride, where little kids would sit in these leaf shaped carts and they would slowly go up and down, gently moving in a circle like leaves in the wind. He remembered being on that ride when he was very small and he felt like he was flying when the leaves took off. Now at the age of seventeen, Wyatt realized the ride wasn’t fast at all and the leaves barely left the ground, but to a child it was like floating through the air. Wyatt remembered going on all of his favorite rides and then feeling a sense of joy when he got to see his younger brother ride he old favorites but also experienced new rides that Wyatt never got to experience.

The Autumn carnival was a yearly tradition and to keep things feeling fresh would often swap out the least popular rides for new rides that might be more fun. Wyatt’s favorites still stood tall after all of these years. As the two brothers walked by Wyatt smiled when he saw a small boy with the look of wonder in his eyes when the leave ride took off.

If Felix was asked what he remembered he would say that he remembered the ‘bug ride’ a tiny roller coaster where children would ride a bug cart as he whizzed through a wide, oddly shaped, plastic tree with tracks. The bug roller coaster ride was installed years after Wyatt was too big to ride the children’s rides so Felix felt special that he was able to experience it. There was something in this park that was his and not a ‘hand me down’ from his older brother. If you asked Felix what he remembered he would tell you all of this and more, but Felix wasn’t prone to reminiscing or nostalgia because he was too busy by how excited he was by the carnival.

Wyatt walked at a slow pace as he took everything in but Felix kept rushing ahead then running back. “Why are you sooo slooow? Felix asked Wyatt, putting emphesis on his ‘O’s to show his frustration. Wyatt smiled and hurried his step. Soon the two boys reached the games. The boys walked past the ‘Shoot every bell with a pellet and win a prize’ game, the claw machine games and bobbing for apples, which Wyatt didn’t think was sanitary. Finally they reached two games, the cider drinking competition and a game where you have to catch apples as they fall from a large tree. Felix paid a ticket, grabbed a woven basket and went for the apple tree game. Wyatt decided this year he would win the apple cider drinking game.

            Felix and four other children around the ages of 10-15 ran around the large apple tree as bright red apples tumbled from its branches. Wyatt smiled as he watched his little brother run around like a maniac. Wyatt was waiting for the cider drinking competition to begin. The cider drinking started every hour on the hour. The clock soon struck nine and a loud bell rang out nine times. The bell sounded large, like it came from a full sized bell tower. The small hand wound clock by the cider drinking table certainly didn’t make that noise.

Wyatt pulled up a chair at the cider table. Three wooden cups were set in front of him. Everyone that sat down had three cups. Before Wyatt could ask “what are the rules” a man in a red shirt shouted “GO!” And blew a whistle. Wyatt began chugging the cups of cider. After he finished one he placed it to his left and grabbed the next cup. The cups to the left were piling up but Wyatt always had three cups of cider in front of him, no more, no less. He figured someone came by and quickly gave him another cup while he was distracted. He chugged cider till he felt sick but he wanted to win. He had played a different game every year and he never found a game he was good at. He hated to lose and he felt like he let his little brother down. Every year Wyatt would promise to win Felix something and every year Wyatt lost. Felix never got upset at Wyatt for losing but Wyatt wanted to win something at least once.

Time passed and Wyatt could see Felix staring with wide eyes of amazement at how much cider the table of people was drinking. Wyatt finished another glass, slammed it down and fell off of his bar stool. He laid on the cold, soft grass as he fought the urge to throw up. The cool grass felt nice on his skin. After a moment he stood up and turned to Felix. “Come on ya Butt, lets go find dad” Wyatt said to Felix with a smile. “wait kid!” Said the man in the red shirt. “You won! Everyone else had stopped by the time you fell over. Even after everyone left you kept drinking. You won by five cups! That’s either sheer determination or a hearty love for cider! Either way you are a champ in my book” Said the Ref in the red shirt. “Whoa! Wyatt you did it!” Felix said. Wyatt turned to accept his prize. “What did I win, Sir?” Asked Wyatt. “You won our biggest jug of homemade, fresh apple cider!” Said the man in the red shirt. Wyatt smiled and promptly threw up.

Back in the center of the carnival also known as “The Tree”, Nathan was sitting under the tree smiling. His smile widened when he saw his boys return with a blue ribbon and a jug of cider. “Heh, You won the cider drinking game! Just like yer old man. I won that game too when I was young, couldn’t drink cider for a week after that” Nathan said as he reminisced the good times. “uhhrg” Wyatt groaned. “Hey, how about I just buy you a souvenir instead? Felix and I can get a snack and I will get you anything you want from the gift shop” Nathan said. Wyatt smiled “Thanks dad”

Nathan, Felix and a still woozy Wyatt had met up. The next step in their adventure was the West Root.

Autumn Carnival part 1 - Grand Opening

            Deep in the autumn forest was a sleepy little place called Maple town. Maple town was famous for two things, Maple syrup and originality.

            In Maple town there was a man named Nathan. Nathan was an old drunk who had two sons who he loved even more than he loved his Maple flavored scotch, which was a lot. Nathan’s children were named Wyatt and Felix. The two boys were seventeen and fourteen. Wyatt had shaggy black hair, was tall and lanky and had olive toned skin. Felix had light brown hair, short but athletic and had similar skin tone. The two boys had different hobbies and interests and while Felix preferred to be active, Wyatt likes to take things slow and easy. One of the things the boys always agreed on was their love of autumn and the Autumn Carnival.

            The Autumn Carnival was unusual because many carnivals took place in spring or summer. Autumn usually only had harvest festivals but once a year the magical and rare Autumn Carnival was open for a week and only a week. The owner of the carnival didn’t advertise or try to build hype, he just set everything up and people came. The carnival became popular through word of mouth but was kept a secret from the other lands.

            It was the day of the grand opening of the Autumn Carnival and there was already a crowd at the entrance. Nathan and his two sons walked up over a large hill to get a better view of the carnival before they went in. Pale green grass stretched out for miles, the Autumn Carnival sat in the open field with a forest of colorful trees behind it. Red, orange and yellow trees swayed in the pleasant breeze. The carnival sign stood tall over the grounds. “Autumn Carnival” was written in bright lights. The sign itself was orange and brown with tints of yellow. Orange, red, yellow, brown, black and purple decorated the various rides and signs. From the view on top of the grassy hill the Father and his sons could see a giant Ferris wheel along with many strange and exciting looking rides poking out from behind the Carnival gates and went up past the main entrance sign.

            Nathan had a sparkle in his eye as he approached the Carnival. He remembered when he used to visit when he was a kid and now he was overjoyed to be able to take his kids to the same place he enjoyed so much. Nathan had been to the Autumn Carnival almost thirty times in his life and his children had been more than ten times, but every year they were just as excited, as they were the first time they visited.

             Wyatt and Felix ran ahead when they saw the carnival gates, which had large metal gates with a pumpkin symbol on each gate door. Outside of the carnival walls was a variety of snack stands and local businesses selling their homemade and home grown goods. Homemade pie, fresh apples and of course more maple syrup than any one man could drink. Wyatt and Nathan always got fresh Maple lollipops before they went into the carnival but Felix insisted that he get an apple cider donut instead.

            The three nibbled their treats as they waited for the Carnival to open. The rolling field and fall colored forest looked beautiful during the day, but the carnival wasn’t open till night. Waiting for the grand opening was half of the fun. While people waited they sampled various foods and listened to musicians play soft melodies and festive tunes.

            Wyatt and Felix walked around the outside of the carvival. As they walked the talked about the rides they wanted to go on and tried to guess what new attractions the carnival would have. Every year the carnival added new rides and shows. The least popular attractions would be taken away or temporarily retired and the fan favorites would stick around. In the fifty years that the Autumn Carnival in business the only attraction to stay every year was the ferris wheel. It was a central attraction and the shape of the ferris wheel towering up above everything else was iconic. When people thought of the Autumn Carnival they always remembered how it looked from the outside, big bright sign, colorful banners, big walls and a towering ferris wheel.

            Night crept in and as the light from the sun dimmed and flickered out, lights from the carnival began to glow brighter and brighter. The chattering and music quieted to a hush. Everyone sat in silence as they waited for what happened next.

            A man in a black suit and black top hat stepped up onto the sign about the Carnival entrance. “Hello good people of the autumn forest!” Called the man. Just as he spoke a spotlight was turned on him. “For those who are new, I am Charles Orchard the owner of the Autumn Carnival. And to those who have been here before, Welcome back my friends I think this year will be the most exciting one yet” Said Mr. Orchard. The crowd cheered. Then fireworks lit up the sky. Booming explosions in the night sky, sending out colors of every kind. When the fireworks stopped a band began to play and the doors to the carnival opened.

            People rushed in, excitement was on the face of every adult and child. Wyatt and Felix had been off walking to pass the time so when the gates opened they were just barely getting back to their father. Nathan smiled “Ready boys?” He asked. The two boys nodded and they all walked toward the carnival. Already a long line was forming. People in the front bought tickets and then were let into the carnival. There were many ticket sellers but there were so many people that some people had to wait.

            Wyatt looked at the towering ferris wheel as it stood motionless. It was covered in white lights that twinkled like the stars. The ferris wheel wasn’t moving yet but the lights rotated in such a way that it first glance it looked like the ride was already in motion. Wyatt loved how the darkness of night contrasted with the bright lights and colorful rides in the carnival. Felix just liked looking at pretty colors.

            Soon the lines moved along and the family of three got their tickets and entered the carnival. Immediately they saw autumn tree in the center of the carnival. On just that one tree there were shades of green, yellow, orange and red. The green started at the bottom and changed gradually as it went up. Wyatt doubted it was a real tree because it was so big, it was almost taller than the large walls around the carnival and also he had never seen one tree with so many colors so evenly spaced. Yet the tree did look real and leaves occasionally fell off when a strong wind blew.

            The tree was in the center of the carnival, the carnival was broken up into sections and called ‘Roots’ because they all led back to the tree. The carnival entrance was in the south root, the ferris wheel and the adult rides were in the north root, the west root had the food and souvenirs, and the east root was children rides and games that give out prizes.

            Nathan stood under the tree and marveled at the beautiful sight. A large autumn tree so full of color surrounded by bright lights and soft music. “We are going to go on some rides” Said Wyatt to his father. “Oh ok boys, have fun” Said Nathan as he stared up at the tree.

            Felix and Wyatt shrugged and walked off to the east root. Nathan was always a weird guy so his fascination with the tree didn’t phase his two boys. “What do you wanna do first?” Felix asked excitedly. “Well first we need to win some prizes. Its been a whole year since last time, and this time I am going to win something! I just know it!” Said Wyatt sounding very determined.

            Wyatt and Felix always used the excuse of trying to win prizes to go to the east root and while Felix might honestly want to win a prize, Wyatt always went because he missed the days when he got to ride the child rides. Wyatt never won any prized but he always tried his best and always got Felix excited in the process but while he took his time ‘deciding on a game’ he was actually feeling nostalgic when he saw old familiar rides and felt a little jealous when he saw cool new rides that he would never be able to experience.

            While some would say the east root was filled with kids rides and cheap games, Wyatt would say the east root was filled with memories.

Watch for part 2 as the boys explore the East and West roots.

Nathan and the Haunted Forest (part 2 of 2)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nathan and the Haunted Forest (Part 1 of 2)

            In the land of autumn and maple lived two young men. Stephen the goat farmer and Nathan the candy maker. These two were the best of friends and enjoyed their lives in the ever-lasting beauty of the autumn forest.

            One night while Nathan was closing up his store he spotted a piece of candy on the ground. “I don’t remember dropping this” he said. He picked up the candy, unwrapped it and ate it. The flavor was magical to say the least. It was some kind of super refined maple candy and was better than anything he had ever made or tasted in his life. His eyes went wide and he looked around to see if there were anymore. It was strange because he was the only candy maker for miles, so it must have come from a traveler and dropped out of a bag.

            To Nathan’s excitement he spotted another candy. “Sweetnesss!” He cheered and pounced onto the next piece of candy with cat like agility and excitement. Normally Nathan and Stephen would tell eachother about everything, especially if it was amazing mysterious candy, but Nathan was distracted as he kept finding more pieces and ended up following a trail. If he stopped for even a moment he would have realized the candy was set up as a perfect trail that was leading him right into the haunted forest.

            This forest was dangerous to everyone and people from the autumn forest would only travel through the Haunted forest in groups and it was only one night a year, Halloween. On the other side of the Haunted forest was a joyous land were it looked like Halloween every day! The town was called Hallows end and had the biggest and best parties every year.

            It might have been October, but Halloween was a few weeks away. So the Haunted forest was dark and didn’t have any guides or lights posted through it. Nathan followed the trail of delicious candy very intently, then the candy trail ended abruptly. Nathan frowned as he chewed a mouthful of Maple candy. No longer fixated on candy, he had time to look around. He realized immediately that he had walked right into the haunted forest and the exit was nowhere in sight.

            Nathan let out a long sad sigh as he continued to eat the candy he had collected. Before Nathan could have time to ponder his fate a freezing cold wind blew through him and a large shadow moved quickly through the air. It moved like a giant bird but made the rustling sounds of a cloak in the wind. Then within a blink of an eye the Grim Reaper floated in front of Nathan. Death guided the dead to the after life and generally looked really cool with his skull face and flowing black cloak and hood.

            “Are you here you here to kill me?” Nathan asked as he winced, making a face like he was about to be punched. “No…to use your terms. It is not, how I roll” Death said, its voice was deep and echoed through the air. Every word it spoke gave Nathan chills. “I’ve never said tha-“ Nathan started to say. Death put a single bone finger up to his mouth “Shhhh-Shuh-shuh-shuh“ Death shushed. Nathan stopped talking. He didn’t think this is how an interaction with death would go.

“How do I put this, I am just waiting for you to die. It saves time to follow you around” The Grim Reaper said. “I do not want to scare anyone away or make monsters think I am guarding you, so I will disappear for now but will remain close. Just give a bone chilling scream when you’re about to die” Death said then disappeared.

Nathan walked through the Haunted forest on high alert. He wasn’t about to let anyone get the jump on him. The forest was full of black and dark gray leafless trees. They were all twisted and looked ancient. When a cold wind blew the branches would sway and creak. Leaves rustled on the ground making it sound like someone was always behind Nathan and wolves, owls and crickets called into the night.

Nathan walked and walked until his feet began to hurt. Just as he grew too tired to walk anymore he noticed a small cottage up ahead. It was brick, with wood smoke drifting gently out of the chimney and warm lighting coming from the windows. The cottage was decorated with flowers and looked like the most inviting place in the whole world. “Hot-dog! Everything is coming up Nathan!” Nathan said then ran up to the house and knocked on the door. He hoped that if there was someone living in this forest than maybe they knew a way out.

A kindly old man and woman answered the door. “Hello?” the woman said with a sweet voice. She reminded Nathan of his grandmother back home and felt more at ease the more time he spent talking to her. “Hello, I am lost in this forest. Do you know the way out of here?” Nathan asked. The elderly man nodded and smiled.

“Oh yes, my husband seems to know. But you look so tired. Why don’t you come inside and rest while my husband gives you directions” The old woman said. Nathan was skeptical and had already walked into big enough trouble. “I really…better be going” Nathan said hesitantly. The old woman noticed candy wrappers by Nathan’s feet. “Do you like maple candy? I got a whole bag down in the basement for storage!” The old woman said. Nathan’s eyes lit up. “Oh you do?! I’ve been eating this mysterious maple candy and have been trying to find its source” Nathan said with a smile as the old couple led him into the house.

“Oh well my husband does all the shopping, but I am sure he would be happy to tell you. He does so love to talk and tell his stories…” the old woman said as Nathan and the old man went inside the house. The woman gave a quick look back and forth and then went inside the house, slamming the door shut.

The next sound that could be heard was the door locking….

Stephen and Nathan vs the night

            Stephen was driving along in his old go-cart of a car, riding with him was his wonderful cousin Nathan. They were coming from a ceramic tile convention and took a dirt road as a short cut home. The two of them had been at the convention all day, they had to drive home in the dark. The little green car’s high beams cut through the darkness and fog, revealing a clear path ahead of them as they drove on happily, singing show tunes along the way.

            Then a deer scampered out of the forest and onto the dirt road. Stephen slowly came to a stop and marveled at the deer. He loved woodland animals and always found them fascinating. The two cousins sat in the car and stared at the deer. They were both impressed by wild animals and didn’t mind waiting patiently for the deer to get out of the road. Time passed and several songs played through on the car radio. The majestic nature of this beast was wearing off and Stephen grew impatient. “Whats with this deer? Out of all the places to stop, he decided to stop on the road. What a jerk!” Stephen complained. Nathan nodded, but then got an idea.” Lets just scare it off” He suggested. “Good idea” Stephen replied. “hey, Jerk Deer. Get out of the road!” Stephen yelled. Nathan shook a plastic bag filled with soda cans and assorted garbage, hoping the rattling noise would scare the beast away. The plastic bag was the car’s trash bag for the road trip.

            After a few minutes of that the deer looked up at the car and then smashed the front headlights with its antlers. Stephen’s eyes went wide. “Th-that’s it!” he said sounding shocked. He got out of his car and walked toward the deer. “careful man, it is a wild animal” Nathan warned. “I don’t care. This thing can’t abuse my car and waste our time like this” Stephen replied angrily. Then with all his force he punched the deer in the face. The deer reared back in shock, as if someone dared stand against the majestic nature of this animal. “Deers aren’t all that tough” Stephen said. Just then the deer came back down with his hooves and stomped Stephen to the ground. Thinking quickly Nathan tackled the deer and held him down. Then Stephen punched the deer a few more times.

            Satisfied with their victory, Nathan and Stephen began to walk away. Rustling could be heard in the woods, then a bear and two more deer stepped out of the forest. “I didn’t know bears were friends with deer” Nathan said sounding puzzled. Stephen was also not sure how this team up happened. But they both knew they had a fight on their hands. The two deer charged in and the bear roared. “Fight!” said a loud voice booming through the sky. Stephen and Nathan knew what they had to do, they must activate their ancient fighting abilities, passed down to them by Melvin the drifter. Fire and electricity surged through the air and slammed into the ground, right in front of the charging animals. Nathan held a fire axe and his body surged with lighting. Stephen was holding a shovel, shadow energy and ice swirled around him and his weapon. “Time to show these stuck up animals whos in charge around here” Nathan said. Then swung his axe, sending a torrent of flames at the deer, roasting them and the burning the ground they stood on. “Death, comes for all who stand in our way” Stephen muttered. He slammed his shovel on the ground and an icy hand sprang up and grabbed the bear, then pulled him underground. “They never stood a chance” Stephen smirked. Nathan hesitated. “don’t you think we should be using these powers for more than just picking fights with animals and trying to get you a girlfriend?” Nathan asked. “No, no I don’t” Stephen replied. If picking up chicks and beating up wild animals was wrong, he didn’t want to be right.

            So now that they defeated the creatures of the night, it was time to go home. “Hey, maybe if we get home in time we can play a video game before bed.” Stephen suggested. “Yeaaah!” Nathan replied. The two friends high-fived then drove home. It was just another normal night in the life of Stephen and Nathan.

The end…probably.

Showdown with Santa

            On a cold winter night, the night of Christmas eve, a figure could be seen riding across the sky. Santa clause and his reindeer sped through the air at breakneck speeds, traveling the world in one night all thanks to Christmas magic and a sugar high from cookies and candy canes.

            This Christmas eve night was different than most, as Santa would be visiting the house of the dreaded, Nathan Wilson. A character so dastardly he made the reindeer uneasy. Since Nathan was married, Santa had to visit his house for the first time in twenty years to bring Nathan’s wife Ashley a gift for Christmas. Santa was nervous though and decided to tread lightly. He could recall the incident so many years ago as clearly as if it were yesterday.

            Twenty years ago santa arrived to the Wilson house. Silently he crept, stopping only to snack on some cookies. Then suddenly a little four-year-old boy appeared from the darkness. “Hello, little boy” Santa said, with a warm smile. The small child was cute enough, but hardly innocent. Because just as santa went to pat the boys head, the little four year old triggered some kind of booby trap, making a rope wrap around santas leg and fling him into the air. He hit the ceiling then dropped back down, hanging from his foot like a giant red piñata. The little boy then beat santa with a rubber snake until the little devil got tired and fell asleep. Santa eventually freed himself and vowed to never return.

            Year after year he watched Nathan grow, hoping for some kind of change in behavior, something to put the child back on the nice list. But every year, was the same. Tormenting his poor cousin Stephen. Beating on his innocent siblings and even going so far as to burn down an orphanage.

            So the night had arrived and Santa crept into the House of Nathan and Ashley. Holding a gift in one hand and Candy cane fighting staff in the other. Then Nathan stepped out of the shadows the devils smirk across his face. “Hello Santa, is that for me?” He asked. Santa noticed Nathan was carrying an axe and readied himself for battle. “No, the only thing you get is a one way ticket to hell!” Shouted the emotionally scarred Santa as he lunged at Nathan with his fighting cane. “Bring it on, Fatman!” yelled Nathan as he chopped down with his axe, striking the cane, but to his surprise it was made of steel, not candy. “Ha, you will not get the drop on me kid” Santa said then struck Nathan’s leg with the cane, sending the menacing figure to the ground. “You old fool, you can’t expect to win!” Nathan said as he jumped up and struck santa with the axe.

            Santa stumbled backward, out of breath and slightly wounded. Nathan approached, his axe ready to strike again, when suddenly Ashley bust into the room. “Nathan, NO! we talked about this” She said angrily. Nathan’s eyes went wide. “B-but” He began to say, but then Santa took his chance to strike and delivered a sucker punch right to Nathan’s face. Nathan growled and stumbled backward holding his face, then the fat man made his escape, leaving the gift behind, tucked away under the tree.

            Up the chimney and to his sleigh he went. He flew off with his reindeer, going half way around the world before stopping to finish his Christmas deliveries.

So another year past and all the good little girls and boys got their gifts, meanwhile Nathan plots his revenge. So until next year, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

(Disclaimer: Any characters used in this story are fictional and any resemblance to real life people either alive or dead is merely coincidental)