The long Night Walk

 It was a dark October night. A cold wind swept through the town, leaves blew through the air and the tree branches shook as if the trees themselves had been brought to life.

    Robert walked quickly down an old, uneven sidewalk. His long coat blew in the wind as he hurried along. Roberts route, destination and habits that day were all very typical but there was something strange carried on the wind that night, something unsettling.

    Robert’s shoes clicked against the stone as he walked, the streets were empty and no other noise could be heard. The flames in the street lamps flickered and swayed as the wind crept through the gaps in the glass. The light from the street lamps held back the encroaching darkness of night and provided Robert of gentle comfort and gentle comfort would be the only boon he received that night.

 As the night went on Robert grew increasingly uneasy and in his nervous stride he tripped over something protruding from the ground. He clambered along the stone walkway for a moment then stood up right. He turned to look at what had tripped him and discovered it was a fallen tree branch. This would have been the end of the investigation but Robert then spotted a shining metal object attached to the fallen branch. He reached down and plucked it free.

    The metal object was a large door key which had been stuck around the branch. Robert stared at the key in bewilderment as he held it up to inspect it. He glanced around to see if anyone was around, perhaps out looking for a lost key, but the street was empty.

    Robert pocketed the key and continued to move along his path. As he walked a cold gust of wind picked up and knocked his hat off the top of his head. The hat bounced off the road and rolled along as if the wind was carrying it away. It was at that moment that Robert looked up and saw his path split. One path would keep him going towards his destination and closer into the heart of the town, the other path was where his hat went, carried off by the wind. Robert decided to go after his hat, then would double back and return to his correct path.

    The hat continued to roll away as Robert walked briskly after it. He walked down the road and was almost able to catch his hat several times. The hat would stop and settle, then just as Robert was close the wind would pick up and carry the hat further down the road. This was all so frustrating that Robert didn’t realize that the street lamps had become dimmer and the houses and building were more sparse.

    Robert walked himself to one of the outskirts of the town, a section he was completely unfamiliar with. The last house in town was behind him and before him lay an open field dotted with bare, leafless trees with branches that swayed in the wind. The trees moved forward then back as if they were reaching for Robert. A field of trees all trying to uproot themselves just to snatch him up.

    Robert glanced over the area and spotted his hat stuck to a jagged tree branch. The wind blew and the trees moved, each breeze was like a breath and each sway of the trees was a reach closer. Robert moved closer to the trees, slowly he walked as he kept a nervous eye on his surroundings.

    Finally he was close enough to take his hat, he reached out.

    “Don’t take your eyes off that tree”

Robert heard a voice and was so startled that he snapped his hand back and stumbled backwards. He looked for the source of the voice but no one could be seen. It was an empty field in the dark of night and his hat still blewin the breeze as it was stuck to the jagged tree branch.

    Robert was about to reach for his hat again but thought better of it. It had dawned on him that he chased his hat to the outside of town and was now alone in the dark. He wasn’t one to entertain idle fantasy but the fear of wild animals and dangerous criminals coming out at night was a real concern of his.

    Robert gave one last look at his hat and as he did the branch moved forward as if the tree was offering the hat, daring Robert to take it. Robert knew it was just a trick of the light and the strong winds of night and nothing more.

    Robert began walking back into town. He hurried along in an attempt to make up for lost time. As he walked he noticed that his hand had been fiddling with the large door key that was in his pocket. The key was maybe two inches long and made of brass. It was a simple design and other than its size was ordinary but still Robert couldn’t leave it alone.

    Once Robert entered town he used the light from the nearest lampost to look at the key for further detail. The key had an engraving that read “H.R. Rumsfred”. Robert knew right away who this was. Mr. Rumsfred had been missing for over a year and his picture had been posted on the town hall message board. Robert felt more unsettled as he realized he was holding the key of someone presumed dead.

    “Don’t follow that path. Just go home”

    The voice was faint like a whisper on the wind. Robert wasn’t sure if he was hearing things and seeing things or if something unnatural was happening all around him. He looked up the road. The road was lined with leafless trees that swayed and creaked in the wind. On most days, the neighborhood and the trees were a welcome sight, but that night all Robert felt was danger and dread.

    Robert turned around and began to head back to his home. The uneven sidewalk almost tripped him several times as his steps began to hasten. The wind blew and the trees swayed. Each tree branch appeared to reach forward. “Join us. Join us” whispered a chorus of strained voices. These voices were new, numerous and threatening.

    “Just hurry home”

The voice of warning was warm and concerned. Robert heard these different voices every time the wind blew. If Robert had ever met Mr. Rumsfred then he would recognize the voice on the wind telling him to go home.

    Robert rushed down his street, his hastened walking turned into a sprint as the wind blew and the trees cried out. The wind grew louder and louder. Light flashed and blinded Robert for a moment. “Get out of the road, jerk!” shouted the motorist. Robert’s panic dissipated as he realized he had been running along the middle of the road. The car drove around Robert and continued down the road.

    The voices stopped, Robert’s pace slowed. He arrived back at his house some time later. He went inside, closed the door and took a breath. He felt anxious from his experience but kept telling himself that it was all his imagination. He made a phone call telling his friends he would not be able to attend the festivities that night. He made some decaffeinated coffee, drank it black with sugar and started to get ready for bed.

    The whole experience was troubling but Robert’s mind was clear and calm when the morning came. He shook off the events of the previous night and told himself that it was all in his head. He gave Mr. Rumsfred’s key to the police and told them where he found it. Then he continued on with his day.

    Rober slowly convinced himself that there was no danger and the stress of the day had gotten to him. Yet he would never again return to that field where he lost his hat.

    In the field, on the outskirts of town was a tree. On the large, old tree was Roberts hat, it was hooked onto a branch as if being grasped tightly. At the base of that same old tree, under the roots and several inches underground laid the body of H.R.Rumsfred.

Welcome to the Autumn Forest

Relax, take a breath and slow down, journey with me to a soothing destination of sights, sounds and smells.

            Joe woke up on a chilly fall morning. The air in his apartment was warm from the hissing radiators which mixed with the occasional draft that would blow in when the wind picked up. That day seemed cold to those who enjoyed summer, but for the fans of Fall, the weather was perfect.

            Joe went out into the world wearing his dark gray fall coat, a black scarf and jeans. He walked down the uneven sidewalk with a brisk pace and a set goal, which was to acquire coffee.

            The coffee shop was down the road from Joe’s apartment, it sold good coffee at a cheap price. Joe ended up buying coffee from the shop more often than he ever brewed it himself. He considered it good exercise and told himself the walking offset how lazy he was to never make it himself.

            The neighborhood was made up of old brick buildings, with uneven sidewalks, and narrow roads. Trees grew wild up from the sidewalk, the trees had grown full and tall long before the apartments and homes were ever built. The builders of the city did something very rare to humans; they built around the trees instead of knocking them over.

            Orange and red trees, brick and old North American architecture all mixed together to make a scenic fall day. Joe arrived in front of the coffee shop, which was named “Brew Spot". The Brew spot operated out of a historic building that served as a pharmacy at one point in the early eighteen hundreds. While it still looked like an old-fashioned store or pharmacy, everything else was updated and modern. The Brew spot had a calm vibe and was a popular location for the neighborhood to get coffee and snacks.

            Joe had been to the brew spot many times before but it was on that specific day that was different than all the other days. He felt especially relaxed and in a good mood, the autumn air felt more refreshing and he was in just the right state of mind for something special to happen.

            When Joe opened the door and walked in, he didn’t enter the Brew Spot, he entered the magical Autumn Forest. This forest was where the Autumn season came from. Every season had its own land and many entrances to those lands, but only those with the right mindset and mood could enter.

            Joe looked around and was amazed and surprised by his surroundings. Instead of a quiet café, Joe was standing in a clearing of trees all ablaze with bright, warm colors. Red, orange, yellow and every combination of those colors painted the leaves on every tree. The air was crisp, cool and refreshing. the smell of wood smoke drifted on the breeze and was then joined by the scent of honey, maple and fresh baked goods.

Joe heard a voice say “Coffee is on the left" The voice was small and monotone. It was the voice of someone who had said the same line many times before. Joe looked down and saw a rabbit standing on two legs with a bored expression. Joe started to open his mouth but was interrupted by the rabbit. "Yes, I talk. you are in the Autumn Forest and no we dont normally serve coffee but enough people have been asking about it, so now we do. Coffee is on the left” The rabbit said then hopped off.

            Joe was puzzled but turned to his left and saw a friendly looking skeleton, wearing a sports jacket, a tattered shirt and jeans. The skeleton had a large black mustache which was glued on. The skeleton was standing at a small wooden booth that looked like a lemonade stand made by children. On the stand was a coffee pot which seemed to be endlessly brewing coffee. The cord to the coffee pot went down along the wooden stand and plugged straight into the forest floor. The sign above the stand read “Coffee - 3 bux each" Joe saw this and muttered about how expensive coffee was getting, even in other worlds.

            “So the rabbit told me I was in the Autumn Forest. He didn’t seem very excited about it. should I be worried? I mean this place looks great, so is there something going on around here?” Joe asked. The mustached Skeleton began pouring a cardboard cup full of black coffee. “No. That rabbit is just a jerk. Most rabbits are jerks. Don’t you have them where you are from?” The skeleton asked.

“Yeah, but they don’t talk at all" Joe replied flatly. “Oh geeze that must be nice. Rabbits rarely have anything positive to say. What about dogs, do you have dogs?" Asked the skeleton. "yes, we have dogs" Joe replied. "Aren't they the worst?! Always stealing your leg and burying it” The skeleton said as he put a lid on the coffee and handed it to Joe.

            Joe took a swig of the coffee and didn’t reply. He wasn't sure how to answer. The coffee was really good and almost worth three dollars. “Do you have any cream or sugar?" Asked Joe. "No” The Skeleton said immediately, his response was so fast that it almost cut Joe off. “That will be three bucks” The skeleton said. Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out some singles and handed it to the Skeleton. "Ah yes, thank you for the payment. I am sure all of this will cover it” Said the skeleton as he awkwardly stuffed the bills into his sports coat.

It was at this moment that Joe realized that the skeleton had no concept of money from the other world and was using the word “Bucks" because he heard it once and thought that’s what money on Earth was called.

            "Thanks for the coffee, friend” Joe said as he sipped his coffee and gave a nod. The skeleton was startled by the word “ Friend” and if he had a face, he would look very shocked. “He called me friend" The skeleton muttered. then turned back to Joe quickly and replied “NO problem. Friend” then the skeleton mimicked Joe’s nod.

            The Skeleton with the mustache looked at his wrist, which did not have a watch on it, and declared “Well its getting late. I should head home” the sun was still out but Joe didn’t know how time worked in the Autumn forest so he assumed the skeleton was right. The skeleton was not right. It was midday and time moved at a similar pace as it did on earth. Joe watched quietly as the skeleton unplugged the coffee maker from the ground and began to push the wooden coffee stand off deeper into the forest.

As the Skeleton walked off, Joe realized he didn’t know how to leave the Autumn Forest “How do I get out of here?!” Joe called after the Skeleton. “Use the door!” Replied the skeleton. “Also watch out for dogs” Added the skeleton.

            Joe turned around and saw a large wooden door, engraved with large trees and falling leaves. The door stood in the middle of the clearing and wasn’t attached to anything. Joe ignored the comment about the dogs, he liked dogs and also wasn’t a skeleton.

            Joe felt energized by the coffee and the beauty of the Autumn Forest. He was in a good mood and began to hum as he walked toward the door. “Don’t hurry back” Said the rabbit as he watched Joe leave. Joe wouldn’t miss the rabbit.

            Joe pushed on the wooden door and stepped through. On the other side was the Brew Spot coffee shop. Joe had returned to his neighborhood and the magical door to the Autumn Forest was gone. He decided not to tell anyone about the magical door but encouraged anyone who loved Fall to visit the Brew Spot for coffee, but never explained to anyone why.

            Joe went through life normal enough. He never did figure out how to replicate the conditions to enter the Autumn Forest but he did frequent the Brew Spot even more after that day.

            Then on the last day of Joe’s life, when decades passed and Joe had a lifetime lived, Joe passed away from the world.

 It was on that day, when the wooden doors opened again and Joe stepped through as young looking as ever. “Coffee is on the left” Said a grumpy old rabbit. It was this time that Joe didn’t mind the rabbit. When Joe went to see the Skeleton’s coffee stand he was greeted by a mustached skeleton wearing a very fine suit, and behind the skeleton was a full fledged coffee house of his very own. “Joe where have you been? Seems like weeks since I saw you” Said a very happy skeleton.

March to October

The room is cold with only a small wood furnace to warm the house. Snow drifts down from the sky and collects in white piles on the hard, frozen ground. I sit hunched in my chair, the aches of the day settle over my body and the worries of life settle in my mind. To me, the cold of winter is not enjoyable, yet I love and cherish the chill of Fall and early Spring. Winter is cold air and people huddled around fire, Fall is warm houses and a refreshing breeze.

I stare outside at a tree, bare and snow spattered. The sun shines down on the snow, but the frozen water refuses to melt. The persistence of Winter is equal to an old man refusing to get out of your chair. Old man winter has settled into your seat and no matter how many times you prod him, he wont budge. I do not make a habit of prodding old men in chairs, but if there was only one chair in the world and an old sleeping man was in it, I might prod him.

As I let my eyes stare unfocused at the scenery outside, the world through my window flickered. It was the quickest kind of flicker that I would have missed if I had blinked. Then the world in front of my eyes flickered again, but this time the alternate image stayed. The space outside my window was no longer winter but late Autumn.

The sky was a dusky orange as if time was stuck in permanent twilight, the trees stayed bare but the bark of the tree was darker and the bare branches curved down like grasping hands with long slender fingers. I felt excitement and confusion, I couldn’t tell if my vision or my brain malfunctioned or if the world really had changed from Winter to an eerie version of an October landscape.

I leapt from my seat and ran down the wooden stairs. I threw open my door and stood to behold the world in full October glory. This wasn’t the Autumn landscape printed on travel magazines that some writers write about ad nauseam, this was October and the spooky thrill of Halloween.

I began to walk around the backyard, the stubborn snow was removed, old man winter evicted from his chair and the chill of fall replaced the bitter cold of winter. A local stray cat strutted through my yard as if it were the dominant species. It was a dirty orange tabby with a smug expression, short legs and a small chubby frame. This small potato walked with the confidence of a lion. I called the beast, it looked at me and opened its mouth but instead of a meow, it let out an echoing wolf howl. The cat looked very pleased with itself and then walked away.

I smiled at the strange creature, my expression was that of amusement and bewilderment. I gazed at the land before me and spotted the largest full moon I had ever seen. It was bright and seemed to glow. The yellowed white color of the moon added to the warm colors of the dark orange sky.

I walked out to the road and saw the small houses of my neighbors all brightly lit and decorated for the Fall festivals. The people inside were acting normally and if they saw me might think I was the one who was strange. At this moment I realized I was barefoot and still wearing my indoor clothes. I was so used to the winter cold that being outside on a fall day without a coat didn’t bother me and my excitement kept me from going back inside for shoes.

I walked down the street toward the center of town and as I walked I marveled at the fall decorations, the Jack-o-lanterns and the candles put in almost every windows. The I gazed up at the moon again and for a minute it had a face. The moon had a large grinning mouth with rows of teeth, wide eyes and no nose. I was so startled that I gasped and in response to my gasp the moon winked. A moment later the face vanished and I continued walking, my mind trying to work out how to deal with what I just saw.

Once I arrived at the center of town I spotted a black cat, who wore a witches hat  and stood on two legs, conversing with a skeleton, who didn’t wear clothes but had an elegant mustache. I decided not to interrupt the conversation, as it seemed important from the tone and the way the skeleton kept repeating “No! It’s real! Ok!”.

I was enjoying the sights and sounds of this alternate reality so much that I didn’t much care if I ever returned to my wintery, snow blasted reality. I didn’t know how to return even if I wanted to.

The fun ended when two men wearing black robes approached me. “how did you get here? You don’t belong here” The man on the right said. “He must have slipped in somehow” said the man on the left.

I explained what had happened and how I had no idea how I ended up in this world. If I was indeed in another world, I didn’t so much slip in as I fell in. I didn’t choose to come to this place even if I was enjoying. 

The two robed men thought on this and then moved towards me “We don’t know how to send you back, so we need to take you with us until we can figure something out” said the first man. As much as I would have liked to see a Halloween prison, I didn’t want to be trapped in one, so I turned around and took off running back to my house. The men in robes took off after me, their feet disappeared under their cloaks as they levitated off the ground and flew as they gave chase.

I couldn’t out run flying creatures and I didn’t want to be imprisoned for an indefinite amount of time. My mind raced as fast as my feet as both faculties tried to help me escape. Just as the men wear gaining on me, I heard a wolf howl. I turned to look as a road orange cat flew from the darkness and struck the first man. The potato cat struck the floating man with such force that he careened into the man next to him. The two men tumbled to the ground as they fought with a surprisingly fierce runt of a cat.

I eventually reached my home, I was tired, sweating, out of breath and had dirty aching feet. I ran up my stairs, went into my room and sat down. I looked out the window and saw only a Halloween landscape. I stared as hard as I could hoping for another flicker. The door downstairs began to thud and break as intruders came in after me. I stared at the window and continued hoping to return to my old reality. The intruders came up the stairs and barged into my bedroom. I kept staring at the October landscape, hoping, for the first time in my life, that it would turn into a winter landscape. I felt large arms grab me around my torso and pull me back. I struggled as I stared in desperation at the old window. I was slowly dragged from my bedroom and as I was pulled out I saw a flicker outside. I fought even harder to escape and get to my window.

I was hauled downstairs and outside, I was dragged across the yellowish dried grass of late Fall as my hopes of escape began to dwindle. Then in a flash I was outside in the snow.

I had returned to my own reality. The freezing cold was too much and I was under dressed. I stood up and ran back inside. There I saw a black cat and an orange runt of a cat sleeping peacefully on my bed. The orange cat didn’t howl and the black cat didn’t stand on two legs or wear a witch’s hat, but they did expect me to feed them.

I felt a sudden sting on my arm so I rolled up my sleeve and saw a Jack-o-lantern mark with a face and large grinning mouth like the moon had. The mark stung and looked like it had been burned into my skin.

I was safe and in my old reality and even though I wasn’t able to stay in the Halloween land as long as I would have liked, I did get a few souvenirs to remember my time there.

The Crimson Hand

It was a dark moonless night, the stars sparkled in the sky, wood smoke plumed from chimneys and the cold air of the night left a delicate layer of frost on every surface not sheltered by a roof or heat.

The Dragon Roots Inn was a quiet inn and tavern on the edge of town, they served travelers with a place to spend the night and provided the townsfolk with a place to drink and relax. The doors of the inn opened and two cloaked figures entered. They were both bundled up in layers of clothes, two genderless lumps of clothes and cloaks walked through the tavern and ambled up to the bar before sitting down. The two slowly unraveled layers of clothes from their bodies.

“what can I get fer ya?” asked the bartender as he relaxed both palms across the top of the bar. “One order of whatever stew you have cooking, two pints of ale and some bread. We also need a room” Said the cloaked figure on the right. The one who spoke had a soft feminine voice, it sounded like velvet on the ears or a relaxing breeze on the ocean. The bartender was taken back by the cloaked figures voice and wished he could hear the food order again so he could re-experience it. The bartender snapped out of his daze in a second, smiled and then walked off to the kitchen.

The Dragon Roots Inn had an exterior of stone and wood with a strong foundation. The interior had a softer appearance of wood flooring, rugs, lanterns giving off a soft light and a roaring hearth in the back with the tables and chairs. The floor was made of walnut and the tables and chairs were made of maple. Someone in the corner played soft music on a loot and the patrons of the tavern were mostly quiet, either too drunk or sleepy to cause much of a ruckus.

By the time the food and drink arrived the two figures had removed most of their extra clothing and placed them in neat piles next to their chairs. The cloaked figure on the right with the soothing voice was a woman with pale skin, bright green eyes and red hair. She kept her cloak on with her hood covering most of her hair but her face, neck and a single tunic was visible. She wore warm pants and sturdy boots and chose to keep her leather gloves on. She picked up her pint of ale and quickly drank down half of it before setting it back on the bar and turning to her stew.

The second figure was a man with paper white skin and pale brown eyes. There was a slightly glow of green in his eyes but most people blamed the lighting when they saw it. The man had removed a few layers but his skin was all covered except the area of his face between the top of his forehead to the bridge of his nose. Black hair could be seen on his hairline on the sides of his head but otherwise he was covered. The male figure didn’t drink or eat, he rested his arms against the bar and looked around the tavern as if to keep watch while the woman ate.

The tavern was quiet for a moment but then another strange visitor arrived. The door slammed open and a man wearing metal chest armor and a cloak walked in. this person was a Wolf-kin, a humanoid wolf species. Wolf-kin had better sense of hearing and smell than humans as well as slightly better reflexes and worse impulse control. They had bodies like humans but were mostly covered in fur, had wolf like heads with shorter snouts than wolves, their ears sat on the corners of their head, lower than a wolf but higher than a humans. Some wolf-kin had sharp claws instead of finger nails, some had fingernails like humans. This Wolf-kin had sharp claws. He walked into the tavern with frost still melting off of his cloak and fur, unfazed by the cold. “It smells like death in here” Growled the wolfman.

The bartender looked worried but tried to act calm. Any patrons who were conscious either went up to their rooms or left the tavern entirely. The only people besides the wolf were the cloaked figures and the bartender. The woman continued to eat and drink. She finished her own ale and started on the ale placed in front of the man. The man never looked back at the wolf but his head was raised in alert. The man stared dead eyed at the shelves behind the bar as he listened to the wolfman walk forward.

The wolfman sat right next to the woman eating and rested his weight on the bar. “I’m looking for someone. A woman who has a price on her head” Said the wolfman in a deep grizzly voice. “We’ve had plenty of women come and go all week” The tavern keeper nervously explained. “This one has cruel green eyes, she has magic, delicate frame, red hair” The wolfman continued as if the bartender never spoke.

The man in the cloak stood up and walked up to the wolfman “Listen, sir. There is clearly no one else here. So why not move along. You are making me on edge” Said the cloaked man, his voice was listless and dull. The wolfman looked at the cloaked figure. “are you the guard of this tavern?” Asked the Wolfman as he stood up. “Sir, there’s no need for any trouble” Said the tavern keeper. “Stop calling me sir. My name is Feroes and I’m no ‘sir’. Not everyone who wears armor is a knight” Growled Feroes the wolfman.

The cloaked figure stood unmoving with bored eyes. “I am not a guard and unless you intend to cause trouble, there wont be any need for a guard” Replied the man. Feroes stepped closer so that his short snout was almost touching the man’s covered nose. “I am looking to collect on this witches head and make big bag of gold when I do. I will cause as much trouble as I want until I find this woman” Snarled the Feroes the wolf.

In one quick motion the man moved his arms forward and shoved Feroes. The force of the shove knocked the sturdy wolfman off balance. He fell backwards and landed on a table, crushing the table under his weight. “Now leave, or I will make enough trouble for the both of us” threatened the cloaked man in his normal bored tone.

Feroes we shocked that he was taken by surprise like that. He had very quick reflexes and was sturdy enough to take a shove. By his own logic he should have been able to stop the shove and if he didn’t, he certainly shouldn’t have fallen backward with such force. Feroes blamed this as a fluke and decided not to drink so much before going on a hunt. “You are a deadman” Feroes growled. The cloaked man sighed. “Just finish him quick, honey. I’m tired and want to go to bed” Said the woman in the cloak, who was still eating.

            The cloaked man sidestepped Feroes’ attack but was over confident and wasn’t prepared for a follow up attack. The agile wolfman missed his lung but then swiped his claws upward slashing the cloaked man’s face. the man’s face was revealed, this shocked the bartender and Feroes but annoyed the cloaked woman. The cloaked man had been hiding a jaw and part of his face that was completely bone. A faint green glow could be seen behind his collar as if he had a light in his chest. The man sighed which was just a noise created to show annoyance but no actual breath was expelled. The man didn’t have a throat or lungs. He was a walking, thinking, animated skeleton with pieces of flesh, eyes and hair for appearance. “what are you?!” Yelled Feroes, who now understood why the Tavern smelled so strongly of death.

            “I am the specter of Rumford J Gould, and YOU have spent to long disrupting my quiet evening” Proclaimed Rumford who ripped open his shirt to reveal a bare ribcage and a large, floating, green flame taking up most of the room in his chest. The flame pulsed and sent green flames up into Rumford’s head and shot out of his mouth. Rumford spewed spectral flames, which engulfed the wolfman before he could get away. The fire quickly died down to reveal that the bar was unharmed but Feroes was on the floor severely injured. “My flames only burn the living because it only looks like fire, its more of a death magic that only hurts living things” Rumford explained to the terrified bartender. The bartended nodded and muttered “thanks for not burning the bar” through trembling lips and a shocked expression.

            Rumford gave a jovial wave to the Bartender and his eyes moved like he was smiling. Since he didn’t have skin on his mouth he couldn’t actually smile. Then his eyes turned serious as he marched over to Feroes. Rumford’s heavy leather boots clunked against the wood flooring as he approached. Feroes looked up and started to speak but could barely move. “People call me a monster. They call ME a monster. You are the monster here” Feroes uttered in a weak voice. “If you think I’m scary, you should see my wife” Rumford replied while towering over the fallen wolfman. The woman in the cloak stood up, turned around and walked up to Feroes.

            “You were hunting me. I’m not a necromancer or a wizard, but yes it was me you were looking for. Tell the other bounty hunters that I just want to live in peace and am not worth the trouble. I will make sure I am not worth the trouble” She threatened as she removed the warm winter glove on her right hand. Her skin on her forearm, wrist and hand were covered in glowing crimson markings. They were an ancient language no longer remembered and were etched permanently into her skin. “They call me the Crimson hand, and though I don’t like the name, I will use it to strike fear into anyone who comes after me” Crimson hand said as she thrust her hand forward. Her hand went through Feroes’ arm without breaking the skin, then she grabbed down onto the bone in his arm. Feroes screamed in pain. the grip felt like burning but if you set every nerve in that area on fire.

            Crimson let go of Feroe’s arm and retracted her hand. “I could do that to your heart, your brain, I could even pull your soul right out of your body and bind you permanently to that chair!” She said pointing to one of the tavern chairs. Her voice went from a delicate lovely tone to the voice of a deadly killer. Crimson’s smile returned, she then turned around and walked up the tavern stairs. “Rumford darling, be a dear and pay the Tavernkeeper for any trouble we caused as well as anything we still owe for the bed and food. I will be upstairs” She called to her husband.

            “I’ll be up in a bit honey” Rumford called back. Then he turned to Feroes “You can leave whenever you have the strength. I suggest you tell everyone what happened unless you want to be turned into a haunted bar stool” Rumford let out a strange laugh then walked off. He paid the Barkeep who was hiding behind the bar, gathered up the clothes that he and Crimson left on the floor then went up the stairs to bed. He wrapped his body back up in clothes and his cloak so the light of his green flame wouldn’t keep his wife awake.

            Feroes and caught the bartender looking at him before shrinking back down behind the bar. Feroes was eventually able to hobble out into the cold. He left the village and when he returned to the capital’s bounty office, he had a very important story to tell the other bounty hunters.

Halloween Comes for Ignitous

In the spirit world there were four major lands, each based on a season experienced on earth. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall all had lands with their own climate, forests and other terrain. In the land of summer on the eastern edge of the searing desert was the summer forest. The summer forest was a brisk ninety to a hundred degrees, then going outward toward the desert the temperature went up until finally reaching the volcano lands, where the air was hot enough to burn human hair.

            The spirits and warm weather animals played and enjoyed their warm days while Autumn arrived for the people on Earth. The warm weather was slowly cooling in the summer forest, causing the inhabitants to panic. A dark shadow swooped over the land like a hawk looking for prey. These disturbances alerted the attention of July, the ruler of Summer land. She was a large woman who loved parties, attention and summer heat. She was popular among her own people but had a tendency for sticking around on earth longer than many humans would like. Her overstaying her welcome would cut into the Fall season. This year she behaved herself and was in the summer lands with her people.

            The large shadow was joined by smaller shadows and the cold air began to pour in from above. The sky darkened as glowing white ghosts and wisps descended into the forest. Maniacal laughter echoed through the trees and pumpkin headed plant creatures sprang up from the ground. Spirits of Halloween had arrived in the summer lands and were searching for someone. Floating Jack-o-lanterns with glowing eyes scanned through the now darkened forest as bats and hawks flew above the treetops. The summer forest was in a panic.

            The spirits of Autumn and Halloween had come for Ignitious the flame spirit, who, with his brother Glacious, attacked the Autumn Forest and severely injured the leader Patches. Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams chased to two brothers out of the Autumn forest but the spirits of Halloween wanted revenge on the brothers for their disrespect for the natural order of the seasons.

            Ignitious was mostly recovered from his injuries thanks to the heat of the Summer Lands. The Halloween spirits had already spotted before he figured out that he was the target of this attack. The bright flames that made up Ignitious’ body was easy to spot in the now darkened sky and before he could escape he was set upon by bats and pumpkin monsters. The flame spirit sent out a wave of flames, sweeping up the bats in the flames and making the monsters run for cover. The trees of the Summer Forest were heat and flame proof, so any fire that hit the green leafy trees quickly went out. Ignitious wasn’t a spirit of the summer lands and didn’t really care about the forest, so even if the trees weren’t fire proof he still would have used his fire powers without restraint.

            Ignitious took off flying like a fireball, he was headed for the volcano where his powers would be strongest. He shot through the forest with ease and entered the searing desert. The large shadow from the sky descended down and landed in front of Ignitious before the spirit could go any further. Ignitious collided with the shadow causing a fiery explosion. When the flames died down the shadow still stood. Bats fluttered away and shadow creatures melted off the figure and escaped into the ground, revealing Patches, the spirit of Autumn and the leader of the Autumn Lands. “Did you really think you could surprise attack me like a coward, attack my lands, claim my forest for yourself and I wouldn’t do anything about it? Just because Joseph and Jaye kicked you out of my forest doesn’t mean there wont be consequences!” Patches’ voice boomed as flames erupted out of his pumpkin head and dark magic jumped from his body like electrical sparks from a power line.

            “I beat you once before, do you really think you can take me this time?” Ignitious said with a fiery smile. “You had your brother to help you and you attacked me when my back was turned. In a fair fight you wouldn’t last a minute. I am the king of Autumn and Halloween, you are rogue elemental spirit” Patches shouted as he walked towards Ignitious. Patches was tall and thin with a body made of hay, roots and flames with a large pumpkin head on his shoulders and a carved face that moved like a human face. While the two spirits prepared to fight the invading spirits of Halloween and Autumn made a circle around the two, so that Ignitious couldn’t run away from this. Cold air blew through the desert as the night sky and full moon loomed over head for the first time ever in this land.

            Ignitious spun around bringing flames up from the ground and carrying them with him as he charged towards Patches. The King of Fall didn’t flinch at the flames and easily side stepped the attack. Patches was quicker than he looked and was determined to show this menace why he shouldn’t mess with the Autumn Lands. Patches melted into the ground like a shadow and shot forward with lighting speed, then before Ignitious could realize that Patches was gone, the shadow of Patches sprang up from the ground in the form of a giant shadowy wolf head with blazing red eyes. The shadow wolf head chomped down on Ignitious and shook the spirit like a dog shaking a piece of meat. Ignitious sent flame bursts out from his body in an attempt to break the shadow wolf’s grip but the flames had no effect. When Patches decided he was done he slammed Ignitious into the ground, then the shadow wolf head formed back into the pumpkin headed spirit.

            Ignitious charged condensed flames into his hand, making a fireball hotter and stronger than his normal steel melting flames. The flame spirit launched his powerful ball of flames. Patches, who didn’t have bones or a spine, bent himself in half to avoid the fireball. Flames shot across his back as he narrowly dodged the attack. While Patches was still bent in half he charged forward, his pumpkin head growing larger and his mouth growing wider the closer he got to Ignitious. Shadows rose up from the ground and whooshed forward like wind, wrapping around Ignitious. Patches came within inches of the flame spirit then contracted his pumpkin head and ‘breathed’ out dark magic flames from his mouth. Dark flames engulfed the flame spirit, damaging the fire elemental while remaining harmless to any of the Halloween spirits caught in the blast.

            Ignitious dropped to the ground as purple mist streamed from his head like steam. The group of Halloween spirits parted on two sides, on the right side a group of Autumn spirits dragged a large wooden crate into the fighting circle and on the left the ruler of the Summer Lands, July emerged onto the scene.

            “What is going on here?!” July shouted. “Ignitious and his brother attacked me, beat me almost to death and tried to claim my forest as their own. This is my payback” Patches explained. The Halloween spirits all called out and shouted in agreement. July stared at Patched with a furious look but switched her heated gaze down to Ignitious. “You said you needed to rest in my lands because you were injured from a fight, you never told me you tried to upset the balance of the seasons and attacked a king! What happens when you recover? Were you going to attack him again? What about attack me and claim my Summer Forest? Or were you going to go pick on the Spring bunny?” July shouted in outrage.

            “I’m not your subject you old crone! I don’t owe any of you anything! When I recover I am going to gather my gang of flame spirits, some dragons and anyone else who will follow me and make you all pay!” Ignitious spat. “OH no you wont!” July shouted grabbing Ignitious by the neck with a powerful grip and slamming him to the ground. She then threw all her weight down onto the flame elemental, sitting on him so he couldn’t escape. The Halloween spirits sniggered at the sight of the feared flame elemental being sat on by the mighty Summer Spirit.

            “I figured the brothers would try to attack again, so I made these crates to transport the two of them. I will keep them somewhere safe until they agree to not attack anyone. Ignitious will be riding in a crate made of summer wood and Glacious…” Patches trailed off as he gestured to a second box being dragged up. The second crate was made of a pale wood and was covered in frost. The autumn spirit dragging the crate opened it revealing Glacious trapped inside. “I found him in the Winter forest and figured the trees of Winter could hold him as well as anything” Patches added.

            July used her firm grip to pull Ignitious out from under her and threw him into the large box made of summer wood. “I am glad to see you taking care of things, but next time you should tell me ahead of time before you invade my forest” July said sternly.

            Patches apologized to July and explained that he didn’t know ahead of time if she was in on the attack or not. The two crates were then hauled off by Halloween creatures, Patches apologized again, bowed like a gentleman then opened a portal made of autumn leaves and swirling wind. The group of autumn spirits, Halloween spirits and Patches all left the Summer lands. Then the moment the portal closed the night sky turned to a bright summer day, the air warmed up and environment quickly returned to normal.

            Ignitious and Glacious learned a lesson that most spirits already knew, don’t disrupt the natural balance of weather and seasons and sure as hell don’t mess with the King of Halloween.

Halloween Carnival part 2

  The day of the Halloween Carnival had arrived, it was a cold autumn night, the invisible face of the moon stared down at the earth below. On the border of the Autumn Forest and the Haunted Forest was a clearing, on the clearing was the site for the exciting and new Halloween Carnival.

 

            Lights beamed into the air signaling all to come and join the fun, giant black metal gates surrounded the carnival and only had one entrance through the front. People slowly and cautiously approached the new carnival. Music played, ticket sellers waited in their booth by the front gate and Charles Orchard was in his human form yelling into a cone that amplified his voice. “Welcome, ladies and Gentlemen! Children and pets! This is the first annual Halloween Carnival, where scares and fun wait around every corner. The Carnival may seem spooky but this is a safe, family friendly adventure. If you loved the joys of my Autumn Carnival, try the scares of my Halloween Carnival” Charles shouted, his voice echoed through the clearing. The carnival was new and strange but seeing Charles Orchard there made the people feel more at ease. His Autumn Carnival was a yearly tradition and many residence of the Autumn Forest knew him personally.

 

            The large gates opened with an eerie creek that echoed through the clearing. No one said a word and the whole clearing was dead silent, then suddenly a marching band came pouring out of the carnival to greet the guests. The loud band music broke the silence with a sledgehammer as the band danced, marched and shot confetti out of their instruments. Most of the band members appeared human, but some were a little strange looking, so strange that the locals just assumed and hoped they were wearing costumes. Most notable band members were a goblin hopping along cheerfully with a baton, a horse headed man in a tuxedo playing a trombone, and ghost of a woman who wore old style clothing, had a knife sticking out of his back and played the trumpet.

 

            The crowded seemed to warm up to the strange marching band and some were even dancing along with the spooky scary skeletons that danced along behind the band. Charles beamed with pride as it seemed his plan was working.

 

            The inside of the carnival was filled with creepy rides and fun Halloween themed treats. Snack stands were placed at the entrance to entice people to part with their money in exchange for purple slime apples, which were just caramel apples with food coloring, or Devil sandwiches, which were spicy meat sandwiches with a tangy-sweet sauce on a red tomato bun and little toothpicks sticking out to look like horns.  The stands also had various kinds of candy, apple cider, and fruit punch with fake eyeballs floating around in each glass.

 

            At the center of the Carnival was the Pumpkin Tree. Charles Orchard took a seed from the magical Autumn Carnival tree and planted it in soil from the Haunted Forest, the result was an autumn tree that grew pumpkins from the branches, like an apple tree, but instead of apples this tree was filled with small pumpkins with glowing Jack-o-lantern faces. The pumpkin’s faces glowed with green, purple, blue and red light and were most certainly not edible.

 

            If you traveled further into the carnival you wound find rides of all sizes. There was the dead drop ride where people are lifted into the air slowly, then suddenly dropped causing fear and shrieking from the terrified patrons inside the box. There was also a towering set of metal beams with a Jack-o-Lantern at the top. Guests would get into a little lift at the bottom and then brought up into the pumpkin, then the pumpkin head would spin around super fast, insane laughter would echo out of the Jack-o-Lanterns mouth as the people inside the pumpkin screamed. Lastly an actual haunted mansion was at the Carnival, it was a huge house filled with things that would scare even the bravest of souls. Charles found lesser creatures from the Haunted Forest and trapped them in the mansion, but put up a spell to protect the customers.

 

            The carnival also had rides for kids and the faint of heart. The Bat flight ride would let people soar over the carnival while riding on a giant mechanical bat. The Bat even had a cartoon-ish vampire voice that recommended food and rides to people new to the park. The Kids of the Autumn forest enjoyed the bouncy pumpkin, which was a giant inflated pumpkin that had bouncy floors and a ball pit to mimic pumpkin guts and seeds.

 

            Games dotted the carnival, such as Halloween hunt, where you shoot a pellet gun at incoming Halloween themed monsters. The carnival also had a game called Cat claw machine, where you control a claw that looks like a black cat, with each claw hook being a cat let. Kids would hover the cat over spooky treats and small stuffed animals like plague rats, skeleton mice and poisonous frogs.

 

            Charles wished there were more rides and attractions but he was on a deadline. He hoped this Halloween his carnival would be a huge success so he could keep adding things and make a new one every year.

 

            While the crowds of people laughed, ate and screamed in terror a familiar face was walking among the humans. Pumpkin Jack, the man with the carved face walked through the Halloween Carnival and smiled at all the good cheer toward Halloween. He spotted Charles and patted him on the back “Good work Chuck, you did good” Said Pumpkin Jack, who was dressed in all orange and black as usual. His jagged pumpkin-carving sword was strapped to his belt, but everyone assumed it was fake or didn’t seem to notice.

 

            Charles could feel the joy and entertainment that the park was bringing everyone and it brought a warm smile to his face. Then a sense of dread over took him, he looked toward the Haunted Forest and saw an uprising of shadow fiends, ghosts and spirits gathering behind the Carnival. Charles looked at Pumpkin Jack, who also saw it. The two ran along the outer gate of the carnival, they ran as fast as they could in hopes that they would be able to intercept the shadow fiends before they reached the carnival.

 

            When Charles finally reached the group of spirits and fiends he noticed the Czars already standing between the fiends and the carnival. Pumpkin Jack and Charles quickly went to join their friends. “You won’t stop us human!” shouted a towering shadow creature carrying a black hammer. The shadow hammer had runes written into the side and Charles knew right away what they were. The shadow hammer was forged with shadow magic and physical magic, letting the wielder attack any ghost, spirit, shadow or human with crushing force. “Whats going on? We had a deal! Don’t you already feel the fear from the scary rides in my carnival?” Asked Charles. The leader of the small army laughed. “You promised a feast of fear and so far we’ve only had a snack. There isn’t enough fear to satisfy all of us. We all helped build your human entertainment and now we want the feast we were promised” said the shadow fiend leader. “Gentlemen, it doesn’t matter the size of your meal, this is a guaranteed yearly meal that you wouldn’t normally have. This is one meal you don’t have to hunt for, one meal that is delivered right to you. You all did a wonderful job helping build the rides, but now you have infinite years ahead of you of annual free meals. A month of work and now you have guaranteed fear to eat every Halloween. This carnival will go on for as long as I live and I plan to live a very long time” Explained Charles calmly. Some of the angry spirits and shadow fiends seemed satisfied with that for an answer. “ALSO if you go any further I will put every one of you whimpering spirits so far in the ground you won’t ever see the moon again!” Shouted pumpkin Jack who was holding his jagged pumpkin sword. Jack’s blade was also able to cut and destroy any ghost, shadow fiend, monster or human. Pumpkin Jack was older than most of the creatures in the haunted forest and the power of his sword was a product of absorbing years of dark energy from Hallows end and the Haunted forest.

 

            Between the rational explanation given by Charles and the convincing threat from Pumpkin Jack, the majority of the shadow fiends and ghosts decided to slink back into the Haunted forest and enjoy their free meal. The shadow leader and his closest followers decided to press the issue. “You don’t scare me, Pumpkin boy. My hammer can kill anything, no matter how old you claim to be. So I think its time to feast on those humans. Their pure fear will taste even better than this manufactured fear you are feeding us” Said the Shadow Leader as he began to march forward.

 

            Nyx and Poe, the Czars of Halloween, pulled their weapons out from the straps on their back. “I was hoping not to mess up my suit” Said Poe as he brushed his black and white suit with the back of his hand. “I was hoping to mess up someone’s face, so this works out” Said Nyx with a creepy smile. The Czars of Halloween, and Pumpkin Jack all charged forward with their weapons ready to strike. Charles stayed back and began to chant. After a few seconds Charles was able to create a barrier around the Halloween Carnival. The barrier let humans come and go, but anything supernatural couldn’t pass through into the carnival, the barrier also hid the fighting that was about to ensue outside.

 

            Pumpkin Jack charged forward and slashed like a maniac at the Shadow leader, Pumpkin Jack used to be a human sailor at one point in his life, he had sword skills, grace and a peaceful mind, now he had the mind of an animal and went berserk whenever he was in a fight. The shadow leader was able to block each sword strike with his shadow hammer but he was having a difficult time keeping up. The giant shadow monster swatted his large hand at pumpkin Jack then used both hands to slam his hammer into the ground. The ground shook and spirits rose up from the ground and began to latch onto Jack, sapping his strength with their supernatural powers.

 

            Poe ran toward Jack and swung his Axe scythe. The great blade sliced through the air, sending a spirit blade forward at Jack. The spirit blade went through Jack but only made contact with the summoned spirits. The Spirits all cried out as Poe’s special ability forced them back into the earth from where they came. The shadow leader melted into the ground and reappeared behind Poe, striking him in the head with a quick but deadly punch. The force of the punch sent Poe stumbling sideways before he crumpled to the ground. Nyx shouted in anger and alarm and rushed toward Poe. Nyx and Jack pulled their swords out and attacked the shadow leader at the same time. The force of two pumpkin swordsmen attacking at once was too much for the leader. Each strike of either sword left a trail of fire and burning wounds. The shadow leader tried to block with his hammer but the force of the sword strikes were too much and ever time a sword struck his hammer, the shadow hammer would shake and start to crack.

 

            The two swordsmen attacked with the force of an army of wild animals. The shadow hammer began to glow orange-red as it heated up. Poe finally stood up with a determined and deadly look in his eyes. He charged forward and swung his axe with all of his might, straight down at the shadow leader. The leader blocked and the force of Poe’s strike broke the already weakened hammer. The shadow leader flew backward as his hammer exploded.

 

            “uh…huh, fine. You win. But you can’t kill me. No matter how much I am sliced. Only a shadow fiend can kill another shadow fiend” Said the Shadow leader. Just then Pumpkin Jack realized he hadn’t seen Charles. The group of friends looked around only to see Charles in his true Shadow fiend form. A hulking shadow monster was ripping ghosts and spirits apart with his bare hands, then eating the ones who weren’t completely destroyed.

           

            Charles had been fed so well over the years from the Autumn Carnival that his true for was as big if not bigger than the shadow leader, who was an older shadow fiend than Charles. “You dare attack my carnival? You attack MY PAYING CUSTOMERS?!” Charles shouted, his voice shook the ground. Charles jumped in the air and landed next to the shadow leader. Charles had horns, glowing yellow eyes and jagged teeth inside his giant mouth. Purple and black swirls moved through his whole body as if he was a liquid, a smoke and a solid all at once. The shadow leader melted into the ground to escape but Charles reached into the ground after him and pulled the leader out, lifting him up in the air.

 

            Before the Shadow leader could beg for mercy Charles took a big bite out of the leader, crunching off his head with little effort. He dropped the leaders body in a slump, which quickly melted away. Charles opened his mouth, pulled the leaders head out of his mouth and held it up in the air. The leader’s head was still alive, losing his body didn’t seem to slow him down. Charles summoned a pumpkin out of this air and smashed the leaders head into a pumpkin. A face appeared on the pumpkin, it wasn’t carved but instead it looked as if it was painted on by glowing purple paint. The spirit paint appeared in the grim visage of the Shadow fiend leader. The spirit of the Leader was now trapped in this special pumpkin for all eternity, as long as no one smashed it open. Charles stashed the pumpkin away in a pocket that he seemed to open up out of the air.

 

            The Czars of Halloween seemed shocked and surprised, Pumpkin Jack looked like he had seen this kind of thing before and was unimpressed. “Well I am glad that is over” Said Pumpkin Jack. “Yes, me too! Thank you so much for your help. It may have seemed like I had everything under control but I certainly couldn’t have done it without you. The shadow leaders hammer alone would have put me down for the count” Said Charles as he slowly morphed into his human form.

 

            The customers of the Halloween Carnival had no idea that their lives were in danger and if asked they would say that they had a great time and looked forward to going again next year.

Joseph Stephens and the Early Arrival

It was September and heat continued to oppress the city. Joseph Stephens was out for a stroll around town. The sun was setting and Joseph hoped that the night would bring a much needed break from the heat.

July the spirit of summer yawned as the lights grew dim. The night rolled on but she refused to go to bed. July wore out her welcome in many ways. She stayed up late some nights, keeping the heat going until the early hours of the next day and often would stick around well into September, leaving Patches the autumn spirit with a short season.

The sun finally set and Joseph looked up into the sky at the giant summer spirit. “Hey July, you going to bed?” Joseph called to her. “No, I think I will stay up! The night is still young and all of the people of the city want to enjoy the nice weather for a bit longer. Who am I to deprive them of my radiance?” July said to Joseph. Joseph sneered “yeah sure ‘nice’ weather” he muttered. While it was true many people in the city enjoyed warm weather and some even enjoyed the humid weather, it wasn’t true that the whole city enjoyed July. In face the city was pretty split up over all the seasons. Nice weather meant something completely different depending on who you asked. Joseph would suffer the summer and was rewarded with Fall and spring. Some people would wait all year for summer and hate when winter arrived. Joseph’s problem was when summer was supposed to start leaving and instead decided that everyone loved her so much that she should stay until winter arrived.

The street lights in the city turned on as the sun finally set. Building lights, street lights and car lights illuminated the city. Turning a city of concrete into something a little nicer, something a little more pleasant to look at. The air was slightly cooler without the sun hanging over the sky but until July went to bed the persistent heat would remain.

Music started to play, each note lingered in the air as it was played, like a slowly drifting leaf on the wind. The music was soft and slow but as it went on became more ominous. The slow melody was joined with quieter more rapid notes. Like someone striking the keys of a piano as someone on stage tried to play a relaxing melody on a violin. The sharp keys continued until it drowned out the soft melody all together. The street lights dimmed, the car lights went black and the city block lost power. Lights went out everywhere within that city block. A cold wind blew, it was freezing like the icy hand of death reaching out. It felt cold like the breath of old man winter. Joseph looked around in the dark. Joseph didn’t think Winter wouldn’t try to arrive this early, but he wasn’t sure.

“w-who is that?” July called out in fear. The music started to get louder and louder. A black cloaked figure soared through the air and with him he brought frigid cold air. “Halloween has come early to this town and Death has come early for YOU!” Said the cloaked figure. A skeletal hand reached out from the cloak and pointed at July. July quaked in fear “N-no! You can’t! My father is the sun! you can’t threaten me!!” July shouted back trying to calm her fear. “The sun cannot help you here. It is night and I bring the darkness on my heels” replied the cloaked figure. “You can’t! I am an immortal spirit” July protested. “Your soul will be especially delicious” Replied the figure. Red eyes glowed from under the hood as he looked up at July.

            “Why have you come? Why me? Why now?” July asked in a panic. “You have over stayed your welcome, you bully the seasons into ending early and starting late. You only obey those you fear and you only fear two things. Winter…”the cloaked figure said slowly then he pulled down his hood revealing a skeleton head with burning red eyes. “…And DEATH!”

July shrieked “No! I will leave, I will be good I swear!!!” July said and then jumped so hard that she soared straight into the air and didn’t come back down. Joseph watched Summer disappear into the sky as he smiled with a devilish grin. The cloaked figure loomed over the city, its red eyes burning so brightly it could be seen from the ground. “Happy Halloween everyone!!!!” Shouted the cloaked skeleton, then it began to cackle like a mad man. Trees twisted into black Halloween trees and Jack o lanterns sprouted from the ground, their faces already carved and their candles already lit.

Joseph began to laugh too. The madness was contagious and the heat of summer had been getting to him. The city block turned into a Halloween city, with spirits walking the streets and Jack-o-lanterns on every street corner. Thick tree roots grew over the street lamps and the light from the street lights emitted an eerie green glow. Car lights were now purple, like black light and all of the houses and buildings had a warm orange tint to their lights. Cold air rushed through the city but then calmed down. The air became breezy but not cold. It felt like late October on Halloween night.

The skeleton spotted Joseph Stephens and soared down to meet him. “You enjoyed my work mortal?” Asked the skeleton. “Haha, Yes I did sir. July had it coming and Halloween can’t come soon enough” Joseph replied. Realizing this was all harmless fun. People were scared but no one got hurt. The skeleton laughed, its laugh echoed through the air as if it had been carried on the wind. “We already have two Czars of Halloween mortal, if we didn’t I would offer you a title on the spot” Said the cloaked Skeleton. “So who are you anyway? At first I thought you were Patches in Disguise” Said Joseph. “I am a Grim Reaper, one of many, son of Death herself” The grim reaper said. “I am also friends of Pumpkin Patch, or Patches as you call him and a fan of Halloween” The Reaper added.

Joseph stood in amazement “Oh! So that wasn’t for show then? You were going to kill July? Also what about the city, will it stay like this?” Joseph asked. “No, I just wanted to scare her. Also don’t worry about the city, it will return to normal by the crack of dawn. The weather will be more of a pleasant early September as well. The heat should stay away as long as July doesn’t come back” The Grim reaper explained.

“well I have actual work to do, I can’t goof off too much, I am on the clock” The grim reaper said “Oh, do spirits have time and schedules like humans do?” asked Joseph. “No, don’t be a sucker. We live forever, why would we need time. Its just an expression that I say when I have to leave” The grim reaper laughed, then he vanished.

 Joseph felt weird about being mocked by the Grim Reaper. Maybe it was a honor? Joseph wondered if all the Grim Reapers were jerks who loved Halloween.

The night went on and Joseph Stephens stayed outside as long as he could. He went home to get a jacket, he bought a coffee from the local coffee house and strolled through the Halloween city block. He greeted the spirits, who were all very friendly, he marveled at the twisted trees and glowing Jack-o-lanterns and enjoyed the cool autumn breeze on his face. Anyone with a fireplace began to light fires and the smell of wood smoke drifted through the streets. Joseph had a feeling of bliss and wished every night could be this good.

Joseph Stephens enjoyed his autumn night and as he walked home he could faintly hear the sound of soft music playing.

Felix and the Trick or treat

            On a cool autumn night a small black cat wearing a small black hat, sat on a fence. The cat had a collar, attached to the collar was a little black bowtie. Below the bowtie hung the nametag. “Felix” was engraved on the small metal oval hanging from the cat’s orange color. With the combination of the gentleman’s hat and bowtie, Felix looked like he was ready for a night on the town. More accurately his owners dressed him up for Halloween before letting him out for the night. Despite not dressing himself Felix still walked with a certain level of confidence and looked handsome in his little outfit.

            A full moon lit up the sky and stars sparkled like diamonds against black satin. The town of “Maple Hill” was small and rural. It was a safe town and most people knew their neighbors. On Halloween Parents felt safe enough to let their kids trick or treat without an adult, usually an older sibling would look after the younger ones, or a child would go with friends. Felix bounced a little as he walked. The crisp air and the smell of baked goods tickled his nose and gave him energy. The sound of crunching leaves mixed with the giggling of children and the low howl of the wind.

            As Felix enjoyed his night of strolling the town he saw an unfamiliar cat. He knew every cat in the neighborhood just as the humans knew at least the face of every person in town. This cat was a girl cat, she was all black and had piercing green eyes. She wasn’t dressed up and didn’t have a collar. Felix was enchanted and walked right up to the slender black cat. Felix’s yellow eyes, black fur and black and orange outfit looked great on Halloween night, but somehow this new cat seemed to fit the night even better.

            As he approached this cat, she turned to him and smiled. Which was strange because cats can’t really ‘smile’. Felix stopped and was more cautious when he approached. The Female cat patted Felix’s head. Then turned to leave. Felix was about to approach but before he could the black cat turned into a crow, black with emerald green eyes. The crow looked at Felix as he stumbled backward. Then without a word or even a caw, the crow took off silently into the night.

            Halloween is a special time of the year when people dress up, eat candy and just for a brief time just might believe magic is real. On Halloween it doesn’t matter if you are a human or a cat, if something looks strange, maybe give it a second look.