Spending Christmas alone

Christmas music played softly in the background in a dimly lit room. A man named Andrew sat at his writing desk with a mug of eggnog. Most of his apartment lights were off, but he had a string of multicolored Christmas lights running along the top of the wall. This was one of his favorite times of the year and was always a time to be joyful. This year was different though, this was the first year in a few years that he had been single for Christmas. Andrew wasn’t the type that needed girlfriends, but there was one specific girl named Rachel that he met around Christmas two years ago. The excitement of a new relationship mixed with the holiday cheer that he was already feeling.

            On Christmas eve they would visit her family, then on Christmas night they would visit his. Christmas morning however was just for them. They would make love in the morning, have a simple breakfast and then Andrew would get as excited as a kid to open his presents. They would exchange gifts, Rachel always tried to guess what was in the box before she opened it, she never did get one right. After they opened presents Rachel insisted they listen to Christmas music to relax before more family stuff.

            Present day and Andrew continued to listen to the music in the background, it was their favorite holiday CD. Tears filled his eyes, as every little thing around the holidays would remind him of her. It was strange that having someone around for the holidays made it twice as fun, but when the person is gone, it ruins everything. Andrew still had his health, his job and his family and for that, he was grateful, but still, something was missing. He thought of her constantly and doing so made his chest hurt, like he was being stabbed in the heart. It had been ten long months since they broke up and it hurt for a while, but Andrew thought he had gotten over it. Before the holiday season he was even feeling confident enough to start dating again. But then the cold weather set in and the jingle bells started to play and Andrew was reduced to a miserable helpless mass.

            The eggnog he was drinking was full of rum, he drank it down in one gulp. He was already drunk and this would only add to it. He didn’t care though. He needed something to help him forget the pain, to drown his sorrows. Andrew eyed his phone, but kept stopping himself before he called anyone. He was sober enough to know that no one wanted to talk to him in his current state and trying to contact Rachel would be a really bad idea, especially if he was drunk. He just wished for a few months they could be together again, have the old holiday feeling back, then they could go their separate ways.

            Andrews mind tormented him, playing over what he did wrong and what she did wrong and all the bad stuff that split them up. He couldn’t drop it, even though it hurt so bad to even think about her. In a fit of confusion and rage, Andrew threw his empty mug, shattering it against the wall then began to weep softly. His emotional pain felt like physical pain too, that plus the alcohol made him act like a wounded animal. How badly he wished he could find comfort. Comfort from his loneliness and from his own tormented mind.

            It hurt now but the pain would heal, he just needed to get through one day at a time and things would eventually get better. Then his phone rang, he rushed for the phone and answered it. “Hello?” Andrew said, drunkenly. “Merry Christmas, Andrew” Rachel said from the other end, rather meekly. Andrew’s heart sank into his stomach. How badly he wanted to say her name and go see her, to find comfort in her and pretend everything was back to normal. Andrew cried silently. “Hello? Are you there?” Rachel asked sounding worried. Andrew loved her, she was the only woman he ever loved and moments ago he would have given his right leg to talk to her again. But now, it just didn’t seem right. He didn’t know why she called, but things would never go back to normal, they would never be the same. Unable to speak and not knowing what to say, he hung up the phone. She might call right back, or she might never call him again. Right now, it didn’t matter.

            As soon as the phone clicked shut, he instantly regretted his decision. For another thirty minutes he threw himself around the room, arguing with himself and wondering if he made the right decision. When he eventually sobered up the next day, he decided that he did in fact make the right decision. That chapter of his life was over and it was time to move on. The rest of the holiday season was still lonely for Andrew, but who knows, maybe in the future Christmas will take on a new feeling for him and it will be a happy time, once again.

Winter road

            As I walk down this road, I wonder where the time has gone. I march, leaving behind a forest of autumn trees, pumpkins and rain-scented land. Ahead of me is snow as far as the eye can see. Peacefully it drifts through the air and lands gently on the ground, millions of tiny snowflakes dancing on the wind for a short moment before gathering together in mass. Cold wind blows in my face, as if trying to push me back, but still I march. 

            I’ve made this trip countless times over millions of years. The seasons change as I walk down this road. Spring starts the birth of a new year, then summer a time to enjoy the warmth you have in your life, Autumn is a time to reflect on your life and Winter is the end, a time to enjoy the time you have left with the ones you love. So I leave the world of the harvest and set down this winter road, to a world of holidays, celebration and warmth against the cold night.

            My mind drifts back into memories, remembering good times of winter and Christmas as I look forward to the new winter fast approaching. I love listening to the Christmas music that stays the same every year, yet never seems to get old. I crave nostalgia almost as I crave warm desserts.

             Traveling on this winter road is wonderful as it is difficult. The snow looks so nice in the daylight as sun shines off the ice, making it sparkle. Animals play in the snow and the fields of pure white are a sight to behold. When the sun goes down stars sparkle brightly across the clear night sky. The beauty of nature always impresses me, year after year. Though to say it gets cold and a little lonely out here is an understatement. The wind blows so harshly that I feel it cut through my coat and chill my bones. Walking through snow is also very tiring and when your walking alone, the journey seems a little tougher.

            Winter is so diverse, that might be why I like it so much. It is such a mixed bag of good and bad with so many different emotions to experience. So I make this trip down the winter road, walking my way through the season, headed north for the holidays. But now its time I leave you, but I wish to leave you with warm thoughts, thoughts of family, sitting by the fire staring out at the snow, bright lights, and delicious food.

            Have a happy holiday and I will see you again in the spring.

Mac's Choice

Death sat silently next to Mac. Death looked like a young girl with cold eyes, her clothes black and almost shapeless like they were formed from shadows. Mac was a twenty something year old man with a red hoodie and a bad haircut. Mac palmed his face with one hand, in his other hand he held a gun. The two figures stood silently in an alleyway in a big city. It was a city full of people, yet Mac never felt so alone. With so many people jammed into a city, would anyone notice if someone went missing, or if someone died?

“I don’t know what you’re waiting for, the answers won’t come any clearer” Death spoke, her words so cold that it chilled the air. Mac hesitated and seemed uneasy. “you act like its not a big deal” Mac replied. “I see it every day, so to me, it isn’t
 Death explained. Mac held his gun out and put it up to his head as his hands trembled. “Your life is pointless. What do you contribute to anything? You sedate your brain with television and beer, you work for a paycheck, not for the better of anything. Your paycheck only buys more television and beer. If you had any real friends you wouldn’t be standing in this alley with a gun, talking to yourself” Death explained. She reached out and ran a delicate finger down the side of Mac’s face. “Haven’t you ever heard of embracing death? I wonder why people don’t try it more” She said seductively. Her eyes just as icy cold as before, but her face was a fake pout as if trying to be cute. Mac looked at Death and cursed under his breath. Death wasn’t a women, it just decided to look this way for now. Even though the girl was pale and covered in black clothes and shadows, her dainty frame, round eyes and curves all made her rather attractive.

“You’re the devil!” Mac cursed, annoyed that Death was trying to seduce him into pulling the trigger. Death laughed “no my dear, I am not. If you ever meet the devil, you will know it instantly. Besides, I’m not making you do anything, I didn’t even lead you here to this alley. You bought a gun and walked here, I am here to collect you when your done” Death replied, sounding innocent.

Mac’s body continued to tremble. He didn’t want to die, but he had nothing to live for. Just being alive hurt. His body ached constantly and he was so lonely his emotional pain only seemed to add to his physical pain. He searched his mind for a reason to live, anything. He thought about friends, surely his buddies would miss him. They might at first, but their busy lives would sweep up their attention again. His family would miss him, but only because they liked to use him. He had a car and a little money so he would get phone calls when he was of use. Mac didn’t have a girlfriend and the last girl he dated was a bitch, adding to the list of bitches that Mac knew. He hoped not all women were terrible, but it was difficult to believe when he only met terrible people.

Mac didn’t have much going for him, so would he be throwing anything away if he died? People are born and others die, every single day. What is the worth of a human life, more importantly, what is the worth of Mac’s life? Mac didn’t have any answers. He didn’t want to die, he wanted his life to be better, but he didn’t know how to make it better and continuing on the same path wasn’t an option.

Mac tightened his grip on the gun as death watched, smiling softly to herself. Mac pulled the trigger and a shot range out. After one loud bang, the alley was quiet again. No one came running, no one noticed. The world moved on. The world continued to be a wonderful place for some and a terrible nightmare for others. Mac’s life had absolutely no impact on history, social events or the progress of the world. Yet if Mac’s life was so worthless why did Death show up personally to collect him? And when She did show up to see Mac hadn’t killed himself, why did she even care to persuade him?

Mac thought about all of these things before he pulled the trigger and when he finally did, the gun wasn’t aimed at his head, it was aimed at Death. Mac knew shooting Death wouldn’t do anything, but he made his point. Without saying a word, Death vanished, leaving Mac alone with his thoughts. He didn’t know what his life was worth now and maybe it wasn’t worth anything now, but he was determined to find out what it could be worth in the future and maybe he would then finally find something worth living for.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello everyone and Happy thanksgiving. I had a story all lined up for this week but was unable to finish it. Stories will continue next week.

Adam and Patches

            Mist settled over a quiet little harbor town. The sound of waves mixed with the drunken laughter of the people from the Inn. in this sleepy town a small boat docked without anyone even noticing. A tall man muscular man stepped from the boat, his heavy boots making a loud thud when he stepped down on the dock. The man wore a long sleeved, baggy, gray shirt, black pants, heavy boots, thick workers gloves and a large, blue woolen scarf that covered his neck and mouth. The night air was frigid and besides the heavy scarf, the rest of the man’s clothes didn’t look like they would keep a normal person warm on such a night. Besides his clothing, the tall man wore a long chain wrapped around each arm. He was a menacing figure to see in the night, with his large frame, heavy footsteps and the sound of clanking chains as he moved. Next to step off the boat was a small, black cat with pale blue eyes. He had a tiny chain around his neck, though it was for decoration and hardly weighed anything. It seemed strange for a menacing figure to be walking around with a small cat, but no one yet had been brave enough to mention this.

            The tall man and the cat, Adam and Patches, walked along the cobblestone path, through the middle of town, they were stopped by a man holding a sword in each hand, the swords pointed outward and the swordsman stood as if waiting for the tall figure to arrive at this port. “You must be Adam the chained man. You have a hefty price on your head, not sure why. It doesn’t seem that you’re a criminal, but a bounty is a bounty” The bounty hunter said. “you know my name, but I do not know yours” Replied Adam, his voice was calm, but was distant as if his voice came from the air around them. The scarf his Adam’s mouth, but since it was just the two of them in the street, the bounty hunter knew it was Adam who asked. “My name is Syrad the bounty hunter” Replied Syrad. This bounty hunter wore a long, heavy coat to protect against the chill and rain and a regal looking hat with a small feather. His shoes and pants looked durable for travel but also fancy as if this man had royal blood. He even wore white fencing gloves. “your pretty well dressed and groomed for a bounty hunter. Whats wrong, tired of all the nobleman parties and fox hunting, so you decided to try your hand at bringing in people?” Asked Adam mockingly. His voice came from all directions, it was haunting. Syrad gritted his teeth. “I am a perfectly capable fighter, so surrender or I will kill you and drag your corpse back myself” Syrad shouted holding his swords out to fight. Then he smiled “or better yet, I will pay someone to drag your corpse back for me” He laughed, turning the joke around in his favor.

            Adam didn’t flitch or even reach for a weapon, he stood there ready for Syrad to advance. “are you ready, Patches?” Adam asked. After a moment of silence Adam replied “good, lets get this over with” Syrad rushed the tall man and swung his swords. his form was professional and his duel swords would make short work of anyone. The sword strikes were fast and to an average person the blades became blurs in the air. The swords made a sickening ‘thunk’ as they sank into flesh. Syrad smiled as he looked at now stabbed and slashed Adam. Syrad’s smile quickly faded when he realized he stabbed a post and Adam was nowhere to be found. Syrad turned around to see the large man’s chain covered fist fly toward his face. Adam’s fist connected with the force of a sledgehammer. Syrad’s head flung backward and he hit the ground. Adam stood over his downed opponent only to be struck in the back with an arrow. Adam let growl of pain and turned quickly to see Syrad had brought back up. The archer was loading another arrow when, like lighting, Adam had closed a large distance in a flash. Adam’s eyes glowed a pale blue and he wound his arm back. Before the archer could react, chains flew through the air and wrapped around the archers neck. Adam flicked his arm and shot the archer into the air like a sling firing a rock. The Archer flew over houses and landed into the ocean close to the shore. Syrad stood back up and quietly ran up behind Adam, ready to strike with his swords. but the black cat stopped him. With surprising skill and ability the cat jumped into the air and looked as if it could fly as it dashed through the air and tackled Syrad. Such a small cat wouldn’t knock over a full grown man, even if thrown, but this cat hit Syrad with such intense force it knocked the bounty hunter back down again. The cat’s eyes glowed with the same intensity as Adam’s eyes and it seemed that they were connected some how.

            “you did indeed find the Adam you were looking for, but made a few common mistakes” Said Adam as he and Patches walked toward Syrad. “First you underestimated patches, secondly, you confused me for a cat” Said Adam. Adam the black cat stepped onto Syrad’s chest. The cat’s glowing blue eyes seemed to be controlling Patches, the large man, who wasn’t actually a man, but a Golem with moderate to low intelligence. Syrad was speechless, so Adam continued. “I don’t know if you care for anything more than the money, but please know that I am only being perused because of my gifts. I am a wizard trapped in the body of a cat, but still incredibly useful to other wizards who want to learn my secrets. So that is why the gold is high, but the information is close to nothing” The cat finished talking then delicately jumped off Syrad and walked away. “Now you have two choices, surrender or die” Adam said. Patches now stood looming over Syrad, his breath escaping into the cold night air as he stared down at the bounty hunter with murderous intensity. “I Surrender…”Syrad said meekly.

            As if they had a life of their own, the chains wrapped back up onto the arms of Patches the chained man and the loyal golem turned to leave town with his master, the Magical cat Adam.

Two Brothers

 Blades clash and the echo of it rings out in the hallway. Two opponents face off against each other, William and Alex Herrenburge, brothers now fight to the death. The two men stand out of breath, their swords still up, ready to continue fighting. The fight had been going on for hours, deadly and fierce as neither of these skilled sword fighters would back down even an inch.

It all started when the younger brother of two year, Alex, stole something most precious from his brother William, a secret treasure that William had kept with him his entire life. Seemingly ordinary to the average person but priceless to William, this prize was given to him by his father and Alex had always been jealous of it. What the item was didn’t matter, it was the principle of it. Alex had been given gifts before, but never had he received something so extravagant.

At first Alex just wanted to see it, to be close to such an expensive treasure was enough, but slowly he let the voice in his head convince him that he was the one who deserved it. William did nothing special with his life and was only rewarded because he was born first.  Alex seethed with anger and in the dead of night, broke into Williams bedroom to steal his most prized treasure.

Once this was discovered William tried to reason with Alex and even tried to be nice. When reason failed however, drastic action had to be taken. Alex acted like a brat his entire life and it was time for William to put him in his place. The two brothers drew their swords, weapons that were identical and made by the same craftsman, the swords were even presented to the brothers at the same time during a celebration. Rapidly Alex slashed through the air, fury and injustice in his mind. He was skilled enough, but lacked the discipline of his older brother. William had a hard time dodging the erratic strikes and was struck several times by a lucky glancing blows. William held up his defense however and was determined that when he finally did land a strike on Alex, it would count.

The two parried and lunged, slashed and dodged for hours. Fighting in the hall of their family’s estate. Both brothers were tired and mildly wounded and every once in a while one of them would think of giving up before shaking it from their mind altogether. The brother that won this sword fight would be the superior sibling and would have the rights to claim the wonderful prize that they fought so dearly for.

William blocked the flurry of attacks with his own sword, then he saw an opening and went for it. Quickly he lunged forward and struck his brother Alex in the throat. Alex’s eyes widened and the air fell silent. Suddenly Alex burst out crying causing their mother to run into the living room. “Are you two fighting again? I told your father not to buy those plastic swords, but no, no one listens to me. I’m only his WIFE!” She shouted, clearly upset and also talking to herself now. Alex and William were in trouble. The boys, ages 10 and 8, bickered constantly over shiny black toy car that William was given before Alex was born. After all these years it still looked fantastic, but Alex was never allowed to play with it, so the two brothers would often get into fist fights or scuffles but now that Alex went into Williams room and took it from the top of his dresser, the two went into a child like rage and began striking each other with their toy swords. Despite being toys the swords were a hard plastic and being struck in the throat wasn’t fun for an eight year old. Mother brought Father in to survey the damage, Father just glared at his boys and sent them to different rooms after confiscating their weapons.

The two brothers were both banished to their rooms and though Alex thought the fight was a tie, William knew he clearly won. He sat in his bedroom holding his precious treasure, the black toy race car, and smiled. The battle was over, but the war would continue, just as long as the treasonous Alex wasn’t watching cartoons or asleep or something.

Any battles that took place after this had similar endings all until the passage of time healed all wounds and the brothers no longer cared for the toy car. There was peace in the land for many years up until one day, William and Alex met a young girl named Cindy, who lived just down the road, but that is a tale for another time.

Nightmare factory

In a large twisted castle that sat a top a hill overlooking a tiny town, lived Reaper a maniac and genius. Originally named Andy and from a small family that lived in the town he now overlooks, Reaper built a castle to live in and a factory for work. The factory for building nightmares, creatures that the mere sight of them would haunt a persons dreams forever. This wasn’t easy to make such a creature and it took many tries before things even began to look right.

In the factory Reaper would toil away. His first batch of creatures was small, slow and dumb. By the end of the week they had managed to accidentally kill themselves off. One drank dangerous chemicals another fell off the roof of the castle, one by one they saved Reaper the trouble of doing it himself. Many tries later the creatures looked more intimidating, but they had so many weaknesses it was hard to keep them alive. Playing god was tricky business.

Reaper had to work fast, his plan was to release his nightmare army on Halloween and the long awaited night was fast approaching. The upside was that some of his failed experiments might not have looked scary, but were very helpful around the castle. If they had enough intelligent and mobility he would let them live and they would work in the kitchen or clean. So while Reaper worked in his factory trying to beat the deadline he set, his minions would cook, clean and even decorate for Halloween. Minions were the best things ever.

Then one stormy night, under a full moon, insane laughter could be heard from the factory. Reaper had done it, he had made the most terrifying creatures ever. They could change shape to fit the persons worst fear, they could turn invisible and they could both fly and run very fast. It was perfect! So he waited for Halloween. On that night he would finally be the most feared man ever. He would be Reaper, The creator of nightmares. No longer Andy the little nerdy kid from town. Once he took care of the town he would spread his influence across the land. Everyone would fear him.

Then on Halloween night, the large doors to the castle opened. Dark figures fluttered out of the castle like bats out of hell. Reaper stepped out next, dressed in a gothic top hat and black suit with a dark purple tie. He casually walked along the path to town, the Jack-o-lanterns that lined the road lit the way. Soon the village would be screaming and running in terror, he could almost hear it now.

The shrieks started and Reaper hastened his steps. By the time he got to town almost everyone had fled. He could see the backs of the people as they ran for the hills. He laughed as they fled like sheep crying into the night. Within hours he had seized control of the town and renamed it Reaperville. Though the name was subject to change if he thought of something cooler. He spent the rest of the night drinking and partying with his fearsome creations. In the morning they would start work and rebuild the town to his design. Things were going perfectly.

That morning, the sun creaked in slowly. The candles in Jack-o-lanterns had burned out, the town was a mess from the party and Reaper woke up feeling tired and a little sore. As he awoke, he saw his nightmares vanish into a cloud of smoke as the light stretched across the land. He had shined light on them before, but he must have forgotten to test sunlight on them. It seemed the sun was their only weakness and within seconds fried his entire army. Reaper yelled in frustration. All his hard work went down the drain. At least he managed to clear out the town, though the new remodeling would have to wait, it was now time to get back to the factory to find a more stable type of nightmare creature. So back to his castle he went, to work in his nightmare factory. By next year he would be ready with another batch of nightmares and he would certainly be ready for another great Halloween.

Hallows end Battle

Here it is everyone! the final Halloween story. This one is three pages long, so get a cup of coffee or cider, relax and enjoy!

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Night gently creeps in as the sun goes down and the lights are lit in the town of Hallows end. A gentle breeze makes the autumn trees sway and Jack-o-lanterns dot the landscape. The Great pumpkin lantern sits proudly at the center of town. With a large grinning face and a light that keeps the surrounding haunted forest at bay.

It was another cool autumn night in Hallows end and Halloween Jack and his friends were celebrating. “Heres to another great year of Halloween fun!” Shouted Trick, the lovable party girl. She was dressed in a revealing witches costume this year and held her glass of dark red wine high to toast. Halloween Jack raised his glass of pumpkin beer in the air and cheered. He was already drunk. Tonight he wore his orange cloak, black pants and shirt, striped black and orange boots and sturdy leather gauntlets with pumpkins on them. His black hair was a mess and the battle scars on his face stretched as he smiled. The third friend, Horror Bill just smiled at the two and sat silently drinking blood from a cup. He had a long black coat with pockets full of knives and various weapons.

The laughter and celebration continued on until a cold wind blew through creepy old house of Horror bill, where the friends had been partying. A cool breeze was fine, a chilly rain was expected, but a cold wind was unusual. “Ha! When did Hallows end suddenly become Frost peaks?” Laughed Jack. He chuckled drunkenly to himself for a few seconds before stopping and noticing the wind was getting worse. “This looks serious…” Trick muttered. Jack stood up from his chair, shaky at first then walked out the door. He looked up and saw snow starting to fall. He held his hand out as a snowflake landed gently into his gloved hand. “What the fucks this?” Jack said annoyed and sobering slightly. In the distance and snowstorm was brewing and it looked like it was heading toward town. “We need to check this out. I can’t have snow, its not even Halloween yet!” Jack declared.

The three friends ran into town, going to check on the Great Pumpkin Lantern. If it ever froze or had its fire put out the whole town would be engulfed in darkness and Jack wasn’t about to move to Cherry blossom hill, Ocean front retreat and sure as hell not going to Frost peaks. The storm was closing in and it was headed right for the center of town. All of the towns people hid in their homes as the storm got closer, leaving Jack and his friends the only three who seemed ready to stop whatever it was bringing the storm with it. “Snow never comes down this way, someone has to be responsible. I say we go into the storm and find out who it is. Then Horror Bill can eat him” Jack told his friends. Bill let out a quiet “Yes!” then the three ran from the town, headed right into the storm.

On the outskirts of town, two strangers waited. Orange and black portals pulsed behind them. The first was a man, undead with green hair and black clothing, carrying shovel. The second was a girl, looked shy, wore gothic clothing, had pale skin and red eyes. They talked at the snow began to fall around them. Jack stopped and smiled “did you guys come to defend the town?” the two turned and smiled when they saw Jack. “Yes. Its not just this town, but Halloween itself is in danger. I cannot have that. It is the one night a year I am free from my curse. I am the Gravedigger. Call me Graves” Graves replied. “without Halloween I will never see my love, John again. I’m Dylena, by the way. This day means so much to me, I am willing to fight” Dylena said. Jack smiled “Good to meet you. If Halloween is in danger we have to take this seriously” Jack said.

Up ahead the snow worsened, at the center was a man dressed in red, strange wizard from a far away land. “Your Town and the ‘Holiday’ that you celebrate is a disgrace. Letting fear and monsters run wild is dangerous and I am taking upon myself to protect everyone from you” Said the ice wizard, his voice booming and floating on the wind. He waved a striped red and white staff through the air and suddenly the ice and snow began to form into a monster. Frost the snow monster, growled as he sprang forth from the ground. He chewed menacingly on a pipe smoking pipe and wore a black hat.

Halloween Jack was about to inform this ice wizard of the error he had made, how Halloween wasn’t a dangerous Holiday but seeing the giant snow golem appear, Jack decided to let his sword do the talking. He pulled a jagged blade from his belt, adorned with a silver pumpkin on the hilt. Trick looked like a witch, but didn’t have any magical powers, Horror Bill was dangerous to humans, but was more of a predator than he was a fighter. “Jack, honey. I think we will wait this one out. Try not to die!” Said Trick as she scampered off with Horror Bill. Grave on the other hand was immortal and Dylena had enhanced strength and speed common among the people of her world.

Graves ran forward and flew into the air, Frost brought down his boulder sized fist to crush the Gravedigger, but Graves simply went transparent, went through the fist, turned solid and whacked Frost with his shovel. “You’re meddling with my only chance to see my family each year!” He yelled at the ice wizard. Frost stumbled backward. Dylena ran across the snowy ground with lighting speed and the grace of a cat. She pulled on a small rope tied around her waist and flicked it, it transformed into a thorny whip, which she used to lash the Snow monster with. Her eyes glowed and her gaze was fierce. “I will not go back to being an outcast. I have found a home and I plan to stay” She yelled, lashing wilding.

Jack smiled “I wonder if these two would like to replace my other friends” he chuckled then lunged forward with his sword. He stabbed it into the snow monsters chest, then slashed upward, cutting the beast up the middle. Ice shot out the wizards hand and struck Dylena, she fell to the ground, small icicles had pierced her skin then melted away. Jack was distracted and was hit with an uppercut from the snow beast. Graves struck downward with his shovel slicing off Frost’s arm. Jack got back to his feet and ran straight at the Wizard instead. Beating him was the only way to end this. Jack threw his sword, then jumped into the air. The wizard shot a blast of ice and wind to deflect the sword but couldn’t stop Jack as he came flying down. Jack pulled off his gloves, revealing a pair of shadowy claws. Jack’s face twisted into a nightmarish grin as he brought his claws down, slashing the wizard across the face and down his torso.

The Wizard gasped as he hit the cold snowy ground he looked at his golem for help. Frost had just punched a surprised Gravedigger across the field, but was now being choked and toppled by a wounded but very angry Dylena. She held her whip tight, as it wrapped around Frost and sliced him with the barbs. “Any last words, Nick?” Jack said with an evil smile. “How did you know my name?” Asked Nick, the saint of Frost peak. “I figured it out pretty quick” Jack replied, his claws dripping with blood. “Spare me, I am sorry. I need to take care of the people of Frost peak” he gasped. Jack seemed angrier at this reply. “what about the people of Hallow end? What about the lives you tried to ruin by attacking the Great Pumpkin lantern?!” Jack yelled. “From the peaks all I see of your town is darkness and all I hear are screams. It sounds like a horrible place” Nick replied. “From way up there, how can you truly know how a place is? Maybe you should try to spend a day in Hallows end before you decide to wipe it off the map!” Jack said kicking the old wizard. Halloween Jack just put his glove back on and turned away. “Get your snow monster and get out of here” He said.

Nick slowly stood up and waved his hand. The snowstorm died away and Frost disappeared into a cloud of light flurries. “I will leave this place. But we will meet again. I have not fully decided that your town is worth sparing” Nick said. Jack just growled in reply. The old wizard vanished in a gust of cold wind and transported back to his happy home in Frost peaks.

Dylena sighed, “Is it over?” Jack nodded. Graves floated back to the battlefield. “If Halloween is safe, then I will return to my Graveyard. I have work to do and a family to support” he said. Graves waved and gave a smile before stepping into a dark portal. Dylena smiled and hugged Jack. “we made a great team. Lets do this again sometime! Well minus the whole, destroying Halloween thing” she said. Jack laughed. “Next year, for sure” He said. A large transparent window appeared in the air, showing images of another world. “I better get back, John worries. He’s adorable like that” She said, then blushed and walked through the window, disappearing from sight.

Jack reached into his belt and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid. He had a long walk back to town and he planned to get good and drunk on his way. He would tell his cowardly friends that the danger was gone and with luck there would be enough time left over to celebrate the rest of Halloween night with cold drinks and a hot meal. Jack slowly walked away from the bloody snow covered field and toward Hallows end a land of Autumn trees, pumpkins, apple cider and Halloween.

Happy Halloween everyone!

The Gravedigger - Dark ending

Here is the Dark ending to the Gravedigger story. for the Bright ending refer to yesterdays post. for the whole story return to Wednesday's post. this is one of two endings.

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The night sky was dark, the moon hid behind the clouds and the stars didn’t seem to be shining tonight. Graves wasn’t concerned, he could see in the dark just as well as the light. He decided to go see his surviving family right away and took the long winding path to the Graves manor. Before he died, he heard a large house was being built for the Graves family. So whichever the generation, he would likely find them there.

Graves walked quickly to keep from losing any extra time on the journey through the forest to the Graves house outside of town. He was excited to see how everyone was doing, though they would all be new faces, they still shared his blood line and that was enough for him. The trail gave him time to think though, though seeing family would be nice, he was a little sad at the thought that he wouldn’t see his wife or children. They had died long ago from old age, a fact that didn’t bother Graves when he was working in the graveyard, but now that he was in the outside world the reality of the situation weighed heavily on him.

Then he saw it, the large house that was residence to the Graves family. As he approached a man called out to him from the porch. “whos there?” called the man. “Jonathan Graves, come to pay respects to his family” Graves called back in a raspy voice. He hadn’t talked in so long the sound of his own voice startled him. It must have startled the other man too, because he didn’t reply right away. “Jonathan Graves is dead and his family doesn’t live here. Now stop fooling around” The man called back. Graves continued to walk closer, seeing a man in his fifties sitting alone on the porch. “I am not dead. I am the cursed Gravedigger Jonathan Graves. Now tell me what happened to my family?” Graves asked. The man began to sweat as Graves approached. “I do not know. My family bought this house from the town fifty years ago. Last I head, the Graves family left Darkmoon to find a better place to live. Now please, if you truly are a ghost from the past. Haunt me no more. I’ve done nothing to you” The man pleaded with fear rising in his voice. Whatever happened wasn’t this mans fault. Graves growled and turned to leave. “Before I leave. One more question. What happened to the money? Wasn’t the town supposed to take care of anyone with the last name Graves?” The Gravedigger asked. The man thought quickly, as all of this happened before he was born so he didn’t have all the details. “As far as I know, the town stopped paying them when the town hit hard times. Darkmoon still stands, but the mayor didn’t think it was worth spending town gold on a family just to honor the dead” the man replied. Graves sighed and walked off without a word.

Darkmoon village sat quietly and peacefully, nestled next to the great graveyard hill. All was dark except for a few lanterns and house lights not put out yet. Graves entered the town, holding his shovel out like a weapon. He pulled his cloak up over his head and let his appearance slip. His living human face now slowly degraded into bone and pale corpse flesh. His eyes sunk in and began to glow a menacing yellow and his hair grew out and looked a pale green. He remained in solid form though, so he could walk and fight.

At the center of town was a large home, home of the mayor and his family, the same man or at least the son of the man who cut his family off from their income. Graves was cursed to work for eternity so unless the spell was broken he should be paid for an eternity. Since he was dead and didn’t need money, the money should go to his family. That was the deal and he was going to ensure the mayor kept his end of the bargain.

Graves walked up to the mayors manor and kicked the large doors in. The loud crash of the doors echoed through the halls. Lights were lit in a flash, the whole house awake and now on high alert. “I’ve come for the mayor! Bring me him and no one has to die!” Shouted Graves, his voice ghastly and nightmarish as he screamed into the night. Not surprisingly the mayor didn’t show up, but armed guards did. The mayor was protected, but this wasn’t a kings castle so Graves doubted he would have trouble.

Soldiers with swords charged at Graves from random doorways throughout the house. They all flooded into the large hall or entranceway. Graves swung his shovel around like a weapon. He took a swing at a guard, the guard blocked the attack and slashed with his sword. At the same time another guard stabbed Graves in the back. Jonathan had never been in a fight in his life, but his immortality would make up for the fact that he wasn’t a skilled fighter. Graves dropped the shovel and grabbed a guard by the neck and began to strangle him. The soldier gasped for air and choked as the others stabbed wildly at the intruder. Graves couldn’t feel pain and he couldn’t die, so he ignored the swords. The first guard died after being choked to death. Graves turned around to fight the others when a sword came swinging by and chopped off his head.

Everything went dark, Graves’ body disappeared as did his head as it spiraled through the air. Then a second later he reappeared transparent and ghostly. “I cannot die. Bring the mayor or you will all be buried alive!” He shouted as he floated midair, black cloak flowing and eyes glowing. He cackled madly causing the soldiers to run off. Graves needed to find the mayor before his time ran out. Staying in his ghostly form he took off flying around the house, going through walls, floors and ceilings. Then he spotted the mayor trying to escape out the backdoor with his wife.

“Stop!” Graves shouted. He swooped down and landed, instantly becoming solid again. The mayor crumpled to the ground in a panic. “Please spare me! Whatever I did, I’m sorry!” The mayor pleaded. Graves growled in disgust. “You look old enough, so I assume it was you. You stopped paying the Graves family my wages. Meanwhile I am cursed to work for eternity with nothing to show for it!” Graves shouted. The mayor slowly began to piece things together. “The curse of Jonathan Graves was just a legend and the Graves family led blessed lives, living off the towns income like fat cats” The mayor cried. “Silence worm! I am Jonathan Graves, who do you think dug all those holes in the ground and buried your dead? also I would watch how you speak of my family. I haven’t decided if I’m going to kill you yet” Graves responded. “Please, I will do anything. I will mend my ways” The mayor begged. “Gather my family back to Darkmoon. Send your men out looking for all with the last name Graves then pay them for my work. I work day and night in the graveyard. My family deserves the money. Find them and pay them or I will stomp out every trace of YOUR family” Graves replied.

The mayor didn’t like the idea of cutting into the town budget again, but it was either that or have an immortal Gravedigger threaten his entire family. “Yes fine, I will. I will undo the mistakes of my past” The mayor said. “No, you will try, but you can never undo them. My family has suffered and your greed has scattered them to the winds. There is no certainly that my bloodline has survived these last fifty years. But you will try your best. Work for me now, work hard for a year to restore my family or I will return and drag you screaming into the night. In exactly a year I will check your progress. I must go” Graves said, his anger calming. “But first, I take payment from you. I will take from you as you have taken from me” He added then reached out his skeletal hand and grabbed the mayors wife. The wife shrieked in horror and the Mayor tried to defend her. Graves knocked the Mayor back to the ground and clobbered him with a shovel. The mayor got to his feet as fast as he could and turned but was too late. He watched at the Grave digger flew off into the night, holding the mayors wife dangling by her arm, screaming as she disappeared into the distance.

The mayor’s wife never did return, but the mayor kept his promise and gathered what was left of the Graves family. Every year a few more returned to Darkmoon and every year the Gravedigger would appear to make sure his work was being paid for in full.

The Gravedigger - Bright ending

 If you chose the bright ending path, read below. For the Dark ending, wait till tomorrow. Enjoy!

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            Graves took the path through the field, a shorter route into town. This would give him a chance to see how the town was doing before seeing his family. He wondered if anyone would even know who he was, or if he would even be able to tell who was related to him and who wasn’t. So he decided to ask around town while he was there, so he could get all the details of the goings on.

            Walking seemed strange to Graves, he was so used to floating or sitting. Its not that he could get tired, it just felt strange using his legs again. So he walked down the short path through the field into town, whistling an old tune as he went. Graves arrived at Darkmoon in good time. The town had grown since he had last seen it, though the style and architecture was about the same. Since it was night, all the shops were closed and people were in their homes. It would be tough to find someone to talk to and answer questions at this hour.

            After searching the town for a bit, Graves saw a large Tavern where people gathered and drank. It seemed like fun, something he had forgotten all about. So Graves made his way into the bar, thanks to his ability to look like a living human, he fit right in. Graves walked up to the bar and got comfortable, setting his hat down on the bar and ordering a drink. He paid with money that he had on him from years ago. While alive, he hoarded any money he made and kept it in his graveyard cabin. So he now had access to a lifetimes worth of gold that until now just sat by his bed in a large bag collecting dust.

            “Excuse me, I’m new in town. Wondering if I could get some information” Graves told the bartender. His voice crackled and sounded gruff. He hadn’t talked in so long he forgot what his voice sounded like and surprised himself. “what do ya need buddy?” Asked the bartender. “I’m looking for the Graves family, their family knew mine. Any of em left around here?” Graves asked, praying for the towns sake the answer was “yes”.  The bartender smiled. “Yeah, yeah. That family comes here every now and then. They live up on a big house outside of town. The extended family lives randomly throughout town though” The bartender replied. Graves thanked the man and sighed in relief. It seemed his hard work continued to pay off. Now he would just have to check on them himself, just to see what his direct decedents looked like.

            After paying for his drink and thanking the man, Graves walked out of the tavern. He smiled as he passed people singing and laughing at the surrounding tables. Everyone acted like it was a celebration, but Graves was so out of the loop he didn’t know what they celebrated. He didn’t have time to party though, he wanted to see his family before his time was up. Graves made his way out of town and headed to a large house in the distance. It was practically a mansion and was decorated with orange lanterns. He would have to ask what that was about.

            At the Graves Mansion children played in the front yard, running around dressed in sheets to look like ghosts. Laughing and giggling could be heard into the night air. Joseph Graves, age sixty-seven, sat smiling as he watched his grandchildren play. Then his muscles tensed as he saw an ominous figure approach from the distance. “Children, go find your mother, its almost bed time” Said Joseph. The children complained but then marched into the house. Once the children were out of sight, Joseph called out. “how can I help you?”. The figure replied. “I’m looking for the Graves family. Just wanted to see how everyone was doing” Joseph gasped when he saw the man. “Jonathan Graves? Of all nights, of course its tonight!”

            Graves was startled that he was recognized. All his direct family was dead and buried and this old man wasn’t nearly old enough to be a kid while John was alive. “How do you know me?” Asked Graves. “My name is Joseph Graves, head of this house and I know you because your picture has been hanging on wall over the mantle for the last hundred years. This mansion was built because of you and your service. Everyone in the family and town knows who you are. Though the towns folk might not have seen your picture before” Joseph explained. Graves was shocked but deeply touched. Not only did his sacrifices help his family but everyone in the area honored his name. “Why did you say tonight of all nights?” asked Graves. Joseph smiled and replied. “Tonight is spirits night. A night to celebrate all those who died in the great war a hundred and twenty years ago and to honor the man who put their souls to rest, Jonathan Graves” Joseph explained. Happy to tears to be talking with the man responsible for the family’s fortune and the center of celebration for Spirits night.

            Graves was moved, the night had turned out better than he expected. His curse didn’t seem like such a bad thing anymore, not if his work brought so much happiness. His time was growing short though, so with his remaining hours he spent time with his living relatives and helped them celebrate the night. After his time was up he slowly faded away and woke up that morning, back in the graveyard back to work for another year. But when Spirits night rolls by again, Graves promised to return and he did. Every spirits night he would appear at his families Mansion and every generation knew of Jonathan Graves, The Gravedigger.

The Gravedigger

On a lonely hill covered in graves, stands a man holding a shovel, staring sadly up at the stars. Jonathan Graves is the gravedigger in Darkmoon village.  He is a cursed man, stuck between the land of the living and the dead. Bound to the graveyard, he cannot die but isn’t truly alive.  He digs graves for eternity, burying generations of people over countless years. Imprisoned to the graveyard and bound to a life of servitude, his only saving grace is one night a year that his soul can rest.  Once a year his soul is free to do whatever it wants, go anywhere, but every year Jonathan chooses to rest. To not exist for twelve hours before being pulled back into this reality to work and dig, day and night for another year. The Gravedigger wore black pants a torn green shirt, a black gravediggers cloak, a worn black hat, old boots and work gloves, with pale green hair, pale white skin and glowing yellow eyes. He wore the cloak and hat out of habit from when he was alive, it would keep him dry and warm from the cold rain that frequented the hillside. The rest of his clothes were just what he happened to be wearing at the time of his death.

Many years ago Darkmoon village and many other towns across the land were affected by war. War between two kingdoms, a war so important at the time, yet years later no one remembers why it took place. The war resulted in mass casualties leaving Darkmoon village and the surrounding areas in need of a place to bury their dead. On a great hill outside of Darkmoon, there was a large plot of land were a new graveyard was built. The only problem was finding someone to dig the graves. The local gravediggers all refused to work so far from their families and dig graves in such numbers. The conditions were terrible and the hours long. Only one man took the job, a man named John, now simply calling himself Graves. He took the job on the condition that his family was taken care of as long as he worked in the giant graveyard. So the deal was made and he began work. His family was now given a steady wage for John’s hard work, meanwhile John lived in a house in the graveyard itself. Years passed and the arrangement continued, he worked himself into the ground, working to keep his family and generations to come secure and comfortable.

The day finally came that John could no longer work, he was on his deathbed and since he couldn’t work, his family would no longer receive support from the kingdom. Before he died, he was offered another deal. To be a gravedigger for eternity, to escape death and take care of his family line for generations. He accepted the deal, unaware of how long eternity really was. The next night a hooded stranger arrived at his little cottage, the man conducted a strange ritual and caste a spell. Jonathan felt no difference and lived for another week afterward. Once he died however, he did not stay dead for long.  After he drew his last mortal breath his eyes slowly closed. Magic surged through his now lifeless body and his eyes shot back open. He lurched forward and staggered out of bed. He felt different, not alive, yet he could move and talk, so he wasn’t dead. He felt like he was in a haze, like going days without sleep. He could process thought, but felt tired. Now that the curse had taken affect, he would never sleep, never rest, never die, Jonathan was already starting to regret his decision.

Decades passed in the blink of an eye. Once Graves got into the routine of it all time passed quickly and he could go through a year as if it were a day. Every year he had a short time of freedom and he would rest for the upcoming year. After such a long time had passed, Graves wondered how his family was doing. After decades away from his town, he hoped that all his hard work had been worth it. He didn’t even know how great a grandfather he was at this point, generations of kids, one after another, he probably had a large family to visit.

So the night finally came, the night the shackles were released and he could leave the graveyard. He could feel the curse lift, but there was no physical sign than anything had changed. Graves began to float toward the exit, a little nervous as it had been so long since he had left. Then he stopped. He didn’t want to scare his family, and he probably looked ghastly in his current state. Luckily being beyond death, Graves could look as alive or dead as he wished. So he stopped floating and placed his two skeletal feet firmly on the ground. He straightened his back making cracking noises as he did. Eyes began to form in his sockets and the spectral yellow glow faded. His body became less transparent and his skin returned to a more alive color. After a few moment of adjustments, Graves looked like a normal alive man. His clothes even looked clean and were no longer torn. Now was time to visit the village, to see how his family progressed and to catch up with his loved ones.

Graves straightened his hat and strapped his shovel to his back, under his cloak. He approached the giant graveyard gate, unlocked and wide open. He slowly walked forward, cautiously. He wondered what the outside world would look like, his town, his family. What had changed after so many countless years? He stepped through the gate and smiled as the curse no longer held him. He walked down the hill when he came to a split in the road. Two paths lay ahead, one a direct and sunny route to Darkmoon village, the other a longer and more twisting path, but it would take him to his family’s house first. Take the long dark road, or the short breezy path. One to see his family right away the other would let him check on the town first.

You choose….

Friday, I will post two endings and you can choose one to decide the fate of Graves.