Joseph Stephens and the Deep Narration

“The world is cold and today, gray skies and cold wind blew through me and chilled my bones. Winter is always a difficult time for me and this year is no exception. Being cold all the time and the lack of sunlight make the normal problems of each day feel worse. I sit and clutch my drink and warm myself by the fire. I sit and I try to forget. I take a sip of my drink and slowly sink into my chair, my muscles relax a little with each sip. Soft music is playing in the background, it always helps me think when wordless music gently hums in the distance.”

 

            “Are you narrating in there?” Asked a voice from another room. Jaye Williams walked into the living room where Joseph Stephens was sitting in an old fashioned green chair, holding a drink, cuddled with a blanket and sitting in front of a space heater. “I’ve had a hard day, ok?” Replied Joseph Stephens who was in fact narrating. Jaye walked over to him and looked at his drink, he had something that looked like a gin and tonic in a highball glass. “Are you drinking? Its only three in the afternoon” asked a concerned Jaye. “No, its only seltzer water, I wanted to drink but alcohol upsets my tummy” replied Joseph.

 

            “Do you want to talk about it?” Jaye asked. Joseph looked really sad for a second. “No, thank you though. It really was a tough day though.” Joseph said with a sad sigh. Jaye Williams smiled “Do you  want to narrating it with me?” Asked Jaye. Joseph’s face slowly crept into a smile. “Yes, yes I would” Joseph said.

 

            “Some days are hard and some nights are worse, but if you look for the little things in life, it might be enough to get you through the strife. I leaned back in my chair and turned the space heater/roaring fireplace up to ten and sipped on my drink, it might have been cranberry seltzer but it could also have been a gin and tonic” Joseph said aloud in his best soothing narrator voice.

 

“The two friends sat back and enjoyed the fire, knowing that whatever happened, they would get through it and no matter how cold it got, spring would always come again” Jaye said in a slightly less impressive narrator voice.

 

            “thanks pal” Joseph said. “No problem” Replied Jaye in a slightly better narrator voice.

The Window Tree

A gentle breeze blows in through the open window. The old-fashioned windowpane opened inward, it opened like a small door and the wind was causing the windowpane to tap gently against a kitchen chair. Small gusts of wind rustled the sheer silk curtain and caused the wooden windowpane to sway. The windowpane and the lining was painted white and the wall color resembled a cup of coffee with only a dab of cream in it.

 

            The window was part of an old, country house, it was well maintained but had been built over a hundred years ago. The land was peaceful and folks never locked their doors and on a nice night, would leave their windows open, windows free to sway in the breeze. The breeze rustled the curtains like leaves on a tree, the window pain swayed like branches and the cool spring air could be felt inside the house just as easily as it could outside. The wood that built the house and the wood from the window used to be a tree, multiple trees made up the house. Trees that all had a history of their own before being cut down and since the day that the trees were used to build a house, the wood of these trees gathered even more history. Time leaves its mark on everything in this world, alive or not. When the window was still a tree, it had one of its branches fall off in a storm. The Window tree was the home for a family of birds, a group of squirrels and more bugs than any human would care to think about. The tree had life of its own, but was also apart of the great web of life, woven together with all things.

 

            Now the tree is a window, this is not good or bad, it just is. The wood is not considered alive anymore but it still served a purpose within the woven web of life. The window had been built, painted, fixed, repainted, slammed shut and left open to blow in the wind. The window had a notch on the bottom corner where a young boy was testing how sharp his knife was. It was a little knife meant for whittling and cutting tangled fishing line and apparently also used for cutting a little slice into the wood of a window when no one was looking.

 

            A window doesn’t have memories and wood isn’t alive but the history of the house and the trees that came before it should give you pause. It is important to stop, even for just a moment, and think about where things came from and ponder the stories that a window or house might have ‘seen’.

 

            When going to an old house many people might think, “I wonder if anyone died here”. Instead it is important to ask yourself “Who lived here?”.

Absent Fantasy

Words fill my head like a stream, a river of consciousness, the thoughts flow. My waterfall of thought crashes against the rocks of depression only to end there. The thoughts are destroyed and motivation banished. Words mean so little to me these days. I say them and feel nothing. No rainbows and giant trees, orcs and trolls are absent from the strange lands that my mind used to inhabit. The world of fantasy is empty and I am left alone in an empty field with gray skies. When the world of fantasy starts to look bleak then I begin to live more in the real world. My mind and my time are spent longer and longer in the real world. Bills, responsibilities, pain, depression attack from all sides, but the real world has beauty in it too, love, friendship, excitement and deeper sights and smells than my fantasy world ever had. I the rich smell of wood smoke and the feel of an autumn breeze exist in the real world but they are passing experiences. So I hold them tight and steal them away in through the door of fantasy. I grab as much of these experiences as I can but when they get into my world of fantasy they don’t have the same splendor. The imagined autumn tree has become flat and the rich fragrance of wood smoke is nothing but a wisp of a memory.

            My fantasy world used to take a tree and create a forest. One unique tree could even inspire an entire story. The tree could be ugly, strange or beautiful, it didn’t matter. Whenever I saw something so unique that I felt it didn’t belong in the real world I would steal it, I would take it to join the fantasy in my mind. In my fantasy world trees could talk if they were ancient enough, regular people could be heroes or villains, cats were magical, well more magical than in real life, and I could be free.

            I feel like my world has started to mirror the never-ending story. The nothing consumed the Never Ending storybook and destroyed the wondrous creatures that lived there. I feel that the Nothing has come for my fantasy world and it makes me nervous. Though I hope that this absence of fantasy is temporary. Maybe the Nothing didn’t consume my fantasy world, but instead I have become too tainted by stress and the real world to see the fantasy before my eyes. The fantasy creatures that once lived in my world still exist, but I just cannot see them. I miss them. I write about characters like Pumpkin Jack, the Gravedigger, Hobbs, the Vanguard, those hundreds of characters named Joseph and Jack, the lands like Hallows end, Bokro, Dark town and autumn carnival, I write about these people and places but I can’t see them as much anymore. I used to be able to picture them so clearly as if they stood in front of me but now I write about them from memory of what I think they would do and say. I miss them and I don’t know how to return to the worlds I once created. This is not the first time I have felt distant from my stories, but it might be one of the longest times I have gone without writing, or without visiting the fantasyland in my imagination.

            I am sure there are plenty of people who would be confused or not understand the severity of what I am talking about, some might think I am insane and lost my grip with reality, sadly I have not, I know all too well what reality is. To dream makes us human and the capacity for fantasy is one of greatest gift you could have. Children have the capacity for fantasy and the live half in fantasy and half in reality, but parents either choose not to nurture this gift or they straight out destroy it. Some people die but continue to walk through life thinking they are alive. This society is not made for dreamers and artists, this world is cold and hard and you have to look for the good and the warm. Every human has to search for the good in life and some never find it.

            In my opinion, the nicest thing you could do for someone is make them a meal and tell them a story. 

So Sick

I’m so sick of hearing the same songs on the radio, repetitive thoughts. They are just repetitive words and tunes that play over and over on an endless loop. I wish I could just turn off the radio. The radio keeps playing, without an off button, without end. I sit and clutch my head. I sit and clutch my radio as it spews out thoughts. As it spews out music into the air constantly. Thoughts. Songs I don’t want to hear echo out of the radio constantly. Some make me remember things I’d be better off forgetting, some torment me with things I already know. Songs. Thoughts. Radio always playing. Why can’t I shut off my radio? One time I threw a bottle at it and the radio stopped for a minute, but just when I thought it was off, the radio came back on.

 

            My voice echoes out of my radio, taunting me as I go through life. For every helpful suggestion there are equal parts pain and annoyance. Sometimes the radio is a dull hum and I can barely hear it, sometimes its blaring so loud that I can’t hear the voices of my friends or family.

 

            I’m so sick of the radio, why can’t I turn off the radio?

The World of Eroza - Part 1 The Beginning

            When the world was born life flourished across every landscape, weather was more extreme and beautiful at that time, than it ever would be again. The lush green of life, bright reds of the setting sun and the crisp blue of the sky were a sight to behold. The world was in its purest form. The Creator walked the land and felt proud of its creation, but the world felt empty. The Creator sculpted animals and insects from clay and stone. Just as the creatures were made they sprang to life of flesh, feathers and scales. The world spun in the great void for many years, never changing, always beautiful, always the same.

 

            The Creator had made trees, birds, beasts, insects, reptiles, fish and amphibians. Every day the Creator would make something new, and every day the new invention would please It. The beasts and bugs lived in the world but did not have an understanding of it. A rabbit would enjoy eating the Creator’s grass and plant life, but the rabbit didn’t stare at the sky in wonderment, the rabbit wouldn’t be awed by the power of a thunderstorm.

 

The Creator loved the world It created but It wanted more, It wanted something that would enjoy and appreciate the world just as the Creator did. So the Creator decided to make new races of creature. First were the stout folk, who were brought into the world out of the stone and given life by the flames from the center of the world. The stout folk came to life and were flesh and bone, but they never lost their strength of stone or the fury and passions of fire.

 

          The stout folk lived on the land, but being made from the stone and flames they yearned to return to the rock. The stout folk began digging tunnels and living underground. They journeyed on the surface of the world but lived under it.

 

The Creator was pleased with his creations, but still wanted more. The Creator made new beings out of wood and breathed wind into the creations, giving them life and making them flesh, blood and bone. The new creatures were the fair folk, they roamed the land at first but were called away to the forests. They hid away in the trees as the wood and wind of their birth called them to the treetops.

The Creator was also pleased with the second of the complex creations, but wished that there would be a creature that would live on the land and in the fields instead of hiding away in the tunnels and forests of the world. So the Creator molded the land dwellers, creatures destined to dwell on the land and all across it. The land Dwellers or just Dwellers, were made from clay from the land, sand from the shore and rock from the hills, they had wind, water and fire infused into their bodies and were soon brought to life. The new creatures were the most complex things in the world and as the first of the dwellers came alive, something strange happened.

 

The Dwellers were brought to life and now made of flesh, blood and bone like the first two creations, but the first dwellers were made of so much that every dweller began to vomit forth a type of waste. Black, purple and brown slime was expelled from each of the first dwellers. The slime seemed like it was trying to escape of its own will and even started to move.

The Creator was repelled by the slime and struck it into the deepest corners of the oceans, into the land and the sky. The Creator stashed away the repulsive slime so deeply that it would never be able to harm the creatures of the world.  

The dwellers were indeed complex and aside from the setback of being so stuffed full that they expelled slime, the Creator was still pleased. The dwellers lived on the land, they explored the forests and caves, they swam in the oceans of the world and appreciated the world just as the Creator did. The dwellers lived in the open fields and were friendly with the Stout folk and Fair folk. All was well with the world. 

The Creator watched the dwellers for many years to be sure that they wouldn’t expel any more slime. The Creator made a mental note to not pack so much into one being, next time a creature was made.  

 

The world spun in the great void, the Dwellers and the folk of Tunnels and Forests all got along. While the Creator and It’s creatures were living and prospering, something stirred in the sky. 

 

 

            The Dwellers changed to more suit the land, the Fair folk broke off into tribes and the Stout folk started clans. This change was not good or bad, it just was a natural part of the world and it fascinated the Creator. While the Creators favorite pets changed, so did the slime. The Slime buried deep in every corner of the world began to change to suit its environment. The world would not be the same when the sins of the Creator finally broke free into the world of the dwellers.

Beware the Great Pumpkin

 

 

    Beware beware the great pumpkin, the great pumpkin is he, on a cold Autumn night he will drop by for a bite, and take a child, or two or three. When the wind howls and the cat meowles and the owls hoot in fear, you know that the great pumpkin is coming to town this year.

 

 

 

Happy 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.

The Halloween Carnival part 1

        The night air was crisp and cold, each gust of wind howled and the full moon hung in the sky as it stared down at the world below.  

            Deep in the haunted forest was the Halloween loving town of Hallows End. Anyone inside the borders of Hallows End would see monsters for their true nature. No ghost could stay invisible and no shape shifter could hide their identity. Villagers of other towns would come to Hallows End for a yearly Halloween party and anyone who knew the magic of the town would be unsettled to see that the moon had a menacing grimace and eyes that fixated on the earth at all times. Many decided to believe it was the magic of Halloween playing tricks, but the creatures of Hallows End knew that they looked upon the moons true face. 

            Charles Orchard, the owner of the Autumn Carnival made his way through the Haunted Forest. The Haunted Forest was full of wild spirits, screaming pumpkins and gray, leafless trees that oozed green slime when injured. Charles Orchard had determined eyes and strode through the dangerous forest with purpose in each step. The man wore a black suit with a bright orange shirt, black top hat with a black and orange striped band at the base of the hat and a purple leaf sticking out of the side of the hat. Charles walked with a cane decorated with a silver pumpkin for a handle.  

            Soon Charles reached a clearing that lead to the ever-popular Hallows End. It was a week before Halloween and the town was lit up with orange, yellow, red and purple lights, brightly lit signs, and lanterns with green flames and Jack-o-lanterns on every corner and by every house.  Charles took one step into Hallows End and his appearance immediately began to change. His clothes stayed the same but his skin turned black as coal and his form became less solid. Charles Orchard wasn’t a human from the Autumn forest, he was a shadow fiend from the Haunted forest. It was entirely possible that he was the only friendly shadow fiend in the world. He delighted in seeing others smile and laugh and if he grew rich from it, then it was even better. While other shadow fiends fed on terror and pain, Charles was nourished from being around happiness and good will. The love of the Autumn carnival and the fun from the rides was enough to feed Charles for an entire year. 

            Shadow fiends didn’t care about hurting humans but Charles didn’t want to see anyone suffer, so he came up with a plan. He would make a Halloween Carnival that would scare AND delight humans once a year. By creating scary rides on the edge of the Haunted forest, the human fear would feed the Shadow fiends and keep the humans safe all at the same time. He would also be able to get a second, smaller meal of happiness and good will each year. He would use this extra energy to strengthen his magic, making it easier to teleport and maintain his Autumn and Halloween Carnivals. 

            Charles smiled warmly as he saw that production was ahead of schedule. His almost featureless face curled into a smile that would send most running for the hills but it was hard to look warm and lovable when he was in his true shadow form. Villagers of Hallows End and even monsters from the Haunted Forest pitched in the help to build the Halloween Carnival. For the residence of Hallows End the carnival would spread more Halloween fun throughout the land, the spirits and wraiths of the Haunted Forest only saw the carnival as a means to be well fed every year. Regardless of motivation, Charles was happy to see so many people working together. 

            The Czars of Halloween stepped out from a pumpkin shaped tavern holding beer mugs. They were both smiling and their smiles widened when they saw Charles. “Charles my friend, how are you?” asked Nyx who was dressed in a black and orange suit, a long sword was strapped to his back, the pommel was in the shape of an angry looking Jack-o-lantern. Poe waved “Hey”. Poe wore a black and white suit and had a large scythe shaped axe strapped to his back. No one was expecting trouble but the Czars of Halloween were not only chill Halloween loving dudes but also the fierce protectors of Hallows End. 

            “Boys! Everything is going wonderfully! We almost have all of the rides ready and when the construction is complete I will be able to teleport everything on the human side of the Haunted Forest” Charles said excitedly.

            The Czars of Halloween were in their late twenties and were still mostly human, but were often referred to as boys by the older inhabitants of Hallows End. Some monsters, including Charles, were hundreds of years old. For the Czars be relatively young humans and still be so respected, was quite a feat.

            Days passed since that day and Halloween was right around the corner, the Halloween Carnival had been completed and all was ready for the grand opening.

            This Halloween day promised to be one that no one would forget any time soon.

Joseph Stephens and the final day part 3

     Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams ran down into the subway, the air was cool and the small lights built into the ceiling didn’t provide much light. They were drenched with rain and wind blew into the subway entrance from outside. A mysterious storm was brewing in the city of Ales and the two friends were on the hunt for a 5 foot tall mouse woman with sharp claws and fangs. The Mouse lady ate humans and lived in the subway, she was quiet about her business though and a few disappearances a year never alerted the larger population.  

     Joseph pulled the Serpents dagger from his gray coat, Jaye was pulling candies from the pockets of his hoodie. The two friends walked down the stairs slowly as they listened for any unusual noises. The normal buzzing of people talking all at once while they waited for their train. The subway trains screeched and rattled as they zoomed by. Joseph realized he wouldn’t get anyone by listening for the Mouse lady, they had to hurry and find her. She was a giant mouse and would stand out in a crowd.         

          Joseph took off running through the subway corridors as his eyes scanned through the crowds of people for anything unusual. A shriek was heard and Joseph went running to find the source. A woman was screaming and a man was quaking in fear. “what happened?” Asked Joseph. The woman pointed at the train doors as they were closing. Jaye pulled out a crowbar and wedge it into the doors while Joseph squeezed onto the train. Jaye went to enter the train but the doors snapped shut and the subway train took off without him. “Ya lousy subway! You’ll hear from my lawyer!” Shouted Jaye, who then threw his claw hammer at the train as it took off. The hammer dented the back subway car and then fell into the tracks.

          Joseph readied his weapon as he walked through the subway car. All the seats were empty and everything was quiet except for the screeching of the metal wheels as they zoomed along the tracks. As Joseph walked closer to the driver’s car the screeching grew louder. This was the loudest subway train Joseph had ever been on and the emptiest one too.  The driver’s door flung open as Joseph approached it. The driver was dead in his chair and the mouse lady was covered in blood. She was screeching as she chewed on the severed arm of the driver. The train was making normal noises but the loudest noise was not the subway cars wheels but the mouse monster as it fed on human flesh.

       

          Joseph sprung forward with his serpent dagger. The mouse lady charged forward as well. When the two collided the mouse lady easily trampled over Joseph. The mouse monster wasn’t larger than Joseph but her strength and speed were super human.

   

          Joseph was knocked to the ground but held his dagger tightly. The mouse lady let out a blood curdling shriek, her yellow eyes flashed with a murderous glare, her fangs dripped with human blood and her claws were raised up ready to strike. Joseph had to moved quickly but the mouse lady was faster than he was.

          Joseph charged at the mouse with his shoulder out, keeping his dagger low so she couldn’t spot it. Joseph tackled into the mouse lady and the creature bit down onto Josephs shoulder. Blood spilled out over Joseph’s shirt and down his neck. Pain shot through him and he wanted to collapse from shock. He tried to bear the pain and gripped his dagger tightly. The mouse creature’s fangs sunk so deeply into Joseph’s shoulder that he could feel the fangs scratch his shoulder bone. His vision went dark and he began to tremble. He used all of his strength to push his dagger forward into the mouse monster. 

          Joseph stabbed the mouse lady with the serpent dagger using both hands. The poison of the dagger entered the mouse lady’s veins immediately. Joseph was released from the deathly bite and he collapsed to the ground. He dropped the dagger and tried to stop the bleeding by ripping his shirt to make a bandage.

 

          The poisoned mouse lady twitched and fell to the floor. Joseph slowly stood up and stumbled over to the drivers seat and pulled the emergency break. The train screeched to a halt and Joseph was thrown forward and hit his head on the console.

          Joseph woke up to the gentle voice of his friend Jaye Williams “You have all of the grace and finesse of a dead cow” He laughed. Joseph rubbed his head and slowly stood up. “How did you find me?” Joseph asked feeling woozy. “Your subway car was on a track, I followed the track. Also I had to get my claw hammer” Jaye replied.

 

          The mouse lady was dead and the only foe remaining was the half man, half dog, swordsman, known as Dishonored dog. Joseph was relieved and needed time to recover from battle. Jaye was tired from walking and needed a donut to recover from exercise

Joseph Stephens and the final day part 2

Joseph Stephens walked through the city park, it was a beautiful day in the city of Ales. The sky was blue the grass freshly cut and vibrant green. at the center of the park was a pond, at the center of the lake was a large rock, on the rock sat a mermaid tanning herself in the warm September sun.


"this place is weird" Said Joseph Stephens. "weirder than being visited by the physical embodiment of seasons and weather?" Asked Jaye Williams. "No, no I suppose not" Replied Joseph. Joseph wore a green V-Neck shirt, jeans and brown shoes. Jaye had on his green hooded sweat shirt, with a yellow t-shirt under his hoodie, he had Jeans and black shoes with green and yellow stripes along the side.

The two friends walked through the park, they were in both stopped in their tracked when they saw the mouse lady. She was over five feet tall, long pink tail, gray fur, stood on two legs and wore a dress and bonnet. She was strange looking but not necassarily dangerous. The image of the mouse lady was burned into the minds of Joseph and Jaye. To look upon the mouse lady was to feel bugs crawling under your skin. there was something wrong with her, besides the obvious.

"I think we need to introduce this mouse lady to my claw hammer" Said Jaye. Joseph nodded "Shes out in public though, so lets approach slowly and see if we can avoid a huge fight around all the families. Jaye gave Joseph a weird look "since when did you care about keeping families safe? do you want to protect their teddy bears too?" Jaye asked as he laughed. "Diiiiick" Joseph said while he let out a loud sigh.

The two friends approached the mouse lady. She was sitting peacefully on a bend and had a basket next to her. She reached into her basket and pulled out a small pie. an eight year old girl was playing frizbee with her parents and the frizbee landed by the mouse lady. the little girl ran to retrieve it and as she did the mouse lady leaned in holding he tiny pie. "Wwoould youu like a piie?" cooned the mouse lady in a raspy hissing voice. The little girl was scared and couldnt move, the mother and father ran toward their child to check on her.

Joseph drew a dagger from his belt, the blade was jagged, the hilt was black and on the pommel there was a dark green gem. this was the dagger of the serpent. The magical green gem kept the blade coated in poison at all times. One stab with this mystical dagger and the mouse lady would be down for the count. Joseph was proud of his weapon collection, especially his serpent dagger, which he bought from a one eyed man who sailed the world and had boxes full of mystical items. Joseph bought one of the boxes and paid with gold coins and a wheel of cheese. the dagger was in the box he bought.

Jaye pulled out an old fashioned pirate pistol, a weapon he "borrowed" from Joseph's mystical item box. The two friends ran toward the mouse lady as quickly as they could but without drawing attention to themselves. The mouse lady drew in close to the child and smiled, revealing sharp and jagged teeth. "Come to my nest and I wiiill give you many more piies" The mouse lady's eyes flashed red as she spoke.

"stop!" Shouted the father of the child. "Begonne! she iiis miine now!" Hissed the mouse lady. Her shrill voice and broken mannerisms sent chills up Joseph's spine. The father tried to grab his daughter but the mouse lady slapped the father with her long tail. The father was knocked backward and Joseph ran in with his dagger ready for action.

Jaye pulled out his pirate pistol and fired a single shot. the mouse lady blocked with her tail and the bullet shot into her tail and the bullet wound burst into flames. the Mouse lady shrieked as she whipped her tail back and forth, fire buring from within the bullet wound in the center of her tail.

The child ran and so did the parents. Joseph jumped in close to the mouse lady and tried to stab her with the dagger but she charged forward and knocked Joseph to the ground. Jaye tried to fire another shot but was also knocked down by the rampaging mouse lady. The two friends got up as fast as they could but the mouse lady was fast. She was running on all four legs now and headed into the subway station.

The bright clear day began to fade and dark clouds rolled in. Rain poured from the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. "Its raining again" Joseph announced. "I hadn't noticed" Jaye said sarcastically then smiled. "So we have to follow a rat into a subway? maybe she learned her lesson" Said Joseph, who didn't really like the idea of being in a confined area with a mouse monster. "Come on, it will be fun" Jaye said with a smile.

With some trepidation the friends entered the subway tunnel in search for the mouse lady.

Joseph Stephens and the Final Day part 1

            The day had approached, the day Joseph Stephens would finally be rid of all of his enemies all in one fell swoop. Joseph Stephens was a kind and gentle soul but for various reason he had gathered a few enemies. Though they were not constant threats, allowing them to live would risk potential danger in the future.

            Jaye Williams heard that all of Joseph’s foes would be gathering in the same city for one day only. The reason was a mystery, but the fact remained that they had all come out of hiding and now was the time for Joseph to strike.

            Joseph’s enemies included a sword wielding dog who lost his honor long ago in a game of chance, a rat woman that ate children and hid in train stations and last was the sun. Every summer the sun would let his awful daughter July roam the land and spread heat waves and awful direct sunlight onto the world. Kill the sun would show July to show some respect and it would mean Joseph could say goodbye to heatstroke, heat sickness, sunburn and the unpleasant feelings that heat brought.

            All of his enemies gathered in the city of Ales. Down town Ales was also known as Drunk town. Drunks would clutter the subways, trains and streets. Some would even have kids with them. A drunk pushing a stroller across the street was not uncommon in such a hive of unpleasantness.

            Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams hurtled down the highway on a makeshift motorcycle that Jaye Williams built in his garage. The vehicle was barely street legal and looked like a golem made of spare parts or some kind of awful junkyard dog robot. If the motorcycle could speak it would either be completely insane or cry out for death. It was Jaye’s finest creation and he loved it as much as a man could love a motorcycle/robot/golom/dog/junkpile/sin against nature.

            Jaye drove and Joseph rode on the back, feeling a little awkward sitting on the back of the motorcycle, clutching onto Jaye’s torso for deal life. Also he wondered if other cars thought they were dating, because in his mind, couples usually rode motorcycles in this manner. The drivers of the other cars didn’t have a chance to wonder if the motorgolom’s drivers were dating or if they were even human, because the motormonster drove so fast that it looked like god had hurled garbage down the highway. Truly it was a marvel to behold, or not behold, depending on where you were standing.

            The city was fast approaching and Joseph couldn’t wait to get the fighting started, these jerks had it coming and the two friends came prepared. The motorcycle had weapons strapped to every inch of it and Joseph had several weapons on his back and strapped to a belt on his waist. Joseph was coming to Ales city and he was bring hell with him.

            The illustrious city of Ales had a beautiful uptown district where all the rich snobs got blasted in the lap of luxury. The buildings were tall and impressive, the shops were stylish and the bars were numerous. Businessmen walked down the streets saying buzz words at each other and stroking their egos as they spoke.

            Jaye and Joseph wandered the streets with weapons strapped to their backs, no one questioned it or stopped them. One police officer finally did stop the duo and asked about the weapons. “We’re cosplayers” Replied Jaye. The police officer scoffed and then smiled and walked off.

            After walking the streets for several hours, Joseph finally spotted a lead. The Sun, or the spirit of the sun was outside of a coffee shop ordering a large coffee. The actual sun, earths sun still was in the sky warming the earth, but the entity known as “The sun” or “Solus” could travel between earth and earths sun. “Solus!” Joseph shouted and charged at the embodiment of heat. Solus glanced at Joseph with a bored look and sipped his coffee. “DO you remember me?!” Joseph shouted, loudly enough to make the coffee shop clerk back away slowly. “No. Should I know you?” Solus asked sounding somehow more uninterested by the second. “I fight with your daughter July every summer, I curse your name every time I get heat stroke” Joseph said in disbelief. “Well, a lot of people hate July and cursing my name doesn’t do anything but use up your own breath” Solus said, sounding so disinterested that he almost stopped talking mid sentence.

            Joseph was feeling discouraged. He wondered if all of his enemies were built up in his head, what if none of them even knew he existed and all of this vengeance was the act of a sad weirdo with too many weapons. Before Joseph had a chance to call off the vengeance mission Jaye Williams reached for a weapon on his back and shouted “CLAAAAWWW HAMMMMMAAAHH!!!” then hurled a claw hammer at Solus’ head. The hammer whirled through the air and struck Solus firmly in his fiery orb of a dome. This jolted the heat spirit and made him spill his coffee.

            Solus was instantly furious, flames erupted from the ground around him as he roared loudly into the air. “WHO did that?!” Solus shouted. Jaye was standing behind Joseph and was pointing wildly at Joseph. “You! Joseph! You will forever be my enemy and will curse the day you crossed me!” Solus shouted as his arm shout forward and his finger plucked out from his fist, forming a very menacing finger point in Joseph’s direction. “Yussss!!!” Joseph cheered. Finally the feelings were mutual and they could fight without Joseph feeling guilty. “Jaye, you are a true friend” Joseph said with a warm smile. Just then a fireball was hurled through the air and blasted Joseph backward into a building. “No problem buddy” Replied Jaye to his charred friend.

            Joseph smiled as he stood up. He reached into his bag of weapons and pulled out a giant sword. The sword was four feet long and had a lighting bolt engraved into the center of it. A purple gem rested in the red hilt and the gem also had a lighting bolt symbol. This was the sword of storms, an ancient weapon that could call forth storms, rain, thunder and lighting and be wielded as the swordsman saw fit. Joseph found it at a garage sale and bought it for twenty bucks. He haggled it down from thirty bucks to twenty and felt proud about it all day.

            Solus gathered his strength and formed a flaming sword in his hand. “I am the father of fire and heat. You have no hope to defeat me!” Solus exclaimed. Joseph raised his sword into the air and rain began to pour from the sky. Thunder boomed and lighting cracked against the sky. All of the drunks had to move indoors to drink also.

            Steam rose up from Solus as he was pelted by rain. “Nice trick, but I am not defeated from a bucket of water” He exclaimed, clearing enjoying his own voice. Then before Joseph could blink Solus had crossed the ten feet between them and was able to slash his flaming sword right through Joseph. Joseph’s eyes went wide, he stumbled and fell. His bag full of weapons clattered to the ground and his shoulder smashed against the pavement, landing on it with the full weight of his body. Inside the backpack a jar was smashed. A glowing purple fairy was freed from the jar and began to buzz around Joseph. The glowing sprite was swearing and cursing at Joseph in fairy language as it buzzed around. To a human it all seemed very magical. Joseph remembered the healing powers of fairies and quickly snatched it out of the air, popped it into his mouth and chewed it up.

            Joseph was filled with a renewed energy and purpose. His strength returned and his will to fight was bolstered. “Thank you delicious fairy. Thank you” Joseph muttered under his breath, then a single tear fell from his eye in her memory. Joseph looked up at Solus with rage in his eyes only to be greeted by the sight of Solus being pummeled by a claw hammer being wielded by Jaye Williams. He was laughing like an insane elf and whacking the sun spirit with all of his might. “Bap bap bap bap! Claw hammer! Did you forget who you were dealing with?” Jaye shouted. Jaye’s claw hammer also had a gem in it, the gem rested in the handle of the hammer, the gem was red and it had a symbol of a hand giving someone the middle finger. Scholars everywhere have yet to determine what kind of magic the red gem held, or if any at all.

            Solus laid on the side walk defeated, broken and rained on. “Now you go back to your sun and stop being such a jerk about the weather!” Joseph shouted. Solus slowly stood up and nodded meekly. “As you wish” he said then turned into a ball of fire and took off into the sky.

            Solus was defeated, but the Mouse lady and Dishonored dog still remain. Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams have a long journey ahead, full of violence, drunkness, dumb jokes and claw hammers.