Original: A Tale of Blood Lollipops, Chocolate, and Too Much Glitter
This is my entry for the Merry_fates Halloween Prompt Contest:
All you have to do is write a short story (about 600 - 2000 words), post it in your own journal, and then link back to it. The prompt for your stories? Simply HALLOWEEN. Be creative! Have fun! Any genre is welcome!
A Tale of Blood Lollipops, Chocolate, and Too Much Glitter (and the screams but we don't talk about them)
Esther licked her toffee apple and grimaced. "Okay. Okay, I have it. Clowns. Definitely clowns."
Aubrey snorted, ready to argue, then paused. "Three points," he finally said.
"Three?" Esther almost threw her apple at him, but flung it over her shoulder as Aubrey flinched. She ground her teeth, slamming her heels against the wall. "Clowns are scary! Clowns are totally scary."
"Clowns are overdone," Matthew mused, tapping his fingers together. "No one even dressed up as an evil one this year. Pity. I used to have nightmares about them."
"You used to have nightmares about everything," Esther grumbled. She slapped her hands against her dress and scowled. "Bloody glitter. It's going to take me ages to get it all out tomorrow."
"Well, your wings are very pretty." Matthew peered behind her back. "I approve."
Esther's scowl deepened. "They itch."
"Here, have some chocolate," Aubrey said, and shoved half a chocolate bar into her mouth before she could scratch his eyes out.
Esther squawked, not very elegantly, around the chocolate and glared daggers at him while she chewed.
"You'll pay for that," Matthew remarked, and stuck a lollipop between his teeth.
Aubrey opened his mouth, but Esther's boot met his side before he could speak. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU STUPID--" he bellowed, toppling off the wall.
Esther sniffed, rearranging her skirts. Matthew sucked thoughtfully on his lollipop, then said, "I don't think he'll put himself in charge next year." A pause. "If he's even in one piece, for that matter." Another pause. "Four points. Lost one for the ungraceful kick."
Esther handed him her last toffee apple, politely declining a lick of the lollipop.
The wind started to pick up. Matthew closed his eyes as a wave of glitter hit him from Esther's dress.
"Okay," Aubrey wheezed, hauling himself back up onto the wall. His claws dug furrows into the weathered stone. "Werewolves. Nasty, furry... working class things."
Matthew gave him a flat look. "Can't nominate your own kind, especially when you're being stupid about it."
Esther raised her eyebrows at Matthew's tone. She started twisting a lock of hair around her finger, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Yeah, dumbass," she said, and grinned as Aubrey scowled at her.
"Stupid twilight gig," he muttered, digging his heels into the wall until tiny waterfalls of dust trickled to the ground. "It's so boring."
Matthew dug in his cloak for his pocket watch. "It's the almost-midnight gig now."
"Hey, you got us into this mess, Mr-I-Never-Lose-A-Bet," Esther said, pulling out a bag of chocolate-covered nuts.
A zigzag streak of lightning shot past them. Aubrey whined before he could help himself. Matthew coughed, but peered up at the sky, apprehension turning his pale skin sickly white. Esther appeared not to notice.
Audrey coughed and pointedly looked at the bag of nuts. "Pig."
"Hey," she said, shrugging, "it's not like we've anything better to do than eat their "--she waved a hand over her shoulder--"takings."
Matthew started on a fresh blood-red lollipop. "I like these," he said, sounding far too pleased with himself, though the corners of his eyes were strained.
Aubrey groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Oh, just go and suck on a neck, already."
Matthew stared at him. "I already did," he said.
Esther kicked his ankle. "Just because you didn't eat before we came."
"I am not hunting humans tonight--"
"I didn't say that!" Esther shouted over him.
"Just because you're a vindictive--"
"OI!" Esther yelled.
Matthew's eyes narrowed, a split second warning before he took out his lollipop. He bared his fangs and hissed.
Aubrey shut up. Esther gulped.
"Sorry," she whispered. "Minus two points."
Matthew took a deep breath in through his nose, held it for a moment, then released it in a slow whoosh. Serenity flowed over his face like a bizarre veil, entirely at odds with his malevolent expression a moment ago.
"Do you think we could do the haunted carnival gig next year?" he asked.
They all flinched as they heard hundreds of knives being unsheathed at once. Inside the house behind them, someone began to cry; another wept, and a particularly foolhardy person started to shout.
"Definitely not piss off the Boss, that's for sure," Esther muttered, glaring at Aubrey, who glared right back at her.
"I don't know," Matthew said, ignoring them. "I don't think I like the haunted house gig very much."
Inside the house, someone started to scream, more voices adding to it until it sounded like an unholy opera.
Aubrey ripped the wrapper off a chocolate bar and concentrated very hard as he ate it. "I wish there was a full moon," he muttered.
"Well," Esther said, wriggling as she shucked off the fairy wings she'd stolen earlier from one of the girls inside the house, "at least we have junk food." She unfurled her own wings, bone and ragged flesh entirely at odds with her ridiculous costume. "Much better." She sighed, stretched, and smiled.
They all stared at the bags of candy scattered around them. The just spoils for luring the humans into the house. None of it had tasted as well as they'd hoped.
Aubrey sighed. "No howling."
Matthew's shoulders slumped. "No blood."
Esther propped her face on her hands. "No jinxes."
"Happy Hallowe'en," they said in unison, sticking a piece of candy in their mouths. The screams grew louder and they started to smell the blood.
All you have to do is write a short story (about 600 - 2000 words), post it in your own journal, and then link back to it. The prompt for your stories? Simply HALLOWEEN. Be creative! Have fun! Any genre is welcome!
A Tale of Blood Lollipops, Chocolate, and Too Much Glitter (and the screams but we don't talk about them)
Esther licked her toffee apple and grimaced. "Okay. Okay, I have it. Clowns. Definitely clowns."
Aubrey snorted, ready to argue, then paused. "Three points," he finally said.
"Three?" Esther almost threw her apple at him, but flung it over her shoulder as Aubrey flinched. She ground her teeth, slamming her heels against the wall. "Clowns are scary! Clowns are totally scary."
"Clowns are overdone," Matthew mused, tapping his fingers together. "No one even dressed up as an evil one this year. Pity. I used to have nightmares about them."
"You used to have nightmares about everything," Esther grumbled. She slapped her hands against her dress and scowled. "Bloody glitter. It's going to take me ages to get it all out tomorrow."
"Well, your wings are very pretty." Matthew peered behind her back. "I approve."
Esther's scowl deepened. "They itch."
"Here, have some chocolate," Aubrey said, and shoved half a chocolate bar into her mouth before she could scratch his eyes out.
Esther squawked, not very elegantly, around the chocolate and glared daggers at him while she chewed.
"You'll pay for that," Matthew remarked, and stuck a lollipop between his teeth.
Aubrey opened his mouth, but Esther's boot met his side before he could speak. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU STUPID--" he bellowed, toppling off the wall.
Esther sniffed, rearranging her skirts. Matthew sucked thoughtfully on his lollipop, then said, "I don't think he'll put himself in charge next year." A pause. "If he's even in one piece, for that matter." Another pause. "Four points. Lost one for the ungraceful kick."
Esther handed him her last toffee apple, politely declining a lick of the lollipop.
The wind started to pick up. Matthew closed his eyes as a wave of glitter hit him from Esther's dress.
"Okay," Aubrey wheezed, hauling himself back up onto the wall. His claws dug furrows into the weathered stone. "Werewolves. Nasty, furry... working class things."
Matthew gave him a flat look. "Can't nominate your own kind, especially when you're being stupid about it."
Esther raised her eyebrows at Matthew's tone. She started twisting a lock of hair around her finger, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Yeah, dumbass," she said, and grinned as Aubrey scowled at her.
"Stupid twilight gig," he muttered, digging his heels into the wall until tiny waterfalls of dust trickled to the ground. "It's so boring."
Matthew dug in his cloak for his pocket watch. "It's the almost-midnight gig now."
"Hey, you got us into this mess, Mr-I-Never-Lose-A-Bet," Esther said, pulling out a bag of chocolate-covered nuts.
A zigzag streak of lightning shot past them. Aubrey whined before he could help himself. Matthew coughed, but peered up at the sky, apprehension turning his pale skin sickly white. Esther appeared not to notice.
Audrey coughed and pointedly looked at the bag of nuts. "Pig."
"Hey," she said, shrugging, "it's not like we've anything better to do than eat their "--she waved a hand over her shoulder--"takings."
Matthew started on a fresh blood-red lollipop. "I like these," he said, sounding far too pleased with himself, though the corners of his eyes were strained.
Aubrey groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Oh, just go and suck on a neck, already."
Matthew stared at him. "I already did," he said.
Esther kicked his ankle. "Just because you didn't eat before we came."
"I am not hunting humans tonight--"
"I didn't say that!" Esther shouted over him.
"Just because you're a vindictive--"
"OI!" Esther yelled.
Matthew's eyes narrowed, a split second warning before he took out his lollipop. He bared his fangs and hissed.
Aubrey shut up. Esther gulped.
"Sorry," she whispered. "Minus two points."
Matthew took a deep breath in through his nose, held it for a moment, then released it in a slow whoosh. Serenity flowed over his face like a bizarre veil, entirely at odds with his malevolent expression a moment ago.
"Do you think we could do the haunted carnival gig next year?" he asked.
They all flinched as they heard hundreds of knives being unsheathed at once. Inside the house behind them, someone began to cry; another wept, and a particularly foolhardy person started to shout.
"Definitely not piss off the Boss, that's for sure," Esther muttered, glaring at Aubrey, who glared right back at her.
"I don't know," Matthew said, ignoring them. "I don't think I like the haunted house gig very much."
Inside the house, someone started to scream, more voices adding to it until it sounded like an unholy opera.
Aubrey ripped the wrapper off a chocolate bar and concentrated very hard as he ate it. "I wish there was a full moon," he muttered.
"Well," Esther said, wriggling as she shucked off the fairy wings she'd stolen earlier from one of the girls inside the house, "at least we have junk food." She unfurled her own wings, bone and ragged flesh entirely at odds with her ridiculous costume. "Much better." She sighed, stretched, and smiled.
They all stared at the bags of candy scattered around them. The just spoils for luring the humans into the house. None of it had tasted as well as they'd hoped.
Aubrey sighed. "No howling."
Matthew's shoulders slumped. "No blood."
Esther propped her face on her hands. "No jinxes."
"Happy Hallowe'en," they said in unison, sticking a piece of candy in their mouths. The screams grew louder and they started to smell the blood.