I have written you a story!
Username: nekosari
Preferred Participation Prize: any is fine
Title: Boring? You wish
Submission:
SPOILERX
Nothing interesting had ever occurred in Tara's village, Sladoff. It seemed to be the dullest place on the planet since there was only the inn for entertainment; and that was mainly for the men. The women had nothing to distract them from their daily toils other than gossiping and trying to keep a tight rein on their little ones. Tara, however, always found ways to keep herself amused; whether it was participating in the village boys' rough-and-tumble wrestling games, or sitting out on her favorite rock to stare out at the sea and let the spray drench her hair and clothes. Mother did not like either of her amusements over the other, but there was nothing to be done to deter her teenaged daughter. Maren merely shook her head as the girl dressed in the loose shirts and trousers that were also worn by her friends; supposedly to keep her pretty dresses from getting muddy and torn.
No-one noticed when the old ship drifted near the sheltered cove, except for the young children Tara and her two best friends included; and the fact that from the day it docked, fog shrouded the vessel and seemed to eddy and swirl about the villagers' ankles day in and day out seemed not to bother any of the adults. In fact, they barely seemed to notice the eerie ship at all except when it was mentioned in passing by the youngsters as they played their games; and even then they seemed to dismiss it almost instantly. Its hull was massive, easily four horse-lengths in height, and seemed to not have been scraped in a long time, as barnacles and moss encrusted the belly and sides of the wizened wood.
There seemed to be something about the ship that screamed 'Danger! Do Not Approach' but Tara was curious to see what was inside; it couldn't be a crew, since the Scarlotta, for that was its name, had been docked in Sladoff's dock for more than a fortnight and nothing had emerged either from below or from the captain's cabin. “Come on, guys! We have to take a look inside!” Tara kept her voice to a mere hiss, her bright green eyes looking intently at the twin hazel of Dirk and Drake, her best friends and comrades in all the crimes enacted during their games. The boys shared one of their secret, twins-only gazes, each an almost perfect mirror to the other except for the fact that Dirk had a thin white scar that started under his dark brown hairline on the left side of his face and ended at his cheekbone; a result of trying to see if his head was as full of hot air as his brother claimed, at least there had been more hay than sharp rocks at his landing-site.
Their female friend waited anxiously, chewing on the tip of her short-cropped red hair. She was still a few fingerlengths shorter than the twins, but still managed to hover over them without much trouble. Mostly because they let her, but neither one would ever willingly mention that fact to her. With something akin to relief, Tara received a solemn nod from Drake. Gathering the two into a tight hug, she turned and headed in the direction of the ship's gangplank, her unshod feet making no sound and barely leaving a print in the dust. Dirk followed almost immediately after, but his brother took a moment to look back at their homes to see if any adults were looking in their direction. It seemed none were, and he followed the other two in the direction of the strange ship that had chosen their dock as a resting spot.
Tara and the boys slowly crept up the practically rotted wood of the makeshift bridge that spanned the length of a half-horselength across and eventually reached the ship's deck. “You can't even see the village anymore,” Drake pointed out, his brother and their friend looked over the rails and realized that the fog was, indeed, thick enough to reduce the visibility of their home village to nothing; an apprehensive shiver made the fine hairs on the backs of their necks rise eerily. But the three shook off the sensation and convinced themselves that they were letting their overactive imaginations get the best of them. Giving one last look in the direction of their home, Dirk followed his twin and Tara as they commenced to explore the chillingly silent ship.
Sneezing, Tara covered her nose with the sleeve of her billowing blouse, not liking the smell of dust and rot that hung oppressively in the dank and gloomy atmosphere inside the ship. Though it seemed that it didn't phaze her friends one ingot as their faces were still and serene, their bright eyes looking everywhere at the cobwebs that hung thickly from the ceiling and moss that covered every barrel and storage box beneath the deck. “We should find the captain's cabin!” Drake looked around to see if he could find the heavy door he knew must lead to those quarters. “There's probably treasure in there,” Dirk completed his brother's sentence, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Tara's mind instantly ushered forth images of gold and precious jewels, necklaces of pearl and earrings of sapphire. “Lead the way then!” She encouraged them, eager to actually find something interesting in that musty vessel.
Almost as if they had the design of the ship already implanted in their minds, the twins turned right as one and were instantly in a small green hallway that ended at a heavy iron door which stood partly open. Without much thought to it, Tara took the five steps necessary for her shorter legs to traverse the distance and pushed the door open the rest of the way. She had expected it to resist any efforts and was surprised when the hinges did not even emit a protest and swung the door's weight easily. The chamber was surprisingly clean and free of dust and mold, the elegant oak desk strewn with charts, quills, inkwells, and an interesting crystal orb sitting proudly in the midst of all. The three paid it no mind and looked at the walls of the cabin, which were surprisingly covered floor to ceiling in bookcases filled with heavy books.
“I've never seen so many books in one place before,” Tara was awed, the only books she had actually seen were the village priest's books and the slim book that was a record of all villagers currently living in Sladoff. Turning her head to look everywhere, she noticed that there was a very large window behind the captain's chair, which was turned outwards as if the captain himself had been gazing out through it when death took his spirit. Dirk and Drake watched as she walked in the direction of the window to see what was outside. It never occurred to her to wonder why the glass was un-clouded by dust or cobwebs alike. Bringing her face close to the glass, Tara squinted her eyes and tried to make out anything past the fog that seemed to have thickened in the short amount of time she and her friends had been inside the vessel.
“Guys? I can't-” her voice immediately cut off as she felt something wrap around her arm, feeling as if the claws of a beast had gripped her. Startled, Tara snapped her head to her right side and gaped at the skull currently grinning at her, its bony hand tightly clamped around her forearm. She could not even scream as the abomination pulled on her arm using its skeletal legs, still encased in the tattered remains of his canvas pants and leather boots, to turn its chair and drag her around so her face was level with the round orb they had ignored before. Its depths had changed from crystal-clear to a disturbing cloudy green, and Tara could have sworn the thing was leering at her, but it was only the reflection of the captain at her side.
Dirk and Drake were looking at her, both standing on the other side of the desk, as if they knew exactly what was going on. “We have to get out . . . “ her voice was shrill, the boys were not moving a muscle! “Sorry, Tara, but you have to stay here,” Dirk, the gentler of the two, was looking at the girl with slight pity in his eyes, but still made no move to help her. Drake placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and gave their friend a cheeky smile. “We like our immortality, you know? Captain Jack here,” he nodded at the skeletal being forcing her head nearer to the orb. “Didn't quite like us trying to steal his shiny ball, so he cursed us to an eternity of sacrificing foolish little girls to the Soul Gem,” the gem was apparently the orb that was sucking the girl's aura out of her body; and Tara watched as the two she had believed to be her friends changed before her very eyes. Their eyes took on the same bright green color as her own, and their hair lengthened to their shoulders, and lightened to deep red.
Soon enough, the only thing left of Tara was her right arm, which eventually disappeared inside the orb, following the rest of her body. The skeleton of Captain Jack regarded the twins for a few chilling seconds and then turned to resume his contemplation of the world outside his window. “Another job well done, Brother,” Drake smiled angelically and turned to leave the cabin and, subsequently, the ship. Dirk stayed behind for a few seconds, fingering the scar on his face that would never fade and would forever remind him of this particular sacrifice. Then he turned and followed his brother, leaving the village behind and traveling on to the next one, looking for a woman to charm into adopting them and hunting for their next sacrifice.
Every 365 days, the two were to bring a new girl to the ship that followed behind them wherever they went and give her to Captain Jack's Soul Gem. That night became known as All Hallow's Eve, eventually garnering many legends of ghost ships all over the world. But every legend has a grain of truth somewhere in its faraway past, and the twins ghosted their way through many places and many girls. To this day, they might still be searching for their next victim.
Beware of charming twins who mirror each other, except for the scar on the gentle one's face.
Final notes: My inspiration was actually the required sentence and the suggested themes ^_^ They got married and popped out a plotbunny for meh. Hopefully it's not too childish though heh heh
I have written you a story! Username: Rainbows Preferred Participation Prize: Blue, please (: Title: Nopperabou Submission:
SPOILERX
Many men live their lives, accomplishing nothing but begetting children and working. Some men say the former is one of the best reasons to live, but a man I knew little of prior to this fall would disagree. He was the type of man to embrace his work wholeheartedly, to dive in head first without looking back. He had a wife and three children – two boys that would soon be working at his side, and a daughter who would be, sooner yet, bringing in a dowry – but they weren’t his reason to rise from bed each morning. Some said he only wanted the profits, but he was an honest man. He worked for the sake of working, and to bring food to the mouths of his family and customers. His name was said to be Kenshin, but he came to be known as Karoshi.
Karoshi’s wife was the perfect bride. She was young, beautiful in a steadfast, modest way, and she was very sensible. She had talents with any household chores given to her, and it was foretold that she was to be a very good mother. Her father was a wealthy fisherman who grew to respect Karoshi, his work ethic, and his prowess with his fishing net. Karoshi, smitten by the beauty he could only catch glimpses of, won over her father with a record-breaking catch. The bride-to-be was enamored by Karoshi’s intense demeanor, as well as his talent in fishing. She knew that he would be the ideal husband – a wonderful provider. Their marriage was arranged promptly, with no objections from either family. The ideal bride is known as none other than ‘Mushi’.
Karoshi and Mushi lived peacefully together for many years. They had children, of course; they took up much of Mushi’s time, Karoshi’s fish, and much more of both her and his love. Karoshi worked from dawn to dusk, and sometimes later. Mushi enjoyed watching her husband’s boat, dancing with the moon on the choppy waters of the river, but she had to admit to herself that the nights were lonely. She slept with her children when they were small, but they had grown too old for such things.
The nights grew longer as the years wore on, and Mushi grew irritated with how infrequently she saw her husband. She let her anger grow until it was almost unbearable – she was consumed with fury and paranoia! Her thoughts centered around her husband, as always, but it was only with the image of him with another woman… with men… spending the nights with any other person than her. One night, she lay in bed, angry tears blurring her vision as she stared out at the stars. I could find him. I could make him show me what he does at night… Mushi, with this thought, silently left the house.
Meanwhile, Karoshi was humming to himself, tugging gently on the net hanging over the side of his boat. The lantern, hanging from a slim pole beside him, bobbed, seeming to be happily dancing in time with the tune. This was nothing new to him, for he had been working through the night exactly like this for many years. He thought his wife was happy with how hard he worked. He was completely oblivious to her feelings, her loneliness and anger. There were no affairs, no lewd meetings in the dark. Just Karoshi, the boat, the fish, and the moon.
Mushi prowled the shore, combing the docks for her husband. She found one of her neighbors, entangled with a prostitute, but no sign of her Karoshi. Proof of how dishonest and sneaky men can be! Angered, she waited by the dock that she knew he would come back to. She didn’t notice the figure gliding behind her, or the inquisitive posture it held. Something draped over her shoulder, causing her eyes to widen in alarm. All anger gone for a split, panicked second, she spun around to look upon the face of… a faceless creature. Before she could scream, she saw the creature lift its arm, and a dripping cloth slapped her -- the creature's sleeve, wet from the river. It's hand, imbued with the power of spirit and envy, clawed her face, leaving no marks. Stunned, she stumbled, almost falling to the ground. She tried to call out, tried to yell or to scream, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t see, smell, or breathe. She writhed on the ground, her screams silent and breathless.
The creature smiled to itself, using its new pair of lips effectively. There was a gleam in its eyes as it saw the mortal world through mortal eyes, and it thought to itself… How little they all know. It stood over the woman on the ground, now without a face, waiting for her to die. If she died, the creature would be able to keep her face and use it to steal her life. But, best of all, the creature would have an escape from the spirit world. It would be able to die as a mortal and find a place in either Heaven or Hell – anything besides roaming endlessly, searching fruitlessly, through the barren world of spirits.
Karoshi rowed slowly to the shore as the sun slowly rose from the waves. He was smiling pleasantly to himself, pleased with his catch. He was unaware of his beloved wife’s life and soul slipping through the cracks of the mortal world into the cruel spirit world, cursed to roam as the creature before her had. He pulled his boat safely to the rocky shoreline, tying it to his dock. Preoccupied with unloading his haul for the night and yesterday, he didn’t notice the creature with the face of an ideal wife sneak up behind him.
He felt something wrap around his arm. He turned, a grin spreading on his face as he saw his wife’s face. He opened his mouth to greet her as the face disappeared, leaving behind a grin full of sharp teeth and evil intentions. His jaw dropped, slack in shock, and his eyes widened in horror. He shook violently, his eyes rolling back into his head as he gasped for air. A combination of too much work, a chronic lack of sleep, and terror had caused his heart to stutter and grind to a painful halt.
He died alone; wishing he hadn’t gone to work that day.
Final notes: I've always been fascinated with the 'No Face' legend in japanese folklore.. I think this nopperabou will be giddy that her antics were so successful.
Translation notes: 'Karoshi' is a medical term to describe being worked to death in japanese
'Mushi', among other things, can mean jaded or neglected
It's the same with mine, Esmme's, and emiko_firecaster's :P I was gonna ask Lise about it last night but she left while I was checking if anybody else got left out :cry:
I'm betting she hasn't gotten to them. I had no idea so many stories would be submitted! then again, this is the first event I have ever wrote a story for.
wish gives up. xD so i'm just going to enter this. :\
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I have written you a story!
Username: wish
Preferred Participation Prize: Orange Baggie
Title: Jukai Runs
Submission:
SPOILERX
Once upon a time, a story was written in which a young couple in love decided to kill themselves within a beautiful forest. But it was after all, just a story; something an author made up to entertain others. The forest, a quiet and serene place beneath the famous Mount Fuji was a well known tourist destination. It was a rocky forest, with many caves and thick trees. However, what many tourists do not know is that the forest has been long plagued with legends of deaths and hauntings. It was said that historically many people practiced ubasute there. Ubasute was a practice of leaving the elderly in a remote place to die; in this case, the elderly were taken deep into the forest and left there to wander until they wasted away. They say that if you were to cross an old wandering spirit deep in the forests you would be cursed. Of course they were just legends right? The beautiful, thick forest was still utilized for hiking and camping, however many were much more careful when visiting. Most people would stick to the cleared dirt paths that would take them deep into the forest and then back out again safely. Others a bit more adventurous would venture a bit off course and realize how easily they would get lost.
One day, an adventurous spirit happened upon what looked like dried shriveled up wood perched between two trees. These part of the woods were thick and dark. Light could barely reach down to the forest floor, but upon closer inspection with a flashlight it was obvious as to what it was. The adventurous spirit threw up right there and rushed backwards toward the little fluorescent ribbons he had used as markers. After that incident, stories about the area grew much more intense. Locals themselves who lived around the forest would not venture into the woods, and warned their own children to stay away.
However it were real life details that continued to fuel these legends. More dead bodies began to emerge from deep within the forest. Most of them young adults, but a few older members of the population as well. As these grisly discoveries became more frequent, law enforcement took notice of the area and began monthly sweeps of the parking lot as well as the main paths through the forest. The obvious thing was that these deaths were suicides. Many drove to the area and abandoned their cars in the parking lot before making their way into the forest to take their own life. And others, people believed were deaths caused by those that still practiced ubasute. So over the course of decades, the government attempted to reach their people through messages and signs to convince them that taking their life was not the right way to go. However, these attempts did not faze the determined. Dead bodies were discovered frequently from the Aokigahara patrols.
“Ah...damnit, I'm on Jukai runs tonight...” complained patrolman Izu as he made his way to his locker.
The detective smiled at the young man as he shrugged on his jacket. “And hours do not get any better,” he admitted.
“Great, just great,” Izu puffed out through a yawn. “Aren't you on-call tonight Tenkei?”
Tenkei noticed the gleam in the young officer's eye, “If you find something don't call me.”
A huge grin. “Don't worry.”
“Really. Don't call,” the detective groaned.
“What are the chances?”
He offered a sacrifice, “Call Aoki.”
A stifled snicker, “I'll call Aoki to call you.”
Tenkei almost threw the ringing phone across the room, but he picked up instead. “Izu...” he warned.
“It's Aoki. Get to the office.”
“Aoki...” he opened one eye and squinted a the clock, “it's 3:37 in the morning.”
“Get to the office,” repeated the controlling feminine voice of his partner.
“What did they find at the Jukai runs that have you all worked up?”
“Koyama's in the hospital for minor injuries and what doctors believe is a psychotic break.”
Tenkei sat up straight as a board in his bed. “What happened?”
“At about 0100 Koyama and Izu were making the rounds on Path 11. Izu felt something wrap around his arm and cut him at marker 47. After the incident they proceeded to descend to the bottom of the forest and...”
He was afraid to ask, “And what?”
“Koyama claims something came across the parking lot at them, therefore he drew his gun, and shot two rounds.”
“Was it a coyote?”
“He says it was three or four individuals, but we can't seem to find proof to back up Koyama's claim.”
“Well what did Izu say?” Tenkei reasoned.
Aoki paused on the other end.
“Izu's been reported missing since 0256...”
Final notes: Inspiration came from the Aokigahara forest. My story is mixed with fact and fiction. The Aokigahara forest is said to be the second most popular place in the world for suicides. There are 30-100 suicides there a year. Jukai = Sea of Trees
Wow. I'm kind of glad I submitted my story on the first or second day of the event. It is a little intimidating with so many entries. There are a lot of really good writes on mene. :XD
I have written you a story!
Username: zeapear
Preferred Participation Prize: random
Title:
Submission:
SPOILERX
Kathy hurried down the twilit street, she’d promised her aunt that she’d be back from Ben’s by 7:00 which left her only five minutes to run two miles. It was Hallowe’en evening and Kathy had been over at her friend’s house watching scary movies for the past four hours; the last had been a rather lengthy epic about carnivorous butterflies and had gone longer than expected (hence the running). As she pelted past the local church she felt a shiver run down her spine as a gust of freezing air snaked around her beat-down trainers, Kathy could hear quiet sobs coming from the open church-building and although she felt her body screaming at her to run she couldn’t leave the person crying, could she? She took a tentative step into the shadowy hall and peered into the darkness, ‘Hello?’ she called, ‘I thought I heard someone crying’. As soon as she’d stepped over the threshold of the building the soft sobs had faded into silence and the high-ceiling of the cathedral was sending eerie echoes ricocheting off the stone walls, all Kathy wanted to do now was run but as she turned to leave the great oak doors of the church swung shut and she was left alone in the darkness. Or was she alone? The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she heard it, a noise like sand filtering between someone’s fingers came from behind her and she swung around to face the church’s pitch-dark interior. She bit back a scream as she felt something wrap around her arm; she kept her body pinned to the doors of the church and fumbled through her bag, looking for her phone. Finding it she opened it with trembling hands and shone the faint light around the room; directly in front of her was a decrepit corpse. This time Kathy did scream, she emitted a high-pitched wail and began to bang on the church doors while still facing the body. The corpse raised its head to look at her; its flesh dissolved away into darkness and the remaining skeleton lunged. Just as it was about to touch her, it too dissolved into shadows. Kathy could hear menacing laughter coming from the direction of the altar and she screamed at the sound with a mixture of fear and rage. ‘Leave me alone!’ she sobbed, as hot tears streamed down her face. She could feel a stabbing pain over her heart; her crying broke off into a piercing scream. Kathy collapsed and began to twitch on the ground, blood staining the front of her shirt.
-x-
Nathan had screamed when he’d seen the corpse, he’d only entered the church because he’d heard the girl crying. A decision he was now regretting. When the doors had closed behind him he had known he was in trouble. He watched on, screaming, as the girl raised her head. Her hand was still clutching a baby-pink mobile phone and the front of her white t-shirt was soaked with fresh blood…
Final notes: This was my first attempt at horror literature, I hope it's okay :sweat:
Same here! :D I'm still reading through all the stories though. I'm hoping I finish reading them all before the contest is over just in case this thread and the stories get taken away. With zeapear, that's 32 :)
I haven't actually been brave enough to read the other entries >.> Since it felt like I wrote mine in less than an hour so it might be sub-par heh heh :sweat: But still wish every participant the very best of luck! :yumeh2:
i also would like to read them, but i am going to wait until i am finished with mine lol
i am definitely already intimidated by the sheer amount of entries... but i shall do my best regardless... cause you never know!
@Linnea: If I read the very first entry correctly, then every participant will get a prize (that's why we specified which of the halloween treat bags we want). So if your entry incorporates the suggested themes and the required sentence, then you should be getting at least -something- and recognition for your entry, right? :)
@Whitewolf: Do NPCs usually appear regularly? I've only been active since yesterday so I'm not really sure ^_^' And I've been popping in sporadically today so I didn't notice
