The town of Caverna isn’t exactly the place one would go for a vacation. It is gloomy and eery. The whole town resides in a pit and the only way in or out is by walking down a steep ridge on the outer rim. Constantly full of mist, it becomes impossible to see where one is going. The only thing is to keep moving forward. The faint sound of a violin follows the soft steps of people coming and going, and the dead trees reach out their branches like little fingers longing for something to hold. Dim lights move about, but no bodies can be seen for the mist. Once the bottom has been reached, one will see in the distance, a tall, dark mansion where a strange being that no one has ever seen resides. All sorts of creatures dwell here in this pit. Werewolves and vampires seek out this place as their home....
Other than that, it’s completely normal!
~*F*~
“Ah... it’s been a long time
since I’ve come here,” Konrad spoke.
“You’ve been here before?”
Ally asked.
“Sure! Haven’t you?”
“Well... no. I’ve never even
heard of this place.”
“It’s only the number one
attraction on Halloween. You sure you’ve never heard of it?”
“I’m positive. I would have
remembered that eery music.”
“Hum. Interesting. I used to come
here every year to visit an old friend of mine.”
“Friend?”
“Hmm.... He’s the grim reaper.”
“The grim reaper! You’re
friends with Death?”
“Yeah. He got me out of a tight
spot one time. He’s really a nice guy.”
“I’m not sure what to think
about this.”
“Shall we go meet him?”
“I guess so....”
“Come on, then.”
Ally followed Konrad, walking
closely behind, unsure of her surroundings. “I wonder if Ven and
Carumati made it to the graveyard alright.”
“I’m sure they’re fine.
Everyone here is pretty nice. Just ask and they’ll point you in the
right direction.”
“Oh, really?” Ally asked as a
scowling vampire walked past.
“They’re all just lonely
creatures. All they want for once is for someone to accept them and
not run away from them. That’s why they tend to chase after
people.”
Ally sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll
just have to go with it, then. When in Caverna, do as the Cavernians
do.”
“Let’s see.... It’s been such
a long time since I came here, I’m not quite sure which house is
his....”
“Don’t tell me we’re lost!”
“Of course we’re not lost! It’s
just a matter of finding out where we’re going.”
“Same thing in this kind of
place.”
“Stop whining, will you? Be a
little more respectful of this town. Ah! Here it is!”
Ally and Konrad stopped in front of
a little house with a bunch of skulls everywhere and a welcome mat
which read, “Leave, lest death be cast before you.”
“Nice guy, huh?”
“Shh!” Konrad knocked on the
door. The giant wooden mass slowly creaked open to reveal a simple
living room decorated with red and black and a roaring red fire in
the fireplace, though the house lacked entirely in warmth. No one
greeted them at the door, but Konrad walked right in as if this were
perfectly normal.
“No one’s here. You sure you’ve
got the right house?”
“I should know my own friends
house, shouldn’t I?”
“Yeah, but-”
“Who dares enter my dwelling
place?” an eery voice whispered from the dark hallway. Ally
couldn’t see anything there except for two glowing red eyes.
“Ah, it’s me, Kon.”
“Kon?”
“Konrad Aimery. You taught me how
to use a skythe.”
“Ah! That Kon. You see, I know
many.” Out of the darkness, stepped a boy who looked to be about
twelve years old and wearing a normal stripped red and black polo
shirt and black slacks. His hair was pure white and stood out on
either side. However, his face showed he had no sense of humor. A
sign of having dealt with death all his life.
~*~
“So, you’ve started your own
group have you? I hope all is going well. You haven’t been misusing
what I taught you, I hope?” The grim reaper boy asked as he poured
out tea for them. Ally took a sip of it and had to resist a shudder.
It was cold. However, Death, seemed to notice anyway and stated, “Ah,
I forgot. Humans prefer their tea hot. My apologies, but you see, it
doesn’t matter whether I make it hot or cold, because everything I
touch feels cold anyway. I will go and warm it up for you.”
“Ah, no, it’s alright. I don’t
mind cold tea, it was just unexpected,” Ally explained.
“If you insist,” the grim
reaper replied, sitting back down.
“Death, we came because there is
something we want to check out. We think there might be someone
plotting something who has something to do with the play that was put
on about the rich girl and her friend who fell into a hole and died.”
“Ah, you mean Agatha and Krimlin?
Yes, I know about it well.”
“Do you know if there were any
shape-shifters among the actors?”
“Ah, you mean Fortruce? He played
the main character, the young boy. He was really very excellent.
You’re saying he’s the one plotting something?”
“We’re not sure, but everything
is pointing to him so far. Can you tell me more about him?”
“Yes, he grew up next door to me.
We were talking over tea one day and I told him how those two
children continued to refuse to go on and wanted me to let them back
on earth, so he suggested doing the play in honor of them. I didn’t
think it would work, honestly, but it seemed that after the play
ended, they decided to go move on finally.”
“Wait, so ghosts are real?”
Ally asked.
“Of course not. Once a spirit’s
body is dead, it cannot obtain any other type of body until it moves
on. It cannot even appear as a spirit. However, there is a place in
between the worlds where they can continue on without a body.
However, a spirit can only last for so long without a body and will
vanish if they stay there for too long, so most just move on.”
“Ah, I see. Please, continue.”
“Well, that’s about all there
is to it, really. The shape-shifter contracted a disease soon
afterward and died.”
“He’s dead?” Konrad asked,
incredulously.
“Indeed. I escorted him myself.
His time had come.”
“Then.... Are there any other
shape-shifters in town?”
“Ah. There is his father.”
“His father?”
“Indeed. But he is aged beyond
his years. He can’t even walk or talk anymore. I believe his time
will come soon.”
“You’re sure there are no other
shape-shifters?”
“There are no others. I am
certain.”
“Then he must be the one.”
“Yes. He must be.”
“Wait.... But if he can’t walk
or talk....” Ally pondered.
“But if he shape-shifts into
someone who can, then he can as well,” Konrad informed.
“Oh! I didn’t know that. But
doesn’t that mean he could just shape-shift for the rest of his
life and he’ll be fine?” Alameda asked.
“As a shape-shifter gets older,
it becomes harder and harder to hold on to another shape for very
long. However, this one was a true master at it. I believe he can
still hold his shape for an entire day with a day’s rest
in-between,” the grim reaper explained.
“Is there anything else you can
tell us about him?” Konrad inquired.
“Only that... he was alive at the
time of the actual children’s death.”
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