#like i know its not rose tinted glasses i was living in china like maybe my host grandma did something special to them but they were so good | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cartoonus-maximus · 6 years

Text

“This Our Town of Halloween” - Chapter 11

Gonna wait ‘til I have enough chapters written out to do another mass upload on ff.net, but here’s chapter 11 while you wait.

I got myself stuck in chapter 13. We may be here awhile.

Chapter 11: Come Into My Parlor

written 10/1/2018 – 10/6/2018

That's our job, but we're not mean

In our town of Halloween

Kaiba drove the hearse this time. Pegasus all but pushed the three human men into the backseat, but he himself stayed behind at his office.

“I have a very important message to send to my superior,” he remarked with a wink. “Besides, I trust Kaiba to take good care of you.”

“I'm not a babysitter,” the skeleton growled. Despite his words, though, he still had to shake the three monster children off his legs and coat before he could climb into the vehicle, and Yugi tried hard not to openly smile at the image.

Pegasus sighed in bemusement before answering, holding his hands out in a pacifying manner. “No, no, of course you're not a babysitter. However, this is a matter of security, after all, and that does happen to fall into your area of expertise, does it not?”

Kaiba made a grunting sound, but said nothing.

The skeleton driver glared at the road the entire time, paying careful attention to road signs but practically ignoring the pedestrians.

Yugi couldn't help but stare at the other monsters as they walked by, glad that the hearse windows were tinted from the outside, preventing any of the passers-by from staring back at him. He watched with a kind of terrified fascination as spider-creatures, fish-people, skeletons, animated corpses, mummies, werewolves, and even stranger creatures walked the streets. They walked their dogs, delivered mail, and bought groceries, and commuted to work, just as though they were the same as the people who lived in the Surface World.

Which they were, Yugi realized. But, they were also different. It was the same feeling as when he first moved to America – the people were the same in many ways, but also different in many others.

The car turned into a residential area, and before long Kaiba had parked, throwing open the doors and forcing the human males out into the open. A rusty, iron gate was the first thing they saw, swinging on its hinges in the cool breeze. The gate stood open out over a stone path that led up to the door of an old building, and a tall, rotting, wooden sign stood proud and erect in the middle of the lawn of dead, brown grass: 'Spider's Parlor Inn.'

The building looked old, as though it had been standing there for a few hundred years but hadn't been very carefully kept. The windows looked dark from the outside, with spiderwebs draping across them.

Kaiba walked in front of the humans, glancing back at them out of the corner of his eye sockets. He held the gate open, gesturing for the humans to enter ahead of him, his eyes constantly darting around the entire immediate area, watching for any potential threats. Then, sidestepping the trio of mortals, the tall skeleton moved to the front door of the inn, knocking exactly three times before he opened it. Marik entered the building first, with Yugi and Ryou close behind him. Kaiba followed them, pulling the door closed behind himself, carefully latching it.

The front room of the inn was dimly lit, an extravagant chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling, dripping with waxy candles and glass prisms that scattered the light from the candles, creating little shimmers and rainbows across the walls and floor. The walls were decorated with graying, peeling wallpaper and intricately carved oak panels, as well as the occasional painting that covered an otherwise bare spot. Lavish sofas sat in a corner around a large coffee table, with decorative vases full of dying, withered flowers in the middle of the coffee table, their withered petals falling all over the table, floor, and sofa cushions. A front desk took up one side of the room, made from the same oak paneling as the wall behind it. Spiderwebs were strung all over the room, ends connecting to the walls, the chandelier, the pieces of furniture, and even the flowers.

A spider-woman sat at the desk, sipping tea from a china cup. She glanced up from her tea, smiling gently and blinking the five eyes that arced over the top of her face.

“Ah,” she murmured, her eyes sweeping over the three humans and landing on the skeleton behind them. “I thought I heard someone rapping at my chamber door.”

“Yes, well...” Kaiba coughed a bit, shifting on his feet. If Yugi didn't know better, he may have thought their skeletal security guard had a bit of a crush on the spidery woman.

Kaiba cleared his throat. “I have some guests for you to take care of.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. These three humans,” he gestured to the trio. “Came through a Rift by accident. They are to stay here for the time being, at the mayor's orders, while he tries to sort out what to do with them.”

Setting her teacup down on the desk, Kisara rose to a standing position. From the waist up, she resembled a human, albeit with five eyes arced across her forehead, but from the waist down was the body of an enormous spider, the abdomen stretching back to be at least seven feet long. Eight long legs spread out from her abdomen, stretching across the room. With legs that long, she didn't need to walk around her desk to get a closer look at her visitors – instead, she just pushed herself up to her full height, her head towering over the other people in the room, and stepped over the desk, stopping in front of the group and kneeling her body down until she was almost at eye level with Marik.

Her upper body looked delicate, while her lower body looked terrifyingly powerful, and altogether her appearance left Yugi feeling very unsettled.

She smiled demurely down at them. “It isn't often that we get human visitors in our town. But I'll see what I can do.” She gestured to herself, placing her hand over her chest. “I am Kisara, the Parlor Spider. And who might you be?”

“I'm Marik,” the taller of Yugi's two friends said on his right. He nodded in their direction, blonde hair shifting. “This is Yugi, and Ryou.”

“Hi.”

“How do you do?”

Kisara looked at each of them in turn, her eyes lingering briefly on Ryou and the large overcoat he wore. “I see you've met Bakura.”

Yugi looked up at her sharply, curious. “Do you know him?”

“Yes and no.”

He frowned. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“I know of Bakura, but I don't know him personally,” she answered patiently. She gazed intently at Yugi for a moment, and he couldn't help but squirm in place, her stare unsettling him in a way he wasn't expecting.

Yugi froze as the woman's hand came closer to his face. Her fingers wrapped gently under his chin, forcing his head up a little. She scrutinized his face, studying him carefully, before beaming down at him in a friendly manner.

“You boys look like you haven't had a decent sleep in awhile.” She let go of Yugi's face, continuing to beam at the young men as she stepped back. “Why don't you three come with me, and I'll see if I have a bedroom available that will work for you. I believe I have one with an attached bathroom, so if you would like to bathe yourselves as well that is an option.”

As she led them towards an open hallway, she turned back to give Kaiba a stern look. “Crawford will be paying for all of their expenses, won't he?”

This brought something akin to a smile to Kaiba's face. “I'll make certain he does.”

Kisara led them to a room with two queen-size beds and an adjacent bathroom. The rooms were very tidy, much to Yugi's surprise. He'd been expecting there to be layers of dust and cobwebs over everything, and the bedroom to be in as much a disarray as the rest of the inn.

“I'll send up some food later,” the spider woman promised. She smiled brightly at the men before she left, closing the door behind her. “In the meantime, please feel free to relax in whatever way you desire.”

To his credit, Yugi managed to hesitate for exactly twenty seconds before he pitched himself onto one of the large, soft beds, hugging his backpack close to his chest. “Alright, well, I'm going to sleep for awhile. Wake me up if something tries to eat me again.”

Marik made a snorting sound. “You may have to wake me up first, in that case.”

“I guess you won't fight me for a shower, then?” Ryou asked. He was quick to deposit his bag and his borrowed coat, making quick strides towards the bathroom, trying to get there before anyone else did.

“Hey, burn that coat when you get out!” Marik called after him. “It smells like death!”

Ryou peeked his head back out around the bathroom door, smiling. “Not a chance!”

“I'll even burn it for you!”

“Marik, don't you dare--!”

They stayed at Kisara's for the next two days and nights. Her inn was so quiet and had such a strong feeling of security that hung in the air like a fog, and the longer Yugi stayed, the less anxious he felt about the Hollow World around him.

Kisara was very nice. She went out of her way to make sure her human 'guests' were comfortable, procuring and fixing food that they could eat, and providing them with anything they might need. She even asked Kaiba to bring some spare clothing over that the humans could wear, so that the clothes they came in wearing could be laundered.

Yugi smiled to himself, sinking deeper into the wooden chair he sat on in Kisara's kitchen. His hair was wet, freshly showered, and a warm cup of tea sat in front of him, steam hitting his face like a tender kiss. He was wearing leather pants that maybe hugged his skin a bit too tight, and a dark purple sweater with a rib cage design knitted into it. Both articles of clothing were apparently items that Mokuba had outgrown, and Yugi tried not to feel offended that he, a grown adult man, had been given a child's hand-me-downs to wear. On the other hand, they fit fairly well, and they were warm, and it really was a nice gesture, so who was he to complain?

Kisara moved around in the kitchen, her enormous spider body seeming almost too big for the small space. Her movements were surprisingly graceful, though, as she pulled the humans' clothes out of the washing machine and lifted them up, wringing the excess water out of each article of clothing before she hung them up. Long strands of spider silk stretched across the room, from the tops of the walls to the tall ceiling, and she was using the strands like her own self-made clothesline. It was raining heavily outside, and Yugi couldn't help but wonder if his spidery host was hanging the laundry indoors out of necessity, or if this was something she usually did.

“Seto came by earlier,” Kisara said. She meant Kaiba. “I'm told Mayor Crawford is coming to check in on you three, today,” She turned to Yugi, smiling at him. “Maybe that means he'll have news of some sort on how to help you get home.”

“Yeah, maybe!” Yugi winced when he heard his own voice. He sounded hopeful and uncertain and too excited, and it felt rude to be so openly eager to return to his own world when he was talking to someone who lived here.

But Kisara didn't seem to mind. Or, if she did, she didn't show it. Instead, she continued talking to him, her voice just as kind and friendly as ever. “You miss it, don't you? Your home, I mean?”

Before he could respond, she corrected him, smiling gently to him all the while. “The home where you grew up. The home you lost long ago.”

“Oh...” Despite being a grown adult, Yugi couldn't help but feel very small and lost, suddenly feeling like a child who's been separated from their mother in a store. The spider woman's words brought images to his mind, making him think of his childhood and his family.

“I...” He stammered, his throat constricting around his words. “Yes. Very much.”

“What do you miss about it?” Kisara pressed him gently.

Yugi frowned, not exactly wanting to bare his soul to a near stranger. But, something about the way she was looking at him... it made him think of his mother. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and that was all it took for his tongue to find words.

“I miss feeling loved,” he admitted. The words came easier and faster as more of them came out. “I miss feeling wanted. I miss feeling like I belonged. I haven't felt that way in a long time, not since... Not since my grandfather died, when I was thirteen. Even though Ryou and his father took me in and looked after me, I just felt like a burden. Unwanted, unneeded, didn't belong there.”

Oh god, there were tears dripping down his face. He didn't know how Kisara had done it, but somehow, just by looking at him and speaking to him, she'd unlocked years worth of buried emotions.

On her part, the spider woman just sat there, listening patiently as everything flew out of Yugi's mouth. How Ryou's father had decided to move to America, and the boys were forced to come with him, despite how much they wanted to stay in their hometown. How Ryou's father had somehow learned about Ryou's and his little secrets and had summarily thrown them both out into the streets.

Kisara nodded and pursed her lips sympathetically through the whole thing.

“I'm sorry that such terrible things have happened to you,” she said when he was finished. “No one deserves any of that.”

“Maybe I do deserve it,” he laughed weakly. “Maybe I'm really such a horrible person, and I don't even realize it, and this is my punishment.”

Kisara frowned and stared down at him, her icy glare leaving no room for arguments. “No one deserves to have any of that happen to them for any reason. It's just that bad things happen to anyone, without rhyme or reason. Such is the nature of life.”

Then, just as quickly, she smiled again. “But don't worry too much. I have a feeling that you'll find what you're looking for, sooner or later – a place where you're happy, where you feel loved and wanted.”

She sounded so certain, and so matter-of-fact. Yugi wanted to ask her how she knew, but bit his tongue, choosing not to voice that question.

She finished the laundry and he finished his tea, and the silence that followed left him with the surreal feeling that their conversation had never happened.

#my writing #the halloween ygo fic

5 notes · View notes

opheliamblackwood · 6 years

Text

Heartless

Justine sipped the bitter brew within the pink tea-cup and began to feel slightly woozy. She wanted that day back, more than anything. Her head swam in circles remembering ever minute detail of what had happened. She was the one who lived and got to walk away, but she couldn’t call what she was doing since he died, living. She was just existing, floating in an abyss with nothing but her pain to keep her company.

Everyday that she awoke, she felt the pain seep in. The memory of that day tore her apart, eating away at her insides until her body was racked with pain causing her to shake so bad that she had to grip the edge of the counter. For a while, she stared down at the floor, not really focusing on anything. When she finally looked back up, all she saw was herself reflected in the mirror. She stared at herself for a long time, barely unable to recognize the shell of a person she’d become.

The Witch had offered her a choice. She’d spotted her in a crown of hundreds of people and grabbed her by the arm while she was walking through the town square, making her usual pilgrimage to Max’s grave. Her bony, shaky fingers dug into Justine’s arm and Justine just stared at her lifelessly, abruptly shaken from her train of thought. The Witch stared deep into Justine’s eyes and spoke,

“It doesn’t have to be over. I can offer you a choice. I can bring him back.”

“Fuck you!” Justine spat at the Witch, shoving the old hag back as hard as she could. She fell to the floor and hit her back against the glass pane of a window in front of her shop. Looking up at Justine, she smiled, her teeth rotten and gray. Justine shivered, feeling a small tremor snake it’s way through her arms. This was not who she remembered being.

“I can make it possible. It doesn’t have to hurt anymore.” the Witch said, slowly standing up with one hand on her back. There was sympathy in her eyes and a flicker of something else Justine couldn’t place. Malice? Max had taken the best part of her when he died and although she could feel the warning bells going off in her mind, she shut them off, shoved her fear to the side and walked over to the Witch.

“Why? Why ME out of all of these people?” she seethed, trying to steady her balled up fists.

Justine felt sad and empty. She didn’t know how it was possible to live this way for as long as she had ever since he died. She was skeletally thin and her hands shook all of the time. She’d become pale, losing much of her olive complexion and her eyes were deep blue sapphires embedded in her eye sockets. She was existing and she didn’t know why. Maybe its because she was too chicken shit to kill herself. Deep down, she had a fear that if she died, so would the memory of Max and maybe that was all there was left of him anyway. She couldn’t bear that thought, so she went on day after day just existing,carrying a torch for his memory. But for who?

“Life hurts child. No one gets by without feeling some sort of pain. What I offer is a choice. You can take it or leave it. However, once you leave it, I will never offer it to you again. This choice, should you make it, will require payment, but not the conventional kind with coin and paper. What I ask for is very simple.” the Witch said, rubbing her back and holding onto the door frame for support.

“ What do you want in return for this gift you’re giving me?” Justine heard herself ask.

This wasn’t like her. What could this woman offer her anyway? She knew she should be scared, but maybe, just maybe there was a chance to stop the pain.

“Come into the shop and I will tell you.” the Witch said as she opened the door and scurried inside.

Holding her breath, Justine walked up to the door and stopped to look up at the sign that hung just above it. The sign read “Ella’s Magick Shoppe”. She walked into the shop and caught a whiff of Lavender and Rose, two of her favorite scents. Okay, this was becoming more and more peculiar with each passing moment. Max’s words echoed in her ears, calling her name. She froze, her hands trembling as she frantically looked around her for the source of the sound. There was no one but her and the Witch in the room and she didn’t get the impression that there was anyone else besides them in the shop. Looking around, she saw antique china cabinets filled with bottles, containing what she assumed were herbs and concoctions. On the outside of the bottles were words in an elegant black script. Upon further inspection, she saw that they were the names of herbs which were inside each bottle. How long had this shop been here? Centuries it would seem, but that would be impossible.

Wondering about the Witch, she thought back the stories she used to hear about witches when she was younger. She’d once heard that witches don’t die and that they just go on living until someone steals their heart. After their heart is stolen, they begin to age and continue to age until they die. They can only go on living forever if their heart is returned which is next to impossible to do. Was that what happened to this Witch? Could she possibly understand Justine’s pain?

It was eerily quite inside of the store and she could hear the bustling city outside in the background. It was late, close to midnight and not many people were out at this time. Perhaps it was easier that way for Justine because it meant that she didn’t have to pretend or interact with others. She imagined that the whole world would feel empty now that he was gone. It boggled her how the world could go on after she’d lost the most important person in her life, yet it did and in a way, it made her resentful.

Inside of the store, she felt his presence and it made no sense to her. She could smell the faint scent of his cologne and could swear she’d just heard his voice only moments before. It was as if he was here. But, that was impossible. Right? A chill went through her then as she pondered the thought. There was a dim lamp towards the back of the store that was set upon an old wooden table. There was a grand mahogany armoire nestled against the corner of the shop. Justine walked over to it curiously, wondering what she’d find inside. With each step she took, she felt a creeping chill settle within her very bones.

Her nimble hands caressed the frame of the door, feeling each etch of the filigree in the mahogany wood. It was far too grand for her frail hands as she felt every hollow point and out of place splinter within the finely carved door. She took hold of the brass handles and tugged on the door slightly. Within the armoire were four shelves, each filled with jars containing something faded and red, preserved within a yellow-tinted liquid. There were labels on each jar written in the same elegant script that she’d see on the bottles throughout the shop. She shivered and stepped back. Did the Witch want her heart as well? Was this the price Justine would have to pay?

It was strange. She didn’t fee afraid of giving up her heart as much as she felt afraid of the ease with which she’d give it up if she had to. What good was it anymore anyway? Max WAS her whole heart, as far as she was concerned and without him, it felt like she was heartless. She turned around, ready to explore the rest of the shop but gasped as her eyes settled on the Witch sitting there in the corner just staring at Justine wearing a crooked smile. One hand was folded over her other hand on top of the table as she waited for Justine to come to her.

Swallowing her surprise, Justine sat down in the chair opposite of the Witch. She eased herself into the chair and propped her boots up on the chair beside her as she spoke, “ I can guess what you want.” Her eyes met those of the Witches.

“I presumed you would.” the Witch said nonchalantly.

“So, I’m willing to give it. But I have a few questions first.” she said.

“Ask.” the Witch replied.

“I am assuming you will bring Max back. How long will it last?” Justine asked.

“Indefinitely.” the Witch replied.

“How is that possible? I have never heard of such a thing.” Justine asked in return, not quite believing the Witch.

“If you had, would I be sitting here right now offering you this choice? People are as afraid of dark magic as they are of their shadows. What they do not realize is that their very shadows, the darkness within them are the very core of who they are. Why do you think they are so afraid? It is because they are afraid of themselves, what they truly are.” the Witch replied.

“And what is that?” Justine asked, intrigued.

“Monsters.” the Witch said under her breath.

“Fair enough. So, when do we do this?” Justine asked.

“Now, if you like.” the Witch replied.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

#heartless #mywriting #mystory

1 note · View note