Short Story in progress(no title)

It was a brisk October morning in the small New England town. The leaves had fallen leaving behind the exposed skeletons of branches stark against the dim morning sky. Most of the students at the high school hid inside, shielded behind the bleak insulated walls, with their promise of warmth. But one student remained out in the dead and frost covered world. Reading a leather bound volume, loosely bound parchment pages disjointedly stuffed within. This silent world was shattered as several teens hopped out of a car and headed towards this student.

"Holy shit Ana, what kind of book is that? Pretty sure they don't have those at the library." Kerri exclaimed, sitting down beside Ana on the picnic table.

"I found it cleaning out my family’s attic last week with this locket." Ana explained, displaying the unnaturally human-like locket. It glinted in the morning sun, eyes filled with black diamonds, and swirls of inlaid gold emphasizing the cheekbones.

Kerri snatched the locket from Ana who was still absorbed in her book to take much notice. Looking it over she exclaimed, "Man, the thing won't open!"

The talk of the locket caught the attention of James and Marcus turning from their conversation on scouts at the next football game.

"Give it here," James grabbing it from his sister. "Whoa, weird. Check out this back! It looks like I'm wearing a mask." Handing it over to Marcus, and back to Kerri each having a turn examining their face in the surreal pale mask. Kerri returning the locket to Ana.

Marcus turned his focus on the book, pulling it from Ana's grasp. "This looks ancient! I bet you could get a fortune off of selling this and the locket."

“Why would I want to? These came from my great-grandpa Wilbur Whateley. Besides, there's lots of interesting stuff about the town, and I guess he practiced magic." Ana replied getting cut off.

All three turned to look at Ana, "Magic?”

Marcus laughed, "What, like pulling a rabbit from a hat?"

"No, I was just reading how he would practice rites and ceremonies at the old cemetery, some nonsense stuff like turning lead to gold, or raising the dead. I had just started reading his account on the happenings around the area." She responded shivering, uncertain if a breeze came through, or some deep fear.

Marcus dodged, absentmindedly flipping through the archaic script. A slow smile crept upon his face, exposing his teeth, straight like military gravestones. "Eh? Maybe we ought to go give your grandpa a visit?"

"Come on Marcus, they closed down that cemetery forever ago. It's locked up and the stories people talk about that place aren't exactly inviting." James offered.

"What, you're not afraid of a few ghost stories are you? Haha my brother the wuss." Kerri ribbed James, he scowled back.

"I'd really rather just have my book back." Ana put forward.

"Come on you guys, we're going out to the graveyard after school. There won’t be any scary ghosts, and you'll get your precious book back. Just some good old-fashioned fun.” Marcus stated. They all acquiesced, consoling themselves that the stories were old wives tales, told by the fearful.

No one ever came out to this cemetery, even when it was open to the public.  Strange stories, and bad accidents plagued the wooded cemetery. It was just outside of town across the old covered bridge, this part of town abandoned sometime after a flood. The empty dirt road lead out past the ghosts of forgotten houses and barns, swallowed in a time these visitors hardly knew. The gates of the cemetery, so covered now in vines it was hard to make out from the crumbling stone fence leering over the teens, casting shadows as the gloomy sun set. Clearing away layers of vines yielded an ancient and rusted lock, long ago opened by its age. The gate itself was much harder to push open, all four of them only yielding a foot to press through, creaking and groaning on its hinges. Large trees scattered ruined headstones, while stagnant ponds submerged others. It was more a foreboding forest than a memorial.

 For a while they were content sitting by the collapsed fountain at the entrance, once inside not even Marcus seemed so eager to be there. He and Kerri lighting up cigarettes, while stark noises climbed their way out deeper from within. This cool mystique vanished however as a Whippoorwill cackled, they all jumped. Yet it was enough to get James’ adrenaline pumping to challenge his sister, "I dare you to go to that exposed coffin over there."

"Psh, no way in hell," Kerri spat back, flicking ash from her cigarette.

"Ha! Then I'll tell mom it was you who scratched up the car," he returned.

"You wouldn't dare. Mom would kill us both." She scrambled.

"Yeah, but you'd be the one stuck paying for it." His grin widened.

"Ooooooh! Snap!" jeered Marcus.

Kerri smarted, "Fine, but what do I get for doing it?"

"My love and admiration?"

"Ah, hell no. You're buying me lunch for a week."

He relented. She stomped out the bud, tossed her bag to Ana and ran the twenty yards towards the grave. Nearly tripping as the collapsed, yet malicious, headstones peeking out just as she was stepping out where they laid in wait. Slightly out of breath, she turned around triumphant, fist clenched in the air. The others picking up on her bravado made their way towards her.

"I knew you had it in ya sis!" James said with a slight punch to her arm.

The grave had shifted some time ago as the roots of august oak tree exposed the top of the coffin. The wood was rough, and warped, Kerri peeling one board off exposed the skeleton in its Victorian attire.

“I didn't actually think you were going to open the coffin after you got here.” James commented.

“You could see it peeking through the boards anyways, I figured I’d just let him out.” She said spying a metal band and placing it upon her finger.

She smirked, "Now it's your turn! Out to that monument!"

He almost stood back, "Hey now, I challenged you, you gotta challenge someone else."

"Fine.  Ana, wanna take the honors?" she asked, grabbing back her bag.

"Erm, well...." Ana began, but Marcus stood forward, "I'll do it. What do I get?"

"The math assignment I'm doing for you anyways seems like a great payment."

Slightly miffed, Marcus agreed, running out between the trees and raised sarcophagi.  On his way, the ground broke, threatening to consume him as he clawed his way out. James sprinted quickly heaving Marcus out of the cavernous maw of sand and dirt. They made it to the obelisk in short time, as Kerri and Ana found a path leading around the graves. Upon reaching the stone, they found the two had ventured yet farther in. “Hey, come check this out!” They yelled out.

Perched along the side wall, hidden from the main entrance by wild hedges and crumbling statues, was a squat mausoleum, a look from ancient Greece, broken orange tiles littering the entrance. One could just make out the word WHATELEY faded with a tinge of gold paint. They all gathered around the closed entrance. "Heh, looks like we found your grandpa after all.” James laughed.

"I can't see anything either. Guess it's your turn, break us in!" Marcus challenged.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to the entrance? It’s getting dark." Ana said tersely.

"We can go...after I open the gate! What are the terms for my amazing lockpicking skills? Borrow your car for a month?" James parleyed.

"Fuck no dude, I just got my ride. A week, tops," Marcus spit.

"Whatever! You've had it for months now. How about ‘til fall break? That's a week and a half."

"Fine, ‘til fall break, and not a goddamned scratch dude."

"Sounds good." James eased, "Kerri, two hairpins please."

The lock looked strangely alien in the decaying landscape. Stainless steel, hardly rusted. Nothing more than a standard padlock.  A few seconds later, and a click and pop of the loop. "See? That's the way we do it. Money for nothin', and the chicks for free," he said handing back the hairpins to Kerri. She just rolled her eyes. Marcus guffawed, and Ana glanced at her phone.

James dropped the chain and padlock as he pulled aside the curtained gate, opening into a small square room. It kept up the Greek with marbled walls, stone columns topped with bleak blank-faced figures in every corner, and tattered red velvet curtains hung clinging to threads on hooks. The inlaid coffin covers each inscribed with a family member deceased, "Noah" "Lavinia" "John" "Wilbur". Spiders crawling along webs covering various crevices. The teens stepping inside the room noticed intricate circles upon the stone floor. Four drawn rings sat crosswise from the central circle. Indescribable text circumnavigated the edge, four wax candles planted north, south, east, west.  Behind on the rear wall held a sign in spidery script. "Those that see in the mirror dimly, cannot be met face to face. Knowing only in part will not know in full.”

James turning to Ana, "By a process of elimination, it looks like it's your turn. Do a spell.”

"You said we'd leave after you broke in." Ana protested.

"Nope, we've all taken bets, it's your turn." All three surrounding Ana by the back wall.

Ana frowned. This simply wasn't going her way.  She sighed, "I get my book back, and we never come back here again. Agreed?"

They all nodded in agreement, and Marcus handed her the book. She quickly glanced through the tome, shaking nervously, as the others sat in the opposing circles. Finding one on light, she looked down on the description.

“You know these need ingredients right?” She spoke sarcastically.

“Oh, thank you for reminding me!” Marcus replied. Pulling out the six pack of pale ale he had snitched from home, he removed a few other items. “What do you need?

With Kerri’s lighter, she lit the candles: East, North, West, South. The candles burned violet, erupting a cascading back drop of murky shadows enclosed about the frightened teens. Next she poured the shattered glass encasing the inner circle, “From dust we are, to dust we return.” Ana chanted. Igniting the incense and placing it central, the glass took upon a life of its own. Slowly, spindling up towards a point lost in darkness; the incense smoke crawling up besides.

The locket about her neck gave off a comforting warmth, as the brumous interior chilled. Her friends appeared frozen, the fog claustrophobic, devouring her. But a thought occurred, standing it remained low and she looked around. No long did fear bind her, she turned towards the mirror opposite her, intricate carvings indescribably monstrous framed the glass. In it she saw herself, walking closer it appeared she held out an orange flame, ever closer, she no longer viewed the mirror, but walking back towards her seat, light in hand. Seating herself, the shroud dispersed, and the candles went out, while glass clattered to the ground.

“What happened?” James questioned. “One minute you were lighting the candles, and the next thing I know glass goes shattering everywhere.”

“Yeah, same.” Kerri asserted.

Ana storied her experience, and revealed she could conjure up a flame from her hand. James and Kerri became intrigued, wishing to cast it themselves. Marcus said nothing, appearing disinterested, drinking his beer, as Kerri prepared to make her attempt, placing the locket around her neck. Upon her return she produced a candle from her pocket, explaining the mirror was old and cracked, dirty and opaque. James’ venture faired akin to his sisters, but where hers had been an azure flame, his produced a fiery crimson.

“Now that we’re done with these parlor tricks, I think it’s time we take it up a notch. How about something fun, like summon an apparition?” Marcus interrupted the others.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” James countered. “The process to create light seemed inconsistent. I don’t think conjuring up the dead…”

“Yeah, you guys fucked up a simple spell, and it barely worked, I doubt it’ll end in more than a whiff of smoke, doing this one.”

He had a point, nothing bad had happened with the other spell, it didn’t seem likely this one would even work.

Marcus meticulously placed three bleak jet obsidian stones within the circle, and twelve incense around it. He cut his left hand, and dripped seven drops each upon the vitreous pylons, and again on the aged candles. As they were lit, the candles now blazed red, and sinking into a deep pitched black, the wick slowly pulsing in rhythm. The caldera glass lifted, circling parallel to the drawn one below. Marcus read from the writings, unspeakable sounds; grotesque and unsettling, piercing to the deeps of all of them.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” James countered. “The process to create light seemed inconsistent. I don’t think conjuring up the dead…”

“Yeah, you guys fucked up a simple spell, and it barely worked, I doubt it’ll end in more than a whiff of smoke, doing this one.”

He had a point, nothing bad had happened with the other spell, it didn’t seem likely this one would even work.

Marcus meticulously placed three bleak jet obsidian stones within the circle, and twelve incense around it. He cut his left hand, and dripped seven drops each upon the vitreous pylons, and again on the aged candles. As they were lit, the candles now blazed red, and sinking into a deep pitched black, the wick slowly pulsing in rhythm. The caldera glass lifted, circling parallel to the drawn one below. Marcus read from the writings, unspeakable sounds; grotesque and unsettling, piercing to the deeps of all of them.

At the end of the last word, the world chilled, and he too stood up. Turning right about he looked towards the looking glass, it appeared clearly, but he was not looking at himself. A harlequin masked stranger gazing back upon him. As he neared the interloper, its hand out for a handshake, himself reciprocating, instead it strangled him, snapping him awake again he was seated. The obsidian burst outwards piercing the teens.

At the end of the last word, the world chilled, and he too stood up. Turning right about he looked towards the looking glass, it appeared clearly, but he was not looking at himself. A harlequin masked stranger gazing back upon him. As he neared the interloper, its hand out for a handshake, himself reciprocating, instead it strangled him, snapping him awake again he was seated. The obsidian burst outwards piercing the teens.

There was only silence. The trees no longer creaked, the dripping stopped, and the insect buzzing vanished. Ana quickly put the locket around her neck as they looked back into the twilight of the yard. No longer were the grounds as the teens remembered them; everything was different. The layout seemed familiar, yet the stones were new, and similar to the faces on the statues within the mausoleum, each headstone was new and intricately carved and with a jutted deathmask upon its face. A slight wind started whispering, other whispers swirling about. As they crossed the threshold from the mausoleum into the yard, the masks rose from the stones, oblique and disjointed shadows formed ghoulish bodies, the shapeless opaque black contrasting the white faces hollow and unmoving.

“What the hell happened?” Kerri demanded. “I though you said at worst there’d be a puff of smoke, this isn’t fucking smoke.”

Now it was Marcus doing the shivering. He was surprised by the magic they had performed, but never thought it would go this far. “Fuck, shit, I…don’t know.” He managed to voice.

“Marcus, are you alright?” Ana asked concerned. She tried to reach forward as he stumbled his way into the cemetery, him knocking back her hand.

“Uh, Marcus?” James inquired with no response. Marcus started to run, it wasn’t long before the ghouls congregated around him, and they could see him no more.

“Oh God, this isn’t right.” Kerri wheezed.

“We gotta get out of here.” James stifling himself from yelling out loud.

“Yeah, but how?” Ana inquired. After such inexplicable events she thought her sanity would have collapsed like the others, yet even now she remained calm.

“I think we should run for it.” Kerri enumerated.

“Yeah, they don’t look like they’re moving very fast.” James agreed.

“I don’t think it matters if they’re moving fast, I think there’s too many of them.” Ana countered. “Let’s try sneaking around them.”

At first the spectre’s paid them no mind, but Ana stepped on a twig, the chatter echoed in the silent world. A few of the creatures nearby made for the group. Ana grabbed the other two, nearly frozen in place, and pulled them around a hedge. Unfortunately more wandered about, and caught her by surprise. The gauntly shadows pounced. Ana produced her titian flame, and the demons rebounded. The drain of energy was immeasurable, they had to keep moving.

James had a moment of lucidity, lit his candle and tossing the lighter to Kerri, “Light your candle!” She quickly complied.

They had fallen back to the outskirts of the mausoleum. Ana propelled the flame if any of the ethereal masks came to close. The teens could hardly comprehend what ghastly horrors they were up against, let alone a plan to escape the torment this prison held for them. Several came in, Ana lighting up the grounds, but one hit towards James, his candle lit up, sending it reeling, but the light went out, and he collapsed to his knees.

Ana helped him up, and saw an opportunity. If she rushed the opening she could open a path for the others to follow, describing this quickly she headed out, to what could be her end.

The Graves Remember.

No one ever came out to this cemetery, as stories replaced the deceased, so too did the emptiness replace the visitors. It was just outside of town off and across the old covered bridge, condemned sometime after a flood. The abandoned dirt road leading out passing the ghosts of forgotten houses and barns, swallowed in a time they hardly knew. The gates of the cemetery, so covered now in vines it was hard to make out from the crumbling stone fence leering over the teens, casting shadows as the gloomy sun set. Clearing away layers of vines yielded an ancient and rusted lock, long ago opened by it's age. The gate itself was much harder to push open, all four of them only yielding a foot to press through, creaking and groaning on it's hinges. Large trees scattered ruined stones, while stagnant ponds submerged others. It was more a forbidden forest than a memorial.

For a while the teens were content sitting by the collapsed fountain at the entrance, all too timid to venture further into it's forsaken confines; all poking fun at each other for not taking a dare. The cool mystique of smoking vanished as a crow cawed. Yet it was enough to give James just enough adrenaline pumping to challenge his sister, "I dare you to go to that monument over there."
"Psh, no way in hell." Kerri spat back, flicking ash from her cigarette.
"Ha! Then I'll tell mom it was you who scratched up the car." He returned.
"You wouldn't dare. Mom would kill us both." She scrambled.
"Yeah, but you'd be the one stuck paying for it." His grin widened.
"Ooooooh! Snap!" Jeered Marcus.
Kerri smarted, "Fine, but what do I get for doing it?"
"My love and admiration?"
"Ah, hell no. You're buying me lunch for a week."

He relented. She stomped out the bud, tossed her bag to Ana and ran the twenty yards to the obelisk. Nearly tripping as the collapsed, yet malicious, headstones peaking out just as she was about to step  where they laid in wait. Slightly out of breath, she turned around triumphant, fist clenched in the air. The others picking up on her bravado made their way towards her through the minefield of forgotten memories.
"I knew you had it in ya sis!" James said with a slight punch to her arm.
The obelisk made with a dark green and black marble, Each side had a different etched symbol; an open book, a staff with crossed snakes, a badge, and an ink bottle and quill, but repeated ARMITAGE below.
She smirked, "Now it's your turn! Out to that private lot!"
He almost stood back, "Hey now, I challenged you, you gotta challenge someone else."
"Fine. Ana, wanna take a gander?" Grabbing back her bag.
"Erm, well...." Ana began, but Marcus stood forward, "I'll do it. What do I get?"
"The math assignment I'm doing for you anyways seems like a great payment."

Slightly miffed Marcus agreed, running out between the trees, and raised sarcophagus', stumbling on a loose stone, made it to the speared iron wrought fence in one piece. "What now, bee-otches?"
As they arrived, they noticed Marcus had moved further in, "Hey guys come check out this mausoleum!"

Perched along the side wall hidden from the main entrance by wild hedges, and crumbling statues was a squat mausoleum, slightly Faux Ancient Greek, faded orange tiles littering the entrance. One could just make out the word WHATELEY faded with a tinge of gold paint winking in the fading sun. They all gathered around the closed entrance. "Anything good inside?" James asked peering over Marcus' shoulder.
"I can't see anything either. Guess it's your turn, break us in!" Marcus challenged.
"Shouldn't we be getting back to the entrance..." Ana started.
"We can go...after I open the gate! What are the terms for my amazing lockpicking skills? Borrow your car for a month?" James parleyed.
"F**k no dude, I just got my ride. A week, tops." Marcus spit.
"Whatever! You've had it for over a year. How about til fall break? That's a week and a half."
"Fine, til fall break, and not a goddamned scratch dude."

"Sounds good." James eased, popping his fingers. "Kerri, two hairpins please."
The lock looked strangely alien in the decaying landscape. Stainless steel, hardly rusted. Nothing more than a standard padlock, a few seconds later, and a click and pop of the loop. "See? That's the way we do it. Money for nothin', and the chicks for free." Handing back the hairpins to Kerri. She just rolled her eyes. Marcus guffawed, and Ana glanced at her phone.
James dropped the chain and padlock as he pulled aside the curtained gate, opening up  into a small square room. It kept up the Greek look with marbled walls, stone columns topped with bleak blank-faced figures in every corner, and tattered red velvet curtains hung clinging to threads on hooks. Around the inlaid coffin covers each inscribed with a family member deceased, "Noah" "Lavinia" "John" "Wilbur"  two on the left and right walls respectively. The teens glanced over the old visitors book upon the pedestal, intrigued by the glass case on the rear wall. Their vague reflections staring back at them as they looked in at the silver locket behind the pane of glass.
The locket rested upon bust, it's untarnished silver weakly glinting in the dying sun. The locket itself was shaped unnaturally like a human face, eyes hollowed but filled with fine black diamonds, and swirls of inlaid gold to reflect cheekbones. behind the necklace held a sign in spidery script paint dripping from a callous or impatient painter. "Frigg Nekhabed Gauri Ninhursag", webs rests in the crevices of the case.

James turning to Ana, "By a process of elimination, it looks like it's your turn. Take the locket."
"You said we'd leave after you broke in." Ana protested.
"Nope, we've all taken bets, it's your turn." Marcus and Kerri all surrounding Ana by the case, Cheshire cat smiles revealing their military gravestone-like teeth.
Ana frowned. This simply wasn't going her way. she sighed, "I get my book back, and we never come back here. Agreed?"
They all nodded in agreement, and backed off. She opened the case easily enough, the necklace had surprising heft for it's size, weighing it for a second before Kerri snatched it from her, "I wanna look!" Looking it over, "Man, the thing won't open!"
"Give it here," James grabbing it. "Whoa, weird. Check out this back! It looks like I'm wearing a mask." Handing it over to Marcus, and to Kerri each having a turn examining their face in the surreal pale mask. Kerri was handing it back to Ana when a sudden silence fell over the graveyard. The trees no longer creaked, the dripping stopped, and the insect buzzing vanished. Ana quickly put the locket around her neck as they looked back into the twilight of the yard.

No longer were the grounds as the teens remembered them, but everything was different. The layout seemed familiar, but the trees were no longer populating, nor the ponds sinking. The stones were new, and similar to the faces on the Whateley statues, each headstone finely carved and with a jutted deathmask on it's face. A slight wind started whispering. Other whispers swirling about. As they crossed the threshold from the mausoleum into the yard the masks rose from the stones, oblique and disjointed shadows formed ghoulish bodies, the transparent black contrasting the white masks.
"Oh God, this isn't right." Kerri hissed.
"What the f*ck?" Marcus managed to stumble out.
"I'm getting out of here." James practically yelled dashing straight towards the entrance. The spectre's turned to his outburst and the closest moved to intercept, and was consumed by the shadows.
Marcus and Kerri took off in a panic, Kerri repeating her previous mutterings. Both quickly overtaken, and they too were no longer.
Ana for a while was frozen to the spot. The phantoms not venturing much further than their graves. She felt ice prickling through her fingers and toes. The dreadful whispers gaining in coherency and volume. More of the ethereal masks stood from their graves, she took a step forward. None seemed to notice. She moved forward again. Again nothing. She started towards the gate, quietly, one near her noticed and shifted her way, she tried to out walk it, but it caught her, there was an indescribable pain, or was it pleasure? But she pulled free shaking fiercely, and she too took to a run. Others followed, several tried to ambush, but she pushed her way through them, Ana in tears made it to the gate, and pulled herself through the gap, but masks and clawed hands started unfurling around the gate as well. With all of her will she pulled the gate shut, and with the slam, what was a quiet evening in September seemed deafening. She crumpled in a heap, and sobbed. Looking down into the mirror on the locket she only saw herself, and she was alone.

--Add a super cool ghost with a cape maybe?
--Add a beginning.
--Draw in a reference to James lying, and Ana showing some respect for the graves.
--Maybe re-write the writing in the mausoleum.
--Waffles, everyone loves waffles.

Sera meets trouble.

Serafina was in trouble. She had a feeling after the sly fox had revealed he was the cause of the morphing forest. To find the smallest acorn, a dead leaf of grass, and a red tulip? It became obvious as she started looking around. It was late spring, everything was alive and in bloom; Nary a red plant to be seen, occasional groups of tulips, but mostly white. She felt cold, empty. She was being held hostage by this kid, and his twisted humor.
After an hour of looking, she first happened upon a grove of berry bushes and tulips.. Food! Not much, but it would have to suffice. Big and juicy the juice dripped down around her. Staining her white blouse, crimson...red? What if it stained the tulips the same way? Picking one, she dripped the juice upon it. It stained evenly, almost convincingly, to her floral expertise. Could it be so easy? She kept the flower as she headed towards the group of oak trees in the distance.
The acorns weren't as plentiful as they would be later in August, but there were still hundreds if not thousands laying around, and in the trees. At first Sera collected the ones upon the ground into a pile. But it soon became tiresome and she took a moment to think. Looking up into the trees the blossoming of the acorns had begun, the minuscule flowering was beautiful in it's repetitive nature, or at least she had grown to appreciate all that nature had to offer. The large fist size seeds came from such small plants! Of course! She quickly snatched a blossom. Two down, one to go!
If the first two were so simple, perhaps the third was as well? She found grass along a nearby creek. It was all green and lively. She quickly plucked out a large strand, long enough to tie her hair behind her as she went in for a closer look. Maybe there was some dead underneath the bushel of greenery. She stopped. Sera had wasted hours on the first two tasks, only to have found the solution right in front of her. It dawned on her, and tied her flowers with another leaf.
"What say you, clever boy, did I pass?" She muttered walking back towards the grove.
His laugh was seared in her mind, and she almost jumped hearing it as she walked by. She threw a punch before she realized it. She missed, but not by much. The child didn't flinch, just a wily grin on his face.
"Very good, very good!" He hissed[I'll need to think of a better word]. "I'm impressed, with your cheat. Who'd have thought such berries stained so peculiarly red? That acorns start as tiny flowers, and grass dies when plucked?"
She frowned, it was all a game to him. He sensed her displeasure, a grin lit upon his face, his serrated teeth showing. That wasn't natural. She blinked, and instantly he became an it. The rounded snout, the sagittal ears, the bleak black eyes, didn't help the sardonic smile. Her stance returned to the defensive. An anthropomorphic fox? The magic was hard enough to swallow, but such creatures were stuff of legends! There had never been an credible sighting.
He sighed, "a deal is a deal. Follow me." He skipped along ahead of her. Sera followed, not sure what to make of this sudden shift to kindness. This time however she found herself back at where she entered the forest, the sun's position in the sky hadn't shifted more than ten to fifteen minutes from where it was when she went in. The fox bowed, eyes still upon her, "We'll meet again, my dear Serafina." Before slipping back into the forest unseen.

Into the woods

Dill would always be August's loyal servant. August had shown him and his family compassion when things were most dire, and fealty was his only payment. But as time went on his loyalty gave way to understanding and friendship. No one could or would understand the stress and responsibility that had been placed on his shoulders as the heir to be. Even after the kingdom's fall, August felt the burden responsibility for his former citizen's well being was his duty.

The fox and the hound.

Old robes and a hood covering his head, he sat in a meditative pose, in the middle of a dark, damp dungeon. Creaking of doors in the distance signified someone entering. The boots echoed down the long passage, as they made their way down this wing. Lavender turned to look into his cell, and back at her clipboard(they're very official looking you know).
"Mungus, you have hereby been imprisoned for loitering, being in possession of a illegal artifact, and for being in connection to both the forsaken prince, and the pirate captain Jasmine. What does the Fox plead?"
With a slight shift the head looked up, a slight glint coming out from beneath the hood.
RINGRINGDINGADING! came forth from the artifact in Lavender's pocket. She reached in and the strange artifact was now all a lit with lights.
"Excuse me, but I believe that's for me." The fox said, standing up, and casually walking out of the cell, as if it weren't locked.
The guards shifted to a defensive stance, spears raised in case of attack. Lavender stayed them, curious what the fox had in mind, handing over the artifact.
"Yes? What is it? I'm busy at the moment. Ugh, I told you, right at the knotted tree, left at the dancing squirrel. It couldn't have been that hard to remember could it?." Ending the conversation he turned his attention back towards Lavender, "Now, where were we?"
Steeling herself, "A magical artifact? That'll also add to your sentence. You should know magic has been outlawed."
"Ah, but this isn't any ordinary magic! It's an abacus, an infinite torchlight, it can even play card games! So how about it, 20 gold, and it'll be yours."
"You forget fox, you handed it back to me."
"Yes, yes, now that you mention it, I suppose I could give it up for 10 gold and a copper."
"Come with me," she said, clamping on a pair of irons. "We're headed down town to see the sorcerer."
He was seated in the middle of a caged wagon, surrounded by guards and his personal escort Lavender.
"Lavender, Lavender, where have I heard that name before...?" He mumbled to himself, "You wouldn't be the daughter of the esteemed leathersmith [name  here] would you?"
A little red in the face she blasted, "That's none of your business!"
Upon entering the center of the village, a commotion broke out, various animals up for sale started making a racket, people started coming out to investigate, and fights started breaking.
"Carry on," She commanded the driver.
"I can't sir, the road has been blocked."
"You know, I could get out and see what the problem is." Offered the fox.
"No, you're likely to have caused it." She ordered a handful of guards to get out and investigate.
They quickly returned with word that Jasmine was causing the ruckus.
She couldn't leave the fox unattended, but the chance to capture Jasmine was hard to ignore. Issuing an order to a soldier to watch the fox, she and the rest waded through the crowds towards the market. Spreading out searching for the pirate. It wasn't long before she found her nemesis, but at that instant, she found her too. Jasmine split, and Lavender followed. Down side alleys, and through barns, but by the edge of the village, Jasmine was gone, and Lavender had nothing to show for it, but a strange coin. Heading back to the wagon, and things went from bad to worse. The fox was gone, and the guard was unconscious in the irons of the fox.

A vampire queen.

Not all was well in the kingdom. His father was busier than usual with his counsel, and his only words to his son were, not to lose Veri. Veri was the princess from the neighboring kingdom, and a deal had been worked out years earlier for Elatus to marry Veri. Since they were five, they would visit each others kingdom for the summer to become acquainted with each other and the cultures of their kingdom. This year it was scheduled for Veri to visit their kingdom, and Elatus was getting anxious. Over the past few years he had started developing very real feelings for her. She had started to develop into a very beautiful young lady from her average looks as a child; This most certainly didn't help his predicament. She too had become attached to him, and they always spent time together.

A pirates day off.

[Jasmine's view] It was a nice day in this seaside village, snow topped mountains and a nice breeze blowing through the canyon. It would be a great day for sailing, but after a few weeks on the high seas, her sailors and her needed the break; If only to keep moral up. They had ran out of fresh food, and the rolls Agatha had cooked, had unfortunately been left out during a particularly heavy rain. They had been stocking up on supplies(this particular town seemed ill-equipped to handle such a large group of sailors coming through), but came into a bar for a nice lunch to rest up. Jasmine herself was enjoying a nice cup of tea, as were many of her sailors; a few broke out a nice bottle of Chardonnay. During their first rousing song a loud crash sounds across the street. Stopping to investigate the clamor out the window, a bear[a bull?] had crashed into the butcher shop.