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Here it is, the surprise I've been talking about over in the dorms. A present for all my friends who've come and gone and come back again at the dorms and on MC. Hope you guys like it.
Halloween Homecoming.
The Count von Count had just finished putting up the last candles in the salon, as he was anxiously awaiting all the ghosts arriving at his home that evening. Two black bats flew in, with an important message to the ears of the counting king.
Count: "He's here?!? And she's with him too? Vonderful! The ghosts of honor! If you need me, I'll be in my room."
And with that he locked the door as he reached his upstairs bedroom, before changing his clothes and washing up for the ghoulish gala to be held at his counting castle.
Mark stood outside the Count's castle doors banging away at the bat-shaped knocker. A tall man with light brown hair and eyes, a brown mustache upon his upper lip, a dimpled chin, and dressed in his gray business suit. "Open up right now Count! I won't put up with any more of your incessant counting nonsense any longer!" Mark bellowed at the creepily creaking door. The abode opened admitting him into its dark recesses. Two bats flew by busily chattering to themselves... "This will be a great night", said one bat; "Yes, so many of our old fiends coming back to the castle for one night fright only", said the other. Mark grew horrified at the thought of other Counts filling up the halls of this fortress. "Not if I have anything to say about it", Mark thought to himself. And with that he set off following the bats attempting to sabotage the proceedings...
Mark continued his careful paces until reaching the upper towers of the castle. "So I'll just stay here and find something... Oh, this thing on the windows will do." With that, he tried to remove one of the rich tapestries and confuse the bats by covering the open shutters of the belfry. "Are you in the fright tower?" asked a British-sounding voice behind him. "Well, I guess so, after all I'm Towers and I wouldn't be here if it weren't my tower." Mark turned to find the first of many frightful faces... Harvey was a British gentleman all right, but he had a grayed mustache and dragged a female bust with him mounted on a perch on his shoulders. "Well, what do you think Mother? Yes, I think he'd do nicely for a bit of poker." And with that Harvey retrieved the poker from the furnace, jabbing at the air. "Poker? Never even knew her. Besides, Mother would frown at any other woman in my life. Except for Suzanne, but that's another story." Mark quickly exited the tower in a panic, not knowing where he was headed next.
The castle parapets led into a second tower on the other side of the outer roof landing. The bells inside were ringing out joyously, unaware to the intruder seeking sanctuary there. Mark: "Ah, at least that's over." But then he saw the doubled-over figure jumping from bell to bell. Matt was a child of the earth, sometimes simple-minded though providing moments of myrth as he attempted to understand what everyone else already knew. His one good eye open wide inspecting the stranger, his shut eye squinting in the candle light. Though he was ahunchback, he had some hunch about who this person might be. Matt: "You're not the postman are you? Because the postman always rings twice." Mark: "I-I-I'm not the p-p-postman." Matt: "Oh good, because I was the one ringing the bells you know." Mark: Y-Y-Yes... N-N-Now how do I get down from here?" Matt, squinting hard as if in deep thought: "Well, there's the direct route." Mark: "Good, I-I-I'll take that one." Matt: "Okey-dokey."
The trap door opened and Mark found himself falling straight down into the living room below.
Mark, reeling from the fall, landed in an armchair with snaps that locked in place. Then two lovely visions appeared in sight. Diana, the Banshee with a voice that would pierce a human's ears or sound as soft and sweet as a bird chirping in the wind floated in first. Diana: "Are you the ghost of honor?" Mark, spooked: "What?!?" Diana: "Well, you're sitting in the Master's chair..." Mark: What Master?" Diana: "Shhh, not now, I hear my cousin out in the hallway." She was right, Christy had materialized for a quick visit. The phantom was cloaked in a robe of powder black, dressed finely for the night's get-together. Christy: "See you outside D." With that, she was gone again in the shadows surrounding the outer reaches of the room.
Diana: "Well, if you're not the Master, then down you go." The chair plummeted even deeper into the dungeon far below. The straps loosened allowing Mark to wander about the strange machinery found here. A battery component was marking the readout, sparked by lightning spikes now and then. His curiousity getting the better of him, he decided to peek under the sheet covering the body lying upon the slab. Kim was fast asleep, having returned from visiting her grandmother's grave, leaving her drained. She wore a lovely white wedding gown and had hair as black as midnight, accentuated by two streaks of ghostly white down the sides of her head of hair. What Mark heard next was something he'd prefer to forget. Justin, Kim's boyfriend, came into view in a rage. This monster was angry no doubt about it. The bolts on his neck flared with a spark of anger, his misshapened body fashioned together from bits and pieces dug up from the graveyard collection, his boots echoeing on the floor as he stomped at the man who dared endanger his ghoul. Mark ran straight off into the stairwell leading into the bathroom.
Mark: Oh good, a chance to rest in the restrooms. Now I can catch my breath." But he didn't have that long as two glowing eyes opened, peeking at him from behind the bathtub's curtains. There was a shyness present in this creature's nature, prefering to slink back into the shadows. She had a grayish-blue scaled body, two flippers over her arms, a lower body ending in a sort of crazy-twirled flipperlike tail, and a dragonish snout. The Loch Nyssa Monster had put in a rare appearance at the Count's castle, seeking the shelter of the bat-room. Now, she felt her privacy intruded upon by this stranger. In a huff, she grabb him with one of her flipper arms and threw him out an opened big bat window onto the sprawling lawns.
The pool area seemed like a place fit for relaxing, or so Mark thought before espying the beautiful babe seated in a lounge chair near the watery shores of the concrete swimming pool. Louise had blonde eyes and clear blue eyes, sporting a yellow bikini she borrowed from a friend. However, she had no legs, as they were both wrapped up inside her finny fishy green mermaid's tail. Mark approached her trying to make some small talk. Louise: "Um, I'm sorry, you were saying something?" She took off her sunglasses to examine the stranger more closely. Mark: Well, I was just saying... It's not safe for a girl like you..." Suddenly it happened, Louise went her usual change, shocking Mark. Now, as if by magic perpertrated by some small mischievous munchkin, she changed her form the other way around. Instead of being a beautiful woman with the tail of a fish, she now had her upper body covered in light purplish fish scales and two normal human legs. Mark: "What? Where? How?" Louise: "Are you always this articulate?" Then Mark spotted the bubbles surfacing from the pool's area. "Hope it's not that thing that just flinged me out here again", he thought to himself. No, this was Henrik, rising from his watery domain. He had blackened scales covering his body and two glaring eyes, along with a fishlike snout as he was known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon round these parts. Henrik: Heeeeeey! Thlalalalalalat's my dlalalalalalate!" Mark knew he had made another one of these weirdos angry and promptly ran round the back of the castle into the wooded park nearby.
Mark was now amidst the nightmare trees, trees withered and gnarled into sinister spires blotting out any pervasive sunlight. "Well, can't see anything here, so maybe nothing will see me." Mark didn't know just how wrong he was, for something was watching him. Luke, the protector of these woods, a large brown shaggy werewolf spotted his prey and made a dash for it. With his classic howl booming off as he neared, Mark was in no mood to stay here and find out what the devil was chasing him. For all he knew, it may as well be the devil himself. Uncareful of where he was going, Mark soon fell into an underground tomblike home. This abode seemed innocent enough. There was even a spider... A spider? Yes, Lisa often came here to read her fiends' latest works of fiction. She constantly nagged whoever was telling the tale to finish it so she could have another. This was also where she came to work on her own masterpieces, weaving threads together again in a moment's flash of inspiration. Mark: Excuse me miss?" Lisa: "Mmm?" Mark: "Could you please... Uh, tell me how to get out of here?" Lisa: "Sure, have you met my close fiend Nyssa? You probably have or haven't. Anyway, there's a flight of stares over there if you want to climb out of our little pit." Mark" Our?" Lisa: "Yes, I'm not the only one working here. Oh, but you haven't seen Ryan yet. He's over there (pointing to a tightly-closed coffin), just knock before you go up the stares and he'll be glad to greet you." Mark neared the coffin as the strange spider woman instructed after bidding her good-bye. Unsure of what he'd get, he knocked three times on the coffin. Ryan: "Boo's there?" Mark: "Mark." Ryan: "Mark who?" Mark: "Uh, noone you know, just wanted to say hello before going upstairs.
The next fright that greeted Mark was a maniacal one. Ryan in his decomposed skeletal frame burst through the top coffin's opening, laughing his hysterical laugh. The yellow bulging eyes were enough to send Mark in a panic up the stairs, never mind Ryan's cryptic puns and sense of humor.
The cavernous opening was barred by another hairy creature Mark never dreamed he'd meet. Kate the troll was covered in stony brown-grayish fur, with a prolonged nose and fangs in her mouth strong enough to crush rocks, a wild hairdo and shaggy little tail not unlike a Fraggle's sticking out from her body. Kate: "You going upstairs? Don't forget to bring these to the Master." She handed him a little bat-shaped box of Doozerdust cookies. Mark: Um... Yes." Taking the stairs two at a time, he was glad to be back within the relative safety of the castle's inner workings. The kitchenette area was next on this terrified tourist's travels, where he left behing the bat box of cookies. "Probably taste horrid those things do" Mark said more to himself than to anyone else who may be there. Beth: "Hand me those garlic cloves. Need 'em for the brew." Mark: "Um, is that dinner you're making?" Beth, dressed in full witch black uniform, her hat on the counter next to her and the broom in the corner, working over the boiling cauldron: "You bet hon... Some of our favorite meals. Eye of Newt popovers, Jalapeño **** Peppers, Ghoulash, Bat-Burgers and Devilled Eggs, and of course Monster Mashed Potatoes and Crypt Cookies with I Scream for dessert." Mark: "As appetizing as that may be, I really must be going." As he moved forward, he felt a force bumping into him. Mark: "W-W-Who's there?" Bryan: "Oh sorry, I have the tendency to do that sometimes." As soon as he spoke, part of Bryan's body became visible, at least his hands and head with dark squared glasses. Bryan: "Can I help you?" Mark: "No, was just... um, leaving."
Once out of earshot, Mark started to curse ever having stepped foot into this condemned castle. What he wasn't expecting was a festive gang having fun in the room just past the next hallway. The gameroom was filled with laughter, eerie laughter, but laughter nonetheless. Mark entered, cautious not to make eye contact with any more weirdos here. The table was flowing with monstrous machinations as the players carried on their card game into all hours of the night. Seated round the table were Kevin, the oldest member of the troop, wrapped in his mummy bandages. What with all the points he had racked up from his stay, he was clearly in the lead, but the others didn't seem to mind. Next to him came Kyle the Cerberian hound with his three barking heads. His spiked tail was poking through the back of his chair, wagging in the air as he played his hand. No not his own hand, his hand of cards, though his three heads couldn't make up their minds which card to play. The girls, on the opposite side of the table were chatting away while waiting their turn. Sarah Isma tried not to let her flames burn the cards, or the table or anything else for that matter. She was a beautiful bird from the Orient, but had a bit of a problem controlling her flames. Tabi was the last player seated at the table, combing her snake locks as she talked to Sarah. She filled her two goblets with water, one to moisten her hair and snakes, the other to drink. Her contacts gave her eyes a greenish tint, saving everyone at the table from her granite glances. Mark decided this was not the place for him, so he backed away closing the door behind him.
Just before leaving the castle's premisses Mark was determined to give the Count one last piece of his frayed mind. The main living room was occupied by two souls... Though Tony the Undertaker was really more of a Muppet dude, he came for the party tonight as a show of fiendship to the Count. Kathy was the only other one there, and she liked it that way. Her black cat fur glistening in the moonlight entering the hall through it's small ceiling-high bat-shaped windows. Kathy crossed off a few squares on the gameboard before her as she played with herself, her cat ears perked up to hear any approaching intruders. When Mark came nnear, her backhairs stood up on end, sensing the stranger straight away. She lashed out her tail, knowing full well this enough to frighten anyone away, since her black cat being was what really spooked superstitious-minded folk. Tony greeted Mark and offered him a drink from his urn glass, which Mark quickly declined. Instead, Mark started running as soon as the midnight bells tolled the hour and he heard that collector of death's deep rolling laugh.
The Count knew the hour was nye, dressed in his vampire clothes, he descended down the main stairway onto the castle's main living room area. Count: "It's time my little ones, go tell everyone they're here." With that the bats took off alerting the rest of the residents the arrival of their ghosts of honor. Count, noticing his once next-door neighbor,: "Ah hello Mark, velcome to my humble little home." Mark: "Home?!? You call this asylum home?!? You'd be mad to live here!" Count: "Really? Hadn't noticed, rather like it here. It's where my family vas raised from the dead so to speak, if I may make alittle joke. Lots of fiends here, and we always have a good time."
Mark: "Well, I think this is the last straw!" He made a leaping run headon to the front doors, hoping to escape this looney bin of creeps and creepettes. Jamie hopped out onto the porch railing, wanting to know who was this guy that came rushing out of the castle. Count: Oh hi Jamie, long time no see." The froggy prince made himself be known, puffing up his little froggy flippers and belly, with the crown resting on his head and his tunic swelling due to his belly inflating as it did. Jamie, with a bit of an accent: "Whell, I thought you'd see may bootiful ahrtwhork Count." Count: "And such lowely art it is, just need someone to help me view it all... Blind batty eyes you know."
The last thing Mark knew was he had finally emerged from that long nightmare... But not before viewing the whole ghastly gang gathered there on the porch way of the castle like some freaky family picture. The Count in his vampire's clothes was there front and center, flanked by Justin the Frankenstein Monster and Kim the Bride of Frankenstein. Luke the Werewolf and Kevin the Cerberian Hound were in front, with Kathy the Black Cat in between them. Henrik the Creature of the Black Lagoon was holding fins with Louise the Mermaid to the Count's fright; while Lisa the Spider, Kate the Troll, and the Loch Nyssa Monster were talking about the night's events to his left. Matt the Hunchback of Notre Dame was just watching everybody else, while Christy the Phantom hovered near him and Harvey the descendant of Norman Bates held court upon the stoop's lefthand stones. Beth the Witch brought out her bubbling cauldron, ready to ladle a serving of spooky soup though it wasn't necessary now. Tony the Undertaker sipped a strong swig from his urn glass next to her, with Bryan the Invisible Man munching on one of the creepy cookies and Ryan the Cryptkeeper in his seat upon the stoop's righthand stones. Diana the Banshee and her sister in song, Sarah Isma the Phoenix serenaded the night skies flying over everyone's heads. Kevin the Mummy and Tabi Medusa stayed back near the castle's yawning doorway, ready to head on back inside and resume their games. Jamie the Frog Prince was still upon his perch on the porch's righthand railing, though there were two more souls present for this ghoulish gallery. Cindy Chopman, the Jack O'Lantern was there on the porch's lefthand railing, the light inside her pumpkin carved head casting an eerie glow across the group. Her husband, Phillip the Gargoyle, rested atop the keystone set into the doorway's arching frame. Yes, the family was all here, ready to have their yearly Halloween Homecoming with many more unnamed spooks and souls to join them inside once the party truly began. Count, motioning for everyone to follow: "Velcome to my home, and velcome to Phillip and Cindy Chopman. Now then, let me count all of my fiends here and this Doomsday Dance vill be kicked off in grand Transylwanian style!"
The thunder and lightning echoed off in the distance making this a night that Mark, and noone else living or dead or otherwise would ever forget.
Halloween Homecoming.
The Count von Count had just finished putting up the last candles in the salon, as he was anxiously awaiting all the ghosts arriving at his home that evening. Two black bats flew in, with an important message to the ears of the counting king.
Count: "He's here?!? And she's with him too? Vonderful! The ghosts of honor! If you need me, I'll be in my room."
And with that he locked the door as he reached his upstairs bedroom, before changing his clothes and washing up for the ghoulish gala to be held at his counting castle.
Mark stood outside the Count's castle doors banging away at the bat-shaped knocker. A tall man with light brown hair and eyes, a brown mustache upon his upper lip, a dimpled chin, and dressed in his gray business suit. "Open up right now Count! I won't put up with any more of your incessant counting nonsense any longer!" Mark bellowed at the creepily creaking door. The abode opened admitting him into its dark recesses. Two bats flew by busily chattering to themselves... "This will be a great night", said one bat; "Yes, so many of our old fiends coming back to the castle for one night fright only", said the other. Mark grew horrified at the thought of other Counts filling up the halls of this fortress. "Not if I have anything to say about it", Mark thought to himself. And with that he set off following the bats attempting to sabotage the proceedings...
Mark continued his careful paces until reaching the upper towers of the castle. "So I'll just stay here and find something... Oh, this thing on the windows will do." With that, he tried to remove one of the rich tapestries and confuse the bats by covering the open shutters of the belfry. "Are you in the fright tower?" asked a British-sounding voice behind him. "Well, I guess so, after all I'm Towers and I wouldn't be here if it weren't my tower." Mark turned to find the first of many frightful faces... Harvey was a British gentleman all right, but he had a grayed mustache and dragged a female bust with him mounted on a perch on his shoulders. "Well, what do you think Mother? Yes, I think he'd do nicely for a bit of poker." And with that Harvey retrieved the poker from the furnace, jabbing at the air. "Poker? Never even knew her. Besides, Mother would frown at any other woman in my life. Except for Suzanne, but that's another story." Mark quickly exited the tower in a panic, not knowing where he was headed next.
The castle parapets led into a second tower on the other side of the outer roof landing. The bells inside were ringing out joyously, unaware to the intruder seeking sanctuary there. Mark: "Ah, at least that's over." But then he saw the doubled-over figure jumping from bell to bell. Matt was a child of the earth, sometimes simple-minded though providing moments of myrth as he attempted to understand what everyone else already knew. His one good eye open wide inspecting the stranger, his shut eye squinting in the candle light. Though he was ahunchback, he had some hunch about who this person might be. Matt: "You're not the postman are you? Because the postman always rings twice." Mark: "I-I-I'm not the p-p-postman." Matt: "Oh good, because I was the one ringing the bells you know." Mark: Y-Y-Yes... N-N-Now how do I get down from here?" Matt, squinting hard as if in deep thought: "Well, there's the direct route." Mark: "Good, I-I-I'll take that one." Matt: "Okey-dokey."
The trap door opened and Mark found himself falling straight down into the living room below.
Mark, reeling from the fall, landed in an armchair with snaps that locked in place. Then two lovely visions appeared in sight. Diana, the Banshee with a voice that would pierce a human's ears or sound as soft and sweet as a bird chirping in the wind floated in first. Diana: "Are you the ghost of honor?" Mark, spooked: "What?!?" Diana: "Well, you're sitting in the Master's chair..." Mark: What Master?" Diana: "Shhh, not now, I hear my cousin out in the hallway." She was right, Christy had materialized for a quick visit. The phantom was cloaked in a robe of powder black, dressed finely for the night's get-together. Christy: "See you outside D." With that, she was gone again in the shadows surrounding the outer reaches of the room.
Diana: "Well, if you're not the Master, then down you go." The chair plummeted even deeper into the dungeon far below. The straps loosened allowing Mark to wander about the strange machinery found here. A battery component was marking the readout, sparked by lightning spikes now and then. His curiousity getting the better of him, he decided to peek under the sheet covering the body lying upon the slab. Kim was fast asleep, having returned from visiting her grandmother's grave, leaving her drained. She wore a lovely white wedding gown and had hair as black as midnight, accentuated by two streaks of ghostly white down the sides of her head of hair. What Mark heard next was something he'd prefer to forget. Justin, Kim's boyfriend, came into view in a rage. This monster was angry no doubt about it. The bolts on his neck flared with a spark of anger, his misshapened body fashioned together from bits and pieces dug up from the graveyard collection, his boots echoeing on the floor as he stomped at the man who dared endanger his ghoul. Mark ran straight off into the stairwell leading into the bathroom.
Mark: Oh good, a chance to rest in the restrooms. Now I can catch my breath." But he didn't have that long as two glowing eyes opened, peeking at him from behind the bathtub's curtains. There was a shyness present in this creature's nature, prefering to slink back into the shadows. She had a grayish-blue scaled body, two flippers over her arms, a lower body ending in a sort of crazy-twirled flipperlike tail, and a dragonish snout. The Loch Nyssa Monster had put in a rare appearance at the Count's castle, seeking the shelter of the bat-room. Now, she felt her privacy intruded upon by this stranger. In a huff, she grabb him with one of her flipper arms and threw him out an opened big bat window onto the sprawling lawns.
The pool area seemed like a place fit for relaxing, or so Mark thought before espying the beautiful babe seated in a lounge chair near the watery shores of the concrete swimming pool. Louise had blonde eyes and clear blue eyes, sporting a yellow bikini she borrowed from a friend. However, she had no legs, as they were both wrapped up inside her finny fishy green mermaid's tail. Mark approached her trying to make some small talk. Louise: "Um, I'm sorry, you were saying something?" She took off her sunglasses to examine the stranger more closely. Mark: Well, I was just saying... It's not safe for a girl like you..." Suddenly it happened, Louise went her usual change, shocking Mark. Now, as if by magic perpertrated by some small mischievous munchkin, she changed her form the other way around. Instead of being a beautiful woman with the tail of a fish, she now had her upper body covered in light purplish fish scales and two normal human legs. Mark: "What? Where? How?" Louise: "Are you always this articulate?" Then Mark spotted the bubbles surfacing from the pool's area. "Hope it's not that thing that just flinged me out here again", he thought to himself. No, this was Henrik, rising from his watery domain. He had blackened scales covering his body and two glaring eyes, along with a fishlike snout as he was known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon round these parts. Henrik: Heeeeeey! Thlalalalalalat's my dlalalalalalate!" Mark knew he had made another one of these weirdos angry and promptly ran round the back of the castle into the wooded park nearby.
Mark was now amidst the nightmare trees, trees withered and gnarled into sinister spires blotting out any pervasive sunlight. "Well, can't see anything here, so maybe nothing will see me." Mark didn't know just how wrong he was, for something was watching him. Luke, the protector of these woods, a large brown shaggy werewolf spotted his prey and made a dash for it. With his classic howl booming off as he neared, Mark was in no mood to stay here and find out what the devil was chasing him. For all he knew, it may as well be the devil himself. Uncareful of where he was going, Mark soon fell into an underground tomblike home. This abode seemed innocent enough. There was even a spider... A spider? Yes, Lisa often came here to read her fiends' latest works of fiction. She constantly nagged whoever was telling the tale to finish it so she could have another. This was also where she came to work on her own masterpieces, weaving threads together again in a moment's flash of inspiration. Mark: Excuse me miss?" Lisa: "Mmm?" Mark: "Could you please... Uh, tell me how to get out of here?" Lisa: "Sure, have you met my close fiend Nyssa? You probably have or haven't. Anyway, there's a flight of stares over there if you want to climb out of our little pit." Mark" Our?" Lisa: "Yes, I'm not the only one working here. Oh, but you haven't seen Ryan yet. He's over there (pointing to a tightly-closed coffin), just knock before you go up the stares and he'll be glad to greet you." Mark neared the coffin as the strange spider woman instructed after bidding her good-bye. Unsure of what he'd get, he knocked three times on the coffin. Ryan: "Boo's there?" Mark: "Mark." Ryan: "Mark who?" Mark: "Uh, noone you know, just wanted to say hello before going upstairs.
The next fright that greeted Mark was a maniacal one. Ryan in his decomposed skeletal frame burst through the top coffin's opening, laughing his hysterical laugh. The yellow bulging eyes were enough to send Mark in a panic up the stairs, never mind Ryan's cryptic puns and sense of humor.
The cavernous opening was barred by another hairy creature Mark never dreamed he'd meet. Kate the troll was covered in stony brown-grayish fur, with a prolonged nose and fangs in her mouth strong enough to crush rocks, a wild hairdo and shaggy little tail not unlike a Fraggle's sticking out from her body. Kate: "You going upstairs? Don't forget to bring these to the Master." She handed him a little bat-shaped box of Doozerdust cookies. Mark: Um... Yes." Taking the stairs two at a time, he was glad to be back within the relative safety of the castle's inner workings. The kitchenette area was next on this terrified tourist's travels, where he left behing the bat box of cookies. "Probably taste horrid those things do" Mark said more to himself than to anyone else who may be there. Beth: "Hand me those garlic cloves. Need 'em for the brew." Mark: "Um, is that dinner you're making?" Beth, dressed in full witch black uniform, her hat on the counter next to her and the broom in the corner, working over the boiling cauldron: "You bet hon... Some of our favorite meals. Eye of Newt popovers, Jalapeño **** Peppers, Ghoulash, Bat-Burgers and Devilled Eggs, and of course Monster Mashed Potatoes and Crypt Cookies with I Scream for dessert." Mark: "As appetizing as that may be, I really must be going." As he moved forward, he felt a force bumping into him. Mark: "W-W-Who's there?" Bryan: "Oh sorry, I have the tendency to do that sometimes." As soon as he spoke, part of Bryan's body became visible, at least his hands and head with dark squared glasses. Bryan: "Can I help you?" Mark: "No, was just... um, leaving."
Once out of earshot, Mark started to curse ever having stepped foot into this condemned castle. What he wasn't expecting was a festive gang having fun in the room just past the next hallway. The gameroom was filled with laughter, eerie laughter, but laughter nonetheless. Mark entered, cautious not to make eye contact with any more weirdos here. The table was flowing with monstrous machinations as the players carried on their card game into all hours of the night. Seated round the table were Kevin, the oldest member of the troop, wrapped in his mummy bandages. What with all the points he had racked up from his stay, he was clearly in the lead, but the others didn't seem to mind. Next to him came Kyle the Cerberian hound with his three barking heads. His spiked tail was poking through the back of his chair, wagging in the air as he played his hand. No not his own hand, his hand of cards, though his three heads couldn't make up their minds which card to play. The girls, on the opposite side of the table were chatting away while waiting their turn. Sarah Isma tried not to let her flames burn the cards, or the table or anything else for that matter. She was a beautiful bird from the Orient, but had a bit of a problem controlling her flames. Tabi was the last player seated at the table, combing her snake locks as she talked to Sarah. She filled her two goblets with water, one to moisten her hair and snakes, the other to drink. Her contacts gave her eyes a greenish tint, saving everyone at the table from her granite glances. Mark decided this was not the place for him, so he backed away closing the door behind him.
Just before leaving the castle's premisses Mark was determined to give the Count one last piece of his frayed mind. The main living room was occupied by two souls... Though Tony the Undertaker was really more of a Muppet dude, he came for the party tonight as a show of fiendship to the Count. Kathy was the only other one there, and she liked it that way. Her black cat fur glistening in the moonlight entering the hall through it's small ceiling-high bat-shaped windows. Kathy crossed off a few squares on the gameboard before her as she played with herself, her cat ears perked up to hear any approaching intruders. When Mark came nnear, her backhairs stood up on end, sensing the stranger straight away. She lashed out her tail, knowing full well this enough to frighten anyone away, since her black cat being was what really spooked superstitious-minded folk. Tony greeted Mark and offered him a drink from his urn glass, which Mark quickly declined. Instead, Mark started running as soon as the midnight bells tolled the hour and he heard that collector of death's deep rolling laugh.
The Count knew the hour was nye, dressed in his vampire clothes, he descended down the main stairway onto the castle's main living room area. Count: "It's time my little ones, go tell everyone they're here." With that the bats took off alerting the rest of the residents the arrival of their ghosts of honor. Count, noticing his once next-door neighbor,: "Ah hello Mark, velcome to my humble little home." Mark: "Home?!? You call this asylum home?!? You'd be mad to live here!" Count: "Really? Hadn't noticed, rather like it here. It's where my family vas raised from the dead so to speak, if I may make alittle joke. Lots of fiends here, and we always have a good time."
Mark: "Well, I think this is the last straw!" He made a leaping run headon to the front doors, hoping to escape this looney bin of creeps and creepettes. Jamie hopped out onto the porch railing, wanting to know who was this guy that came rushing out of the castle. Count: Oh hi Jamie, long time no see." The froggy prince made himself be known, puffing up his little froggy flippers and belly, with the crown resting on his head and his tunic swelling due to his belly inflating as it did. Jamie, with a bit of an accent: "Whell, I thought you'd see may bootiful ahrtwhork Count." Count: "And such lowely art it is, just need someone to help me view it all... Blind batty eyes you know."
The last thing Mark knew was he had finally emerged from that long nightmare... But not before viewing the whole ghastly gang gathered there on the porch way of the castle like some freaky family picture. The Count in his vampire's clothes was there front and center, flanked by Justin the Frankenstein Monster and Kim the Bride of Frankenstein. Luke the Werewolf and Kevin the Cerberian Hound were in front, with Kathy the Black Cat in between them. Henrik the Creature of the Black Lagoon was holding fins with Louise the Mermaid to the Count's fright; while Lisa the Spider, Kate the Troll, and the Loch Nyssa Monster were talking about the night's events to his left. Matt the Hunchback of Notre Dame was just watching everybody else, while Christy the Phantom hovered near him and Harvey the descendant of Norman Bates held court upon the stoop's lefthand stones. Beth the Witch brought out her bubbling cauldron, ready to ladle a serving of spooky soup though it wasn't necessary now. Tony the Undertaker sipped a strong swig from his urn glass next to her, with Bryan the Invisible Man munching on one of the creepy cookies and Ryan the Cryptkeeper in his seat upon the stoop's righthand stones. Diana the Banshee and her sister in song, Sarah Isma the Phoenix serenaded the night skies flying over everyone's heads. Kevin the Mummy and Tabi Medusa stayed back near the castle's yawning doorway, ready to head on back inside and resume their games. Jamie the Frog Prince was still upon his perch on the porch's righthand railing, though there were two more souls present for this ghoulish gallery. Cindy Chopman, the Jack O'Lantern was there on the porch's lefthand railing, the light inside her pumpkin carved head casting an eerie glow across the group. Her husband, Phillip the Gargoyle, rested atop the keystone set into the doorway's arching frame. Yes, the family was all here, ready to have their yearly Halloween Homecoming with many more unnamed spooks and souls to join them inside once the party truly began. Count, motioning for everyone to follow: "Velcome to my home, and velcome to Phillip and Cindy Chopman. Now then, let me count all of my fiends here and this Doomsday Dance vill be kicked off in grand Transylwanian style!"
The thunder and lightning echoed off in the distance making this a night that Mark, and noone else living or dead or otherwise would ever forget.
