Slumber Birthday Party

[smallestopener]

The tea party room in the House of Arch has been re-arranged. The chests of dress-up clothes are still there, but the large table is gone. In its place are comfy, overstuffed chairs, a long sofa, and several cushions and bean bags scattered about. There is a small table loaded with snacks like crisps, dips, cupcakes, candy, and soda. There's also a veggie tray and cheese and crackers for all of those over age eight.

An old model TV hooked up to VCR is set up with several video cassettes of movies such as The Aristocats, Sleeping Beauty, Shirley Temple classics, and other fun viewing choices.

Tom and Door have been busy escorting guests into the House, if they didn't already have access on their own, and the birthday girl greets them with squeeful happiness. Megwyn is already there, standing by a basket of fresh hay and apples. Even Companions need treats.

She is wearing pajamas with unicorns on them with a fluffy yellow robe on over. She is very excited and feeling very grown up. She's going to stay up all night.

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Story Time

[smallestopener]

It's gotten later, the lights are dimmed, and it's time for stories. There's a flashlight to shine in one's face, if one is telling a spoooooky story.

Re: Story Time

[queenofmay]

((Story taken from the retelling by S. E. Schlosser))

Marian decides early on it's story time, both to make up for her lateness and because she'd been reading a lot of strange fiction in Milliways while not heading home, and grabbed the flash light while calling for everyone to gather round.

Once they'd all settled down Marian nodded for one of the other adults to turn off the light, flicking on the flashlight as she began speaking.

"She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors.

Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but she denied any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof that the witch had taken their young ones."

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

Ingress gasps, her eyes wide. "What happened next?"

She knows some witches. They are very nice people. This sounds like one from the stories who bears no resemblance to the real ones.

Re: Story Time

[queenofmay]

Marian repressed the urge to smile. She might not have known the story amazing well since it wasn't of her time, but it had held its own creepy notes for someone who's world did have tales of evil and crazy witches.

Making sure to keep her face spooky, she continued onward;

"Then came the night when the daughter of the miller rose from her bed and walked outside, following an enchanted sound no one else could hear. The miller's wife had a toothache and was sitting up in the kitchen treating the tooth with an herbal remedy when her daughter left the house. She screamed for her husband and followed the girl out of the door. The miller came running in his nightshirt. Together, they tried to restrain the girl, but she kept breaking away from them and heading out of town.

The desperate cries of the miller and his wife woke the neighbors. They came to assist the frantic couple. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods. A few townsmen followed him out into the field and saw Bloody Mary standing beside a large oak tree, holding a magic wand that was pointed towards the miller's house. She was glowing with an unearthly light as she set her evil spell upon the miller's daughter."

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

"Tom said sometimes there are evil spells..."

Re: Story Time

[queenofmay]

"That they are," Marian said darkly, over the flash light, aimlessly wondering by how, just how it was the thing worked. Reminded her a little of lightsaber but it wasn't painful light.

"The townsmen, knowing of the evils spells she cast, grabbed their guns and their pitchforks and ran toward the witch. When she heard the commotion, Bloody Mary broke off her spell and fled back into the woods. The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her at the stake.

As she burned, Bloody Mary screamed a curse at the villagers. If anyone mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, she would send her spirit to revenge herself upon them for her terrible death. When she was dead, the villagers went to the house in the wood and found the unmarked graves of the little girls the evil witch had murdered. She had used their blood to make her young again.

From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary's name three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will be trapped forever in the mirror."

Re: Story Time

[mistressmaryquitecontrary]

Mary has been scowling all this time.

(Mary is her name! Evil witches should not try to appropriate it for their own ends.)


"That is a stupid thing to do anyways," she announces, loudly.

She is not frightened, of course. She is offended by the stupidity! Yes. That's all.

"Why would you want to call a witch?"

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

"Maybe if you wanted to be trapped in a mirror?"

She can't imagine who would want to be trapped in a mirror, but even at eight, Ingress knows it takes all kinds.

Re: Story Time

[called_lioness]

"What sort of story would you like, lady?" Lucy asks with a grin.

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

"A scary one, but a funny one."

One not so scary as Bloody Mary, in other words. Just a little bit scary.

"Or, if you don't know ones like that, one about a brave girl."

Re: Story Time

[called_lioness]

"All of the scary ones I know are very scary," she admits, "but I think I can manage one about a brave girl."

Lucy muses for a minute.

"I could tell you the story of Alambil, the lady of peace."

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

"Alambil is a pretty name," she says, and settles back into her cushion. This sounds like a good story already.

Re: Story Time

[called_lioness]

"Alambil was the daughter of the North Star," Lucy informs her as she strokes Ingress' hair for a minute with a smile.

"When the world was young, the stars were at war. They had not yet found their places in the sky. They formed alliances and fought for supremacy, ignoring the song of the Lion that would tell them where they belonged.

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

She nods. "I'd listen to the song of the Lion."

Re: Story Time

[called_lioness]

"I know you would, dear." Her smile's fond. "But there are many songs, you know. And sometimes it's hard to hear the Lion's for all the rest. Some are pretty on their own, and mix well with the Lion's, and some don't. It's hard to know sometimes.

"But Alambil refused to listen to the sounds of war and discord, loud songs that clang in the ear and stay in one's head for the rest of one's life. Instead she urged her siblings, all the stars that were, to dance instead of fight and sing with her.

"They didn't listen, though, and stars began to fall, hitting the land with their lights gone out, dim and pale and lost."

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

"Oh no, how sad... But they got back up in the sky, right?"

Re: Story Time

[called_lioness]

"Eventually. It takes many years for a star to regain its light. But nothing good is ever truly lost.

"When her nearest brother fell, one who Alambil had loved dearer than the rest, she wept so that even the warring stars stopped to hear her. Where pleading would not stop them, her tears would.

"And then she raged. Her anger burned the sky red, as she told her siblings that they had forgotten what they were, forgotten the Lion and his song, that they'd been lured by the Southern god's song."

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

She grips Door's hand. This is an exciting story, and she hopes for a happy ending.

Re: Story Time

[called_lioness]

Lucy smiles a little and pulls her knees up as she finishes. "When her anger ceased, the stars had quieted. And in their quiet, they could hear the song they had forgotten.

"And they too wept, and the tears rained down from the heavens like the stars themselves will on the last day.

"And they did not fight again. And Alambil earned the title of the Lady of Peace, and later wed the Lord of Victory, Tarva, though she could only see him from time to time. But that is another story."

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

"Oh, good. I'm glad she got to be happy. That was a good story, Lucy."

She slips her hand into Lucy's. "The Lady of Peace is beautiful, I bet."

Re: Story Time

[street-sparrow.livejournal.com]

And after a few of the stories, especially the scarier ones, there's a young wizard talking the wall into opening up, just a little bit. A tiny hole, only big enough for a few half-grown rats to scuttle through.

Gavroche stays where he is, to watch.

Re: Story Time

[smallestopener]

Ingress notices the hole, and the eye behind it and gives a little wave. Big brothers deserve good stories, too. She'll draw the line at makeovers.