by JR Wirth
Next to the bodiless-head was my Destiny. Wearing a long white gown, her make-up dripped down her face, as if she’d been crying for hours. Her red lipstick, like an unkempt, evil-clown, was smeared about her mouth and chin. She had a rope around her neck, and was suspended from the rafters. All the while she held a book in her hands reading aloud in Spanish, intermingled with screams of El Diablo.
I summoned the courage to save Destiny, and ran toward her. I got two steps into my charge and the rope holding her retracted, pulling her up through the ceiling.
I choked, coughed, and blinked several times, while I grasped the notion that my Destiny could have succumbed to the evil house. Mix in a singing, bodiless-head that mocked me, and floating body parts that were now moving towards me—I was frozen in catatonic fear; for how long? I do not know.
I suddenly realized that I too was in mortal danger. “Lord help!” I yelled, and high-stepped my way toward the room’s edge. “I need to save the kids!”
I started toward the interior off the house. At the center of the hall, directly across from the front door, stood Josh and Brittany, hand-in-hand.
“Hurry, JR,” cried Josh, in a distant, eerily-monotone voice. “This is epic.”
“Yeah, JR, you’re going to miss all the cool stuff,” Brittany shouted, sounding like an excited child, half her age.
As I dashed toward them, I was startled by a large object becoming dislodged and falling from the rafters. It was a giant lathe, slicing through the heavy fog.
I stopped in my tracks, yelling, “No!” But I couldn’t keep the lathe from slicing its way toward Josh and Brittany. In slow motion, I watched the blade cut through their necks with the ease of a chef’s knife cutting through an unripened tomato. Helpless and dismayed, I viewed their decapitated heads rolling down their bodies, coming to a rest on the raised flooring.
I bent and vomited. I managed to get out a lone tear of sorrow before I looked back. “This can’t be happening,” I screeched. Sick like never before, I stared at their bodies. With waving arms, they continued upright, dancing in unison; their heads on the ground, rhythmically bobbing from side-to-side, while they smiled up at me.
“You were right Josh,” Brittany’s head joyfully shouted. “This is radically-epic!”
Josh’s bobbing head turned toward Brittany’s head. “I told you so.”
In shock, surely losing my mind, I stood and stared. Aimlessly, I looked around, barely noticing the droves of other hanging creatures and bloodstained walls. Suddenly, I heard Desi and Yoko scream. The sound awakened my senses. Nothing I can do to save Josh and Brittany, I thought, while wading through the muck and body parts, trying to keep intact, what little remained of my mind.
Finally, I saw Desi and Yoko at the end of the hall. They were sitting on the run-away tarantulas, which now stood three-feet-tall. Like angry German shepherds, the tarantulas growled at me. Their dark-black eyes shined like a polished sports car, and I could see floating body parts in their reflection.
“Oh God…” I started to vomit again, but covered my mouth and stopped myself. Instead I burped and yelled, “Stay there!”
“Upstairs, JR,” Yoko cried out. “We’re going to check out the rest of the house.”
“Yeah,” Desi concurred. “Follow us, big brother.” Like a jockey on a thoroughbred, she kicked the tarantula. “Yoo hoo!”
By the time I reached the stairs, they were gone. But, at the top of the stairs, Steve and Jessica now stood dressed in tattered wedding clothes, ending a long, enjoyable kiss.
“We just got married,” Jessica merrily cried out. Then the two climbed atop the banister.
“We’re about to consummate our marriage!” Steve proudly howled.
“No!” I pleaded. “Get down! It’s dangerous!”
Trying to get to them, I hit the stairs but immediately stumbled over something. Looking back, I saw a white femur protruding from the bottom stair. “Wonderful,” I muttered and scrambled up the stairs on all fours.
For several moments, seemingly hours, they watched me fight to get to them. Halfway up the slippery staircase, out of breath, I looked up.
Jessica and Steve were smiling at me. They hugged tightly and, with their free hands, waved at me.
“Poor, JR,” Jessica moaned. “He means well though.”
“That he does, my love,” Steve agreed. “That he does.”
They smiled at me again and then back at each other. They kissed and then, in concert, yelled, “Wish us luck!” They kissed once again and cheerfully jumped to their death.
I leaned over the railing, desperately trying to break their fall. Instead, I lost my footing and fell, headfirst, to the concrete floor…
Chapter Ten
As I began to wake, I first saw a light, which appeared as a dot. The light soon expanded, yet was foggy, giving a surreal feel to my surroundings. I saw figures, but couldn’t make them out. Slowly, I came to recognize the figures—Yoko and Desi stood over me, pulling my arm.
“Are you taking me to Heaven?” I asked.
“No, JR, you silly rabbit,” Yoko said. “We’re ready to go.”
“I hope so. I hope we’re all going to Heaven.”
“No, trick-or-treating,” Yoko insisted.
“They have Halloween in Heaven?” I managed to blurt.
I noticed Desi shaking her head. “He’s tripping,” she said in a disgusted voice, much older than her stated age. “I hope he didn’t eat the brown acid!” She then smirked and shouted, “JR! Get up! Or sober up! Or whatever! You’re going to make us miss out on all the good candy.”
I blinked several times while my mind relocated itself. I looked around and saw that I was actually in my bed, in the safety of my room. With my left hand, I touched my arms and checked my legs. Seeing and feeling everything in its place, I sighed. Happy that the nightmare was just that, a nightmare, I jumped out of bed and was ready within seconds.
Knowing she was probably still tossing her hair, I yelled to Jessica, “Hurry up! I have a date with Destiny.”
“Who’s Destiny?” Jessica loudly questioned. She turned off the blow dryer.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I whispered. Then to Jessica, I shouted, “She’s my girlfriend. What do you mean, who’s Destiny?” I quickly laughed it off. I knew it was probably just her own nerves about her first date that caused her brain to freeze.
Still in hurry up mode, I hastily made my way toward the front door where the others patiently waited. Josh and Brittany ran past me in the hall, giggling. When I realized that they went into my room, I stopped and crept back, peeking around the corner wall.
Walking strangely, Josh exited my room first. Like a robot, he swayed from side-to-side apparently trying to block the view of Brittany. Despite slumping as she walked, I could tell Brittany was carrying something. I turned the corner and headed back toward them, but they darted into the bathroom with Jessica. Laughing, they shut and locked the door. But I could still hear them.
Brittany started with a giggle. “This is his precious Destiny.”
“Oh my God!” Jessica yelled. “Where did you get that yearbook?”
Josh laughed. “It’s on JR’s desk. He always keeps it open to this page.”
“And this is his Destiny,” Brittany added. “Her name is really Alannah.”
“Yeah,” Josh chimed in. “I’m pretty sure he’s never even talked to her, let alone have a real date.”
I’d heard enough. I banged on the door. “Give me back my yearbook. And yes I have talked to her—many times. And, I might add, I have a date with her tonight.”
Unexpectedly the door opened and the yearbook was tossed down the hall, toward my bedroom. I went to retrieve my yearbook. As I bent and reached for it Brittany and Josh ran from the bathroom. I could hear them run out the front door and
slam it. When I rose, Jessica was staring at me.
“Well, I hope you have a great time. She’s very pretty.”
“Thanks. At least someone knows what they’re talking about.”
I took the yearbook back to its spot. Upon my return, I passed Jessica and, again, said, “You need to hurry-up so I can get to my date.”
“I will,” she replied. “Just a few more seconds.”
I made my way to the front door. I was mad at Brittany and Josh, but I was too excited to stay mad. So, as I stepped out the front door, I yelled, “All is forgiven.”
Suddenly lightning lit the foggy, evening sky.
My stomach turned.
“Oh shitski!” Brittany shouted and, on cue, playfully pushed Josh.
Soon, the ground shook, causing my insides to crumble.
Howls were heard and I glanced at Steve. “A lycanthrope,” I frantically whispered. “Am I right?”
Steve’s expression turned to surprise. “That’s what I was going to say.”
Then Josh yelled, “Whoa, that’s rad. That was awesome.”
My heart skipped a beat and my eyes opened Texas-wide. Suddenly it all became clear. Josh was right; I really didn’t have a date with Destiny. The dream was really a prophecy of the evil that awaited us—haunted house or not.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I shrieked, “There’s a change in plans.”
They all stopped and took notice.
“Destiny’s come to our house,” I continued. “And we’re throwing her a Halloween party!” I pointed toward the street. “Desi, tell Karlos I see him standing over at the corner. Let him know that he can come to the party as well, but to drop the chainsaw. Brittany and Josh, tell Mondo he’s also welcome to come. But, absolutely no hatchets or hockey masks. Am I clear?”
They smiled. “Crystal Lake.”
Feeling a sense of relief, I took a deep breath and, smiling, whispered, “It’s going to be legendary.”
As I turned to go back into the safety of the house, I heard a familiar voice, and then giggles coming from the walkway.
I looked up.
“Destiny?”
To my surprise Destiny—Alannah—and her two sisters, dressed like nuns, were heading for the house. Halfway up the walk they stopped, and like a well-practiced Vegas act, in concert, they unzipped their robes and let them drop to the ground, exposing black corsets, matching miniskirts, and thigh-high leggings.
“Whoa,” I said with a smile. “It’s just like I imagined.”
Then they stepped to the left, away from their robes, and punched their headgear, forming pointed tops. Simultaneously, they placed the pointed hats on their heads, making three of the hottest witches I’d ever seen. Finally, they picked up their robes and continued their advance.
Totally unprepared for this type of wrinkle, I just stared.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Josh nudge Brittany in the ribs. “This ought to be good.”
“Radically-epic, I’d say,” Brittany countered, with a sideways smile.
Still making their advances, Alannah, in front, shouted, “Did I hear somebody say something about a party?”
All I could do was shake my head, and whisper, “Legendary.”
The Town Around the Christmas Tree
Jacob’s Message
Twisted Family Tales
J.R. Wirth
Chapter One
“Whoa, did you feel that?” Isaiah asked. He quickly looked up from his phone, and his body wiggled, like when you get an unexpected chill. The look of shock and fear on his face was one I’d seen before. It was the same look as last year, when we first landed in the foreign-snow near the town beneath Grandpa’s Christmas tree. You see, Isaiah is my fifteen-year-old cousin, and the accidental leader of last year’s Christmas brigade. And the one who helped us find our way home.
“That was freaky,” I replied, eyes open wide. “It was like an earthquake, except the house didn’t move.” I grabbed my chest, trying to figure out how only our bodies shook; and how the air could ripple, like in movies when there’s some sort of time warp.
“Here we go, again, Hailey,” Isaiah continued. “I bet this is how last year’s Christmas nightmare started; we just didn’t know it at the time. We’re a year older now. We should know better.”
“You’re just being paranoid,” I said. Even though I thought Isaiah might be right, I didn’t let on. Perhaps this was how last year’s Christmas escapade got started. After all, we were in this room when it started. But it was decided that last year happened when all of us cousins were arguing about the presents under the tree, and then accidently hit our heads together—at the same time no less. Although, I thought, blankly staring at the carpet, being a cute, almost grown-up fifth-grader is much better than being a lowly fourth-grader. So maybe we should know better?
I shrugged and looked back at Isaiah. “But let’s keep an eye out anyways, just in case. If we’re going back to the Christmas town then I want to be prepared.”
Trembling, Isaiah gave a forced, nervous laugh. “You don’t have to convince me,” he whispered, as he stared back at his vibrating phone.
“Yep, just in case,” I whispered, over-and-over, while I tried to focus my attention back on the TV, and of the rerun of the Hollywood Christmas Parade. But I couldn’t. I kept looking around, trying to see if there were any changes to our existence—just in case. I first checked the wood paneling that covered the southern wall. “Nothing.” My attention quickly turned toward the heavy drapes on the northern wall, which covered the forever-locked French doors. Finally, I looked at the windows in front of the built-in, bench seat at the eastern wall. “Hmm.”
“Hmm?” Isaiah repeated, slightly over a whisper. He glanced up from the phone and quickly back at the seemingly never-ending, dancing screen. He turned his head and then, again, looked up. “Do you hear that?”
“What?”
“It sounds like Harper, but she’s talking like us.”
“Not again.”
Slowly, we rose and crept to the room’s entrance.
Isaiah put his finger to his lips and leaned. “She’s right there,” he whispered.
“I hear her.” I leaned and saw Harper sitting in front of the washer and dryer, playing with a doll.
“I will,” I heard her say. “I’ll tell him later.” She paused like she was talking to someone. “I love you too,” she continued, then seemingly waited for someone to finish a sentence. “I’ll be good, I promise.”
“OMG! Wow.” I turned my unbelieving eyes toward Isaiah.
“She can’t talk like that,” Isaiah scorned. “See, I told you. It’s Christmas all over again.”
“Maybe,” I muttered, trying to hide my distress. “Let’s see.” I peeked out. “Harper?”
Harper looked up. “I Aidey.”
I knelt next to her, and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Paying daws.”
“Playing with your dolls?” I looked up at Isaiah and we shared shrugs.
“Es.”
“Who were you talking to?”
“A ady.”
“A lady? Harper, were you talking to a lady?”
“Es.”
“What lady?”
Harper shrugged and turned to her left. She stared right at the door leading to the garage, and in a clear, coherent voice said, “I won’t tell them.” Suddenly, as if we weren’t there, Harper stood and walked toward the kitchen.
I stood and looked Isaiah in the eyes. Anticipating his next question, I blurted, “No we’re not telling our moms.”
“Okay,” he said. “So what then?”
“I don’t know.” I looked around and then went back inside the room. “I don’t see an
ything out of place, do you?”
“No.”
We stood in the middle of the room.
Isaiah looked around without turning his head. “You feel it?”
“I do,” I said, trying to fight the eerie feeling. “It’s just like when we landed in the field of snow that surrounded the Christmas town.” Continuing in my frozen stance, I searched the room, including the carpet and all the wires. “Stay away from the wires!” I barked. “You never know, there could be an electronic connection like in that movie about haunted electrical lines.”
“You mean The Mothman Prophecies?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Chapter Two
Isaiah and I sat in silence, while I tried to figure out what happened and if we were about to enter another Christmas world. The quiet time did nothing to settle my nerves, however. But, seeing Harper change so drastically, in an instant, got me thinking about all the changes since last Christmas.
Many things changed since my family and I traveled to that amazing town beneath the Christmas tree. Not unexpected, I suppose, given the mind-blowing things that happened to us that fateful day. And, as you might imagine, we immediately changed our attitudes toward Jesus and God. Church and faith became much more important to all of us, particularly Isaiah and I, as we started going to church pretty regularly. Isaiah liked the intimacy of a small, neighborhood church called, “The Branch,” where he became very involved with the technical aspects of the services, as well as set-up and take-down. I, on the other hand, was much more at home at the huge “Harvest” church in the neighboring town, where I could eat seasoned fries, while watching the services on a huge screen in an outdoor courtyard. As for Grandpa, well, he was okay with either, as long as there was coffee.
And, seemingly, to none of our surprise, we cousins became much closer, and even more protective than before. What we didn’t expect, was that these increased feelings of caring had rubbed off on our parents. Before long, the entire family appeared closer than ever before. Also not anticipated were all the other weird things that began to happen. Like when, for no apparent reason, I found myself being nice to my brother and sister. And, more than once, I caught myself helping out around the house without an adult ordering me to do so. I also found myself listening to my mom more often. And, to everyone’s surprise, I actually started keeping my room clean. My grades could’ve been a little better, but I blame that on the move.