The Fog and the Fire

      You're wandering the Haunted Woods – true, it is the middle of the day, but the foliage blocks out the light and shadows stretch long despite the sun's angle. There are enough things that could scare you here without you starting to make things up.

      Taking a deep breath, you move past the shadow confidently.

      And then the shadow speaks.

      "I wouldn't go that way if I were you."

      You hesitate, wondering if you imagined the whisper in the wind. You peek at the shadow, and suddenly bright red eyes are there, staring right back at you.

      "You aren't going crazy, foolish wanderer," the voice continues with a hiss. "But if you continue to the fairground, you'll meet someone who has. And then you'll be next."

      "But I – I –" you stutter, unable to form words.

      The shadow laughs quietly. "Sit down," it says roughly, "and I'll tell you a story."

      Dozens of eyes wink into existence all around you, and you realize you're trapped. Heart pounding, you nod, knowing you have no other choice.

      "Many years ago," the shadow creature begins, "in a tiny town just past Kiko Lake, a young Quiggle lived . . ."

***

      "Leeroy!"

      A painted Quiggle jumped in his seat as the teacher called his name.

      "Y-yes, Miss Thornberry?" Leeroy asked, his hands – one purple, one orange – twisting together anxiously. He blinked at his teacher, a red Aisha.

      "Will you please find a partner." Miss Thornberry suppressed a sigh.

      Leeroy glanced around the school room to see that all of his peers had paired up. His classmates giggled and Leeroy flushed with embarrassment. "But –"

      "Will someone please invite Leeroy to their group? We can't go anywhere if one of us does not have a buddy!" Miss Thornberry said sharply. "And if we don't go soon, we shall miss the carriage to the Haunted Woods."

      Still, none of Leeroy's peers volunteered.

      Leeroy blinked and glanced at the closest thing he had to a friend – Sally, the speckled Kougra. She sat close to her partner, Sharky, holding the Krawk's paw. Sally glanced from Sharky to Leeroy, before sighing.

      "Leeroy can be in our group, Miss Thornberry," Sally offered, dropping Sharky's paw with a glimmer of disappointment.

      Leeroy stood without a word and slowly moved to stand by the two of them. The class was silent.

      "Good. Now that that's settled," Miss Thornberry interjected into the quiet, "let's begin this trip!"

      As a whole, the class jumped up and traipsed out the door. Excited whoops, cries and exclamations filled the room – one Moehog even snorted. They had been looking forward to their annual Hallowe'en trip all month; usually the trip took place at a pumpkin patch or a hayride, but this year was special. Many of them had never been to the Haunted Woods.

      Leeroy, Sally and Sharky brought up the rear.

      Sharky threw a sidelong glance at Leeroy. "Y'know, this trip should be really fun," he said casually, though his words hid another meaning. Leeroy twitched, but said nothing.

      "Well, Sharky," Sally began slowly, "I'm sure you'll have fun once we're in the woods. There will be a lot to do, right, Leeroy?"

      Leeroy shrugged, remaining silent. He knew Sharky wasn't fond of him. It wasn't that he was disliked – much like the rest of the class, Sharky thought Leeroy was strange, and thus, avoided him. That's all there was to it.

      Sharky narrowed his eyes. "I don't know if Leeroy wants to have fun, though. We could let him sit out, but Sally, you heard Miss Thornberry. Everyone has to have a partner. You'll either have to stay with Leeroy or . . ." He trailed off.

      By this time they had reached the edge of the town. The class boarded the carriage for Haunted Woods; everyone settled down for the trip.

      "C'mon, let's go join the others," Sharky said to Sally, before making his way to his friends.

      Leeroy glanced from Sally and Sharky to the rest of the class. He exhaled sharply, but didn't say anything; instead, the split Quiggle sat, already resigned to the fact that he would be overlooked – yet again.

      "It's okay, Sally. You – you can g-go with the others. I'll be fine, promise," Leeroy said, scratching his face.

      Sally's grin widened. "Thanks, Leeroy. If Miss Thornberry says you still need a partner, you can join us."

      The Quiggle nodded jerkily and as Sally chased after Sharky, a wild grin overtook his features. It lasted only for a moment, before vanishing without a trace, along with any thoughts that had accompanied it. Leeroy frowned, unsure of what had gone through his mind, and he leaned against his seat.

      "Leeroy, keep your paws inside the carriage," Miss Thornberry called from where she sat, keeping a watchful eye on her students. If she knew Sally and Sharky had left him, she didn't say anything.

      Leeroy let his thoughts wander as the carriage jostled and jolted him. As they approached the woods, a powerful gust of wind blew from the dark forest and a song wound through his mind, the music coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. He rocked back and forth, humming a tune.

      "In the land of twisted trees

      Far away from calming seas

      Lives a host of cruel friends

      All problems they will mend

      You can have your desires

      In a place of fog and fire . . ."

      As the melody faded, Leeroy noticed his classmates staring at him, slack jawed.

      A fluffy Yurble muttered, "Crazy Leeroy!"

      Sharky snickered, whispering loudly, "Maybe he does know how to have fun after all."

      A wave of rage swept over Leeroy, and he lifted his orange paw, tightened into a fist. Before Leeroy could say anything, Miss Thornberry stepped forward.

      "Now, class, behave." She cast Leeroy a curious glance, her eyes calculating, before she continued. "We've reached the Haunted Woods. Our tour guide is meeting us at the edge of the forest. Remember to thank the carriage driver while getting off!"

      Leeroy's strange song forgotten, everyone began to shuffle off the carriage. Leeroy followed, but as he passed his teacher, a hand landed on his left shoulder.

      He glanced up in surprise to see Miss Thornberry standing over him. "Are you okay, Leeroy?" she asked, wary concern etched in her face.

      Leeroy nodded once.

      "If you're sure," Miss Thornberry said with a thin smile. "Stick close to the class, Leeroy. We don't want anybody getting lost today." She watched him as he got off the carriage and scurried to meet the rest of the class.

      The tour guide, a Meerca dressed for Hallowe'en, met them at the edge of the Woods. The trees towered high, old and gnarled – but a powerful aura surrounded the forest.

      Leeroy giggled to himself as the branches waved in the wind; he thought he saw faces in the autumn leaves and he waved back. Sally, standing beside him, gave him an odd look.

      "Who are you waving to?" she whispered skittishly, but Leeroy did not respond.

      "Hello and welcome to the Haunted Woods! I'm your tour guide, Benjamin," the tour guide greeted, his eyes glowing in the dim light beneath the trees. "How many of you have visited before?"

      A few hands shot up in the air and the Meerca smiled. "And what was your favourite part?"

      As his classmates began chattering around him, Leeroy tuned out the voices, letting his gaze wander.

      The trees stood straight and powerful, sentries guarding a treasure, but further in the woods Leeroy saw the trees were twisted and hunched over like witches. He leaned forward, eager to see more. The path leading through the forest was well-lit with pumpkin-shaped lanterns, but off the path was what interested Leeroy most.

      Sharky appeared, grabbing Sally's hand.

      "We're going to sneak to the gypsy camp!" he hissed, his voice hidden beneath the tour guide's voice and the whisper of the trees.

      Sally's tail twitched. "Who else is going?" she said curiously.

      "Just you and me." Sharky grinned.

      Leeroy stared at the two of them. "Can I come too?" he demanded, a sudden rush of confidence sweeping through him. "I want to see the gypsy camp."

      Sharky wrinkled his nose but before he could say anything, Sally cut in, "Oh, let him come. He won't be a bother. Besides, he is our partner."

      Leeroy nodded sharply in agreement.

      Sharky rolled his eyes. "Fine, the weird one can come."

      Leeroy smiled, shrugging off Sharky's comment.

      As the tour guide led them through the woods, Sharky, Sally and Leeroy fell to the back of the group. Miss Thornberry glanced at them, but then turned her attention back to the tour guide.

      "At least she's enjoying all this," Sally said under her breath.

      "Shh! This way," Sharky gestured to a wore down trail branching off from the main path. It wasn't well lit, and branches seemed to close in on them.

      The Quiggle and the Kougra followed the Krawk as he led them away from their classmates.

      "C'mon, let's run!" Sharky called with an excited whoop and he picked up the pace. Sally sprinted after him, but Leeroy wasn't fast enough to keep up.

      "Wait for me!" he called, his voice bouncing off the thick tree trunks surrounding him. Neither of his classmates heard him, and Leeroy put on a burst of speed. But it was gloomy and a low mist had settled over the forest floor; Leeroy didn't see the fallen log until it was too late.

      He stumbled, falling over and scraping his hands on the rough bark. A cry escaped him and he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

      As he glanced around, he realized the fog had risen so that it now gathered at his waist. Trees loomed out of the darkness, leaning towards him as if he was a tasty treat. Shadows flickered and Leeroy imagined claws snagging at his skin, hungry eyes staring him down.

      He gulped nervously.

      "Sharky? Sally? Where – where are you?" he called, trying to stop the quiver in his voice. There was no response except his echoing voice fading into the darkness around him. A lump in his throat made it difficult to talk, to breathe.

      He pressed forward through the fog, feeling his way around the log that had tripped him.

      Blind terror began to eat away at him as the forest settled into silence. He turned around, hoping to find the dirt trail that led back to the main path – but there was nothing to guide him.

      The fog had devoured the floor and all the trees around him looked the same; the forest had become a maze and Leeroy was utterly lost.

      Unsure whether he should stay where he stood until the fog cleared, or attempt to find his way back, the devastated Quiggle sank to the ground. His movement made the fog swirl in eddies and he leaned against the fallen trunk, closing his eyes.

      Suddenly something else was there – it bumped into his hand, making Leeroy jump. It's probably a stray Meowclops, Leeroy assured himself, but another part of his mind snickered.

      You don't believe that, it said snidely.

      "Yes, I do!" Leeroy said aloud, but he shuffled sideways just the same. Peeking to his left, Leeroy tried to see what had hit him.

      A round shape loomed through the fog, about as big as both of his fists put together. Leeroy scrambled away, afraid it would attack – but whatever it was, it didn't move.

      "Huh," he muttered, leaning forward.

      Gathering his nerves, he reached out with one hand and poked it roughly, snapping his arm back to his side in case it tried to bite him.

      The thing stayed still.

      Slowly, Leeroy stretched out and picked up the object – for it wasn't a living creature – with both hands. Studying it, he realized it was a coconut.

      A coconut? Here in the Haunted Woods? Absurd!

      It was fuzzy and perfectly round. In the strange pale light of the fog, it looked gray, almost sickly. He turned it over in his hands, musing over the oddity.

      Suddenly two blazing slits appeared in the coconut's side, and they fixed on him with malicious intent. Flames sparked in the air as a third, larger gash opened, a wide gaping mouth with fire for teeth. The inferno made the air sizzle with heat and the fog dance with brilliant colour that burned into Leeroy's eyes.

      Leeroy cried out with fear at the same time as a keening wail filled the air, the noise erupting from the evil coconut.

      Leeroy threw the coconut away from him, but as it rolled to a halt, its eyes remained fixated on the Quiggle. Haunting laughter joined the echoing wails, and sudden pain took hold of Leeroy's body. He could feel himself – changing!

      Shadows erupted in his mind like black fireworks and he fell unconscious.

      When Leeroy woke, he lay in the shadows of a creaking wooden roller coaster. A monstrous clown he had never seen before loomed out of the darkness high above him, but he knew instantly where he was.

      But he had other questions: What had happened? How did he get in the middle of the Deserted Fairground? Where had the coconut come from? Where had it gone?

      The Quiggle sat up slowly; his head rang with a terrible headache. He buried his face in his hands, but something was strange, different. He jumped with a start.

      Warts dimpled his hands, which were no longer orange and purple, but a pale, sickly gray-green. His school clothes were dirty and ripped, torn beyond repair. For a moment, he was filled with horror, but then an insane light entered his big, buggy eyes. A wide grin spread slowly, showing missing yellowed teeth, and he slicked his hair back.

      His gaze flickered and he saw a box nearby, filled with a hammer, nails and countless coconuts – ordinary coconuts. A stack of wooden poles were piled beside the box.

      Filled with a mad idea – a fun idea – Leeroy crawled towards the box. He set to work with a crazy giggle that he couldn't control . . .

***

      "And that's how the Coconut Shy was born," the creature in the shadow concludes, a toothy grin glinting in the darkness.

      You stand shakily, facing the shadow creature. "That was a – a nice story," you finally manage politely.

      "It wasn't just a story. You can visit the Coconut Shy to see for yourself, if you don't believe me," the voice offers casually. You can hear the amusement in the voice. "Your choice."

      "No!" you gasp, shaking your head. "No, I'm good. I believe you."

      But the voice doesn't reply. The red eyes surrounding you disappear from sight, one by one. And you're alone once again.

      You hesitate for a moment, wondering if you should visit the Deserted Fairground. Maybe the creature had just been trying to scare you. If that was his goal, it definitely worked. You know that it's a bad idea.

      Mad laughter begins somewhere deeper in the forest, creeping towards you in giddy bounds.

      You shiver and turn around quickly, continuing on your way without looking back.

The End

Hope all the readers out there have a spooky Hallowe'en! ;)