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On chilly October Jonathan Crane must face his deepest fears in order to save his family |
| [Introduction]
Jonathan crane was having a nightmare unlike any he had ever experienced before! He found himself standing in an dark, dank forest, he could hear footsteps but could not see anyone. He ran as fast as he could but...he seemed to be going nowhere. He saw flash of bright light, an animal made of light approached him... It was a cat! A cat made of silver light! "Come with me..." Sang the cat "I'll take you now..." "To a place that you fear. For no reason why, you're heart has turned, Away from us, and We must help you... Understand..." Jonathan was frightened by the cat's words, his legs could not move.... He woke up in a cold sweat, in his own bed, next to his sleeping wife. "It was all just a dream." Jonathan said to himself "Or was it?" |
| That morning was a Friday, it was three days until Halloween, Ichabod rose with the sun as always but his father looked like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Jonathan poured himself some coffee to soothe his nerves, his wife Pamela draped her arms over his shoulders "Something the matter?" She asked "It's awfully cloudy today." Jonathan said "The sun hardly shines at all today, seems ominous." Pamela gave a girlish giggle "You worry too much." She said Jonathan sighed "Ever since Ichabod and I sneaked into the Chimera's blasted Blue Moon celebration I've felt this lurking sense of dread..." He paused "I feel...like...I may die soon." Pamela looked concerned "Are you sure it's not just guilt from spying on the chimera?" Jonathan gave his wife a look "If I don't feel guilty about killing my own Grandmother, why would I feel guilty about spying on those animals?" "Because your Granny tortured you until you went off the deep end but the chimera have been kind to you." Pamela said "Isn't that Cat Quaxo the one person at work you trust completely?" "Define completely." Jonathan said |
| Pamela sighed and rubbed her temples. "One time, we talked. And he knew most about what you do. Cats are curiouse, and they are smart. But even then, he still trusts you because he is your friend." she said. Jonathan stopped his cup in midair with his hand as he thought about it for a bit. Pamela and Quaxo talked? About him? He didn't know whether to be happy or concerned. But, seeing how Pamela described it, it seemed likely he may trust him. does he? He took a sip again and sat straighter. "I...I had a bad dream... I don't know how to describe it.." |
| Jonathan wasn't quite sure how to explain this dream in a way that his wife would understand "I'm in a dark forest." He said quietly..."It is so dark and dank that I can barely see anything...but I can hear, I can hear someone's breathing and footsteps, the footsteps are fast, and I feel that they are pursuing me." He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the next part. "Than... I see a flash of light, and I see an animal, a glowing kitten...I can't describe this ext part so well but the animal sings to me." "Sings to you?" Pamela asked "Yes." Jonathan said "Don't ask me what it was singing, the words were are jumbled up, but the voice of that animal gives me a terror I haven't felt in years." Jonathan quickly tried to think of what he had for dinner last night hoping that this night terror was nothing but an acid reflux nightmare. "I must have drunk too much scotch last night." He said dismissivly |
| Ichabod was leaning on a wall next to the kitchen hearing the conversation. "Maybe you could visit a psychiatrist. Or talk to Quaxo about this. Im pretty sure he'd help." she asked. Jonathan shook his head and sighed. "No.. The psychiatrist will think and say it was nothing but a bad dream and Quaxo would have no knowledge of it anyways." he said. |
| Ichabod merely shrugged and went back to the greenhouse. Ichabod loved Halloween, it was his favorite Holiday, the one time of year where he felt he was his real self. This year he decided he would dress up as the Grim Reaper, it wasn't exactly original but it was the best he could think up on short notice. Meanwhile in another part of Gotham an evil plan was being brewed up. There was a woman named Katrina Stoneheart who hated chimera, She had a plan to destroy every chimera child in Gotham. Her equally evil daughter Brattina was assisting her in this diabolical scheme. Deep in Meadowlark Forest Katrina had an old house she never used, At the beginning of the month Katrina told the Mayor she would make the old house a Halloween haunted house, open to all the children of Gotham. Secretly however, she had a hidden chamber installed into the house, within it was a machine known as 'The De-Pelter' She intended to turn all the Mammal chimera children into fur coats, the birds into feather boas and hats and all the reptiles and amphibians into handbags and boots." "Soon." Katrina said "Very soon I will wipe out every chimera family in Gotham!" "You said it Mummy!" Brattina chuckled, but than I thought occurred to her "Mummy, what would happen if if a human boy or girl accidentally got processed in the De-Pelter?" "Than we would quickly bury the remains in the forest and send a letter to the family saying the child accidentally fell into the river and got washed out to sea, but there will be no such accident this plan is fool-proof!" |
| (Ok no longer need break) With the evil plan aside everyone was getting ready for Halloween, All the Chimera were talking about the new Haunted House in Meadowlark Forest. Marzipan and her new boyfriend Fireheart were busy putting away things in their lockers and Rook the fox was walking by. "Hi Ichabod." Marzipan said "You got a costume ready for Halloween?" "Not quite." Ichy said "Have you got a costume?" "Not yet." Marzi said "I've wracked my brain trying to think of one." "Why don't you wear that number you wore on the night of the blue moon." Marzipan dropped her books, Fireheart let out a snarl! Rook was suddenly in his face growling like a junkyard dog. "Did you just say you saw us on the Night of the Blue Moon?!" Rook growled with cannine ferocity Ichabod than remembered that the Blue Moon was the chimera's biggest secret, he remembered he shoulden't have watched. 'How am I going to get out of this?' He thought to himself Meanwhile in the Teacher's lounge Jonathan Crane also let slip his secret. "Momo Kashi not back from vacation?" Jonathan asked "Not yet." Ms. Iris said "But she really seems to be enjoying her time in Tokyo." Jonathan sat down on the sofa and rubbed his temples "Something the matter Jonathan?" Quaxo meowed concerened 'I've just been having bad dreams these past few nights." Jonathan said "Ever since I saw the Blue Moon celebra...." Poor Jonathan realized his mistake too late Ms. Iris dropped her tea, Mr Quaxo's face was twisted to one of shock and horror, even Shelly the dragoness, who had just entered the room, she gasped and turned and fled.... "You did what?!" The Cat and Bat said as angerly as the raging sea Jonathan could think of nothing to say in his defense, he knew he had no defense, he knew the sacred ceremony on the night of the Blue Moon was a sacred chimera only event, he knew humans were not supposed to even know about it. He knew he saw without permision. So he said the first thing he could think of. "What about Greg Narson? He's married to Shelly is he not informed?" Greg walked into the room "Um...What are we talking about?" Shelly ran into the room again "Greg darling, please don't be mad but last week you didn't know where I really was, I told you I was vistiting my Mother but really I was at Haven Hill" |
| Greg was a bit confused and wondered what Shelly was talking about. He didn't like the fact he lied to her but he didn't want to hurt her. "Haven Hill? Wait... What's that place?" he said. Jonathan sighed and looked down, dissaponted. "Its a Chimera festivle." he said. Greg almost skipped a beat. He looked at Shelly worridly and shaken. "W-what kind of festivle? Please tell me you didn't dance with someone else!" he said. |
| "No Greg I did not." Shelly said "During the mating dance I danced alone." Greg wanted to believe her but wasen't so sure what to expect "Yes." Jonthan said "I saw her, she did not dance with anyone." Greg breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Goodness" |
| Greg clutched his chest a bit feeling better. he turned and looked at the others who were a bit mad at Jonathan. "I would had done the same if I was him. But why is it such a big deal? Is it a secret? Jonathan is like, the most secretive guy I know and a nice man! Except when it came to kids in the classroom. But he's like a nice guy." he said. |
| "Greg..." Shelly said breathing hard "The Night of the Blue Moon is a time of great spirtual importance to chimera." She sighed "It is the night we decide who will ascend to the Heavyside Layer" "Heavyside what?" Greg asked not understanding at all "A paraell universe that can only be entered by in immense burst of psychic energy." Quaxo said "Only Chimera have the psychic power to enter the Heavyside Layer, Humans will need a few more years of evolution to become as powerful." |
| He puzzeled a bit but he finally realized why it was kept secret. "So... If anyone were to find out, they would stop this or worse destroy or take over that universe? Then I will keep my lips sealed." he said. He looked at Shelly a bit, unsure if she would go to. "Would you go?" he asked. |
| "Who is selected to go to the Heaviside Layer is a choice made by the old spirit of the forest, The Great Unicorn Chimera." Shelly said "It is he who decides who deserves most to ascend most often it is someone old or who is weakened by living in the city for too long." "The one who was chosen always returns to Earth someday." Ms Iris said "But often they are so changed by there experience that no one recognizes them and they must insist before people will see them for who they are, that's why it probably never happens to children or those with young children to take care of." "What is this Layer like?" Greg asked "I'm afraid only the one who is chosen knows that." Quaxo said Meanwhile Ichabod was facing the claws and fangs and hooves and horns of his chimera classmates. "Please forgive me!" He pleaded "I meant no harm, I only wanted to see what you Chimera wait all year for." Marzipan and Fireheart looked at each other, Marzi said "I think we can trust him, I know Ichabod would never reveal to the world the secret of the Heaviside Layer." "Was anyone else with you on the night of the Blue Moon?" Rodney Roadrunner asked "Only my father." Ichabod said closing his eyes to prevent revealing the truth He lied he knew well enough Pandora and Alice was with him but he didn't want those two to face the fear he was facing now, Pandora and Alice did not have the same rapport with Chimera that he did. Rodney believed him and the chimera stundents went back to class |
| The rest of the day was quiet and uneventful, At lunch Ichabod travelled down to the secret sanctuary, he felt incredibly tired from his little 'adventure' so he collapsed on the sofa. He fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of things he coulden't quite explain, dreaming of the presence of spirits that visit you while you sleep. He felt a ticklish sensation on his back it stirred him out of his sick sleep, he felt someone was tracing letters on back "Hi." It was Marzi's voice "Remember when we would play this game? Before we became an item?" "Yes." Ichy said "You tuaght me this game." Marzipan knew a little game her father tuaght her. And Marzipan tuaght it to Ichabod, Marzipan would trace a series of letters on Ichabod's back that spelled out a word or phrase, and at the end Ichabod would guess what the word or phrase was. They only did it when no one else was in the secret sanctuary if for no other reason it seemed a little to intimate to do in front of other people even if it was nothing more than a harmless innocent word game. "Does Fireheart know the game?" Ichabod asked sleepily "No." Marzi said quietly "But I will teach him." "Are you going to go to the new haunted house this weekend on Halloween?" Ichabod inquired as he yawned and stretched "Most likly." Marzi purred "But Ichabod before any chit-chat I must tell you something important." She sat down beside him "Since you saw us in our sacred ritual something may have happened to you and your father, In the immense burst of Psychic energy you may absorbed some of it into your body." "Absorbed it?" Ichy questioned not quite understanding "Yes." Marzi said "Somewhere inside you you've got like...a bubble of psychic energy inside you, trapped unable to be accessed." She touched him over the heart, "Right over here." She said "Is where it is trapped." 'My father too?" Ichy asked "Yes." Marzi nodded "Because he watched as well." "So what are we to do?" Ichy asked "The only thing to do." Marzi sighed "Help the energy release itself throughout the body, but of course it means you will have the psychic powers of a chimera." "Wait what?!" Ichy said "I'll be psychic?!" |
| Marzipan nodded her head "Yes. Most likely." she said. Ichabod held onto his head confused. "Man! You mean like lifting objects and swerving heavy stuff and reading people's minds?!" he asked. "Actually, no. The last part you can't because its illegal for us." "Good. But what will happen if I get these powers?" |
| "If your powers will be anything like mine, than you may be able to tell what the future holds from your dreams....Sometimes." "Sometimes?" Ichabod asked "The dreams are often infrequent." Marzi said "Just how are we going to 'untrap' ths energy?" Ichy asked "My Mother is very psychic." The Cat mewed "She can help you." |
| Ichabod smiled and nodded. "Thanks. I wouldn't want this forever." he said. Marzipan mewed a puzzled tone and looked at Ichabod. "What are you saying? Normally people would want this kind of stuff. Why wouldn't you?" she asked. Ichabod rubbed the back of his head blushing. "Something embaressing when my feelings about others." |
| When the school day ended Marzipan brought Ichabod to her house "Greetings Ms Cheshire." Ichabod said most gentlemanly. Marzipan whispered in her mother's ear that Ichabod had seen the dance of the blue moon and therefore had pent up psychic energy inside him At first Esmerelda was alarmed but than she remembered that this was Ichabod who her daughter once loved. So she felt confidant the secret was safe with him. Ichabod rubbed his arm nervously he knew he had said his father had been with him, but what about Alice and Pandora? He knew he would have to tell someone that they saw the Blue Moon festivel as well before they accidently let it slip and landed themselves in hot water. "This won't hurt a bit." Esmerelda said as she anointed her furry paws with a special oil, But it will take a few days before you notice anything different "What would feel different?" Ichabod asked "Well..." The Mother Cat said "You will feel your senses are sharper, smells that would have gone unnoticed are strong, your eyes will be sharper, your ears too." "Is there more to it than that?" Ichabod asked 'Well if your dreams help you predict the future than your body may have strange reactions to your dreams, sometimes if your dreams foretell death or bad luck you may become sickly and ill." "And there is no way to undo this once it has started?" Ichabod asked "I'm afraid if you didn't want this to happen you should not have watched us the Night of the Blue Moon." Esmerelda looked at Ichabod "I'm afraid you must take off your shirt for this." She said "As the oil I have dabbed on my paws needs to touch your skin." Ichabod blushed but knew she was right. He took off his shirt. Esmerelda put her paws on his shoulders "As above." She whispered She lowered her paws to his lower back "So Below." Ichabod smelled the oil it smelled like peppermint, so heavenly sweet "Has Marzipan taught you the game she sometimes plays with her Father?" Esmerelda asked "Where she traces letters on your back and you guess what she is spelling?" "Yes." Ichabod said "Than you know what I'm about to do." The Mother Cat said "I'll spell a word on your back, you don't have to guess what I'm spelling but when I trace it on your back it will release the ernergy." |
| Esmerelda traced the letters S E R E N D I P I T Y one after the other on Ichabod's back, he didn't seem to notice what she was spelling maybe because her gentle touch and the scent of the oil had lulled him into a trance. She pressed a nerve on the center of his back to bring him back to reality. "Thank you Mrs. Cheshire."Ichabod said as he put his shirt on "I feel much better now actually." He cleared his throat "Are all chimera as good sorcery as you?" The cat shook head "Certain species are more prone to be psychic than others." She said "Cats, bats and foxes and other more intelligent creatures have more talent than rats, mice and beetles." |
| Ichabod smiled and nodded a bit interested. "Tell me more if you kindly would." he asked. Meanwhile, Dojen waltzed around the mall hopeing he would see Alice. Could he just chat with her and just hang out? Or would he confess? What if she pushed him away for being weird? What if... "Hiya Dojen." said Alice. Dojen jumped and fell to the ground on his back. "Oh jeez! Please don't scare me Alice." |
| "Did you hear about Marzipan getting together with Fireheart?" Alice asked "I think it's really sweet they got together." "Yeah..." Dojen sighed "I had a crush on her first you know." Alice giggled "How would that work?" She asked "She's a cat and you're a dragon!" Dojen puffed a bit of smoke out of his nose "Don't luagh." He said "For the longest time I had trouble even looking at a girl I was so shy, my cousin Steve said I was acting more like a bunny than a dragon." "Oh." Alice said "Exuse me then." The two of them sat down on a bench together "Dojen," Alice said "There's something I don't understand about chimera that I'm hoping you can clear up for me." "Yeah?" Dojen inquired glad to be of servace "We know Ms. Kashi is a weredinosaur." Alice said "Her mother was a triceratops chimera, her father was a human therefore she is capable of shapeshifting." She paused "Mr Narson's and Mrs Shelly's kids are a little different, they're not shapshifters they are just human/dragon hybrids." "Yeah I wondered about that to." Dojen said "But my Ma explained to me that there are two kinds of chimera/human hybrids Type A are the shapeshifters or Weres who can alternate between human and chimera at will, and Type B are more or less a mish-mash of human and animal attributes they are known simply as Hybrids." "That brings me to my question." Alice said "Over the past few years it has been proven that chimera of different species can't breed with each other. A monkey can't breed with a dog and a dragon can't have children with a cat." Dojen let out a sigh, he knew that this was true "The only time two differnt creatures do produce children." Alice continued "Is when the parents are two very closly related species, like wolves and dogs or donkeys and zebras" "Go on.." Dojen said "But when humans and chimeras mate." Alice said "They can produce children, and what's more the children can reproduce they're not infertile like mules or ligers." Dojen realized where she was going with this "Why?" Alice asked "Are humans and chimera able to breed so easily?" Dojen let out a big sigh "Why don't we get some snacks?" He asked "I think better with some food." So they went down to the food court, Alice got a Jamba Juice smoothie, Dojen got a large slab of raw beef (Carnivores still love raw meat, even after they've been civilized ^_^_) "So to answer your question Alice." Dojen said as he chewed "I think the answer lies in how we were created." "You see." He continued "Dr Wyndem Moreau made us humanoid by...well..spliciing us with human genes so the reason chimera can breed with humans is the fact that we've all got a little bit of human in us." |
| (Ok MS, Why did you skip this time?) Alice mused on that bit of Knowladge as she sipped her smoothie. Dojen thought for a moment about confessing to her but decided 'No, that woulden't be right, she loves Ichabod now.' So he never did confess that day. Later that day, Ichabod got home, he sighed deeply "Sooner or later." He said to himself "I've got to tell Alice and Pandora about the psychic energy." He knew that he would have to tell them, no doubt about that, but how to tell them was the issue, would they belive him? Ichabod decided to go to the greenhouse to warm up on this chilly October day, So he went in and sat on his favorite rock and felt the light of the sun soak in his skin He also knew he had to tell his father about the bubble of energy inside him, but his father was less likely to believe him than Alice or Pandora (At least that is what Ichabod assumed his father would think) Ichabod felt the warm sunlight soak up into his skin and he sighed in pleasure, he wondered he would start feeling different. He noticed his mother was home from work, he sighed and rose from where he was seated "Ichabod?" His mother asked "Have you completed your chores?" "No Mum." Ichabod said quietly "But I'll get started right now." Meanwhile Dojen was walking home when he noticed a pathway leading the new haunted house! "I think I'll take a little peek to see if it's as good as they say it is." Dojen said to himself |
| (Sorry. I came on around before school time. Didn't have enough time.) Dojen sneaked around the gate and got to the front door of the house. The door was creaking a bit and wind was blowing OUT of the house. "Wow... Its a bit chilly in there..." he said to himself. He walked inside and looked around to see plastic covered chairs and tables. Everything was quiet too, a bit too quiet. "Pretty creepy... Hello?" he called out. |
| So Dojen walked inside, it was very spooky inside the house, he saw mounted animal heads, wolf and wild boar their mouths open, their teeth white as ivory. Dojen shuddered, he hated seeing animal heads mounted on walls, it seemed so twisted and unholy and unspeakably evil. "Who goes there?" Said a deep eerie voice, the red dragon nearly jumped out of skin A ghost of a tall thin man stood there "I am Ichabod Crane." Said the ghost "Of Sleepy Hollow!" |
Dojen was so scared he ran outside and was halfway down the path before he became calm enough to think. What had he seen? Surely not a real ghost. He felt foolish. It must have been someone who was going to be in the Haunted House who was practicing their part. Nevertheless, he didn't feel like immediately going back to check. Because the sky was becoming very dark. The day began with heavy clouds and now it felt like bad weather on the way. He didn't want to get trapped in that Haunted House with a rainstorm going on. But the first few drops were beginning to fall. Which way should he go? Run home or run back inside the Haunted House and wait out the rainstorm? |
| Dojen decieded he would better run back home than get trapped in that huanted house. So he ran for his house using his big scaly paws, to hide his head from the rain. When he got home his mother greeted him warmly,"Good Afternoon sweetheart" She said "I made you some meatcakes if you want any." "Thanks Mum." Dojen gasped still a little spooked |
| His mother, Aela, cooed and rubbed his head. "What's wrong sweety? You look a bit spooked." she said. Dojen panted a bit and sighed and explained what happened. "It must have been one of those kids again. Ah well. Lets just hope they don't do it again. You got your aunt's temper after all." Dojen smiled a bit and chuckled nodding. "Heheh yes I do. By the way how is Aunt Shelly?" |
| "She is doing quite well." Aela said "She says her twins have started learning to talk." "Yeah..." Dojen chuckled "We dragons learn quick." Getting the story back on focus, When Ichabod went to bed that night strange mysterious dreams flowed over him like a wave. He started dreaming he was in the backseat of the family car, lying down and looking out the window. It was night, the darkest, coldest part of night the dream was apparently taking place in a meadow far away from the city. He saw the stars in his dream they seemed to shine more brioghtly than he had ever seen them and there were far more stars than he had ever seen! They sky was bright black and blue and the color was more vibrant than he had ever known it Suddenly the lightning flashed through the stars and Ichabod woke up, and realized his nose was bleeding.. 'Ow...' Ichabod thought 'Must've banged it on the nightstand or something.' |
| Ichabod got out of bed and yawned and looked outside. It was early, like 6:00 Early. And it was already Saturday. Ichabod couldn't decide wheather to sleep again or go out. Or he could talk to someone about that mysterious dream, but who would believe him? Maybe Marzipan. "Ichabod? Your up early. Are you ok?" his father asked. Ichabod wiped his nose and sneezed from the preassure. "Uhh yeah dad... I got some freaky dream and woke with a nosebleed that's all when I hit the stand." he said. |
| Jonathan Crane looked closely at his son. A nosebleed did not sound good. The Crane family had a long history of medical problems with their brains - excessive pressure of the blood leading to strokes and blood clots. He saw that Ichabod's eyes looked alright - not glazed or unfocused. Nevertheless, a doctor's opinion would be good. "Son, I want you to see Doctor Haliburton today. Let him check you out." "Don't worry, dad. I feel fine." "Freaky dreams and nosebleeds is not feeling fine. I'll make an emergency appointment for you." Luckily, Doctor Haliburton had a cancellation that morning, so by 10am Ichabod found himself standing in an exam room in his underwear. "Do you have nosebleeds often?" Doctor Haliburton said. "No, This is the first time this has ever happend." "Hmmmm," the doctor said. "I think there is nothing to worry about." he said "You just broke your nose with blunt truma is what happened." Jonathan sighed. "I didn't know doctors worked on Saturdays." Haliburton chuckled. "I take Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays off. |
| (Edit: Once again I must remind everyone that the Cranes are atheleticly retarted, the only sport they play is Chess if you know what I mean) Ichabod and Jonathan went home. Jonthan cleared his throat "I think I jumped the gun a bit there." He said apologeticly "I overreacted I'm sorry." "That's OK." Ichabod said "Still clutching his nose "You were just concerned is all." When they got home, Ichabod called Marzipan's house ad hoped that she was home "Hello?" It was her Mother Esmerelda "Oh Hi." Ichabod said "May I could talk to Marzipan?" "Ahoy Hoy?" Marzi asked as she got the phone "Marzipan," Ichabod "When you said "I might start having dreams that tell the fortune and my body would have strange reactions, would nosebleeds count as a strange reation?" "Depends." Marzipan said "Why don't you drop on bye and I'll get out my dream interpreter book you can tell me about the dream and eveerything and I'll tell you if you should be concerned." "Kay Thanks." Ichabod said as he hung up the phone "I think my nose has stopped bleeding." He said to himself |
| Ichabod sighed as he put down the bloodied kleenex. "Maybe it was nothing important after all." Nonetheless he went over to Marzipan's house "So tell me about this dream." Marzi said as she opened her book "I dream I'm in a car and I see star light and lightning." Marzi licked her thumb and and skimmed through her book, "I'm having trouble finding any of the things you mentioned but let me see." Ichabod sighed "How are we going to tell my father about the pent up psychic energy inside him?" Ichabod asked "Because I coulden't tell him what you told me about psychic dreams and he thought my nosebleed was some kind of illness and he took me to the doctor." "Well I can see why this is going to be a problom." Marzi meowed "But I think there is more than one way to release psychic powers." She closed the book "I can make him a tea that can help stimulate the psychic energy just a little bit to loosen it up." |
| Ichabod nodded but questioned a bit more. "Umm... Anything else? Something a bit stronger?" he asked. Marzi mewed and shook her head. "No... If I did that then you be knocked unconcious. You have to keep it light or medium." she replied. |
Marzipan rummaged around in her kitchen while Ichabod watched her. "I'll make up a special blend for you," Marzipan said. "It won't be in tea bags. Do you know how to make tea without a tea bag?" "No," Ichabod said. Marzipan put a little metal ball in his hand. It was hollow and pierced with lots of holes. A short chain was fastened to it. She showed him how it came apart into two halves. "You put the loose tea in this, then let it sit in a cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Got it?" "Sounds easy enough," Ichabod said. He watched as she opened up a cabinet filled with jars containing dried leaves and various powders. "What's all that?" he said. "It's our collection of herbs and teas. We use organic medications whenever possible and also we just plain like to drink tea!" Marzy grinned. She took leaves and powders from jars labeled with names like Black Tea, Chamomile, Lemon Grass, Bladderwort, Ginger, and Hackberry, and mixed them in a bowl. Then she took a clean jar and carefully labeled it For Ichabod and filled it with her special blend. "Now you have the tea," she said. "It's not dangerous, but it does make you sleepy. However, your dreams will be much more productive and illuminating. If you are lucky then a spirit guide will visit you in your dream and explain things you need to know. But even if that doesn't happen, the tea will still help to release psychic energy into your system in a healthful way. I think it may stop your nosebleeds and it will help your father to experience his new psychic energy. Okay?" Ichabod looked at the jar. "Okay. Thanks, Marzy. I'll make some tea for Dad as soon as I get home." |
| Ichabod sipped the tea gingerly, he did not want to drink too deep or two fast just in case it was better that way... When Ichabod got home he saw his father was callapsed on the sofa, in deep sleep. "Must have been a hard day at work." Ichabod said to himself. ti Ichabod quitly went upstairs hoping not to wake his father up with the squeaky step, when he got to his room. He lay down on his bed and tucked into a book, life was good Meanwhile Jonathan was dreaming, it wasn't the same dream he had dreamed before, but it was stil frigtning Jonathan dreamed he was falling, falling down He dreamed he was being swept up in a storm, he fell down on something hard, he realized it was a boat, a boat on a lake of lava! Jonthan was terrified he had fallen to hell! Than he woke up, in a cold sweat. |
| He was frightened and traumatized. He couldn't have known any other way to stop this. He thought about going to talk to someone. But who? And why was it that the Chimera teachers back at the school find it such a big deal? "Ichabod?! You home?!" he called down panicking. |
| "Yes Father?" Ichabod asked "Something the matter?" "Ichabod, I don't know what to do anymore!" Jonathan pleaded exsasperated "I'm suffering from chronic nightmares each more horrific than the last!" "I think," Ichabod interjected "That you have pent up energy inside you." "Energy?" Jonathan was confused "Ever since we saw the Blue Moon Fesitval." Ichabod explaned gently "We absorbed some of the energy that was released by the Chimera, I think you're nightmares are being triggered by the energy causing pressure inside your body." "What do you suggest I do?" Jonathan inquired "Marzipan gave me the recipie for a tea that might loosen up the energy inside you just a little bit." Ichabod said handing his father the recipie "It won't loosen all of it and in order to complete the process you'll have to go to a chimera with strong psychic powers to...Well activate the energy by touching certain pressure points." "Is that what you did?" Jonathan asked "Yes." Ichabod nodded "Marzipan took me to her mother who helped me." Jonathan stroked his chin in thought "Quaxo seems to a good psychic." He said "And Iris seems to have powerful knowladge of the super naturual as well but..." He paused "Do you honestly think they would help me? Knowing that I spied on them on their festival?" "The reason we have this energy inside is because we spied on them." Ichabod sighed "Father if you don't get this treated the energy will continue the plague your dreams!" |
| "But... Why is it doing it to us?" he siad panicked like. Ichabod looked down and tapped on the floor unsure himself. No one ever told him neither. "I don't know father. Honestly, I wish I did." he replied. Meanwhile, Shelly was taking the kids for a walk in the park. It was quiet though. She sighed hopeing this whole day didn't cause any trouble for her friends or Greg. |
The kids skipped along looking at everything with wide eyes. "Look, Mommy! A crow!" "Yes," Shelly said. "That's a crow. He's very noisy, isn't he?" "I don't like him, Mommy. He makes too much noise." Shelly laughed. "Tell him to be quiet." "Be quiet, you old crow!" The crow flew away. The kids cheered. "Mommy can I be a crow on Halloween?" "You know we already have your costume made. Don't you like it?" |
| "Yes." Said the Little boy with Dragon features "I just forgot." Shelly sat down on a bench and took her two children on her knee, in hopes to calm them down enough for nap time. Suddenly her little daughter wiggled out of her grasp, she began stalking on all four legs, one thing about chimera children is that when they are young they're intincts are more powerful than when they grow older and more 'civilyzed' The little daughter stalked a white duck than she lept on it and grabbed it by the throat killing it instantly! She lay the duck by her mother's feet and wagged her tail like a hound Shelly smiled "Looks like I don't have to go grocery shopping for dinner tonight." |
Deep in Meadowlark Forest, Katrina Stoneheart was putting the finishing touches on her Haunted House. Her daughter Brattina assisted her. "Brattina, did you put up those signs like I told you?" "Yes, mama. Free candy - this way! The signs are up." Katrina Stoneheart stroked her chin. "My only worry is that those evil little meat-eating chimera kids don't like candy. I should have checked that out more thoroughly." "It's okay, mama. EVERY kid likes candy. Can I have a piece of chocolate?" |
| "Chocolate?!" Katrina exclaimed "I forgot that chocolate is poisonous to chimera!" "Won't that make our work easier?" Brattina asked "No because they will take offense and leave!" Katrina handed a bowl of chocolate to her duaghter "Eat what you can than hide the rest." "Hide it mummy dearest?" Brattina asked "Yes hide it!" Katrina excamed "Where no chimera will see it!" On the night of Halloween both chimera and humans made there way through Meadowlark Forest on their way to the haunted house. Ichabod was dressed as the Grim Reaper, Marzipan was dressed as the character Borat, Rook was dressed as a wizard, Fireheart was dressed Sweeny Todd (Complete with a bloodied straight razor ^_^) Ichabod caught up with the two cats when they reached the old oak tree "Marzipan!" He called "Fireheart!" The two cats turned around "Hi Ichy!" Marzipan said "Who on earth are you supposed to be dressed as?" Ichy asked "I mean I regonyze Fireheart as Sweeny Todd but who on earth are you?" "I'm Borat!" Marzi said "You know 'I take you to be my wife!' and all that." "Sorry." Ichy said "I woulden't be familer I don't watch crap." Marzipan was just about to protest when suddenly a big cloud covered the moon! Leaving them in total darkness, a thick fog bank rolled in as well the kids coughed quite a bit in the fog, they did not realize they were being watched by the dark and anchient spirit, the galloping Hessian of Sleepy Hollow |
| (Im thinking of having Demonar making a comeback. But he's gonna be much weaker than the last story.) Everyone was walking into each other and tripping over one's foot. The Hessian kept on watching everyone until he dissapeared into the mist a minute later. The cloud dissapeared and the fog subsided. Ichabod coughed and stood straight up. "What in the world was that?" he asked. Marzi coughed and covered her face under her paws. "I have no idea... But it was scary a whole lot..." she said. Dojen just stood outside the forest enterence where the kids were heading into the haunted house. He gasped a bit after seeing the the fog and moon covered. It was just like that Sleepy Hollow play/ "Uhhh guys?" he called out. |
| (OK But let's not go overboard this story already has 2 villians and this story is supposed to be Jonathan Crane's crowning moment of awesome) Jonathan Crane had seen the clouds cover up the moon, he felt instantly suspious when the fogbank rolled in. "Somethings wrong." He said "Something's very wrong." He put on his a coat and went outside, he knew somehow his son was in danger, he didn't know what kind of danger but he knew it was the most terrifying threat. Ichabod was badly shaken up by the darkness and fog, he also knew something was wrong but he didn't know what Dojen ran up to them panting and sweating "You guys ok?" He asked "That darkness was really scary!" Suddenly an ear splitting scream filled the air, the kids looked to the north and saw him against the moon on a hill The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow! Ichabod for a split second was filled with a horror that maybe no mortal man has felt for 200 years! As the Horseman began the ride down the hill, Ichabod was frozan with fear! It wasn't until Marzi grabbed him and began running that Ichabod got the idea to star running to. Jonathan had just entered the forest when he heard the blood curdling scream and the whinny of a helish horse! In an instant he knew what was happening He ran as fast as he could, he knew where his son was and he had to get to him before the horseman did! Jonathan saw his son running across the meadow with the horseman pursueing As quick as he could Jonathan ran across the horseman's path! The Horse screamed and began to pursue him! |
Jonathan ran as fast as he could but no man can outrun a horse and this was a horse from Hell. It was a huge black stallion with glowing red eyes. On it's back was the man with no head. The lack of a head didn't stop the rider from snapping the reins and kicking the flanks of the horse so that it galloped straight at Jonathan. |
| Jonathan Crane knew he was going to be caught so he made a sharp turn to the left, he fell down into a brook, and the horse overshot him by five feet. Jonathan knew the headless horseman would make a quick u-turn and finish the job, but Jonathan quickly realized that as he fell making the sharp turn that he had twisted his left ankle! So hopping on one foot Jonathan quickly hopped out of the water and leaned against a tree, feeling tired he rested against a hollow log soon he was so tired that he was drapped over the hollow log almost catatonic! Suddnly Jonathan felt something smaking against his rear end! At first he felt too tired to compredend this but quickly became more aware of it as the smacks were becoming rather sharp and painful! "Who ever is smacking me I insist you cease and desist!" Jonathan said angerly With great exsuastion he lifted himself to see..He was being smacked by the tree! Jonathan was now more frightend than he had ever been! How could this be possible? The Horseman? The Moving Trees? But he didn't have time to think! He heard the horseman's hoofbeats coming this way to find him! Jonathan knew he coulden't escape now! Not with his twisted ankle and everything Suddenly an ear splitting scream filled the air, it was not like the scream of the horseman more like the howl of a wild animal! Than a cat, a cat made of silver light ran forth and attacked the horseman, (If this was Harry Potter I would have called it a patronous) The Horseman fled and Quaxo appered "Jonathan?" Quaxo asked "Is that you?" "Oh Quaxo it's you Thank Gods!" He hopped over to the tabby cat "Listen I'm exsausted and I think I'm going to faint... Please don't let me swallow my tougue." He fainted and Quaxo caught him "This sounds serious." Said the Cat |
| Ichabod quickly ran into the scene and saw his father fainted. He gasped and ran over towards them. "Quaxo! Mr. Quaxo! Is my father ok!?" he called out. Quax felt a slight fever on Johnathan's head. "Im not sure Ichabod. But we better get him some medical attention quickly." he replied. |
| Quaxo turned to Ichabod "You can go off an enjoy the haunted house." He said "Your Father will be fine." "I don't think I can." Ichabod shivered "Not with that mad Horseman after me!" "I don't think that spirit will pursue you any more." Quaxo said gently "The Cat of Silver Light that drove him off is a Totem or Spirit Protector. The Totem will keep evil spirits out of the forest like a scarecrow keeps birds out of the cornfield" Ichabod rubbed his arm "Crows can still come in, when they learn the Scarecrow isn't real." "Don't worry." Quxo said "Everything will be all right." With that he took Quaxo to a nearby cabin in the wood. After he placed Jonathan on a sofa he took out a whistle, went out into the wood and let out a sharp note! Ms Iris flew down like a bat out of hell "This better be important!" She said "Halloween is the 2nd most important day for bats! The First one is the Day of the Dead!" "It's important all right." Quaxo said "Jonathan needs the psychic energy inside him released but first he must be psycologically ready for it, so when he wakes up, we must begin to heal him." |
"I suggest we begin with The Chant of Soft Unfolding," Ms Iris said. "It's very soothing." Quaxo nodded. "I couldn't agree more." Jonathan lay on the sofa and Ms Iris and Quaxo sat in the two rocking chairs and gently chanted.... The clouds in the sky drift slowly by As we rest on the soft green grass; I no longer need to wonder why There is a present, a future, a past. I have nowhere to go; time ceases to flow; The external becomes internal. Peace fills me now and I am very calm; The moment becomes eternal. Jonathan's breathing became slower and deeper. "When he awakens," Quaxo said, "he will be in the proper state for a successful healing." |
| Ichabod returned to Marzi, Fireheart, Rook and Dojen, who were looking rather concerned "You OK Ichy?" Dojen asked "You look...a little shook up." Ichy looked up sharply "How could I not be shook up?" He said sharply "My Father and I almost got killed by some anchiant spirit that shoulden't even exist! In fact this whole situation isn't supposed to be possible!" He sighed and looked down "I'm so confused." Marzipan patted his shoulder "It's OK to feel the way you do." She said "Anyone would be frightened by things they don't understand." Fireheart approched "We can help you." he said "If you'll let us." "Help me?" Ichabod asked "How?" "We have already helped give you psychic powers so now we will help you learn to use them." She plucked out an herb out of the ground "Wild sage." She said "Perfect for dreams." Meanwhile Jonathan stirred from his sleep he felt hot and uncortable his back was sweating, He felt gentle hands removing his left shoe "Pamela?" He asked "Is that you?" "Not quite." Said a thin voice of a bat Jonathan's eyes shot open at once "Iris?" He asked "Where am I? What are you doing?" "You're ankle is pretty badly twisted." The Bat said in her thin squeaky voice "But I can't very well treat in while it encased in a shoe and sock." "She began unraveling his sock Jonathan looked over and saw Quaxo standing across the room, he was holding a test tube and beaker that was full of a liquid that looked like water. |
Katrina Stoneheart stood next to the door of her Haunted House, listening to the screams of the kids walking through it. Brattina stood beside her with the same hands-on-hips posture. "Brattina, I don't understand why there are no Chimera kids visiting my Haunted House. Do you think they got wise to it? I would hate to think I wasted all that money on a de-pelting machine that will never get used." "I don't know why there are no Chimera here, Mommy Dearest. Why don't I go see if I can find some?" "Thank you, darling. You do that. Then maybe this project will not be a total waste of your mother's precious time." It didn't take Brattina long to find Marzi, Rook, Dojen, Fireheart, and Ichabod. "Hey, you guys!" she said. "We've got a really cool Haunted House set up! Come check it out." Ichabod sniffed. "I've already seen things tonight that are way more scary than any fake Haunted House." "Aw, come on," Brattina said. "It's free for Chimera! Rook? Dojen? You guys like Haunted Houses, don't you?" In her mind Brattina thought that Rook's fur would make a great jacket and Dojen could become shoes, a belt, and a handbag. |
| Marzi and Fireheart looked at Rook and Dojen "You two can go if you want." Fireheart said "We'll stay here and help Ichabod calm down." "Are you quite sure?" Rook asked "Positive." Marzi said The Fox and the Dragon left with Brattina. Ichabod, Marzipan and Fireheart walked into the forest glade. Meanwhile, Jonathan was more fully woken up and was beginning to get nervous "What is going on here?" Jonathan asked nervously "Well..."Qauxo sighed putting the beaker and test tube down "I assume your son has told you about the psychic energy inside you." "You mean the source of my nightmares?" Jonathan asked "Well normally we would just preform the healing rite that would release the pent up energy inside you." Iris piped "But when that happans you will have powers of great and terrible power and we have no doubt that you will figure out how to use them quickly you are an exceedingly intelligent man." "But of course." Jonathan said smugly "But the problom is you are intelligent but not wise." The Tabby meowed "You are the scarecrow after all, you murdered several people over your crimmanal career." "What are you saying?" Jonathan asked "That when I recieve these powers I'll become the Scarecrow again and murder?" "Not quite." Quaxo said "We're afraid that you'll try to use it to do horrible things while maskorading as an innocent." "So we have to heal you." Said Iris |
| "But I wouldn't! And everytime I try and get healed this energy is still kept inside me because of the lesser relif!" Jonathan said panic like. "Well we can't do any extreme measures on you otherwise it'll cause concussians, brain damage and possible amnesia." said Iris. Jonathan ran his fingers through his har as he sat down. From the shadows, Demonar poofs out of sight as he listens in. His powers were still gone and he couldn't become a true demon, but he still has a couple of spells up his sleeves to absorb energy and transforming that energy. "But look at this, each day your healed through smaller measures your dreams will die down and you'll be better." said Qauxo. "Though we can't guarentee it'll do that much good." replied Iris. Demonar felt intrigued and rubbed his horns with his hands. "Psychic energy eh? Heheheh. This might be the oppertunity I need... As long as that Headless Horseman ain't around I can attract either those kids and Jonathan and steal their energy. But how to bring them to me?" he said to himself. He pondered till he came up with an idea. "Gypsies! Of course! I'll disguise myself as a gypsie, and attract them by letter. I just hope that Horseman won't come for MY head." |
"What was that?" Jonathan said. Quaxo shrugged. "It just sounded like a letter being shoved through the mail slot in your front door." "But this isn't when the mailman usually comes..." "I'll go get it for you," Quaxo said. When he returned with the letter he held it to his nose and sniffed. "Does Jonathan have a special friend? Hee hee. There is no stamp on this letter." "Give me that," Jonathan said and ripped open the letter. At the Haunted House Rook and Dojen were greeted by Katrina Stoneheart. "Come on in!" she cackled. "It's free for Chimera!" "I wonder why it's free for us," Dojen said as he and Rook entered the first room. "Whoa!" Rook said as a rubber spider fell down from the ceiling. The two friends laughed. "If it's all like this," Dojen said, "then I can see why it's free." The second room was totally dark until a glowing face entered it. "Come with me...." the face said. "Nice black light effect," Rook muttered. |
| Rook and Dojen entered the room, Suddenly, Dojen had an ominous feeling...like he was being watched! Dojen saw a phantom flutter by and he felt sure it was the same ghost he saw the last time he was in the haunted house "I think we should leave" He said to Rook Meanwhile Jonathan Crane sighed as Iris and Quaxo mixed up a magic poition. Iris walked over to Jonathan, "I will heal you so you can be ready to have psychic powers." "How excatly will you heal me?" Jonathan asked "I will help you get rid of your hate." The Bat said The Scarecrow snorted sarcasticly "If two dozen doctors at Arkham coulden't help me get rid of my hate, what makes think you can?" "Let's just say, No Doctor at Arkham actually listened to you." Iris said Iris put her hands on her shoulders "Now let's begin." she said "Think back to your child hood." She whispered "When did your anger first begin Jonathan thought back to Elementry School when he first met the boy who would bully him before Jonanthan went crazy and murder...Bo Griggs |
| (In case anyone didn't know, some Gypsies posses some magic powers and can craft magical materials.) "When I was constantly bullied by this kid. Bo Griggs..." he told them. "I first met him, he started teasing me and bullying me. He did it throughout the whole year until I went mad and killed him." Jonathan gripped tightly on the letter in his hands. Iris massaged Jonathan's shoulders trying to relax him. She laid one of her other hand on Jonathan's head. "And? Go on." she said. |
| Iris went over to a table and pulled out a bottle of Olive Oil, she anointed her hands with the oil. "Jonathan." She said quitly "You'll have to take your shiry off for this to work as the oil needs to touch your skin for the magic to work." Jonathan looked at her like she had made the most absurd request in the world, but with a gruff sigh he took off his shirt and allowed her to rub his back with the oil. Jonathan absent mindedly dropped the letter to the floor, Demonar saw this and let out a small curse "Crap." Said the Half-Dragon "Wait, maybe I can stil make this work, I'll just lay in wait like a crocodile and wait for her to preform the spell that will release the psychic energy, when it is released I'll absorb it like a sponge!" Jonathan was soothed by the scent of the oil and by the Bat-woman's gentle touch. She touched his shoulder blades "As above" She whispered she moved her clawed hands to his lower back. "So below." She moved her hands upwards to the small of his back, Jonathan never realized just how soft bat fur was he had always assumed it was coarse and prickly like a mule or a boar, but the oiled fur that was caressing up and down his back was much softer, soft as otter, soft as mink. "Think back." Iris said "To the first time you fell in love." "Do you mean first petty puppy love?" Jonathan asked sarcasticly "Or do you mean first requited love?" Iris opened her eyes, she realized what he meant by that "First requited love." The bat said "The first woman I loved who loved who loved me in retern." Jonathan said "Was actually a therepist at Arkham, her name was Evila, Evie for short I knew her from high school..." |
"...She was in my French class in high school. We used to laugh together because we both sucked so badly at French. Later, at Arkham, she was a known face in a sea of unknown faces. We got to talking about high school and somehow it happened that we fell in love. Being at Arkham actually simplified things quite a bit. Evie knew where my room was. She had access to it because she was a doctor. The room had a bed in it. Need I say more?" |
| Quaxo thought about that for a moment "That comes off as rather gross." He said "Making Love in an Asylum." "Don't worry." Jonathan said "We never made love in the madhouse." He chuckled "I ran away and we did it in her apartment." Iris looked a little confused "Why didn't you settle down with her?" "I think mostly even though I loved her..." Jonathan rubbed his arm nervously "I wasn't ready to give up being a super villian, old habits die hard. But I also didn't want to hurt her, if my past caught up with me I didn't want her to be in the way..." "So you gave her up in order to protect her?" Quaxo asked "That's pretty much it." Jonathan nodded "The reason I settled down with Pamela was no much out of love but mutual benifit, we both wanted a child and we were willing to cooperate to get what we wanted, besides we were both villians so we felt comfortable with each other." The Cat and Bat nodded |
| Back in the haunted house, Rook, Dojen and the others continued to search through the haunted house. Dojen was literally shaken as he spots the same ghost for the past few minutes. "R-R-Rook come on m-man l-l-lets just head home ok?" he said shaking. Rook was just too enthusiastic to search the house some more. "Aww come on Doj! Think of the treasure there could be here!" he said excitedly. |
"Treasure!?" Dojen said. "It's a haunted house, not a Pirate Ship!" "No, man, haunted houses always have a treasure buried in the basement." Dojen punched Rook's shoulder. "Are you out of your mind? There is no treasure here! It's a haunted house, dude. No treasure!" The ghost came drifting by. Wooooooooooo.... "That does it!" Dojen said. "I'm outta here! You find your treasure by yourself!" Dojen ran back through the Haunted House looking for the way he entered. |
| So Dojen ran out of the house into The Royal Lords Bird Gang. He ran straght into Rodney Roadrunner, who cursed as he landed in a pile of leaves "Geez Dojen!" Rodney grumbled "Watch where you're going!" "The Haunted House is really haunted!" Dojen nearly screamed at the birds "Really haunted?" Woodrow the woodpecker looked at him incredusly "Yeah Haunted!" The red dragon was panicing like crazy "And Rook thinks the house has treasure!" The birds burst out into laughter "Aw man that crazy fox!" Chanteerclair the Rooster-man chuckled "He's always for looking for hidden stuff!" "But..."Dojen stammered "I think Rook is in real danger." Meanwhile back in the cabin Jonathan Crane was almost ready to recive his psychic powers. "You are almost ready." Iris told him she put her clawed hands on his shoulders "There is one more test you must undergo before the final part." She breathed a long warm breath on him, Jonathan began to halluenate, He saw something coming out of a pink fog He squinted, "Evie?" He asked "Evie? Is that you?" He thought he was reunited with his first real love again! He saw her dark hair and dark eyes. He forgot about his current wife and his son, for a moment he felt pure happiness! "I can't believe it's really you!" He sighed as he breathed into her hair, Her lips moved over his and they kissed, for a moment Jonathan Crane was in pure bliss Than he began to realize her lips seemed awfully furry and the teeth awafully pointed Than the vison broke and he realized he was kissing Iris He pushed her away violently "You animal!" He shouted "You winged rodent! How dare you play such a trick on me?!" |
Iris grabbed his shouldrs. "Jonathan! Don't push me away! Please! It's for your own good." But Jonathan was too angry to listen to her. "I'm going outside before I do something I'll regret. Don't try to follow me!" He slammed the door as he left. Rodney, Woodrow, and Chanticleer convinced Dojen to go back inside the Haunted House with them and find Rook. "You have to, man!" Rodney said. "He's your best friend!" They made it through the first few rooms, then came to the room with Dracula's coffin in it. "That looks so real," Woodrow said. "Aw, you wussy!" Rodney said and walked up to the edge of the coffin. A hand shot out and grabbed his shirt collar. Dracula rose up from the coffin. "It's feeding time..." Rodney screamed. "Help me, guys! He's got me!" Woodrow and Chanticleer grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back. The shirt collar ripped off and remained in Dracula's hand. Then Dracula lowered himself back down in the coffin. "I'm gonna sue these people!" Rodney shouted. "This was a good shirt!" |
| Jonathan huffed, and hobbled away from the cabin He was throughly ticked off! "What Bull honkey!" Jonathan grumbled "All that psychic powers nonsense! All New-Age Mumbo Jumbo!" He sat down on a hollow log, his rump was rather sore from being wacked, and he rubbed it tenderly. Jonathan took off his shoe and looked at his ankle. It was wrapped in a bandage, curtosy of Ms. Iris He thought about how she had kissed him and his cheeks grew hot with shame and anger, it was the deception that made him angry not so much that he had kissed a chimera that made him mad. The worst thing about the kiss was that the more he thought about the more he was beginning to feel he liked it and that disgusted him most of all! He noticed the sound of galloping hoofbeats, and for a moment he didn't respond to it, he was that angry! But than he saw a figure in the distance, racing across the meadow, Jonathan knew instantly who it was, "Ichabod!" Jonathan exclamed "I have to protect him!" So the old Scarecrow began to hobble away to find his son Meanwhile in the haunted house Dojen and The Birds were busy trying to find Rook before something awful happened to the poor fox. "We got to do something!" Dojen said |
| The gang ran throughout the haunted house. The last room they hadn't tried was the basement. As they went downstairs they saw Rook kneeling down. It looked like he was muttering something about treasure. The others thought he was scared out of his wits. They ran up to him until the so called Dracula popped right up in front of them! "RAAAHHH!!!!" the figure yelled. Dojen and The Birds all screamed in fright and ran up the stairs. Dojen looked behind him to see nothing except the others screaming. Back with Jonathan, he tried all he could to get to Ichabod. He didn't had the strength to run that fast. When he looked back behind him, the Horseman figure had dissapeared. A cloud had blocked the full moon, and that instant, he knew that the Horseman comes out at night with the full moon. But he didn't stop running, he needed to get to Ichabod. That was until he ran into a Gypsie. "Ow! Watch where your going!" said Jonathan. The Gypsie made no move after being bumped. Jonathan got back up and noticed that he was rude to the Gypsie. Little did he know it was Demonar in disguise. After that little incident, Demonar reverted back to Plan A. |
| Jonathan was feeling exsausted, his ankle was sore, so was his rump he knew he needed to find his son, but his eyes were getting heavy and his entire body ached so he knelt down on his kness and felt himself succumb to sleep. When he woke up, he felt himself lying on something hard, he looked down and saw he was lying on a large tree stump "It's a good thing we found you." Said a thin voice "You were almost taken by Demonar." Jonathan sat up at once with fire in his eyes "You've got some nerve following me around like this!" The Scarecrow growled "Is that anyway to thank someone who saved your life from Demonar?" The Bat asked |
| (uhhh Twiga? How could that bat 'or Iris' have seen and saved Jonathan from Demonar? He had no idea WHERE he was and wouldn't recgonize him.) |
| (OK Clairifaction time, I imagened when Jonathan stormed angerly out of the cabin Quaxo and Iris secretly followed him without his knowadge, and after Jonathan 'bumped' into Demonar, Demonar secretly started following himwithout his knowadge, Plus when Jonathan got really sleepy and passed out I imagene severel hours passed from the time he fell asleep to time he woke up, in those hours, Quaxo and Iris whisked him away before the villian could prey on him) That cover all bases? |
| OK, I assumed because it was stated in an earlier addition that Demonar wanted to steal, Crane's newly found psychic powers that when Crane bumped into the Halfling, Demonar would attempt to pursue Jonathan in an attempt to take his psychic powers (Isn't that what Demonar wanted?) and I stated that several hours passed between the time Crane fell asleep and the time he woke up, woulden't any oppritunistic villian take advantage of a sleeping target? Forgive me for trying to move the story forward in an orderly fashion The End! |
| Ichabod Crane sat with Marzipan in the gloomy forest, Ichabod was still a good deal spooked by his encounter with the headless horseman. "I can't believe it." He said to himself it was like something out of...NIGHTMARE!" "Ichabod you have to remain calm." Marzipan said "You must not let your fear get the better of you." |
| "Yah, but I'm scared," Ichabob said. "So am I," the cat said. "However, that's why we need each other, so that he won't get either of us. You see what I'm saying?" "I think so," Icabob said. "Good," Marzipan said, helping him to his feet. "Now let's go get the others. I just got a bad feeling, and it's not just because of the Headless Horseman." |
| Jonathan's thoughts weighed heavily on his mind...He did not know what to do "The hour is getting late." Ms Iris said "If you want that energy realeased inside you we must do it now!" "Are you sure I'm ready for such grave responibilty?" Jonathan said rather sarcasticly "We just saved your life twice tonight." Quaxo said his kitty ears folded against his skull "Don't make me smack you." "Take off your shirt." Iris commanded Jonathan did as he was told. Iris got out peppermint oil and rubbed it on her furry hands, she had to concentrate on the task at hand, she breathed in the candy cane scent of the oil. "With this oil I will spell a divine word on your back." She said "When I complete this spell we will know if you are ready." Iris took mint-oils pointer finger and began "S...For Sublime...E...for Enlightenment....R...For Rebirth..." As he felt her finger tracing letters on his back, Jonathan felt a strange feeling just below his heart, like there was a bubble underneith it. "E...For Entitlement....N...For Nourishment..." Jonathan clutched his chest, it was really starting to hurt! "D...For Divinity...I...For Innana...P...For Perfection..." Jonathan began to pant hevily...If this was salvation he wasn't sure he wanted it! "I...For Isis...T...For Truth...Y...For Youth." Jonathan felt the pressure inside him about to burst, He was sure he would die right than and there! "S E R E N D I P I T Y! Put it together and you have SERENDIPITY!" Jonathan felt himself gasp! He was sure he would feel pain beyond beleif, but the pain stragely melted as soon as she said that...It was replaced with a strange pleasurable feeling that moved throughout his body. He looked at his hands, his skin had become paler in color but more incredbly his skin was sparkling! "Don't worry Jonathan." He eard Quaxo say "Your skin will retern to normal color come sunrise." |
| Iris handed him a sythe, Jonathan could not believe it! It was his old sythe from his crimanal days! "Take this mighty blade Jonathan Crane." Iris said in a voice that seemed deeper and more melodic than usaul "Take this blade and distroy the evil that has haunted your family for over a century!" "You mean?" "Yes Jonathan Crane you are directly desended from the Origanal Ichabod Crane of Sleepy Holow!" |
| "And here I though that the name was just a coincidence," Johnathan said. "Alright, to protect my family, I'll do what it takes. I just hope that my son is alright." With that, he started to hobble to where he somehow knew that his son would be, using the handle of the weapon as a crutch almost. |
As he struggled along, Jonathan Crane felt better and better until he was standing upright and he realized his leg no longer bothered him. He swung the scythe in a mighty arc that made the air whoosh. "I feel great!" he said. "Serendipity!" He began to run toward where Ichabod must be. He didn't bother to question how he knew where to run because he didn't know what was serendipity and what was himself. He just knew he had to save Ichabod and now was the time to do it and somehow he had the strength and knowledge he needed. |
| Jonathan Crane knew he had to hurry he was beginning to hear the sound of pounding hoofbeets and could even see the Shadow of the Headless Horseman on the dead leaves Jonathan ran as fast as he could! He actually made record time! He managed to stop the Horseman right in his tracks! "Stop right there!" Jonathan said "I'm the one you want! Come and do battle with me!" |
| The Horseman stood there, as if examining him with his non-existing eyes. Jonathan felt a strange chill in his body, one he hadn't felt in a long time. "YoU ArE NoT ThE OnE I WaNt ToNiGhT," Jonathan heard a haunting voice say in his head. "If you don't want me," Jonathan said. "Then why have you been following me, and my son, as I have a funny feeling you've been doing the same to him, all night?" "To PrOtEcT YoU FrOm ThE HaLf-DeMoN DeMoNaR," the figure said. "AnD YoUr SoN AnD HiS FrIeNdS FrOm ThOsE CaLlEd StOnEhEaRtS." "What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked the spector. "DeMoNaR PlAnS To StEeL YoUr PoWeR To MaKe HiMsElF WhOlE, AnD ThE StOnEhEaRtS WiLl KiLl YoUr SoN AnD HiS FrIeNdS." "Why would the Stonehearts want to kill my son?" Jonathan asked. "ThE StOnEhEaRtS DoN't LiKe ChMeRaS, AnD PlAn To KiLl ThEm BeCaUsE Of It," the spector said. "As FoR YoUr SoN, WhEn ThEy FiNd OuT AbOuT HiS PoWeR, ThEy'Ll WaNt It." "So why are you doing this?" Jonathan asked, still holding onto the sythe. "If AnYoNe Is To TaKe A CrAnE's HeAd, It WiLl Be Me," the spector said. With that, the Horseman galloped off, leaving Jonathan alone. "I better head to the Stonehearts place," the former Scarecrow said. "I won't let the harm my son, or his friends." With that, he started to head in the direction of the Haunted House, which he now knew was a trap for those of chimera blood. |
Ungodly screams filled the air around the Haunted House. The sky was boiling with dark clouds that occasionally flashed lightning. Ugly shapes flapped through the night, their harsh cries pitched almost too high for human ears to hear. Jonathan hesitated at the edge of the madness, for madness it was. In his own brain Jonathan could feel insanity trying to take root and grow. He knew if he entered the area near the Haunted House he would be challenged in ways he had never been challenged before. All his life Jonathan had considered himself to be a sane, rational person, but he sensed behind the vibrations emanating from the Haunted House a dark force powerful enough to twist his mind into a whirlpool of psychotic destruction. Beads of sweat formed on Jonathan's brow. Trembling, he slowly walked toward the Haunted House. Lightning crashed, thunder boomed, and a great flock of the screeching ugly things flapped up out of the trees and circled around the house. |
| Katrina Stoneheart looked at the video moniter, looking at the creatures falling into her traps Katrina had no way of knowing that she was being watched herself, the old ghost of the origanal Ichabod Crane was watching her.... Jonathan entered the building not knowing what he would find, acting on a hunch he touched his sythe's blade to the tip of the doorknob, the doorknob began to melt as soon as the blade touched it. |
| As Jonathan walked around, he could hear the scream of young ones around him. How many were because of the props that were there to scare people, and how many were from those who got caught in traps was unknown to him. However, he knew one thing, he was scared. A part of him wanted to leave the place, but another side of him, his paternal side, told him to move forward, and release everyone who was trapped in the place. He had to. If what the Horseman had told him was true, the Stonehearts would kill the chimaras, and his son, and there was no way in Hell that he'd let anyone harm his son. |
So he walked through the house swinging his scythe at every lock he saw. Cages sprung open and grateful chimeras tumbled out, crying out thanks as they ran quickly from the house. But nowhere did he see Ichabod. Finally, when it seemed he had searched every corner of the house, he came to one last door that was made of heavy iron and would not yield to his sycthe. "Ichabod!" Jomathan screamed and in his mind he heard a weak answering call: "Dad!" Jonathan beat on the iron door with his scythe but though the door rang loudly with every strike, it was not even dented. In a burst of imagination, Jonathan recalled the Arabian Nights and yelled; "Open, Serendipity!" Slowly, with much creaking of rusty hinges, the iron door swung open. Behind it was a corridor leading downward. Jonathan leaped into it. "Ichabod!" he yelled and now the answering call in his mind was a bit stronger: "Dad! Hurry!" |
| Inside Ichabod and Marzipan were in a cold iron cage, both were chained up from Neck to toe. Katrina Stoneheart was watching the whole thing on her video moniter she cried "Noooooo! That fool is ruining everything!" The Ghost of the Origanal Ichabod Crane could finally take no more, he cut the strings of the chandleer above and the heavy object fell on Katrina's head killing her instantly. Jonathan tried to open to open the cage with the shythe but it would not open, than he got an idea to use the wooden part of the shythe... |
Carefully Jonathan removed the wooden part of the scythe handle. Ichabod jumped up and down. "Dad! What are you doing? Get us out of here!" "Patience, son. I'm making a key." He had noticed that the lock on the chains was a huge old-fashioned iron lock that used a skeleton key, so he carved a wooden skeleton key from the handle of the scythe. Naturally, it didn't work. But he carved on it some more. Ichabod was fuming with impatience. "Hurry, Dad!" "Don't yell at me. Carving a key is not easy." "But it doesn't even work! Do something else!" However, the third version of the wooden key clicked the lock open. Marzipan hugged Jonathan. "Thank you, Mr. Crane! You saved our lives!" "It took him long enough," Ichabod said. |
| "Don't sass back with me!" Jonathan scolded "We don't have time for this!" Ichabod yelled "Dojen and Rook are in Danger!" "What do you mean?" Jonathan asked "Brattina took those two to her de-pelting room where she plans to skin them alive!" Marzipan said quivering Indeed Brattina was warming up the de-pelting machine while Dojen and Rook lay bound and gagged. "I turned on the Machine Mummy Dearest!" She called to the Moniter Room "Mum?" She heard no answer...She looked into the darkened room and screamed in terror when she saw Her mother lying crushed and bleeding beneith the fallen chandeleer! Jonathan, Marzipan and Ichabod rushed into the de-pelting room where they quickly untied the Fox and Dragon. "T-thank you Professor Crane." Dojen stammered "You saved our lives!" Rook did not say anything he merely fainted "It's ok." Dojen said picking him up "I've got him." "We best be leaving." Ichabod said "I can't stand being in this horrble room any longer." |
| "Yah, but be careful," Jonathan said. "The night is not over, and an old friend of mine has been trying to get ahold of me all night." "Who would that be?" Ichabod ask. "You don't want to know," the former Scarecrow said, as he screwed the head of the sythe back onto the handle which was still good. "In anycase, no matter what happens, stick together, and watch each other's backs." |
The five of them started making their way back through the dark woods. "This doesn't look right," Jonathan said. "I don't remember all these old twisted trees before." "Are we lost?" Marzipan purred. Ichabod rolled his eyes. "Oh great, Dad, way to save us." "Shush," Jonathan said. "We're not lost. We just don't know which way out is. We'll just have to choose a direction and try to keep to it." |
| Suddenly, an evil laugh is heard. "What's that?" one of the children asked. "Is it Headless?" asked Ichabod, remembering the terror he felt when he had been running from the horseman earlier. "No, it is not," Jonathan said. "He's the least of our problems tonight. I met up with him earlier and he told me that he's been trying to protect us, though don't ask why. This is someone else." "Who?" asked one of the other children. "Demonar," Jonathan said, gripping his sythe tightly. "Somehow he came back, but he's not all the way back." "What does he want?" Ichabod asked, scared as he remembered what happened the last time the demon was around. "Let's just say that he'll have to go through me before he can get to you," Jonathan said. "Now, stay close." |
Ichabod shivered. "Don't let him get us, Dad." Jonathan chuckled. "No attitude problem now that we are in danger again, eh?" "Aw, Dad, you know I was just teasing you." "I know, son." |
| The trees began to shimmie and shake... Jonathan knew this feeling well...It was the same feeling when the tree smacked him. Marzipan, Dojen and Rook began to make small frightened animal noises Ichabod backed slowly but a tree seemed to be aiming to grab him.. |
| Sencing the danger that was right behind him, Jonathan quickly rotated, and swung the sythe, slicing just above his son's head. "Dad, what are you doing?" Ichabod asked, ducking as his father swung the sythe again. This time however, Jonathan seemed to be struggling, as if someone had grabbed the other end of his sythe, and was trying to pull it from him. Looking behind him, Ichabod saw that the blade was caught in a tree's branches, but these branches seemed to be alive. "What's going on?" he wondered, as he rushed over to his friends. |
"The tree's got my scythe!" Jonathan yelled. Rook and Ichabod grabbed the handle of the scythe with him and yanked. The scythe came loose with a flurry of twigs and branches. The tree screeched and whipped two long branches at them. "Duck!" Rook yelled, but a branch caught Ichabod right across the face. "Ouch!" There was a nasty welt on Ichabod's cheek. "Be careful, everybody," Jonathan said. "These trees are very hostile." |
| Ichabod looked around nervously despite everyone's warnings he was letting his fear get the better of him. He looked nevously at all the trees and trided to find a weak spot amoung them a way to escape. He saw a gap in the eastern path and very slowly he tried to edge toward it. "Ichabod! Don't!" His father tried to warn him but a tree already wrapped a branch around his waist and pulled him off the ground! Marzipan quickly climbed up the tree, avoiding the branches that were trying to get her and bit the branch that was holding Ichabod, he fell straight to the ground. Marzipan leaped down from the tree and helped Ichabod get up. Jonathan made a mental note to thank Marzipan when this was over...He started to hear and ominous voice from beyond "No escape." The voice said "Is..Is that you Demonar?" Jonathan asked "No escape." The voice said again Everyone waited for the voice to speak again, or for Demonar to appear or something The voice began to speak again "Your intestines will write and boil, your eyeballs will burst.... And some really nasty stuff...possibly your brains will come out of your nose..." Jonathan had just about all he could take of this nonsense "SHUT UP!" He screamed into the darkness "Stop saying those horrible things and LEAVE US ALONE!" His voice echoed in the darkness, the trees shook (Possibly from fear) And in the darkness, the children thought they could hear Demonar breathing. Jonathan clutched his cheast "Look at me." He said to the children "I haven't been this angry in years, look at my hands, how they are shaking..." "Better that having your eyeballs bursting..." Ichabod said Jonathan, despite his fear, felt more confident in himself than he had felt in years, he could his heart pounding in his cheast, he knew in his blood flowed the most powerful kind of magic...He thought for a moment and tried to understand what Demonar wanted... Than he suddenly knew, Demonar was trying to claim Jonathan and Ichabod's magic had truly 'settled in' What Demonar wanted was to take the magic before the two of them could learn how to use it and therefore make it there own. Jonathan chuckled, That demon sgould have figured it out by now... |
| "Demonar, you are a fool," he said. "You think that I need magic to beat you, well, you are wrong. I can beat you without it. Marzipan, take Ichabod and the rest, and get out of here. I'll deal with the demon." "You could be killed," the cat chimera said. "Better that than let him take my son," Jonathan said, as he looked at the young girl. "Now get out of here." With that, Marzipan grabbed the hands of her friends, and the four young ones started running, leaving the former Scarecrow alone with Demonar. |
Demonar appeared in the shape of a blue devil three stories tall with yellow eyes and huge claws. Jonathan had to jump aside quickly as one of the claws made a swipe at him. "Har! Har! Har!" Demonar said. "Do you really think you can beat ME in a fight? Har! Har! Har!" Demonar's voice was thunderously loud and Jonathan shivered in his boots wondering why in the world he thought he had a chance. The desire to run away was strong in him but he stood his ground. "B-b-bring it on," he said. "I'm r-r-ready for y-y-you." Demonar laughed again and stomped the ground with his foot making Jonathan bounce up an inch or two. How could a demon be so powerful, Jonathan wondered. And then the thought occurred to him that he might be the victim of a hypnotic illusion. He was sure the real Demonar couldn't be three stories tall. Jonathan ran forward very fast, kicking Demonar in the leg as he went by him. Sure enough, the illusion of a giant Demonar flickered and vanished for a fraction of a second and just for a moment Jonathan saw the real Demonar, still hideous in appearance, but no taller than a man. Now Jonathan felt a little more confident, but the battle was far from being won. Even a short Demonar was a fearsome opponent. |
| "So..." Jonathan said irritably "That horned devil I just saw was just to throw me off wasn't it?" Demonar just licked his fangs in a lazy sort of way as if not interested in the question. Ichabod and the other children were running through the woods, Ichabod started to run a little slower finally he stopped all togethor "S-stop!" He stammered nervously, The Cat, the Fox and the Dragon all did so but not with out looking extremely miffed "What is wrong with you?" Rook asked "We could be killed if we don't get out of here!" "I just can't leave without him." Ichabod said shedding a tear "You...You mean your father?" Dojen asked tilting his head Ichabod could only say "Yes." Dojen lay a mighty paw on his shoulder..."Marzipan." The Dragon asked "Isn't there a way to help Prof, Crane...Like send him our magic?" "There may be a way." Marzi said thoughtfully |
| "There is a technique mother taught me once," she said. "However, I need the bark of a Birch, the seed pod of a Beach, a branch of a maple, and the resin from a pine. Also, I need a fire and a cerimonial knife." "Well, we are in a forest, so it should be easy to find some of the stuff," Dojen said. "And it would be easy for me to light a fire. But where would we find a knife at?" Then, as if on cue, a blur went past them, and something hit one of the nearby trees. "I ThInK ThAt ThAt WiLl HeLp YoU OuT," said a voice, that caused the blood of the four young ones to freeze. Looking over their shoulders, the four young ones saw the headless spector, sitting on his horse. "Why are you helping us out?" Mazipan asked. However, the spector just gallopped off, heading in the direction that the four had come from. "Hey, take a look at this knife," Rook said. "I've never seen anything like it." When Marzipan took a look at it, she was shocked, as the knife was deffinatly crafted for the spell she'd learned. "Let's get to work," she said. "After all, we have to help Jonathan." |
Quickly the four friends gathered the bark of a birch, the seed pod of a beach, the branch of a maple, and the resin from a pine. Marzipan closed her eyes and was silent for a moment. Then she used the ceremonial knife to shave the birch bark into long fibers. She then trimmed the branch into a spear and tied the knife to the end of the spear using the long birch fibers with the pine resin as a glue. Ichabod hefted the spear. "Feels right. I think I can stick Demonar with this. What about the seed pod?" "Eat it," Marzipan said. "It will give you super strength, but just for a few minutes, so you must use the spear quickly after you eat the pod." "I will," Ichabod said. "Wish me luck!" "I'm coming with you," Marzipan said. "No, stay here where you'll be safe." "No way. I have to know what happens and the spell will be stronger if the caster stays with it." |
| "I hope that we are able to get to my father in time," he said. ****** Meanwile, Jonathan and Demonar were busy fighting with each other, the human with his sythe, and the demon with a black spear. To the casual observer, it would appear that the two were evenly matched, but in reality, Jonathan was losing energy, and the demon wasn't even breaking a sweat. Jonathan was using every trick he knew, from using the blade to cut, to using the handle to parry, to using the butt to do blunt damage, and more, all to try to injure the demon. "Just give up human," the demon said, as he sliced part of Jonathan's left tricep, causing him to have problems holding onto his weapon. "You don't have what it takes to kill me." As Jonathan panted for breath, he could feel the demon's words start to sink in. He hadn't fought this hard in over ten years, not since he last fought the Dark Knight of Gothom, Batman. He wanted to quit, to run away, but something told him to stand his ground and fight on. "I.. won't... give... up," he said, looking into Demonar's eyes. "I... will... beat... you... even... if... it... is.. the LAST THING I DO!!!!" At this, Jonathan rushed the demon, and made a slice at one of his legs, slicing a hamstring, causing Demonar to yell in pain. Then, the two started to really get serious, neither giving or taking any quarter, with the full intention of killing the other. However, Demonar's body could heal, while Jonathan's could not, and soon Jonathan, was in danger of dieing for blood loss. Then, just as the demon made a lunge for his heart, a sword cut the head off. When Jonathan looked beside him, he saw the Headless Horseman, standing there, looking right at Demonar. "If AnYoNe'S To TaKe A CrAnE's HeAd, It WiLl Be Me," he said, in his eirry voice, one that chilled the blood of any mortal, and more than a few demons feared him. "We'll just have to see about that," Demonar said, with a slightly nervous, yet confident, chuckle, as he turned his spear into a sword, and got on a horse that made the Horseman's look normal in comparison. |
| (Wait... Demonar's head is cut off but he can still talk?) Rook and Dojen looked at each other, the Dragon felt helpless, two of his friends had gone of to face the demon |
| (Oh, I was refering to the head of the spear.) "I hope that they will be alright," Dojen said. "I'm sure that Mr. Crane will be all right," Rook said. "I hope." |
Jonathan collapsed against a tree trunk, glad to let the Headless Horseman continue the battle. Ichabod came running up with a knife tied to a branch. "Dad! Dad! Are you alright?" Jonathan could barely speak. "I told you to go to a safe place, son. What do you expect to do with that tree branch?" "It's a magic spear, Dad. Marzipan made it." With a great effort Jonathan grabbed his son's arm. "No, no... Go away. It's too dangerous here. Please, son. Go to a safe place or Demonar will kill you." |
| The Headless Horseman saw the magic blade and despite the fact he had no head you could see he was smirking. The Headless Horseman took the magic spear, from Ichabod's hand and and used it to slash the Demon's arm Blood flowed from the wound Demonar, screamed in pain and clutched his arm. "That will teach you to take Magic that does not belong to you." The Horsemen sneered "I'll kill you." |
| "Not even those with Holy magic can banish me for good," the horsemen said. "A minor demon like you can't win against the likes of me!" "We'll just have to see about that!" Demonar shouted, as he spurred his horse, and the two Hellish figures and their steads did battle, niether giving or recieving any quarter from the other, the demon wanting the magic of the Cranes, and the spector protecting them for the purpose of killing them himself, at some future date, say after Ichabod had a son or daughter, preferably a son, of his own, as he had fun trying to kill one every year or so, especially those related to the original Ichabod Crane, whose spirit would do everything to protect his kin. "Speaking of him," the spector thought. "Where is that school teacher at anyways? I senced him earlier at the Stonehearts' place, so where is he now?" |
When Katrina Stoneheart was killed by the chandelier falling on her head, her daughter Brattina was there. "Mummy!" she screamed. "Mummy! They've killed you!" She knelt down and hugged her mother's dying body. When her mother shuddered out her last gasp, Brattina sobbed and held her for a long time. Then Brattina stood up with fury in her eyes and clenched her fists. "I swear to all that is unholy that from this day hence I will seek out, hunt down, and kill the stinking chimeras that are responsible for your death. I HATE ALL CHIMERAS!" Brattina threw her head back and screamed at the sky, shaking her fists. Her body shook. Finally, her anger burned itself out and she stood still, breathing deeply and slowly. Her eyes had a bruised look. |
| The Ghost of the Origanal looked on with disgust...Several years of living as a ghost watching generations come and go..Had made the old School Master more tolerant to those who were different. The Demon and Spector were still locked in comment |
| As the ghost of the first Ichabod looked at the young woman, whose mother he'd killed, his eyes softened. "Poor dear," he thought. "She's all alone in the world. Perhaps what she needs is some rest and soul-searching." With that, the long dead School Master touched the shoulder of the young woman in a way that induced a good-night's sleep. "Now, to go help my relations. Not even Headless can hold off that demon forever." **** Meanwhile, the Horseman was still fighting the demon. The two were evenely matched almost. It was strength against experiance, Demonar matching his demon strength agaist the Horseman's two hundred years worth of experiance. However, the Horseman knew that he'd need help, if only to catch the demon off guard. |
Then Demonar did a surprising thing. He seemed to disappear. "What happened to him?" Jonathan said. The Headless Horeseman was gasping for breath. "I fear the worst. He has returned to the Fourth Dimension to recharge himself." Suddenly Demonar popped back into sight, now looking rested and refreshed. "Har! Har! Har!" he laughed. "Are you ready to meet your doom?" And Demonar leaped onto the Headless Horseman. Horse and rider tumbled over. Jonathan clenched his fists. He had never seen the Headless Horseman unseated. It was an awful sight. Demonar slashed at the horse and left long bleeding claw marks. The Headless Horseman screamed, "Nooo!" That was when the spirit of the original Ichabod came floating down from the sky, glowing with the white fire of purity, for he had been dead so long that all his sins were dissolved away and now he was pure energy. When he touched Demonar's shoulder there was a loud sizzle and the smell of burning flesh filled the glade. |
| "It's about time you showed up School teacher," the spector said, as he looked over his horse. "Where in Hell were you?" "I was taking care of a girl who'd just lost her mother," the ghost said. "Not that you'd understand." "Whatever," the Horseman said. "Let's just beat him and get this truce done and over with." "For once we are in agreement Headless," Ichabod said. |
Demonar attempted to retreat to the Fourth Dimension but he discovered that Original Ichabod's fiery hand was welded to his shoulder. "Uh uh uhhhh," Ichabod said. "Don't leave us now. The fun is just beginning." He swung his other hand around in a slap of fire that set Demonar's hair to blazing. "Feeling a little hot-headed?" Original Ichabod asked. The Headless Horseman kicked Demonar in the butt. "Dance, demon, dance!" Demonar roared in frustration and slashed at the Headless Horseman, but Headless fell backwards just in time to avoid it. "Hey! Kid with the magic spear," the Original Ichabod yelled at Young Ichabod. Young Ichabod looked up with the spear in his hand. He had grabbed it when the Headless Horseman dropped it. "Who? Me?" he said. "Yes, you!" said the Original Ichabod. "Use the damn thing now! Aim for the demon's heart... or at least the spot where his heart would be if the fiend actually had a heart." "Yes, sir!" Young Ichabod said and ran flying at the demon and plunged the magic spear into him. Demonar howled so loud the trees shook and birds for miles around fluttered up in alarm, screeching and cawing. But the spear worked. Demonar fell over and hit the ground with a thud. The Original Ichabod dusted off his hands. "And so ends the reign of terror. I pray we never see another one like him." They watched in horror as the body of Demonar slowly dissolved into maggots and slime and then vaporized. When it was over there was a brown patch in the grass. "Nothing will ever grow there again," said the Original Ichabod. He floated up into the sky and faded away. "Where's the Headless Horseman?" Jonathan said. They heard the neigh of a distant horse and the vanishing sound of hoofbeats. |
| The Sun was rising, it was morning already...The Magic glow in Jonathan's skin was fading...Returning to normal color. Ichabod looked at his Padre and realised something had changed, his expression was softer, gentler...and his eyes! Where once his eyes were dark blue like the sea now were light sky blue...Two gentle saphires |
| "Dad, are you alright?" Ichabod asked. "Never better son," Jonathan said, as he kneeled down and gave his son, and his friend, a hug. Then, he stood up and said, "Kids, you start heading home. I'm going to check on the Haunted House, to make sure that no one is still trapped in there." "What do you mean?" Ichabod asked. "I think that I can sence someone there," Jonathan said, as he went in the direction of the place. "I'll be fine, and so will you, espcially when you join with the other two." "Alright dad," Ichabod said. "We'll see you later Mr. Crane," Marzipan said. **** About ten minutes later, Jonathan came upon the Haunted House. Where it had seemed scary beyound all reason last night, in the daylight, it seemed like an old decrepite house. "Hard to believe that I was running from this place a few hours ago," he thought, as he opened the door. Then, he started walking around. If he hadn't of known what had almost happened, he'd of thought that the place was just an ordanary haunted house, meant to scare the living daylights out of young ones. However, he knew better, as his son had been trapped here when he tried to save his friends from the Stonehearts. However, try as he might, he couldn't find the child he senced. "Where and who could it be?" he wondered. "I searched this entire place last night, and got everyone that was in here. The only place that I didn't check would be... No, that wouldn't make sence. Or could it be that the one that I sence be the daughter of the woman that tried to kill my son and his friends?" |
As if in answer, the house began to tremble around him and he heard the high-pitched laughter of a womanl. He ran back outside and stared at the old house. Yes, it might not look haunted, but it was. He would have to make warning signs and place them on all four corners of the property... STAY OUT! THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED! Or he could try to burn the house down... but he knew that would be a mistake. Evil feeds on fire and trying to burn it up would only make it stronger. Then the spirit would haunt the trees and the entire forest would be unsafe. Better to keep it confined to this old house and just warn people away. The spirit would be forever tied to the house and could never leave it. Eventually, years in the future, the house would tumble down and disintegrate and the spirit would be gone. |
| Dawns first light spread throughout the forest, The House began to lose its feeling of terror. Jonathan heard the sound of flapping wings, Iris landed right next to him. "I saw that you didn't distroy the Headless Horseman." She said "Unfortanatly I need his help more than I needed his distruction." Jonathan said sadly As silent as a shadow Mr. Quaxo appeared from behind a tree. "How does it feel?" The Tabby Cat asked "To have magic?" "It feels wonderful." Jonathan sighed "But...I have something to confess...The real reason I walked out on you after that kiss, I have not been completly honest with both of you, I'm afraid I did not tell you the whole story of what happened between Evie and I." The Cat and Bat looked shocked, the fact that Jonathan had witheld information instantly seemed to raise suspitions. "I'm afraid the real reason I did not marry Evie was because..." Jonathan breathed a trembling breath "I caused her death." "You mean to say..." Iris began to say "No I did not murder her." Jonathan said quickly "Though still it was my fault it happened..." He wiped away a tear before continuing, We had fallen deeply in love but I was not ready to give up the life of crime, I wanted to pull of one last heist and see my dream of Gotham completly immersed in fear, Evie tried to stop me from throwing everything away but..." "Go on..." Quaxo said "She followed me to an alley in the seedy side of town some mugger was hiding there waiting for someone to rob, he saw both of us, accidently pulled the trigger, Evie was shot...she died instantly." He rubbed his sleep deprived eyes "That is why I got so angry...Because when I saw Evie standing there I thought only of the love that I had, when I realized it was an illustion I remembered the guilt." |
| "However I know this much," Jonathan said. "There's still a child in that house, and I'm going to find her." "You do realize that her mother tried to kill your son," Quaxo said. "It's hard not to forget that," Jonathan said, clenching the sythe in his hands. "But I'm not going to leave her here." With that, Jonathan went back into the house, to search for the Stoneheart girl. |
Brattina hid in the closet. The man was coming back! This time she would catch him. She shouldn't have laughed before. That was stupid. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Brattina said and slapped her face. Then she said, "Shhhh! He's coming." Brattina chuckled. "I'm not crazy," she muttered and had to clamp her hands over her mouth to keep from giggling. Jonathan pushed open the front door of the Haunted House. "Child? I know you're in there. I'm not going to hurt you. It's time to come out. Come on. Don't you want some nice warm milk and cookies?" Jonathan searched all the downstairs rooms then slowly walked up the stairs. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." He tried to make it sound like a game but his voice quavered a bit. The old house creaked and groaned as the wind blew. That's odd, Jonathan thought. The wind wasn't blowing before I came in here. At the top of the stairs he paused. He could hear some muffled giggling in one of the rooms. He smiled and walked toward the room. How could he have been afraid of a little girl? The room was empty but there was a closet and the giggles came from behind the closet door. Jonathan creapt over and slowly reached for the doorknob. The door burst open and suddenly teeth were gnashing at his face, The girl made grunting noises as she chewed on his nose and clawed at his eyes with her fingernails. Jonathan screamed and fell on his back. The girl was all over him like an animal, biting, chewing, ripping at his flesh. In desperation Jonathan punched at her, feeling sick as he pounded his fist into her face and stomach over and over. Then he was blinded by the blood in his eyes. He grabbed at anything and when he realized he had grabbed her hand he used all his strength to bend her fingers back until he heard her fingerbones snap. That seemed to make her even angrier and he felt his ear ripped off by her sharp teeth. He managed to stand up with her clinging to him and staggered around the room until they hit the window. When he heard the glass tinkle he knew her back was against the window and he shoved her with all his strength. Suddenly he was free of her and he heard a thud on the ground and then her cries of pain. He managed to wipe some of the blood out of his eyes. He could only see out of his right eye. The left eye was too damaged. He looked out the window. The girl lay on the ground twisted at an odd angle so he thought her back must be broken. But she was still alive and when she saw him looking down at her she snarled at him. |
| Jonathan looked at her...He didn't know what the hell was going on! The girl was acting more like an animal than most animals he knew. "She's at the end of her rope." Came a voice from above "Are you who I think you are?" Jonathan asked "Yes." Said the Ghost "I am your Forebear." "I think you know full well what's going on with this poor creature." Jonathan said gesturing toward the broken girl. "She was mad from the start." |
| "I tried to make her forget what had happened, but it wasn't enough," the spirit said. "There are some things that are out of my control. However, if you can manage to get her outside to your friends, there is a chance that they might be able to help her, as well as yourself." "I hope so," Jonathan said. "For her sake." |
Three weeks after the Haunted House episode, Jonathan and Ichabod sat at their table eating lunch. Jonathan was healing well. They had stitched his ear back on and saved it. He would always have poor vision in his left eye, but at least he could see out of it. "Dad? Do you want to go to Brattina's funeral?" Brattina had lived another two weeks but the doctors were unable to save her. "She's lost the will to live," one doctor said. "I don't know," Jonathan said. "People blame me for her death." "No they don't, Dad. She was insane. If it wasn't you then it would have been someone else she attacked." Jonathan put down his sandwich. "No, son. When the Spirit of the Original Ichabod killed her mother Katrina, that's what made her insane. So it was our family that--" "But Dad! Katrina Stoneheart was evil! She hated all chimeras!" Jonathan patted his son's arm. "I'm not saying she wasn't evil. Yes, she deserved to die. I'm just saying that our family is not completely innocent in all this. That's why I'm not going to the funeral." "Do you think I should?" Ichabod said. "That's for you to decide, son." |
| Pamela Isey-Crane...The Former Poison Ivy and Jonathan's Husband and Ichabad's mother came in. "Jonathan." She said "I heard about what you told, Ms Iris on Halloween night, about how you had a relationship with that therepist." |
| "Yah," he said. "I had a relationship with her. It was before my relationship with you. Well, it was when I was spending some time in the Asylum, and you know what that place is like. I met up with her, and things went from there." |
| [Therapist? I'm not aware of this. What's the name? I'll have to hear more before I can add.] |
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