Last Tuesday (2nd of November 2010) EM Barnaby hosted the Fall Festival: Story Night around the campfire with the theme being scary/horror stories. It took place at the campfire that sits to the east side of the EM rewards hall, and had a late night start to add to the spooky feeling of the event.
Unfortunately only two of the people who attended had any prepared material to regale the gathered group with. Both stories proved to be very entertaining and of the highest quality and EM Barnaby promised to commemorate both stories, and the ones who have told them. So we shall do the same and share both Tales as they were told that evening with all of you.
We will start with a suspense filled tale from Aphroditie that had every one on the edge of their seats till the very end.
This tale has been told since I was a child
In the woods near my home
Late at night a scream can be heard at the witching hour
A scream that would chill the heartiest of men to their bones
Children are warned to never go into the woods because a witch lives there
Most children listen to the warning because they hear the screams
But one lad did not obey
His father had made him the man of the house when he left
So the lad wanted to prove he could be that very man
One night just after the sun had set he packed up his father's sword
And a torch. He made his way to the edge of the wood
There he stood listening to the trees creaking and groaning
Grasping his father's sword tightly he walked into the woods
At first he heard nothing
Then slowly there were low moans
The farther and farther he went into the woods the groans grew louder
His grip grew tighter
Soon eyes were staring at him from the darkness
The groans grew into cries
Many different voices telling him to run, get out, flee before it was too late
The boy just kept going in the dark
He feared lighting his torch too soon
Soon he came to a clearing, there the trees would not grow
Nothing would grow
Light would not pierce the canopy of the trees during the daylight
Here he knew he had to make his stand against the witch
Ramming his torch into the ground
Gripping his sound he called out to the witch to face him
He stood the flint in hand waiting to strike it with his sword
Soon he heard crackling of twigs
Yet the forest was silent
He held his breath waiting
A chill ran along his back
He held back
He so wanted to light the torch
Then he felt her
She was right behind him
Clank went his sword
It hit the ground
Then a high pitch blood curdling scream
Birds flew from the trees
Then silence.
Nothing
The next morning the villagers awoke
They went to the center of town to get their water for the day
The first man pulled up the bucket
To only find the head and heart of the boy
A note nailed to his forehead
It read
"Do not come into my forest for I will find you."
The end
This fable/story/life lesson was recited by Zombi Rothgar and was made even more interesting seeing that he was a member of the undead.
*Cracks open his book*
Many agess ago, yess, in a time long passt; living a creature called Human, there was then.
Unique wass Human, for untouched by death wass sshe alone of all animalss.
Carved from the sstrong boness of the earth, wass sshe, not clay like lessser creaturess.
Knew nothing, did Human, of worry or longing, and of needs or fears sshe had none.
Worm ressented Human, like it did all greater creaturess. Lowly, weak, wass Worm; fated to die.
Coveted, Worm did, the immortal pressence that Human did repressent.
And sso did it sscheme to bring Human low and ussurp her power.
One day Worm did ssee Human sstanding at the edge of sstream, looking at the ssky.
Crawled up to Human, did Worm, and assked her, "Human, know you who I am?"
"No," ssaid Human, and sshe continued to look out over the land.
"Are you not curiouss? Do you not wonder, sseeing the differencess between uss?"
"How are we different?" Human did assk, turning to Worm, "Both living creaturess, are we."
"To the water, turn your gaze. Ssee your reflection. Alike at all, we are not!" Worm did reply.
And Human sstepped into the water, and at her reflection looked,
and beheld how very different wass hersself from Worm'ss ssmall pink body.
"Are you not cold, sstanding in thiss flowing water?" Worm assked.
Pondered that for a time, Human did, and eventually assked, "What meanss it to be 'cold'?"
"Upon your feet, let me resst, and you sshall know what I mean." did Worm ansswer.
Worm coiled itsself about Human's feet, and from the water did Human sstep quickly.
"Like cold, I do not," ssaid Human.
"There iss alsso warmth. Let the ssun fall upon me and, too, sshall you know that."
And Human did lay down and let the ssun warm her feet.
"Much better do I like thiss," ssaid Human.
"Sseen you rest before, I never have," Worm ssaid. "Yet alwayss you are on the move,
looking at the beautiful world around you. Weary, do you not grow?"
Puzzled again, wass Human, and sshe assked without much delay, "What meanss it to be 'weary'?"
Up to Human'ss thigh, Worm moved, and ssaid, "Sshow to you what it doess mean, let me."
And Human felt weak and wobbly, and the energy to sstand sshe did not have.
"What awfulnesss thiss feeling iss!" ssaid Human. "Even warmth doess not drive it away."
"Now sshall you need to ssleep. Feeling much better in the morning, you will be."
The next day, waiting wass Worm to greet Human when sshe awoke.
"Sso that iss ssleep," ssaid Human, "Much better do I feel now,
but ssee the beautiful sstarss lasst night, I could not."
"Be not troubled," replied Worm, "For when next you ssleep,
to dream sshall I teach thee, and nice sstoriess will you have at night to keep you happy."
"Pleassant, that ssoundss," ssaid Human, "But even sso, like to ssee the sstarss again, I would."
Worm sslithered further up its hosst, and assked, "Human, do you not hunger?
Ssurely you musst want, after a long night'ss ssleep, to break your fasst."
Human ssat up. For a while sshe looked down at Worm. "What iss hunger?" Human assked at last.
"Let me lay upon your ribss, and I sshall let you feel it."
And sso Human knew hunger, and from the river did sshe guzzle water,
and gorged on the grassess of the earth sso sshe would not sstarve.
While Human ate, Worm assked, "Bear thosse plantss' tasste, how can you? Bitter, are they not?"
"What iss taste?" did Human assk, chewed grasss falling from her teeth.
"Upon your jaw, let me ssit, and I sshall let you know."
And sso Human could tasste, and knew that the rough grass wass unfit to eat.
Sshe sspat the mussh out, and did look around for ssomething better.
"Look there!" ssaid Worm, "that animal hass meat on itss boness. Like itss tasste, you will."
Human tore meat from the animal, and devoured it, and liked the tasste of blood on her tongue.
"I know that hungered, you did, Human.. But ssadnesss do you not feel
for caussing the death of that poor beasst?"
Human licked her lipss and pulled food from her teeth, and then assked Worm, "What iss death?"
Worm did ansswer, "Let me resst insside your sskull, and I sshall sshare my knowledge with you."
And sso Human knew then what it meant to live, and what it meant to die,
and wass driven to her kneess by horror. Sshe cried out to Worm,
"I want to know thesse things no more! Pleasse, go away, and take your knowledge with you!"
Ssimply did Worm reply, "No."
Tugged at Worm, Human did, trying to pull it out from her body,
but Worm wass coiled all around her now, and it did not budge;
and Human learned what pain wass,
and sshe could not bear the agony that came from trying to tear Worm away.
In desspair, Human had for Worm a lasst query, "Who are you, that you sshould torment me sso?"
And Worm ansswered, "I am called Flessh."
"I am all that iss weak in life:
I am hunger, thirsst, lusst, and exhausstion;
I am pain, fear, ssorrow, and ssickness."
"Alone, I wass nothing... But now I have the sstrength of your body to carry me."
"I have taken your innocence and given you mortality."
"For the resst of your dayss will I be with you,
and your children sshall bear me upon their boness until the end of time."
*Closes the book*
This reporter hopes to see more of you with prepared tails at the next storytelling event held by EM Barnaby. Till then keep telling and listen to tales at the campfire or tavern, for there may be a lesson to be learned from them.
More...
Unfortunately only two of the people who attended had any prepared material to regale the gathered group with. Both stories proved to be very entertaining and of the highest quality and EM Barnaby promised to commemorate both stories, and the ones who have told them. So we shall do the same and share both Tales as they were told that evening with all of you.
We will start with a suspense filled tale from Aphroditie that had every one on the edge of their seats till the very end.
This tale has been told since I was a child
In the woods near my home
Late at night a scream can be heard at the witching hour
A scream that would chill the heartiest of men to their bones
Children are warned to never go into the woods because a witch lives there
Most children listen to the warning because they hear the screams
But one lad did not obey
His father had made him the man of the house when he left
So the lad wanted to prove he could be that very man
One night just after the sun had set he packed up his father's sword
And a torch. He made his way to the edge of the wood
There he stood listening to the trees creaking and groaning
Grasping his father's sword tightly he walked into the woods
At first he heard nothing
Then slowly there were low moans
The farther and farther he went into the woods the groans grew louder
His grip grew tighter
Soon eyes were staring at him from the darkness
The groans grew into cries
Many different voices telling him to run, get out, flee before it was too late
The boy just kept going in the dark
He feared lighting his torch too soon
Soon he came to a clearing, there the trees would not grow
Nothing would grow
Light would not pierce the canopy of the trees during the daylight
Here he knew he had to make his stand against the witch
Ramming his torch into the ground
Gripping his sound he called out to the witch to face him
He stood the flint in hand waiting to strike it with his sword
Soon he heard crackling of twigs
Yet the forest was silent
He held his breath waiting
A chill ran along his back
He held back
He so wanted to light the torch
Then he felt her
She was right behind him
Clank went his sword
It hit the ground
Then a high pitch blood curdling scream
Birds flew from the trees
Then silence.
Nothing
The next morning the villagers awoke
They went to the center of town to get their water for the day
The first man pulled up the bucket
To only find the head and heart of the boy
A note nailed to his forehead
It read
"Do not come into my forest for I will find you."
The end
This fable/story/life lesson was recited by Zombi Rothgar and was made even more interesting seeing that he was a member of the undead.
*Cracks open his book*
Many agess ago, yess, in a time long passt; living a creature called Human, there was then.
Unique wass Human, for untouched by death wass sshe alone of all animalss.
Carved from the sstrong boness of the earth, wass sshe, not clay like lessser creaturess.
Knew nothing, did Human, of worry or longing, and of needs or fears sshe had none.
Worm ressented Human, like it did all greater creaturess. Lowly, weak, wass Worm; fated to die.
Coveted, Worm did, the immortal pressence that Human did repressent.
And sso did it sscheme to bring Human low and ussurp her power.
One day Worm did ssee Human sstanding at the edge of sstream, looking at the ssky.
Crawled up to Human, did Worm, and assked her, "Human, know you who I am?"
"No," ssaid Human, and sshe continued to look out over the land.
"Are you not curiouss? Do you not wonder, sseeing the differencess between uss?"
"How are we different?" Human did assk, turning to Worm, "Both living creaturess, are we."
"To the water, turn your gaze. Ssee your reflection. Alike at all, we are not!" Worm did reply.
And Human sstepped into the water, and at her reflection looked,
and beheld how very different wass hersself from Worm'ss ssmall pink body.
"Are you not cold, sstanding in thiss flowing water?" Worm assked.
Pondered that for a time, Human did, and eventually assked, "What meanss it to be 'cold'?"
"Upon your feet, let me resst, and you sshall know what I mean." did Worm ansswer.
Worm coiled itsself about Human's feet, and from the water did Human sstep quickly.
"Like cold, I do not," ssaid Human.
"There iss alsso warmth. Let the ssun fall upon me and, too, sshall you know that."
And Human did lay down and let the ssun warm her feet.
"Much better do I like thiss," ssaid Human.
"Sseen you rest before, I never have," Worm ssaid. "Yet alwayss you are on the move,
looking at the beautiful world around you. Weary, do you not grow?"
Puzzled again, wass Human, and sshe assked without much delay, "What meanss it to be 'weary'?"
Up to Human'ss thigh, Worm moved, and ssaid, "Sshow to you what it doess mean, let me."
And Human felt weak and wobbly, and the energy to sstand sshe did not have.
"What awfulnesss thiss feeling iss!" ssaid Human. "Even warmth doess not drive it away."
"Now sshall you need to ssleep. Feeling much better in the morning, you will be."
The next day, waiting wass Worm to greet Human when sshe awoke.
"Sso that iss ssleep," ssaid Human, "Much better do I feel now,
but ssee the beautiful sstarss lasst night, I could not."
"Be not troubled," replied Worm, "For when next you ssleep,
to dream sshall I teach thee, and nice sstoriess will you have at night to keep you happy."
"Pleassant, that ssoundss," ssaid Human, "But even sso, like to ssee the sstarss again, I would."
Worm sslithered further up its hosst, and assked, "Human, do you not hunger?
Ssurely you musst want, after a long night'ss ssleep, to break your fasst."
Human ssat up. For a while sshe looked down at Worm. "What iss hunger?" Human assked at last.
"Let me lay upon your ribss, and I sshall let you feel it."
And sso Human knew hunger, and from the river did sshe guzzle water,
and gorged on the grassess of the earth sso sshe would not sstarve.
While Human ate, Worm assked, "Bear thosse plantss' tasste, how can you? Bitter, are they not?"
"What iss taste?" did Human assk, chewed grasss falling from her teeth.
"Upon your jaw, let me ssit, and I sshall let you know."
And sso Human could tasste, and knew that the rough grass wass unfit to eat.
Sshe sspat the mussh out, and did look around for ssomething better.
"Look there!" ssaid Worm, "that animal hass meat on itss boness. Like itss tasste, you will."
Human tore meat from the animal, and devoured it, and liked the tasste of blood on her tongue.
"I know that hungered, you did, Human.. But ssadnesss do you not feel
for caussing the death of that poor beasst?"
Human licked her lipss and pulled food from her teeth, and then assked Worm, "What iss death?"
Worm did ansswer, "Let me resst insside your sskull, and I sshall sshare my knowledge with you."
And sso Human knew then what it meant to live, and what it meant to die,
and wass driven to her kneess by horror. Sshe cried out to Worm,
"I want to know thesse things no more! Pleasse, go away, and take your knowledge with you!"
Ssimply did Worm reply, "No."
Tugged at Worm, Human did, trying to pull it out from her body,
but Worm wass coiled all around her now, and it did not budge;
and Human learned what pain wass,
and sshe could not bear the agony that came from trying to tear Worm away.
In desspair, Human had for Worm a lasst query, "Who are you, that you sshould torment me sso?"
And Worm ansswered, "I am called Flessh."
"I am all that iss weak in life:
I am hunger, thirsst, lusst, and exhausstion;
I am pain, fear, ssorrow, and ssickness."
"Alone, I wass nothing... But now I have the sstrength of your body to carry me."
"I have taken your innocence and given you mortality."
"For the resst of your dayss will I be with you,
and your children sshall bear me upon their boness until the end of time."
*Closes the book*
This reporter hopes to see more of you with prepared tails at the next storytelling event held by EM Barnaby. Till then keep telling and listen to tales at the campfire or tavern, for there may be a lesson to be learned from them.
More...