"Is this a joke?"
I glanced up at the irate person who was addressing me, "I think 'this' is a pronoun, not a joke?"
The person blinked, still visibly irate.
"Not the word - this!"
A box was placed in front of me, "That's a box."
With a grumble the person pulled out a large toy bear, "This arrived and the note reads - To the most wonderful human, love your Good Boy."
"Cute!"
"It's NOT cute. My dog used MY credit card for this!"
"This week has been far too long," groaned the shop-keep.
"Oh, is it a leap-week?" asked his strange new assistant, blue hued and bright eyed.
"Err... I suppose that's something that happens where you're from?"
The assistant nodded in their cryptic way, "So what has extended this week for you, sir?"
"Too much is happening. Out there."
"At least too much isn't happening in here?"
The shop-keep chuckled softly, "I suppose that's true."
The two goblins gazed up at the night sky, the moon swollen to her fullest; the stars twinkled their admiration.
"I think we can hear for miles from up here," one whispered, noting the echoes of hefty boots.
"And the view is amazing. And I'm seeing it with my best friend."
"Aw!"
The moment was interrupted by several short screams.
"Ooh, the adventurers must've not seen the pit-trap!"
"I hope they have a wizard; wizards are SO tender!"
On the horizon the sunrise sizzled.
Dust billowed like a cloud of vaporous joy.
The rumble of wheels powered by a great engine roared closer and closer.
A duck quacked.
The people didn't even bother to whisper - their excitement had been building all year.
At this point, there was no question.
Music rattled enthusiastically through freshly dusted speakers.
Entertainment, music, dance to raisie money for the children.
Bus is coming.
A basket full of kittens had arrived at the library. The note read, "Treat them well or suffer."
The librarian scoffed, picking up the basket. The kittens mewed; one licked his finger.
"No begging, I'm taking you right where you belong. A library is no place for filthy animals."
"You're home early," his husband exclaimed.
"They need a bath and a lot of training if they're going to be around books."
"Undoubtedly! Leave the task to me."
"Greetings," I said to the rather tall trick-or-treater, "What an amazing costume!"
"Brrr..." they murmured.
"Yes, it IS cold out. What would you like?"
I held out the bowl. Kids loved to pick their own.
"Brrainss!"
"Great choice, oops you seem to be having trouble grabbing it. Here you go... one gummi brain! I have plenty, tell your friends, muahaha!"
A lot more tall kids in zombie costumes showed up that night; glad I stocked up!
As the candles blew out, something thumped in the center of the circle.
One teen grabbed their phone, shedding light on a body.
The group screamed and scrambled for the exit, leaving the daydreamer, who hadn't been paying attention to the ritual, behind.
Wings uncurled, and the demon stood, glowering.
"Hi! Want some candy? It's licorice bats and marshmallow skulls," she offered cheerily.
The demon shrugged, accepting the offering.
For no other reason than boneheaded exuberance did it seem like a good idea to play catch with my great grandmother's fiercely protected geode - it had a good heft and shape.
We didn't consider how painful the glittering angles would hurt on landing with the assistance of velocity.
So one toss in, it and the floor ended up cracked.
It released my great grandpa's spirit - it didn't take long to figure out why he'd been found poisoned.
"Bats aren't vampires," insisted the strange new girl in the old-fashioned dress, "They're fairies wearing fur and leather, that's all. My big sister told me so."
The other kids mostly shrugged this off, before changing the topic to zombies and werewolves, with the new girl adding more interesting true facts with conviction.
"This is the first decade children were nice to me," the ghost-witch said as she faded, "So no curses for you."
Soundless Knoll Town was abandoned and assumed haunted by those who found reason to pass by it.
Inevitably it drew the interest of Urban Explorers. Though strange interference made filming difficult, news of the strangeness spread.
Food-trucks set up to feed the excitable influencers who streamed in.
They didn't expect half their clients to be manifestations who didn't much care for tourists and craved tacos at the end of a long day.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~