It was a night like any other, late in the winter. The snow sparkled pleasantly against the pitch black sky, and there were no clouds, for once. The full moon shone down, adding even more beauty to the snow. White was everywhere, as I took my usual walk through the woods that lay around my humble cabin that I presided in.
A noise, like a wolf howl, came to my attention, but that it could not be, for there were no wolves where I lived. It must have just been the wind. I shrugged my shoulders and continued my walk, my pace a bit faster than it was before. The sound came again. "AWWWWOOOOOOO!"
The noise had me going quite a bit faster, but this time, it was towards the noise. I pulled out my knife, ready to put the poor beast out of its misery, for it could only be in pain to warrant such noise! I paced only ten feet when I saw it.
The strange being was definitely a wolf, but it was the size of a bear, with deep black eyes that shone with untold knowledge. Next to it was but a child, who seemed to be taking comfort in the beast. Her hair was a gleaming white, and eyes were ice blue. The child wore nothing but a blue sweatshirt over jeans, and her feet were bare.
The beast made the noise again, and the witch girl, for no one had that color of hair, not unless through magic, seemed rather perplexed and stressed by it. I heard her speak in the strange dialect that the beast used, but I could not fathom what was said.
I crept closer and called out, wondering what they were doing, for witch or not, it was still but a child, twelve at the most. "Are you okay, child?"
The girl's head went up, much like a startled dog's would, and she nodded. "Kind ma'am, what are you doing in the woods at night?" I looked at her-
"Hally, could you knock off the old speak? Jeez, we're not in the 18th century anymore!"
"Fine," Hally snapped, continuing the story as though she had not been interrupted.
I looked at her, and thought, 'She is barefoot in the middle of nowhere, with snow on the ground, and she's asking me what I'm doing here?' "I always walk out at night. It helps me think." She looked like she was surprised by my answer, but she just nodded, probably because it was true.
"Well, my name is Snow, Snow Angel, what's yours?" She seemed to be warming up to me, but her beast was keeping either of us from coming closer to each other.
"My name is Hally, Hally Ween. Why are you out here, aren't you cold?" Snow gave an amused chuckle, before shaking her head.
"I am a spirit. You are the first to see me in a while. I am alone, but for my faithful companion here. Her name is Frostmare."
The beast reared it's head and made that erie noise that had drew me to this place. The girl gave another chuckle. I found myself willing to give up my secret that I had kept with me for centuries. "Snow, may I tell you my story?" Her eyes looked at me, and they sparkled with delight, as though I had just asked her if she wanted to fly."
"Long ago, too many years to count, I was born. On the night of my fourth birthday, my father was killed by the demons that haunted our town. It was October, late in the month, when the demons came again, years later. It was actually just shy of sixteen years. They would come and swoop up the children that did not get inside fast enough. We had lost every child, well all but me. I was a teenager when they took me, but not for long. I was due to turn twenty on the 31, the last day of the month. No one thought that the demons would take me. So it came as a complete surprise when, a week from my birthday, I stayed out just a little after dark. I was swooped up by a winged fiend, whose teeth alone could give you nightmares, so badly kept, black and rotting as they were.
I fought to get away and tried to scream for help, but the demon clamped his hand over my mouth and silenced me. He knocked me on the head, and blackness overcame my senses. When I awoke, I was flying over high mountains, their jagged peaks close enough to touch. I should have been cold, as high as we were, but the demon had warmth that shone like the sun in spring coming from it, so I was actually very comfortable, if I ignored the fact that I was thousands of feet up in the air, probably on the way to my death. Hours went by, scenery changing from mountains to forest, to finally a horrific black volcano. Smoke spilled from the opening in its opening, causing me to cough as we dove into it.
I was taken to to a set of cages, and before my eyes, I saw all of the missing children, none of them moving. They weren't hurt, as much as I could see, but they looked as though their souls had been taken from them, or at least they had been broken. They shrunk back from the door to the cages, eyes widening in fear from the demon that held me. I fought with renewed strength to break free, to save the children. The oldest couldn't have been older than you." I paused and looked at the girl, whose eyes were wide. "'The spirit that keeps you fighting will be gone soon,' the vile monster said, voice grating on my ears like nails on a chalkboard. I was flung into the cages, and left there, to do what I could only assume was wallop in my own misery.
But I did not, instead I questioned the children of what had happened here. They told me that the demons had taken each of them to their king, a horrendous demon that had blood red eyes. The Demon King was looking for an heir, to take over the kingdom after him. He wanted someone to control the demons, and one not easily swayed by other. As I processed this information, a demon came to the cages.
"New girl, you're wanted by the king. Come." The demon seemed almost sorry for me as I was pulled from the cage. I was lead by an escort of demons to the throne room. The room was lit up with carved pumpkins, candles flickering inside, almost beating like hearts. My eyes rested upon the king, who was not as the children described. His eyes, yes, were red, but he reminded me of my father. His hair was ebony and cut short, styled away from his angelic face. His skin was tanned, and crow's wings were set apon his back, making him look like a fallen angel.
My parents left a book out that described a being like this. "Satan, why do you keep innocent children here? They have done nothing wrong for them to have to see such frightening sights." He looked surprised by my outburst, but he smiled, none the less.
"Dear child, can you tell me your name? Someone who is brave enough to speak against the Demon King is worthy enough to be my heir. Not like those other pathetic children who only cowered in fear, whimpering like dogs who have failed to please their master. So that is how I keep them, the poor things, too afraid to move. There fear is what feeds us, the demons of the night, and no one who goes into the demons lair and come back."
"Then I, Hally Ween, refuse your offer to be your heir, because I would be ashamed to know someone who can be so cruel to children."
A sly grin parted his face, and his voice was smooth as glass as he said, "You care for the children, then? Then I will make a deal with you. Be my heir, and no harm shall come to them. They shall be treated like royals, but not freed. They can never leave, for they have eaten demon food, so they slowly change to demons themselves. Or you can refuse, go back to the cages, and left to either starve or eat the demon food yourself. If you die, I bring you back to life, and you will be my heir anyways, you eat the food, then you become a demon and become my heir anyways. No matter what you do, you will be my heir."
I thought about his offer, then about the children. I would stay with the children, get them through the change from child to demon. Make them laugh, to fear less. "I choose to go back to the children, who don't deserve to be alone while they are forced to change into something they fear."
The king nodded and led me himself to the cages, looking at me sadly, "Dear child, I wish you had not chosen this way. You could have had a painless change, but now, no path you take will be painless." I simply ignored him and went to comfort a crying child, who had leathery wings growing rapidly from her back. On to another boy with horns coming from his head, and another, turning into a leathery harpie.
Days I stayed with them , eating only a small biscuit. The pain for me only was bearable as the children saw me going through the same changes as them. Wings as angelic as the king's sprouted from my back. They were as black as night, ebony reminders of what I was to come. Soon, demons came and took the children, no turned demons, away from the cages. I was left without the comfort that I had given the children. I gave the children comfort from the pain, but I was alone, left to myself. My skin tanned and my hair changed from light blond to a deep, endless black, and though I had no mirror to see my reflection, I knew my eyes had changed as well.
Days of agony I went through to become this, then days more until someone came to me. The king himself. He looked very pleased with my transformation as he led me to the throne room, complimenting me as a father would a talented daughter. He presented me to his court and they clapped as they looked upon the king's heir.
"Meet my daughter, Hally Ween, the heir to the throne. As I retire tonight, she gains immortal life, because for the first time in time, I am giving this brave girl an immortal soul, for she stood against the Demon King, and did not back down." He placed a crown of precious gems upon my head. I turned around to face him, but the Demon King was gone, not in presence, but in character. The King was no more, replaced with a proud, surrogate father that he had reminded me of as I first looked upon him. He blew a breath of air upon my brow, and I was given immortal life. The date was my Birthday. My birthday, my death day, whatever you wish to call it. Most just call it Halloween."
I turned back to the small girl that I had met in the woods, my story completed. "You're the spirit of Halloween?"
"HEY! I did not say that, I said, So, you're what, the Spirit of Halloween?"
"Snow, be quite. I'm telling them from my point of view! So, anyways, that is the story of how I met Snow Angel, and my origins story. Thanks for listening." Hally bowed dramatically to the crowd, and her audience clapped. Jack, Blaze, and Snow clapping the hardest, with Bunny, Merida, Rapunzel and North tying for second. Everyone else was a little too dumbstruck at the story they had just heard to do anything.
"Happy HallyWeen! Oops, I mean Halloween!"
A/N: Yup, I've done it I created a Halloween story for you all. This was actually a lot of fun, and was also an assignment for class. I included my other characters in the end as well, just to keep the story going, really. Ah, no that's not true. I couldn't figure out how to end this, so I finished it with the lame ending that you see above you. please tell me what you think! Happy Hally Ween Day!