Barnum Posted January 20, 2008 Author Posted January 20, 2008 Some time later . . . Darla looked at herself in the mirror, admiring her handiwork. It had taken her nearly two hours and a lot of creative bending to get it done, but Darla had managed to cover almost her entire body (almost) with the runes for warding off nightmares. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew there was a formula for ritual paint and a mixture for creating temporary skin "stains," but there was no time for that. Darla needed something precise and durable, so she used what she had on hand . . . a black Sharpie. After checking herself to make sure every line was correct, Darla pulled her pajamas back on and crept over to the closet door. She rubbed her sternum gingerly. It still hurt, and she had a nasty ring of blue and black bruises running all across her chest from the tentacle. It's now or never. Darla reactivated her protective spell, spoke the proper word for traversing the dimensions, jerked open the closet, and plunged head-first into the line of clothes.
Lilac Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Darla fell and fell into the darkness. The void around her was so black, she couldn't tell if her magic was failing or if there was simply nothing in the void to see. She drifted in the nothingness for what seemed like an eternity until... THUD She landed on the hard stony surface of the broad plateau where she first faced Nightmare. As her vision slowly adjusted to the darkness and her magical sight dialed in on the surroundings, she spotted it. Near the far edge of the plateau, the shapeless, writhing form of the nightmare was waiting. As soon as Darla touched the stone plateau, the creature stirred, and a wave of hatred surged across the distance and hit the little girl like a ton of bricks. The Nightmare was aware of her presence, and its wasn't happy.
Lilac Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Darla fell and fell into the darkness. The void around her was so black, she couldn't tell if her magic was failing or if there was simply nothing in the void to see. She drifted in the nothingness for what seemed like an eternity until... THUD She landed on the hard stony surface of the broad plateau where she first faced Nightmare. As her vision slowly adjusted to the darkness and her magical sight dialed in on the surroundings, she spotted it. Near the far edge of the plateau, the shapeless, writhing form of the nightmare was waiting. As soon as Darla touched the stone plateau, the creature stirred, and a wave of hatred surged across the distance and hit the little girl like a ton of bricks. The Nightmare was aware of her presence, and its wasn't happy.
Lilac Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Darla fell and fell into the darkness. The void around her was so black, she couldn't tell if her magic was failing or if there was simply nothing in the void to see. She drifted in the nothingness for what seemed like an eternity until... THUD She landed on the hard stony surface of the broad plateau where she first faced Nightmare. As her vision slowly adjusted to the darkness and her magical sight dialed in on the surroundings, she spotted it. Near the far edge of the plateau, the shapeless, writhing form of the nightmare was waiting. As soon as Darla touched the stone plateau, the creature stirred, and a wave of hatred surged across the distance and hit the little girl like a ton of bricks. The Nightmare was aware of her presence, and its wasn't happy.
Barnum Posted January 21, 2008 Author Posted January 21, 2008 Darla's heart raced at the sight of the monster. The memory of the heart-stopping fear was almost as bad as experiencing it the first time. But this time Darla was ready to face her nightmare. At least she hoped she was. Standing up straight, the girl traced the lines in the air, forming the symbols for fire. She didn't need to speak any words. She was more prepared this time. As soon as she finished the last symbol, her hands and arms burst in to flames. Wooooosh! Darla took off toward the nightmare, carried aloft by mystical energies. She flew straight at the creature and when she was withing arms length of its hideous body she punched it with all her might. The magical flames around her fists exploded in a fiery display.
Barnum Posted January 21, 2008 Author Posted January 21, 2008 Darla's heart raced at the sight of the monster. The memory of the heart-stopping fear was almost as bad as experiencing it the first time. But this time Darla was ready to face her nightmare. At least she hoped she was. Standing up straight, the girl traced the lines in the air, forming the symbols for fire. She didn't need to speak any words. She was more prepared this time. As soon as she finished the last symbol, her hands and arms burst in to flames. Wooooosh! Darla took off toward the nightmare, carried aloft by mystical energies. She flew straight at the creature and when she was withing arms length of its hideous body she punched it with all her might. The magical flames around her fists exploded in a fiery display.
Barnum Posted January 21, 2008 Author Posted January 21, 2008 Darla's heart raced at the sight of the monster. The memory of the heart-stopping fear was almost as bad as experiencing it the first time. But this time Darla was ready to face her nightmare. At least she hoped she was. Standing up straight, the girl traced the lines in the air, forming the symbols for fire. She didn't need to speak any words. She was more prepared this time. As soon as she finished the last symbol, her hands and arms burst in to flames. Wooooosh! Darla took off toward the nightmare, carried aloft by mystical energies. She flew straight at the creature and when she was withing arms length of its hideous body she punched it with all her might. The magical flames around her fists exploded in a fiery display.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The creature roared when the fire hit its skin. Its putrid flesh boiled and blistered under the heat, and the the whole body shuddered violently. Before Darla could strike again, she was engulfed in tentacles. The nightmare slammed her hard against the stone plateau and then hurled her away as hard as it could. The little girl hit the ground and slid right over the edge into the dark abyss.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The creature roared when the fire hit its skin. Its putrid flesh boiled and blistered under the heat, and the the whole body shuddered violently. Before Darla could strike again, she was engulfed in tentacles. The nightmare slammed her hard against the stone plateau and then hurled her away as hard as it could. The little girl hit the ground and slid right over the edge into the dark abyss.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The creature roared when the fire hit its skin. Its putrid flesh boiled and blistered under the heat, and the the whole body shuddered violently. Before Darla could strike again, she was engulfed in tentacles. The nightmare slammed her hard against the stone plateau and then hurled her away as hard as it could. The little girl hit the ground and slid right over the edge into the dark abyss.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 Darla tried to scream but she lost all of her wind when the tentacle slammed her against the ground. The whole world spun in her head for a moment and then she was falling again. The feeling was exhilarating . . . especially since she could fly. WOOSH! Darla, no . . . Entropy came flying up over the edge of the rocky plateau, trailing fire behind her. She flew right through the mass of tentacles and hit the nightmare like a flaming comet.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 Darla tried to scream but she lost all of her wind when the tentacle slammed her against the ground. The whole world spun in her head for a moment and then she was falling again. The feeling was exhilarating . . . especially since she could fly. WOOSH! Darla, no . . . Entropy came flying up over the edge of the rocky plateau, trailing fire behind her. She flew right through the mass of tentacles and hit the nightmare like a flaming comet.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 Darla tried to scream but she lost all of her wind when the tentacle slammed her against the ground. The whole world spun in her head for a moment and then she was falling again. The feeling was exhilarating . . . especially since she could fly. WOOSH! Darla, no . . . Entropy came flying up over the edge of the rocky plateau, trailing fire behind her. She flew right through the mass of tentacles and hit the nightmare like a flaming comet.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The nightmare crumpled under the heat and the force of the attack. A sizable chunk of its body was burned away on impact and many of its tentacles were severed. With an inhuman wail, the creature lurched backwards, trying to escape the flames, but it couldn't escape the fire-bearing child of magic. More of its flesh and limbs were burned away. The creature screamed from every mouth on its body and lurched backwards again, falling over the edge of the precipice into the darkness. Several of its severed tentacles remained behind, smoldering and twitching. The whole plateau was filled with a horrible stench, something like the smell of boiling vomit, but the nightmare was gone. Maybe gone forever.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The nightmare crumpled under the heat and the force of the attack. A sizable chunk of its body was burned away on impact and many of its tentacles were severed. With an inhuman wail, the creature lurched backwards, trying to escape the flames, but it couldn't escape the fire-bearing child of magic. More of its flesh and limbs were burned away. The creature screamed from every mouth on its body and lurched backwards again, falling over the edge of the precipice into the darkness. Several of its severed tentacles remained behind, smoldering and twitching. The whole plateau was filled with a horrible stench, something like the smell of boiling vomit, but the nightmare was gone. Maybe gone forever.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 The nightmare crumpled under the heat and the force of the attack. A sizable chunk of its body was burned away on impact and many of its tentacles were severed. With an inhuman wail, the creature lurched backwards, trying to escape the flames, but it couldn't escape the fire-bearing child of magic. More of its flesh and limbs were burned away. The creature screamed from every mouth on its body and lurched backwards again, falling over the edge of the precipice into the darkness. Several of its severed tentacles remained behind, smoldering and twitching. The whole plateau was filled with a horrible stench, something like the smell of boiling vomit, but the nightmare was gone. Maybe gone forever.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 The stench was horrible. Darla held her nose and backed away from the burning mess. The flames were all gone from her body now, and her arms and legs felt like they were mead of lead. She could hardly walk. "Almost home," she told herself, and with the last bit of willpower she could muster, Darla flew up into the dark sky of the nightmare world, found her closet door suspended in space, and flew through. She landed a bit more gracefully this time, but still on her bottom. Wearily she fumbled around on the floor for her sharpie. When she found the marker, she pulled off the lid with her teeth and began inscribing the delicate warding runes on the floor just inside her closet. She had no intention of every seeing that tentacle monster again. Once the last line was drawn, she shut the door and checked to be sure that the runes were not visible from outside. They weren't. "Good!" she said louder than she intended to, and with that, Darla began stripping off her pajamas. They smelled like smoke and the stinky nightmare. "Ugh!"
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 The stench was horrible. Darla held her nose and backed away from the burning mess. The flames were all gone from her body now, and her arms and legs felt like they were mead of lead. She could hardly walk. "Almost home," she told herself, and with the last bit of willpower she could muster, Darla flew up into the dark sky of the nightmare world, found her closet door suspended in space, and flew through. She landed a bit more gracefully this time, but still on her bottom. Wearily she fumbled around on the floor for her sharpie. When she found the marker, she pulled off the lid with her teeth and began inscribing the delicate warding runes on the floor just inside her closet. She had no intention of every seeing that tentacle monster again. Once the last line was drawn, she shut the door and checked to be sure that the runes were not visible from outside. They weren't. "Good!" she said louder than she intended to, and with that, Darla began stripping off her pajamas. They smelled like smoke and the stinky nightmare. "Ugh!"
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 The stench was horrible. Darla held her nose and backed away from the burning mess. The flames were all gone from her body now, and her arms and legs felt like they were mead of lead. She could hardly walk. "Almost home," she told herself, and with the last bit of willpower she could muster, Darla flew up into the dark sky of the nightmare world, found her closet door suspended in space, and flew through. She landed a bit more gracefully this time, but still on her bottom. Wearily she fumbled around on the floor for her sharpie. When she found the marker, she pulled off the lid with her teeth and began inscribing the delicate warding runes on the floor just inside her closet. She had no intention of every seeing that tentacle monster again. Once the last line was drawn, she shut the door and checked to be sure that the runes were not visible from outside. They weren't. "Good!" she said louder than she intended to, and with that, Darla began stripping off her pajamas. They smelled like smoke and the stinky nightmare. "Ugh!"
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 While Darla was undressing, she heard a thump from the other side of the wall. She didn't even have time to panic before the door to her bedroom burst open and her father staggered in. He looked like hell and smelled like stale booze. He stared for a moment at his daughter. "What the @#$% are you doin', girl?" He took an unsteady step toward Darla. "What is that?" He grabbed her by the arm and began rubbing at the runes on her shoulder. He didn't know what they were or why she was covered in them, and Darla's father had very little tolerance for the strange and mysterious. "What's that @#$%ing smell?" he demanded, giving her a hard jerk.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 While Darla was undressing, she heard a thump from the other side of the wall. She didn't even have time to panic before the door to her bedroom burst open and her father staggered in. He looked like hell and smelled like stale booze. He stared for a moment at his daughter. "What the @#$% are you doin', girl?" He took an unsteady step toward Darla. "What is that?" He grabbed her by the arm and began rubbing at the runes on her shoulder. He didn't know what they were or why she was covered in them, and Darla's father had very little tolerance for the strange and mysterious. "What's that @#$%ing smell?" he demanded, giving her a hard jerk.
Lilac Posted January 22, 2008 Posted January 22, 2008 While Darla was undressing, she heard a thump from the other side of the wall. She didn't even have time to panic before the door to her bedroom burst open and her father staggered in. He looked like hell and smelled like stale booze. He stared for a moment at his daughter. "What the @#$% are you doin', girl?" He took an unsteady step toward Darla. "What is that?" He grabbed her by the arm and began rubbing at the runes on her shoulder. He didn't know what they were or why she was covered in them, and Darla's father had very little tolerance for the strange and mysterious. "What's that @#$%ing smell?" he demanded, giving her a hard jerk.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 To say that Darla was mortified would have been an understatement. She jerked away from her father's grip and folded her arms across her chest, trying to cover herself, which had the lucky benefit of hiding her bruises. "What the @#$% are you doin', girl?" "I'm just changing clothes," she said, looking down at the floor. She wanted to scream, "GET OUT" but she didn't dare. "What is that?" "I...I d...don't know," she stammered. "I...I just felt like it" Darla pulled away from his grip completely and turned her back to him, mostly out of shame. Even more ashamed at being caught undressed, she was ashamed at what a freak she was. Darla had never even given the "marker runes" a second thought until she got a glimpse of herself through her father's shocked and horrified eyes. No normal kid would do that to herself. No normal kid would do that to herself and not care. She was a complete freak just like her brother. Darla's father reached out and grabbed her again, jerking her around hard. "What's that @#$%ing smell?" Darla looked down at her foul-smelling pajamas in a pile on the floor. "I wet the bed," she said, her voice filled with unfeigned defeat. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up. Go back to bed, daddy." Her last statement was a hopeful request. He was obviously still drunk. Maybe he would go back to bed and forget the whole thing. She quickly bent down and scooped up the pajamas. The smell of the "juices" from the burnt nightmare was almost overpowering.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 To say that Darla was mortified would have been an understatement. She jerked away from her father's grip and folded her arms across her chest, trying to cover herself, which had the lucky benefit of hiding her bruises. "What the @#$% are you doin', girl?" "I'm just changing clothes," she said, looking down at the floor. She wanted to scream, "GET OUT" but she didn't dare. "What is that?" "I...I d...don't know," she stammered. "I...I just felt like it" Darla pulled away from his grip completely and turned her back to him, mostly out of shame. Even more ashamed at being caught undressed, she was ashamed at what a freak she was. Darla had never even given the "marker runes" a second thought until she got a glimpse of herself through her father's shocked and horrified eyes. No normal kid would do that to herself. No normal kid would do that to herself and not care. She was a complete freak just like her brother. Darla's father reached out and grabbed her again, jerking her around hard. "What's that @#$%ing smell?" Darla looked down at her foul-smelling pajamas in a pile on the floor. "I wet the bed," she said, her voice filled with unfeigned defeat. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up. Go back to bed, daddy." Her last statement was a hopeful request. He was obviously still drunk. Maybe he would go back to bed and forget the whole thing. She quickly bent down and scooped up the pajamas. The smell of the "juices" from the burnt nightmare was almost overpowering.
Barnum Posted January 22, 2008 Author Posted January 22, 2008 To say that Darla was mortified would have been an understatement. She jerked away from her father's grip and folded her arms across her chest, trying to cover herself, which had the lucky benefit of hiding her bruises. "What the @#$% are you doin', girl?" "I'm just changing clothes," she said, looking down at the floor. She wanted to scream, "GET OUT" but she didn't dare. "What is that?" "I...I d...don't know," she stammered. "I...I just felt like it" Darla pulled away from his grip completely and turned her back to him, mostly out of shame. Even more ashamed at being caught undressed, she was ashamed at what a freak she was. Darla had never even given the "marker runes" a second thought until she got a glimpse of herself through her father's shocked and horrified eyes. No normal kid would do that to herself. No normal kid would do that to herself and not care. She was a complete freak just like her brother. Darla's father reached out and grabbed her again, jerking her around hard. "What's that @#$%ing smell?" Darla looked down at her foul-smelling pajamas in a pile on the floor. "I wet the bed," she said, her voice filled with unfeigned defeat. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up. Go back to bed, daddy." Her last statement was a hopeful request. He was obviously still drunk. Maybe he would go back to bed and forget the whole thing. She quickly bent down and scooped up the pajamas. The smell of the "juices" from the burnt nightmare was almost overpowering.
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