Tales of Terror

[JellyLu]

I tried :') 637 words

Spoiler: Cafe CATastrophe

In the heart of a bustling city, stands a café called “Feline Fine.” The owner, named Katrina, has a knack for creating signature drinks and delightful pastries. One afternoon, while exploring a nearby thrift shop, she stumbled upon a peculiar lucky cat statue. It was small, with a glossy black finish, emerald eyes, and an eye-catching golden bell around its neck. Its right paw was raised charmingly in the air, swaying back and forth.

Katrina quickly scooped up the cat, knowing that lucky cat statues are said to bring good fortune to businesses. Plus, it fit her cafe theme purrfectly! As she placed the cat on the counter, she felt a strange chill but shrugged it off. “Just a draft,” she nervously muttered, busying herself with the day's preparations.

The next morning, a regular customer, Merry, walked in for a matcha latte. As she reached for her cup, she accidentally knocked over a tray of pastries. Muffins and scones toppled to the floor. Katrina cleaned the mess, attributing the mishap to clumsiness. However, that wasn’t the only misfortune to follow.

Incidents occurred throughout the week in the café. Katrina spilled hot chocolate on a customer, delivery driver Pete got lost and arrived hours late with needed supplies, and the air conditioning quit working. Sometimes, food and drinks would even go missing after being prepared! Each time, patrons left with frowns, some shaking their heads, muttering about their bad luck.

With each passing day, the café’s reputation began to crumble. What had once been a warm, inviting place turned into a hotbed of bad luck. Friends no longer wanted to meet there, and the whispers about a curse spread like wildfire. Katrina was lucky to have more than 2 customers a week!

Desperate, Katrina began to research the statue. Things started to go downhill ever since she brought it into her café. Late one night, with the cat sitting ominously on the counter, she scoured the internet for any mention of it. It turned out that this particular lucky cat was cursed to bring misfortune to anyone who sought its blessings. It had previously been owned by a cafe called Brewsters which recently went bankrupt.

Katrina's heart sank. She unwittingly invited chaos into her café, all in the name of luck. The curse specifically affected anyone who wished for good fortune while in its presence, turning their hopes into mishaps.

With determination, she knew she had to act quickly. Though her luck had been bad, she held onto hope and remained optimistic. The next day, she closed the café early. During her research, she had come across a potential solution to the curse the statue harbored. She had to perform a purrification ritual. She placed gold coins at the cat's feet and anointed it with rosemary essential oil. After reciting an incantation, Katrina became flooded with relief. It was as if a dense fog had lifted from the entire cafe! She opened the café the next day with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.

Soon, days turned into weeks, and Feline Fine flourished once more. Customers returned, drawn by the café’s charm, and Katrina found her rhythm again. Her café became the talk of the town, for good reasons this time. It was even featured in the town newspaper as one of the must-see destinations!

The lucky cat statue can still be seen in Feline Fine to this day. It continues to greet customers, its eyes sparkling in the light. Some say they can even hear its bell ring when the noise levels inside die down. Each month, Katrina repeats the purrification ritual to keep the curse from ever returning again. She welcomes blessings and enjoys seeing satisfied customers, old and new. She revels in the good times and always remembers that bad times are just times that are bad.

I promise I didn't copy others with a café theme. It's literally the first thought I had since I visited one today, haha.

 

[Zerous]

Cheers! To the coming of dreams and nightmares: 828 words

Spoiler: Cheers! To the coming of dreams and nightmares:

“Cheers!” a bout of laughter erupting amongst the clinking glasses.

Looking around the room, Blathers smiled contently at the sight of everyone coming to celebrate, grateful for them all. Amongst the crowd, Celeste caught his eye, gently motioning to the door with her wing.

Quietly standing up, the pair softly wandered out into the garden, the full moon shining down on them.

“You can see Pisces really clearly this time of year… Do you remember the story of Pisces? Celeste gently asked.

Embarrassed, Blathers shook his head.

“I’m sorry, I know you’ve told me before, but..” he trailed of in a parade of frantic apologies, only met with a soft laugh.

“It’s okay Blaths, but one of my favourite stories about it goes like this:”

“The gods were enjoying a fantastical banquet by a river when the terrible monster Typhon appeared! As the gods ran, Aphrodite tied herself to her son Eros with a rope so that they wouldn't be separated. They then turned into fish and fled, which is why Pisces is often depicted as two fish connected by a rope."

Looking up to meet Blathers in the eye, she continued:

“I know being able to open this museum has been a massive dream for you, but I hope you know that, no matter how busy you are, or how far away you move, we’ll always be connected as well. I’ll always be here for you”

Gently pulling out a small package, starry night wrapping paper tied with a little yellow bow, she passed it to her brother.

“I got this for you, congratulations Blaths”, she said, her face beaming but eyes glistening. “I got it at this fortune tellers store, I thought it would suit you.”

Unwrapping the gift, Blathers found a little green bow tie, with intricate gold patterning around the edges.

“I thought you could wear it to the museum- ah! Only if you want to of course-

She was cut off as Blathers pulled her into a hug.

“I love it, thank you so much Celeste.”



~~~

Walking home later that night, Blathers sighed in contentment, his new tie glistening around his neck. He was so lucky to have such amazing friends and family.

Opening a museum had always been a dream of his. Their parents had always been supportive of his interest in animals, despite the times they had to pull him away as a kid from nearly being eaten by a great white shark, poisoned by a jellyfish, or covered in beetles from head to toe, all the while excitedly reciting facts and naming each new friend.

Blathers chuckled at the memories. Hopefully when the museum was open he’s be able to share his facts with more people than just his sister, who in turn rambled to Blathers about the stars.

It would likely take years for him to eventually build up his collection of adorable critters, but at the idea of being able to spend his days naming his new friends, hanging out and talking endlessly with them, he knew every day would be worth it.

The warm spring night breeze brushed past him, and Blathers looked to his side, noticing something on top of the bush of pink roses beside the foot path.

He froze. It was a mantis.

Suddenly, Blathers could feel his heart beating, attempting to make its way up his throat. Shaking, he could barely move.

“What is wrong with me??” he thought desperately, looking down at his shaking wings.

“It’s just a mantis, I’ve never had any problems with them before”

Usually he would quietly run up to the little creature, hoping to take it home with him to study and befriend. He would usually gleefully examine its colour scheme, admire its unique scythed arms, and rapidly talk to whoever would listen about the predatory lifestyle of the mantis, or about just how many eggs they produce each year.

But now, he stood locked in place, the mantis cautiously staring back.

“No, no, it must just be the excitement and stress from the day and all the paperwork I’ve been doing, I just have to push through it!” He exclaimed, taking another, clumsier step towards the creature, which startled it, causing it to fly off with a loud pattering of noise.

“Ah!” Blathers let out a strained squeak.

Sitting down on the nearby bench, he tried to breathe and compose himself.

What in the world was going on?

After a couple more minutes, although shaking far more than the warm night warranted, he decided it was time to continue on his journey home. Taking one last deep, quivering breath, he felt a tickle against his leg. Glancing down, he noticed a large centipede dancing up his leg mockingly.

Sick to the stomach, Blathers shot up, barely able to scream as he darted off down the road.
“No, no!! This can’t be happening; I’ve never reacted like this before”

But that knowledge didn’t stop his heart racing, the trickle of sweat forming along his brow, or the tears forming in his eyes, remembering the feeling of hundred of tiny legs moving up his body.

Finally arriving home, Blathers slammed the door shut behind him with a loud thud, and collapsed onto the floor as the tears began to pour out.

“Why, why, why!” He screaming in anguish.

He had finally achieved his dream, so why now?

Curling up on the floor, his body felt heavy as the adrenaline was replaced with dread, sadness and self-loathing, and on this puddle of tears he slowly drifted off to sleep.



~~~

Opening day.

It should have been the happiest day of his life.

And in some ways, it was. His sister greeted him, giving him a massive hug, although a little concerned by the bags under her brother’s eyes.

Others congratulated him once more, and complimented him on his new work tie. The whole morning went by in a muted blur.

He cut the ribbon, and finally, the museum was open for business.

~~~

Thankfully, as he found out, he still loved the fish.

Sydney was his first benefactor, bringing in a small Crucian carp.

“I caught this, and I thought it would be a great addition to the museum!” She beamed at him.

Seeing the fish, his heart soared, the little guy still looked as adorable as he remembered.

“Yes! Thank you so much Sydney!! Oh! And did you know, it's quite easy to tell the two apart... One must simply locate the barbels. Or, rather, the lack of them! And just what is a barbel, you ask? Well, a barbel looks a little something like a mustache. A run-of-the-mill carp will sport this unsightly "facial hair," while a crucian carp is considerably better groomed! I tried to grow a mustache when I was younger. It never did fill in quite right...”

The dazed Sydney left two hours later, and Blathers heart was full. Maybe he would be able to live his dream after all.

Happily tapping his foot as the sun shone through the stained glass window, the doorbell rung as the next visitor came to the door, Punchy.

“One of my bugs wanted to move out, so I thought they could maybe live with you, mrmpht” he exclaimed, pulling out a massive tarantula in a bag.

“Oh, hoo! My..” Blathers trailed off. Tarantulas had always been one of his favourites, but sure enough, he could already feel his heartrate going up. But no, he had a job to do, he must push on.

“Ahem, ah, it’s simply amazing you were able to catch one of these! Ah, they’re not only poisonous, but also hairy, and ah..” He swallowed deeply and took a deep breath before continuing “They aren’t deadly to humans, and enjoy more warm climates haha...”

“Great! Take good care of Derek for me, mrmpht” Punchy exclaimed, wandering off happily.

Quickly wandering into the empty bug enclosure, Blathers braced himself before quickly putting down the bag and running away, breathing heavily. Okay, this could be manageable.

And so it continued.

Day after day, the museum grew. People started to come to visit to see the collection, excited to see the critters, although strangely seemingly less excited once Blathers started talking about them.

He was even thinking of opening an art section soon!

But still, he remained there, in his favourite tie gifted to him by his dear sister, spending every day of his dream life carefully attempting to avoid the door on the left.​

 

[Newbiemayor]

Here's my attempt! Finally word count: 1,089

Spoiler: The lucky socks

It was a bad day.

Scratch that; it was a bad life. People always say I'm unlucky. They're wrong; luck doesn't exist. It's cold in the city today. I'm on my way to my sad little apartment; walking through a sea of skyscrapers parted by dark, shady alleys.

I pulled my old, shabby coat tighter around myself as a particularly cold wind blew through; taking leaves and litter along with it. As I was just getting to my block, something caught my eye in the alley across the street. Something vivid white; the brightest white I've ever seen. I felt compelled to check it out.

It's not like there's anyone waiting for me at home.

I crossed the street and looked around the alley to make sure that whatever this was, it had no owner. Seeing no one, I bent down and examined the object of my interest. It was a pair of socks. Brand new, I thought, based on the package still wrapped around them; although the branding appeared to be missing. They had green words on the side. Lucky? Ha. Someone must have lost their St. Paddy's socks.

They were stupid, ugly socks. And yet I couldn't seem to put them down.

I could use some luck.

But luck isn't real, and it certainly isn't coming from some junky socks off the ground.

I sighed and took the socks home.
Mine have holes anyway.

I unlocked my door and stepped in. Flipping the lights on, they flickered to life as I kicked off my shoes and tossed my keys and the socks onto the table. I walked further down the hall and turned the furnace on. It hummed, screeched, and after a loud POP, it shut off. Great.

I'll wear the socks for warmth.

I felt like that thought came from nowhere, but it was a good idea, so I threw on the socks and fell into bed; and a dreamless sleep. I woke up the next morning in a puddle of sweat. Why was it so hot? I went to check the thermostat, and it read eighty-nine degrees. I thought it broke last night?

One less payment, I guess.

I turned it off and went to get dressed for the day. I considered changing my socks, but it just felt wrong for some reason. I threw my shoes on over my "lucky" socks and headed out for the day. The city is a different place by day. It was brighter, and it seemed...cheerier?

What is wrong with me.

I continued down the street when something once again caught my eye, barely tucked into an alley as I walked past. I approached with a little less caution and a little more eagerness than last night, and underneath a small pile of trash was a handful of cash! I quickly scooped it up and stuffed it into my pocket.

I walked a couple of blocks before stopping to count it just in case someone had been following me. I realized only after I snagged it that it could be some kind of trap. But after checking the street up and down, there was strangely no one in sight. I counted with amazement eight hundred dollars in cash. Maybe these socks really are lucky?

Dismissing that thought with a bit more difficulty than usual, I made it to work and had just clocked in when my boss approached me.

"Hey! I've got some good news for you. We just opened up a new position for manager and you were recommended for the job! I'll have to get with you on the details later because I have a meeting, but I know you were hoping for that position. Congrats!"

I couldn't believe it. I've been trying for that manager job for a year, and the day I wear some random, "lucky" socks is the day I get it? I may not believe in luck, but I'm not stupid. There's something about these socks that really are lucky. I went about the rest of my day with a borderline giddy feeling.

It didn't even feel out of place anymore.

I got off work and stopped for dinner on the way home. I made it to my block when I suddenly tripped, spilling my bag all over the sidewalk. I felt very angry as I picked up what was salvageable of my dinner.

What happened to being lucky?

I hurried home and unlocking my door, I put my bag on the counter. I pulled out a plate from the cupboard, just wanting to eat, and then sleep, but my hands slipped, and I dropped the plate. In my panic to try and catch it, I knocked several more out onto the floor, where they loudly shattered.

I ate my meal straight from the bag and went to bed, leaving the mess for tomorrow.

I woke from a restless sleep feeling like something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I checked the clock by my bedside, and I quickly realized what it was.

I was an hour late to work.

I threw my clothes on; not even thinking of changing my socks and ran out the door. I snuck into work and hoped no one noticed my late arrival.

I was unlucky.

My boss called me into his office with an unhappy expression on his face. But it wasn't my tardiness he wanted to see me about.

"Hey, I needed to talk to you about that manager position I mentioned yesterday. I misread the email, and it turns out you weren't recommended at all. I'm afraid we had some layoffs, and your name was under that list, not the recommendation list. I'm so sorry, but we're going to have to let you go. Please clear out your locker, and feel free to give me a call if you need any references. I really am sorry to get your hopes up like that."

I walked out of his office completely stunned. I gathered my things and left miserably. I knew what caused this.

It was the socks. I'm sure of it.

I knew I needed to get rid of these socks as soon as I could. No, right now, I thought. I immediately kicked off my shoes and yanked the socks off my feet.

I looked around and threw them unceremoniously to the ground.

Some other sucker can have them.

But my word of warning? If you ever find some lucky socks, be wary. You never know what kind of luck it brings.

 

[jadetine]

Spoiler: The Doubling Net

Muffy crept along the stone wall, leaving small cloven prints in the damp earth. Laden with all of the ghost hunting tools I packed, it was impossible to sneak behind her without making a sound.

"Could you stomp a little louder? At this rate, we should just knock on Vesta's door," She hissed at me, in typical Muffy exasperation.

"Maybe we should've buried the tools near the hill instead of carting them everywhere with us," I countered. "If I can bury a grand piano in one go..."

"Duck!" Muffy interrupted my tirade. We flattened ourselves on the ground, and in the rush, I gave myself an accidental mud mask when failing to account for the weight of the pack tipping my balance.

"What the cabbages is going on?" Gaston huffed, shaking his fist at us as he hobbled by on his evening walk. "You scared the carrots out of me." We waited several minutes for him to walk away, avoiding conversation for some plausible deniability.

With a resounding squelch, I pulled my face out of the mud. Muffy had already hopped the wall and was sidling along the house underneath a windowsill.

"I can see it through the window!" Muffy squealed. "She has it mounted above the fireplace. I told you this net was special!"

"The only reason she won those Bug-offs was because I didn't enter the last few times," I scoffed. "And how are we supposed to get to it? She's in there somewhere, since the chimney and lights are active... Maybe I'll just knock and ask politely."

"No, wait--"

I had already knocked, leaving some mud-prints under the wreath of Vesta's tidy front door. I'll have to apologize for that first.

"Coming..." I could hear her hooves clicking on the wood flooring. "Hello? Who's there?" Vesta opened the door without waiting for my response, and before I could explain, she screamed and fainted in her entryway.

"I think your muddy face gave her a fright. Let's just pull her into her bed and leave a note that we're borrowing her magic net!" Muffy nudged past us and headed into the house.

"I don't want to leave more of a mess than I already have, so I'll just wait here with my pack. Actually, I'll hose off out here."

---

"How do you think the magic of this net activates?" Muffy wondered aloud.

"I don't think there seems to be anything special to it."

Muffy took an experimental swipe at a nearby moth hovering under the streetlamp. It was easily captured (as confirmed by the universal BWOK sound), and I waited for Muffy to pull it out for display.

When she did, the most wondrous thing appeared: two moths.

"Well, I see how she won the contest now."

---

We crested the hill where Muffy had last reported sighting a specter. Public safety was at stake, so Muffy had pestered me into joining her mission to capture the ghost.

I pulled out a lantern, a music box, and a few other knick-knacks to serve as bait for the ghost. We could hear chimes as he approached, but no specific words or requests. Usually, I was under the impression that ghosts had some sort of business that they needed help from the living to complete.

Between the pines, an ethereal blue glow was passing from trunk to trunk, its path listless and somewhat capricious.

"How to we shepherd it toward us?" I wondered aloud. Muffy brandished Vesta's net and lunged at the glow. The BWOK sound echoed around us, and it was clear she had captured the ghost without my help at all. "Well, I wish I hadn't carried all of these things from my closet now."

Upon capturing the ghost, it turned into two motes. The net had doubled its contents again. In the distance, we saw another faint glow, making its way through waterfalls and and flower fields.

"Do we really have to go after the ghost tonight?" Muffy gave me a look that said OF COURSE, IT'S NOW OR NEVER.

---

"You found my pieces of spirit! Quick, hand them over!" Wisp manifested suddenly behind us.

"WOAH, what!" Muffy jumped in surprise.

"I think we should give it to him, Muffy," I recommended. "I've had to hunt his spirit pieces before, and even earned a gently-used bidet for helping him."

"Why should we trust this ghost?" Muffy asked the question, but when we both looked at his dopey face, we could sense no malice or cause for concern. I opened my bag and pulled out the lantern we were using to hold the several ghastly motes we found.

"Oh, there's more than 5 pieces here... but they do all seem to be mine. I don't think I need all of them at once, so maybe I should just uh... use a few?" Wisp merged with 5 of the motes, and our eyes were temporarily blinded by the glow.

"Hmm, something doesn't feel quite right," Wisp said through his second mouth. He blinked his lone eye, and was floating lopsided with two left arms.

"That's disgusting!" Muffy gasped and covered her mouth to avoid vomiting.

"Uh, what she means is, uh..." I was grasping for a polite way to break the news to Wisp. I decided to hold up a hand mirror I fished from my pack. "I didn't realize the spirits were associated with manifesting your various body parts. I think we need to sort through these properly to get you back into shape."

"Howr?" Wisp asked, bobbing in a counter-clockwise fashion.

"I think we're just gonna have to scare him so they pop out and feed them back to him again," I whispered to Muffy behind my hand.

"Let's just get this done quickly, then."

---
Over the next couple hours we trial and errored scaring Wisp and recapturing his motes and trying to sort through them. Unfortunately, we only had the doubling net and there was no discernable difference in the motes for us to be able to tell which would activate which body parts.

"This is pointless and there's no way we will finish by tonight. I don't know what will happen if we can't save him by sunrise. My legs are tired and my pack feels like it weighs a ton. I think we should go ask an expert."

"You mean a ghost expert?" Muffy huffed.

"Yes. I think we just need a regular net to capture one copy of each of his pieces. But for all these extras we have saved up, I think we need to figure out a way to get rid of them, and for that we should go back to Vesta."

I expected more resistance, but Muffy nodded and handed the net for me to carry.

---
We left Wisp in the hilly forest and found ourselves back at Vesta's door. The town clock had just chimed 4am. Our knocks were met with an automated message to return at a later time, but Muffy was not having it and she smashed a rock through Vesta's window.

We clambered in the house, carefully avoiding the broken glass.

"Baaafo, I have been waiting for you," Vesta stated, while pulling the chain on a desk lamp to illuminate the room with dramatic effect.

"Vesta, we are so sorry for all the damage and trouble, but we really need your help. I will be sure to get Tom Nook to repair and clean your home with my own bells, and return this accursed net back to you," I handed her possession back. "I'm also sorry for giving you a fright with my muddy face earlier, but right now we are trying to undo the doubles of things we created from capturing things with the net."

"The damage cannot be undone, you are not forgiven, and I will accept the bells for the repairs and your hasty exit. My reading nook is ruined! I thought we were friends!" It sounded like she was shedding tears, but against the darkness of her face, it was hard to tell.

"Please, Vesta, we were trying to clear the forest of spooky ghosts, but it turns out they were all part of Wisp, and when we returned several spirit to him, we got the parts wrong or doubled and now he looks all discombobulated, and..." Muffy was working herself up into a tizzy. I stepped closer to pat her back. Vesta waited in silence for a bit and then bowed her head.

"I do know how to undo the doubles, but..." Vesta hesitated. "It requires breaking the net, which will cause all the doubles to disappear. The problem is..."

"Oh, it's not a problem!" Muffy said, snatching the net and cracking it in half over her knee.

Suddenly, Vesta's form wavered and started to fade away, all except for her face, or specifically her eyes and mouth, left floating in mid-air, incorporeal.

"-- my body is made up of the doubled parts and I haven't found the original," Vesta finished with a sigh.

 

[OswinOswald]

Spoiler: The Final Voyage of the Cursed Maiden

The Final Voyage of the Cursed Maiden

April had a fresh bounce in her step. She couldn't help it, having a spring related name. Life was always full of so many interesting surprises! The last few months she had been travelling, taking her last chance before she started university to explore before she got lost in her studies.
Today, she was walking down by the riverfront in the town she was visiting. The calm waters seemed so lovely. The sun was shining, and it was a lovely day. As she kept strolling down farther and farther along the river, she came upon a small dock with an empty rowboat. It seemed like such a wonderful chance finding! She looked around and didn't see any signs or any evidence that anyone was around. What could it hurt to take it for a spin?
It was very loosely tied to the wooden dock. "The Cursed Maiden" was painted across the back of the boat. "Cursed?" April mused. Who would name a boat that? It had to be a joke. April had seen so many funny boat names out there. But that the same time, it did give her a little chill.
But she was supposed to be adventuring! So time to seize the day!
She clambered into the small rowboat. It seemed pretty sturdy. She grabbed the oars and started to paddle. The boat seemed to flow so effortlessly down the river. It seemed like a perfect afternoon. Whoever left this rowboat there was an angel, April decided!
After a while, her arms were tiring out, and the river seemed to be flowing well, so she decided to put the oars into the boat and see where the river took her. It seemed pretty calm, no big rocks or anything to navigate so far, so why not take a little break?
April laid back in the boat and stared up at the clouds passing by. She thought she saw a cat, and then a goldfish, and maybe a few sheep? Sheep made her realize how sleepy she had gotten rowing. It was so comfortable swaying along in the motion of the river. April let her eyes drift off for just a few seconds...

When she woke again, the sky was a dusky twilight. She squinted, but she couldn't really see any stars or moonlight. April sat up and tried to get her bearings. But instead of being on a river, now she seemed to have come to a large lake. "I guess that makes sense," she thought. "rivers eventually lead somewhere." She looked all around her, but she couldn't actually see the shore anywhere. That gave her the chills a little bit. She went to grab an oar, but she didn't see them anywhere! It was a small boat, she had tucked them in at the bottom of the boat - where could they be??

Now April was in a little bit of a panic. She could swim, she supposed. She wasn't the best swimmer, but it couldn't be that hard in a calm lake. But which direction should she swim in? If she could at least see the shore, then maybe she could set off in a direction. Maybe it would be better to try and paddle a little bit. She put her hands into the water to try and move the boat along, but the water was frigid! She quickly pulled her hands back out of the water. She was going to have to come up with something else. She took off one shoe and tried to use that to push along, but the lake seemed to extend forever and she wasn't making much movement at all. Well, it was hard to tell actually if she was moving, the water was so crystal clear. She wondered how deep could this lake be?

Maybe she would rest and try again in the morning. She curled up under her light jacket. The shore was far, but Morning couldn't be that far away. A few tears streamed down her eyes. She had tried to be strong and chipper, but the prospect of being lost in the wilderness was starting to set in, especially with this dark cloud covered night. Gently, she drifted off to sleep...

Morning came, but April was nowhere to be found. Her family started to wonder why she had stopped answering messages, and after a few days, they put out a missing person's report. But there was no trace of her. If only someone had taught her never to step onto a cursed vessel... but who would have thought to caution her about the possibility that actual curses existed?