Coffin Hop 2014 Cloud's Story Part One

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Cloud walked through the copse of trees, smiling softly as the brambles retracted out of his way. In his own small way, he was respected in this hellish graveyard, if only as a direct servant for the devils running it. He walked and walked, fading in and out beneath the darkened overhang of the trees. A slight rustle to his left made him pause, and look.

There he found a man that very much did not belong in the graveyard. He was wearing clean clothes of sheer silk, for instance, all black, with shiny black shoes. In one hand he held a martini glass, a finger sticking out of it, pointing at his wide, shark-tooth grin. The other hand was slide behind his back, as if he were holding something. This worried Cloud, not on any rational level as nothing in the graveyard (save Sandra) would attack him, but he was also without his beloved sword, thus defenseless.

“Who are you?” Cloud demanded, his voice more curious than defiant.

The figure stared at him for a while, idly swirling his drink in his hand as he brought up a long nose to sniff the air in Cloud’s direction. His smile widened, if that was even possible.

“A friend of a friend…” The creature replied slowly, speaking around a mouthful of jagged teeth.

Cloud stared at the strange being for a moment before remembering that the Ghoul was having a party in his mausoleum for the next few days. Smiling, Cloud looked the creature over. Definitely not undead… but that finger in the glass makes me think it eats people. Cloud thought, staring at the creatures drink. As if in response to the thought, the creature slurped the finger into its maw, chewing loudly as the bones popped and crunched beneath his teeth.

“So what are you doing out here? Aren’t you missing the party?” Cloud asked, looking the creature over.

“No, the party is still young. Nina is listening to a story being told by the Ghoul while another guest, Stewart I think, is looking through the Ghoul’s older works. I didn’t need to hear stories of woe, so I came out to enjoy the night air.”

“Funny, I did something of the same for the same reasons.” Cloud chuckled, looking down. Looking back up he flinched as the creature was now standing in front of him, towering over his frame. The creature’s wide shoulders made it impossible to look around the being, the pale, waxy skin that was available shining in the moonlight breaking through the canopy.

“You’re like me,” it said, pressing a long finger into Cloud’s chest, just over his scar. “Only you’re not. You were once mortal… and you are not Of The Flesh or Of The Spirit. Tell me what you are?”

The creature seemed intrigued, and even with its nightmarish appearance, it blinked owlishly with the curiosity of a child as it look Cloud over, crunching in the leaves a it took careful steps around him, dragging a long talon over the Hawaiian shirt.

“I’m, well, I’m immortal. My heart was removed by a witch after I was injected with the essence of youth taken from these flowers that grow at the entrance of the graveyard-”

“Moon Children,” the being whispered.

“-yes, those, and yet it makes me feel enthralled to the witch and her family. I thought I was at least enjoying her presence because she’s cute and kind of funny, but underneath that she’s shallow and petty. And now I can’t get away from her! I’m stuck within this graveyard unless she lets me leave, and she can call me back like a dog.”

“Yes… yes, the nectar of the Moon Children is able to create an addictive substance that suspends animation and stoppers death. My kind have long since guarded the secrets of the Moon Children.”

Cloud looked at the stranger with a raised eyebrow. “So what are you then? I know you’re not undead, as I can smell the wine on your breath, but you’re not human.”

The creature locked eyes with Cloud, its mouth no longer pulled into a creepy smile. “Me? I’m of the Fae Court, the Unseelie. My name is Maestro, and it is also my job, to bring forth Those of The Spirit forth to serve as musicians for our courts, parties and general gatherings.”

“Fae? I think I heard Stephanie say that word before,” Cloud said, wracking his mind over the last two years.

“We are as old as time itself, and one with nature. The Unseelie have been relegated to the shadows and the night, where we watch over the natural world and defend it from humans and their intrusive ways.” Maestro said, sliding his hands over Cloud’s shoulders, kneading the cold muscle with long fingers. “Your girlfriend, the witch…”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” Cloud growled.

“Oh, my apologies,” Maestro silkily apologized, leaning around to look Cloud in the eyes. “The witch, she has collected nectar from the Moon Children?”

“Every year for her and her family,” Cloud said, ignoring the pall falling over his mind, smiling at the creature’s deceitful trick.

“What is your heart’s desire Cloud? What is it you want more than anything else?” The creature asked in his ear, barely a whisper.

Cloud answered honestly. “I want to make up with my friends Derek and Sandra, and make it to where we can stay together forever.”

“But you are immortal, at least for the next few years…” The Maestro said, one hand sliding around the young man’s neck, placing him in a loose headlock. “If I were to offer you a way to replace the witch, to become a warlock… a servant of nature, would you willingly do so?”

“If it means I get to be with Sandra, then yes.” Cloud said honestly.

“Then let me break away from the party and do what my kind does best!” The Maestro said, pressing his wine glass into Cloud’s hand hurriedly before flickering away. “Hold my drink!”
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