> short story ;
Nokomis walked slowly through the outskirts of the town, her yellow, lamp-like eyes reflecting slightly in the darkness as they took in every detail. The moon was huge tonight, and it hung low in the sky like a dull disco ball. Her silver pelt was bathed in moonlight, and she allowed herself a smile as she watched the beams of soft light ripple over her swaying tail. It was at times like these, alone and washed with moonlight, was when Nokomis truly felt at peace.
A playful shriek pulled Nokomis from her stupor. Alert, she swept her head left and right, searching for the source of the noise. It was only when she noticed a small figure tripping over a bedsheet with some holes cut into it did she relax.
“Of course. Tonight is Halloween,” Nokomis murmured softly, making her way to the town. She could hear them now; choruses of voices saying ‘trick or treat!’ and the happy squeals of children. She smiled to herself, thinking back to her childhood. Halloween had always been her favorite time of the year. It was the best excuse to dress up and get free candy and splatter blood around the house. But that one year when-
“Oh!” Nokomis exclaimed as she felt a small body collide with her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!”
Nokomis looked up, realizing she had walked further than she had thought. The huge, iron gates of the cemetery loomed in front of her – a dark portal into the unknown, eerie silence. She held back a shudder and turned to see a small figure lying on the pavement in front of her.
“Are you alright?” Nokomis said, hurrying over to what she was guessing was a young boy. She knelt down beside him, placing one hand on his shoulder. The boy looked up and Nokomis suppressed a surprised gasp.
“I’m alright, miss,” the boy said, looking Nokomis dead in the eye. His face was scratched and bloody, and there were two deep, black holes where his eyes should have been. If Nokomis hadn’t seen the candy wrapper sticking out of his pocket, she would have screamed and ran for the hills.
“That is an amazing costume!” she exclaimed, smiling at the boy. “How long did that take you?”
The boy shrugged, smiling shyly. “A while. I’ve been planning it forever. Say, miss. You don’t have any candy, do you?”
“No, not me, I’m afraid,” she said. “But just up the road there is my neighbor’s house – I know she gives out the most candy to the scary costumes.”
“Thank you, miss!” the boy called as he turned and trotted down the street. Nokomis smiled and crossed the road, wandering off into the darkened parks. An hour later, she was home.
Nokomis awoke the next day to a knocking at her door. Sleepily, she yawned, rolled onto the floor and pulled on a half-decent pair of clothes. She opened her door to see her neighbor, Mary, holding a basket full of candy.
“Morning, you,” Mary smiled, handing over the candy. It was a custom between the two to share out their leftover candy. “Long night?”
Nokomis nodded, stifling another yawn. She nodded at the candy. “I’m surprised you have all that left. You should have given it all to the boy without the eyes.”
“Who?” Mary asked, frowning.
“You didn’t see him? I bumped into him at the cemetery. Best costume I’ve seen yet! He had no eyes, and his face was all scratched up and-”
“You bumped into him outside the cemetery?” Mary asked, mouth hanging open. “You spoke to him?”
Her friend’s behavior was beginning to confuse Nokomis. Mary must have realized, and closed her mouth.
“Haven’t you heard the legend?” she asked. When Nokomis shook her head, Mary continued. “You haven’t lived here long, but I thought you would have. A few years ago, a young boy called Tom Reyes was running across the road on Halloween. He was dressed up as Superman, you see, and thought he was invincible. But when a car came flying down the street…well, you can guess the rest.
“The boy was sent to hospital, but he didn’t make it. The doctors said it was very bad, and even if he did live, he would never be able to see. His face got all scraped along the road, you see. It was horrific. Anyway, there’s been a million reports of people seeing this little eyeless boy by the graveyard. They reckon it’s Tom. But they say he asks passers-by for candy, and if they give it to him, he never stops following them.”
There was a long silence, before Nokomis broke it with a laugh.
“C’mon, Mary. Nobody believes that!” she grinned. Mary smiled and helped Nokomis take the basket of candy to the kitchen.
“Alright. I’ll let you go back to sleep now. See you later,” Mary said as she left. They said their goodbye’s and Nokomis shut the door behind her, already putting the story to the back of her mind. She made her way back to her bedroom and began to rummage through crumpled piles of clothes for something clean to wear.
Tap. Taptaptap.
She only just noticed the faint tapping at the window. She pulled her head out of the closet and looked up. There, at the window, stood a young boy. His eyes were missing, and his face was bloodied.
“Excuse me, miss. Do you have any candy?”
oooooooooooooo> extra - quirks ;
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo1; Nokomis always carries a torch in her pouch. It's a small, silver torch that gives of a very bright shine. She likes to have some sort
oooooooooooooooooooooooooof light with her all the time.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo2; Nokomis often curls her tail around her legs while she is walking. She doesn't know why she does it herself, it's just a habit.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo3; Nokomis' eyes have a reflective quality, a bit like a cats. If there's one thing about her that you'll see first in the dark, it's her
oooooooooooooooooooooooooeyes.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo4; When she's nervous, Nokomis will recite The Song of Hiawatha, because it is what her mother used to read to her to help her
oooooooooooooooooooooooooget to sleep.
oooooooooooooo> art ;
Click for full size.
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