A Feast of Nightmares

Originally posted on Tales of the Parodyverse by Manga Shoggoth.

Parodyverse characters copyright (c) 2006 to their creators. The use of characters and situations reminiscent of other popular works do not constitute a challenge to the copyrights or trademarks of those works.

The Nightmare of the Mother

My child is gone. My little baby...

Well, the truth be told, my "baby" is sixteen, but still too innocent to be lost and alone in a cruel world.

Was it that boyfriend of hers? For all that I never liked him (nobody would be good enough for my little angel), he seems as distraught as anyone. Unless he is acting, of course.

At least they haven't found a body. At least I can hope she is still alive.

Why doesn't she call home? Where did I fail as a mother? Did her father... No. Don't go down that road. Try not to think of the worst.

Try not to think. Get on with the day as best you can. Concentrate on the household chor...Where is she?

Don't listen to the news. Reports of a serial killer strangling prostitutes are not going to settle your nerves.

If only they could find a body. At least we would know one way or the other. But then we would know what...

My child is gone. My little baby...

Was it...

My child is gone. My little baby...

Was it...

The Nightmare of the Victim

Oh, for heaven's sake, Mother! I'm a grown woman now! Especially up front - the boys are really noticing me now. I am quite capable of looking after myself. The poor little dears get so flustered when I catch them looking at me. I'm not scared of anything.

Except...

The road home goes past the wood with the graveyard in it. It's not scary. I walk past it every day with my friends. In the daylight you can see the trees on the one side, and the grassy patch next to the railway embankment on the other.

But now it's dark. The glow from street lights (sparsely placed out here, where nobody lives) is further muted by the mist. Standing next to a lamp-post, I just see an orange glow above me, and vague, dark shadows to the side.

I should have let Rich walk me home. Then I'd have an arm to hold on to...

There is a rustling noise behind me. As I spin round, an owl hoots. A bloody owl. I lean against the lamp-post, my heart thudding. I slowly turn back, ready to continue the walk home. A second owl hoots in front of me. The first owl hoots in reply.

In the orange-tinted gloom ahead of me, three figures detach themselves from the wood. Three hooded figures. I turn to run back down the road, but more figures have emerged from the wood behind me.

I sprint out on to the grassy patch, hoping to get past the figures that way. As I run out onto the grass. my ankle catches against something - a rope, by the fell of it, and I fall headlong into the grass. The fall knocks the breath out of me, long enough for the hooded figures to surround me. Before I can get up, one of them is on my back, pinning me to the ground. My hands and legs are tied, and a gag put in my mouth.

They drag me by the arms into the woods, and dump me on top of an old marble memorial. One of the ones we would sit on in the summer. Despite my struggles, they retie me with my wrists above my head and my legs spread apart on the other end of the slab. One of them cuts my jeans and knickers away with a knife, and places a cold hand down...

After a few seconds of struggling, I realise that he is not doing anything else. Just looking. If he was going to rape me, then surely he would...

...What does he mean, "Acceptable"?

The other five figures have started dancing around the slab, chanting softly. The other one is now cutting away my tee-shirt and bra. He doesn't seem all that excited about what he sees - just standing there whispering to himself and kissing the knife.

Then, as he raises the knife, I realise what they are doing. The chanting stops, and a new terror surrounds me.

The Nightmare of the Priestess

It cannot be said that I am against the Gods. I started my life as a priestess (and an advisor to royalty, but that's another story), and even though I have changed my allegiances somewhat, I still respect my former deity.

My current deity is not a jealous god by any means, but it has certain standards. Sacrificing animals, yes. Sacrificing your own kind, no. Summoning the ancient creatures from before the time of man - for which the sacrifice of a pure soul is de rigueur - absolutely not.

We have broken up many ceremonies in my time of service. In most cases, the High Priest (or whatever the fool calls himself) has been too absorbed in his task to prevent himself being absorbed.

This time, a fool who thinks.

His acolytes (lesser fools) went down almost immediately. Three absorbed (to be ejected, headless, a few seconds later), one unconscious (due to an impact with a tree whilst in full flight) and one clean away (having avoided the trees by sense perception or blind luck).

The High Priest, on the other hand, has realised that something was happening, and managed to get his knife to the girl's throat. Although I have to credit his ingenuity and presence of mind, I hate hostage situations.

"A wise High Priest does his divinations and plans ahead. I thought you and your patron might turn up."

Ah. A High Priest with a brain. A rare problem.

I glare at him. "Very well. You seem to have an advantage. What are your terms?"

"Simple enough. You take me to the place of the ancients, and leave me there unharmed. Take me to fabled Lemuria."

"Is that what you wish?"

"Yes."

Yes indeed. This time, a fool who thinks, but not enough.

"Let us be clear. You release the girl, we take you to Lemuria and leave you there unharmed."

"And no tricks."

Indeed, no tricks. The girl will probably need a few days in the refuge (not that she will be allowed to remember) while I effect repairs to her clothes and spirit. And this idiot can go straight to Lemuria.

The Nightmare of the High Priest

The clearing was briefly filled with swirling protoplasm. A figure emerged, and looked around expectantly.

As promised, fabled Lemuria. Rumbled the creature.

"And you leave me unharmed?"

I leave you unharmed. Replied the creature, as it folded in upon itself until it disappeared.

The clearing was dark. The sky was clear, apart from a cloud that covered the moon. From the halo about the cloud, it was clear that it was a full moon. The air was warm and damp, with the feel of a Mediterranean climate.

The sounds of the night slowly returned, as the creatures that had the sense not to be in the presence of a Shoggoth slowly returned. Insects chirped, owls hooted.

Things began to gather in the clearing. Things that were mercifully obscured by the darkness.

Then the moon came out from behind the clouds, illuminating the clearing with a silvery light.

Finally, as the High Priest saw the creatures surrounding him, the screaming began. It went on for quite some time.

Footnotes:

One of the items in the news recently has been the "Suffolk Strangler", who has been targeting prostitutes in the Suffolk area. Incidentally, HH, Xander and I went to Bradford University shortly after the Yorkshire Ripper was active. My (then) girlfriend lived in the street where one of his victims was found.

One of the things I see from the train on the way in to work is a rather large wood that had grown about an old graveyard. For a very long time I was only aware of the wood, but eventually realised that there were gravestones peeking out through the trees.