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APPLES AND GHOSTS, TREATS AND TALES written by Richard Bonstein Sampson Jr.
Apples and Ghosts, Treats and Tales (All Gen-X Characters are copyrighted by Marvel.) -------------------------------------------------- She looked around at what was an unusual sight to her. She noticed mostly that there was a large tub full of water, and floating in it were apples. She loved apples. As she looked at them, she heard Jubilee say, "Go ahead Penny, try it. You'll like it." She looked at them and dunked her head into the water. She pulled her face out, only to find she didn't have an apple in her mouth, but half of the apples were now sliced up. She felt like she made a mistake. As she frowned, she heard a slight chuckle. She turned to face the chuckle and saw a man standing there. She noticed that no one else seemed to notice him. He didn't look like any of Emplate's followers, but still she felt leery. If anyone could have heard her, which was very unlikely, they would have heard her say, "Who are you?" The figure just stopped chuckling and said, "Just a visitor. It seems you have some transdimentional talents. I must admit that of all my time here, I enjoy this holiday the most." Penance didn't understand what the figure meant and repeated her question. "Who are you?" The figure just pushed on the glasses he wore, where the glasses were mirrored. He just said, "My name isn't important. I'm just a visitor here. Your friends definitely have the idea right." She approached the figure. She noticed that no one took notice to what she was doing. Penance didn't trust the figure. She took her hand to his glasses and touched them before he could stop her. As the glasses fell to the floor in two pieces, Penance saw the man's eyes, and was shocked. Looking into his eyes gave her the appearance that she was looking into infinity. She stepped back, and said, "What are you?" She watched as he reached down and pickup up the glasses. They were back in one piece as he put them on. "I'm one of a very old race. By far, I'm the only one who actually pays attention to this world. There are others here, but I'm not as mean as them." This unsettled her. She backed up and almost bumped the Jack O' Lantern. She was scared. "What do you want from me?" He just went over to the Jack O' Lantern and said, "Nothing. I just had to see such a remarkable individual. Not many can look me in the eyes like you did. Many others lose their sanity. Now Jack, he was different." "You mean the pumpkin?" She thought that this being was not a good being. He just smiled. "The tale of this Irish man is partially true. He actually tried to trick me into giving him the ultimate power. I turned the tables on him and made him an insane undead being. It wasn't the devil like the story says." "You mean he was real?" He laughed. "Long ago. Many things are real. A man from this part of the world knew everything, but everyone thought his stories were yarns of horror, but you, you are different." She stepped back from him and said, "What do you mean?" He scratched his head and said, "I've met many individuals, but none with your sense of power. I've seen one, but he couldn't control it. You can, when you learn to use it." "Why are you telling me this?" She was puzzled by his little speech. He smiled and said, "I have seen many people who have hidden themselves and their powers. Lovecraft hid it in plain sight. Black hid himself in a television show. You hid yourself from me, involuntary. Maybe you are the one who can stop it all and save this planet, or maybe not." She looked at him and said, "What do you mean by that?" He went to the center of the room and said, "Adieu. The next time we meet, you will have conquered your biggest fear." She watched as the lights went out. She could still see him, but there was something different. Soon, Jubilee shot out her sparks and Penance heard Sean say, "Faith and begora, who's that." With that, the lights came back up and he was gone, except for two items. A gold bar and card. Emma picked up the card and read, "Arkham. That's an asylum, but where did the gold come from?" Penance had a feeling, but she didn't want to say it. ********************************** Emplate sat in his chair, thinking about the significance of this night. It was the only night that the powers of darkness were their strongest. He felt that he could easy cross into the world he had come from. Then he realized that he was not alone. He didn't even need to face the person, he just knew he was there. "How long have you been there?" The figure just said, "Long enough. You are a petty man, with petty dreams. You know you'll never be free of this. You'll always come back here." Emplate turned, upset, and said, "You cannot taunt me like this." He stopped what he was saying when he saw the creature the man had behind him. Its grotesque appearance made it frightening, and the pure power it held made it terrifying. Emplate knew that he could control such a creature, but he could never do it. The man walked over to him and pushed him back. "Face it Marius, all you wanted was power, and your own mutation makes you hunger for your own peers. You've messed up, and you're paying the price." Emplate looked back at the man and said, "I've looked you in the eyes once before. I can still do it." That was the sign of power. He would never admit it, but it deeply scared him. The figure reached up for his glasses. "Do you want to try it again. I'll give you that opportunity, because I have a cell at Arkham waiting for you." Emplate didn't doubt that. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life a prisoner of that being. Emplate shook his head and turned away from the man. "Every year you taunt me. Why?" He heard the figure laugh. "Cause sooner or later, you'll lose your mind. You were destined to. Besides, you could never control those beings you truly wish to control. But I have seen someone with that talent." Emplate turned and looked at the man. He was intrigued by this. "Who is it? If you tell me, I shall serve you for eternity." He wouldn't, but just long enough until he could turn the tables. The figure just smiled and said, "Privileged information. She looked into my eyes, and I could tell that she wasn't going to lose it. She's the one. If she fails, the world loses." Emplate didn't like that. He wanted the power, and if he had it, the world would be his. The figure then said, "Besides, you'll never find her. She's somewhere you'll never look for her." The figure started to laugh as he faded from sight. Emplate hated that being. ********************************** When he finally returned to the asylum, he looked like a doctor. The door to his special ward was open. As he walked in, a janitor looked at him and said, "Work late?" The figure smiled and said, "Yes, found the main targets. Marius will soon be joining us here. He's about to lose his mind, but the girl doesn't realize her potential." The janitor looked at the computer on the desk and said, "The boy's been writing again." The figure walked over to the computer and looked at the screen. Indeed, someone had started writing again. He had set up the device to monitor a budding writer on the Internet. He didn't like the fact that this boy was revealing everything to the world about his kind. He walked over to the window and said, "That boy is a problem. If Halloween hadn't of ended, I would have paid him a visit. What is he writing now?" The janitor looked at the screen. "The first paragraph says how it started at a Halloween party." The figure took off his glasses and said, "I needed to find that boy's home. He needs to be stopped." Then clock finally struck midnight, he said, "I will stop him next year. As for now, I shall rest." With that, he laid down on the couch in his office and waited. He knew it would be a while, but he needed to plan this out. The girl was the real threat. She could take over even his power if she knew how to control hers. He was an embodiment of the power of Halloween, but he was much more dangerous. He smiled and closed his eyes. He needed to relax and figure out what to do. He also needed a time when his power was strongest. In a few months, the Winter Solstace would happen. The longest night of the year, and one where he and his fellow beings could walk onto the planet again. After some time, he walked over to the computer screen. He was surprised at what he read. Everything was just as it happened the past night, but there was more. He wasn't going to leave the building now, but he was worried about the girl now. ********************************** Penance knew it was late. She also knew that it was now All Saint's Day, the day after Halloween. She was in the library. She wondered more about the transdimentional abilities, and wondered if she could use them. She reached for a book on Halloween, and focusing on that transdimentional technique, she was able to open and read the book. As she read, she said, "According to some legends about All Hallow's Eve, many think the devil takes a human form on this night, while others think it is a different supernatural being. According to legend, this being steal a victim's soul, and they go insane after looking at him. There are a few instances where a strong soul has prevailed." Penance realized she saw this horrible being. It scared her a bit, and then she wondered what it was. She remembered he mentioned Lovecraft. All she knew was that the man was a horror writer from the states. She used her abilities to find a book on Lovecraft's works. When opened, she noticed that it opened to a particular page. On it was the very same figure she saw, with the eyes and everything. She read the entry name aloud. "Nyarlathotep." When she finished reading the entry, she was stunned and horrified. She looked through the whole book and slowly realized the true horror of that night. This ghost, supernatural, or as the book reffered to it, Great Old One, and all like it were real. She also realized now that she was one of a few beings that could actually threaten him, but was she powerful enough to stop the other beings. She sat down and said, "When I conquer my fear, I'll be ready." She realized what he had meant and shuddered. It meant facing the monster that for years fed off her, tortured her, and if she hadn't of escaped when she did, would have done much worse. As she left the library, Penance looked and saw a piece of paper on the floor. When she opened it, she heard a voice say, "Penance. Don't be scared and fooled by him. He means you nothing but harm. Trust you heart, and you'll be ok." It was unsigned, but she noticed a few letters in the corner. "RBS" Who was RBS and how did he know. After this past night, she decided it was time to sleep, she just hoped that her dreams would be pleasant. End
