Hi, everyone! I've always wanted to write a Princess and the Frog story, so here's a little something I cooked up, inspired by a line in Lily Yamamoto's "Talking to Strangers" fic. Oh! And please rate/review/favorite/subscribe--whatever! Just please keep in mind that this is my very first fanfic and I still have a lot of work to do! I don't mind constructive criticism, (actually, it would be greatly appreciated) just make sure it's constructive! Anyway, enjoy!!
On a random note, I recommend listening to the classical piece "Danse Macabre" while reading this fic, as this is what I listened to while writing it, and I really think it fits the piece! Look it up!
PLEASE NOTE: Rights to The Princess and the Frog go to Disney, with special thanks to fellow fic author, Lily Yamamoto, whose "Talking to Strangers" fic partially inspired this story, as well as the old Silly Symphonies short, "The Skeleton Dance"!
The old gumbo pot was empty; the dishes had long been washed and dried and put away. Dusky twilight was descending upon the small, ramshackle house as the sun sank deeper and deeper into the bayou in the distance. It was bedtime.
"I don't wanna go to bed!" young Tiana cried, struggling in her daddy's strong arms as he carried her into her bedroom.
"But it's gettin' late, babycakes," her daddy, James, reasoned—his perpetual, calm smile never fading. "And besides, you need your sleep. You gotta get up early tomorrow, so that you and Momma can go see Mr. La Bouff and Miz Charlotte."
At the mention of Charlotte's name, Tiana's face brightened. Charlotte La Bouff was her very best friend in the whole world, and twice a week, Tiana and her momma went to visit her and her daddy in their big house uptown. Momma would spend the afternoon mending their clothes while Tiana and Charlotte played upstairs, and playing with Charlotte was always fun, mostly because she had more dolls and dress-up gowns than anyone else Tiana knew. But even the promise of getting to see Charlotte was not enough to make Tiana give up the fight. "I still don't wanna go to bed," she muttered.
James laughed and sat her on the bed. "Well, that's fine by me, Tia, honey, but if you're gonna insist on stayin' up, you'd just better be ready when that Shadow Man comes after you!" he replied, a devious grin on his face.
Tiana gasped. "M-maybe I will go to bed, then," she stammered, scurrying under the covers.
"That's my girl. Goodnight, babycakes." James smiled, giving his daughter a big hug.
"Goodnight, Daddy."
The second he was out the door, Tiana sat straight up in bed. She crawled over to the open window and peered out into the night. Her parents had often warned her to beware the wicked Shadow Man, the one that snatched the souls of naughty children who refused to go to bed on time; the one that sneaked into graveyards late at night to make the skeletons dance. She'd seen him on the street corner before, all tall and thin with his top hat and leering smile, but her parents had always clutched her hand tighter and hurried on before she could get a good look at him.
Tiana crawled back into bed and sighed. I wonder what he's doin' tonight, she thought.
The night was warm, and all was—for the most part—still. Far away, the clock on the Saint Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square chimed a lonely twelve o'clock. One bell, two bells, three bells… At this time of night, the cemetery was as silent as the dead buried within it. Not a soul stirred.
Well, except for one.
Four bells, five bells, six bells… Dr. Facilier, the Shadow Man himself, was growing impatient with all this waiting; he'd been lurking about the deserted graveyard for almost an hour, and now, even as the appointed time drew closer than ever, he was unbearably anxious to begin.
Seven bells, eight bells, nine bells… Behind him, Facilier's ever-faithful shadow quavered. Its senses were more finely tuned to the evil powers on The Other Side than its mortal counterpart's would ever be, and, already, it could feel the immense, dark energy pulsing through the night air, flowing in from what seemed like every direction. But even now, when the force of it seemed strong enough to bowl the poor shadow over, it was not yet at its full strength. No. That time would not come until the clock struck twelve.
Facilier's skeletal fingers twitched; his unsettling, violet eyes widened. "It ain't gon' be much longer now," he whispered to himself, joining the clock in its countdown as the final seconds of the hour trickled away. "Three…two…"
One.
A cold shiver, colder than anything the doctor had ever felt before, slithered up his spine. An unearthly, shrieking voice rasped in his ear: It is time, and Facilier understood what it meant. He clutched the thick book in his hand tighter. "Ya'll said you was gon' give me a show to remember," he muttered to the shadowy beings that had congregated in the darkness around him. "So, let's get this show on the road! Shall we, my Friends?"
No ordinary human would've heard the Shadows' reply, but Facilier did. Do as we have instructed you, they said, their voices like a chill wind through the trees. The doctor nodded and opened his book. With a piece of chalk from his back pocket, he etched in the ground an assortment of strange symbols arranged to form a large circle. He then pulled out a small knife, rather like a pocketknife, and made a small nick in his index finger, drawing blood. Wincing, he shook the blood from the cut into the center of the chalk circle.
Smoke suddenly shot up from the spot where it had touched the ground and slithered through the intertwining shapes as though it were lifeblood flowing through the veins of some horrendous creature. In the center of the circle, where the doctor's blood had once been, a small flame sprouted, causing Facilier to recoil.
Listen well, the Shadows commanded as they swirled around him. We possess powers far beyond all human comprehension—powers that surpass all time and existence: powers to bend anything and everything to our will! As if on cue, the small flame in the center of the circle suddenly leapt higher, singeing the starlit sky above. Facilier's eyes widened. And because you have summoned us, offering the Shadows a sacrifice of blood, we are able to share a small fraction of our power with you!The earth shook ferociously under the doctor's feet, forcing him to cling to a nearby monument in order to keep his balance.
Big mistake.
Without warning, Facilier felt something cold and slimy clutch onto his hand. He looked downward and, in spite of himself, shrieked and tumbled backwards,—spindly shadow and all— reeling in horror at what he saw.
Before him, standing nearly seven feet tall, all bleached bones and a leering grin that seemed to mock his own, was a skeleton. But this wasn't your average graveyard pile of bones: it stood upright as though it was still alive, and its eyes, though blank and hollow, somehow seemed to be glaring straight into the depths his dark soul. Its mouth opened, and from it, there erupted a screech more awful than any other sound Facilier had ever heard. In the distance, he could just barely make out the sounds of the Shadows horrendous laughter, cackling at him as he clutched his ears in agony.
"Just what are ya'll tryin' to pull?!" he cried, turning on them, causing them to retreat into the darkness, still tittering like schoolchildren.
Ah, foolish human, one of them sighed, its voice drifting into his thoughts as easily as mist over the bayou on a rainy afternoon. You understand so little.
Resurrecting the dead is just one of the powers we possess, another chimed in.
But it is just a small taste of our full potential, added yet another.
Shall we show you more?! the Shadows all chorused together, their voices pounding inside Facilier's mind.
The doctor smirked, finally understanding. "I thought you'd never ask!" he replied.
The howling wind mingled with shrieks of unholy delight roared in Facilier's ears as the ground shook once more, causing white, bony arms to shoot up from beneath the sod, followed by the bodies of dozens upon dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of tall, madly grinning skeletons! They stood before him like soldiers at attention, awaiting further instruction. Facilier's eyes almost seemed to glow with anticipation.
He could feel it within him now. This power, the power of the Shadows, was unstoppable. And now, after everything he'd been through,—all the studying, all the training, and that unfortunate incident with the old, blind lady—now it was his.
He turned to the small army of skeletons assembled in front of him, his yellowed teeth fixed in a crooked smile. "Well now, my bony friends," he began. "You're here—I'm here. The night's still young…" His eyes twinkled, reflecting the pale moon in the sky above. "So, tell me: why are we still standin' around?!"
And so, with the howling of the wind and the laughter of his shadowy Friends as their music, Dr. Facilier, the one and only Shadow Man, and his band of skeletons danced the night away.
So? What did you think? I hope you liked it, and please review!