A/N: A Dragonball Z horror story closely following the plot of "The
Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs. I do not own Dragonball Z and any characters
in this story.
Chapter 1 - The Horror Beginning
Vegeta was mad. (Anything new?)
He clomped home in his large boots, a ruthless scowl on his face. His fists were tightly jammed into his pockets, and his brain churned with vicious and unsatisfying thoughts. In such moods, his family usually learned to avoid him.
When he arrived home, however, Bulma's cheerful smile brightened him a little. Her blue hair was cut short, barely brushing her cheekbones. She had on a simple orange gown, with matching orange orbs hanging off her ears. The dress was of poor material, and the orbs were cheap and tawdry plastic, but it was enough to give her a good look.
She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "How was work?"
"Awful," Vegeta muttered, sinking into his favorite plush armchair. The fire in the hearth was flickering merrily, casting flighty shadows on Vegeta's handsome face, distorted as it was by anger. "I don't see how we're going to make the payments this year," he added miserably.
Bulma walked up to the back of his chair, folding her arms on top of it, and gazing down on him with fond sympathy. "We'll find a way," she comforted. "We always have."
Vegeta grunted, his head dropping into his hands, chin on chest.
Then the door swung open. His daughter, Bulla, flounced in, followed by her older brother, Trunks, who was looking harrassed. Bulla took after her mother, with the same blue hair and cheerful demeanor. She was very fussy for a poor family, but Vegeta loved her with a passion.
Trunks took after his father, somewhat, in appearance, except for the white hair. He was sturdy and muscular, which suited him for his job as a blacksmith. He had accompanied his energetic sister on a stroll, and was tired.
Bulla continued her flounce to Vegeta's side. "Hello Dad!" she cried. Then she noticed his defeated manner. "What's wrong?" she asked anxiously. Her father was not a quitter, and rarely ever complained, most times covering up discomfort or pain with stiff grunting and a gruff silence.
Trunks kissed his mother, then walked to his father's side. "Dad?"
"Your father's had an off day, dear," Bulma explained, gazing at him once more in sympathy.
Bulla skipped over to her mother's side. She rummaged in the pocket of her red dress until she found what she was looking for. She presented it to her mother. It was a plastic pearl necklace, beautiful although cheap.
"I worked hard for you to get it, Mom," Bulla said. "You deserve it."
"Why, thank you dear!" Bulma cried. "How much?"
But Bulla could never reply. At that moment, a frenzied knock came at the door.
"Who could that be?" Bulma wondered aloud as the knock was repeated, louder, more insistent.
Putting on the new necklace, Bulma answered the door. As the short, stocky man at the door presented himself, a gust of wind blew into the house suddenly. The wind extinguished the crackling fire with a hiss as the room grew dark.
Vegeta's head shot out of his hands. It was a bad omen, and sent chills down his spine.
The man was quivering. He shakily presented himself as "Lord Satan". [1] "I have come with a proposal to you."
"Come in, come in," Bulma replied warmly.
"No, I'm afraid not," Lord Satan burbled. He was anxiously twisting his hands and his eyes flicked this way and that. He had a long chin that stuck out awkwardly, and a ring of black, curly hair fringed his head. He had a ragged mustache, and his red robe was tattered and worn. "My proposal to you--I have a rare and seldom seen item. 'Tis amazing. 'Tis--" he fumbled around in his pocket for a while, his hands shaking so badly it took some time for him to get it out.
At last, he revealed to them a long furry thing in his quivering hands. "'Tis known as the Saiyan Tail. Very mystifying. Very few see it or use it. It grants three wishes of any kind." He proffered it to Bulma, who took it up, awe in her eyes, as she stroked it with reverent fingers.
Vegeta listened, hooked to Lord Satan's every word.
"What we could do with such a treasure," Bulma whispered. Trunks leaned over his mother's shoulder to examine it, as did Bulla.
"What is the price?"
The man moistened his lips. "It comes with no price in cost to you, no no, no price," he babbled. "But if you are wont to take it, know this-- nothing you know and love is safe from this when it is in your hands." An insane gleam raged in his eyes. "Take it, take it away from my sight!" he said, raising his voice to a shout. "It causes pain and destruction wherever it goes. Beware!"
He fled, quivering and stumbling, over the snowy slopes of the little tree-ringed forest in which they lived. Bulma pitied the man with a shake of her head, and a murmured blessing. Then, her attention riveted on the Saiyan Tail, she walked over to Vegeta. "What shall we wish for, dear?" she asked in a awed whisper.
"Nothing," he said this so harshly Bulma stepped back. "This is cursed--you heard it yourself."
"You never know 'til you try, Dad," Trunks said.
"He has a point, Dad. What should I wish for?" Bulla asked, examining the tail hungrily.
Vegeta dropped his head into his hands once more. "Fine," he growled. "But don't blame me if anything goes wrong."
A silence sprouted up after his words. Vegeta remained huddled in the armchair, not saying a word. Bulla's eyes lit up, and she ignored her father's warning, exclaiming, "I know just what to wish for! Two hundred dollars!"
Trunks nodded eagerly. "I want to see what happens."
Bulla closed her eyes, holding the Saiyan Tail. "I wish for two hundred dollars."
Silence. She opened a tentative eye, expected a rain of green to wash over her, finding nothing. Bulma and Trunks looked about, confused.
"I told you so," Vegeta admonished. "What a tawdry man."
Bulla laid tail in front of the hearth with a sigh. "Well, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She and Trunks left the room.
Bulma put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "Are you coming, dear?"
Vegeta gave a sigh. He stood, following his wife out of the room, pausing for brief seconds to glance at the tail, curled before the fire.
When the room was empty, the tail gave a small twitch, its fur shining oddly. Then it lay as it was, without a trace of any movement during the night.
[1] - Lord Satan is Hercule.
Chapter 1 - The Horror Beginning
Vegeta was mad. (Anything new?)
He clomped home in his large boots, a ruthless scowl on his face. His fists were tightly jammed into his pockets, and his brain churned with vicious and unsatisfying thoughts. In such moods, his family usually learned to avoid him.
When he arrived home, however, Bulma's cheerful smile brightened him a little. Her blue hair was cut short, barely brushing her cheekbones. She had on a simple orange gown, with matching orange orbs hanging off her ears. The dress was of poor material, and the orbs were cheap and tawdry plastic, but it was enough to give her a good look.
She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. "How was work?"
"Awful," Vegeta muttered, sinking into his favorite plush armchair. The fire in the hearth was flickering merrily, casting flighty shadows on Vegeta's handsome face, distorted as it was by anger. "I don't see how we're going to make the payments this year," he added miserably.
Bulma walked up to the back of his chair, folding her arms on top of it, and gazing down on him with fond sympathy. "We'll find a way," she comforted. "We always have."
Vegeta grunted, his head dropping into his hands, chin on chest.
Then the door swung open. His daughter, Bulla, flounced in, followed by her older brother, Trunks, who was looking harrassed. Bulla took after her mother, with the same blue hair and cheerful demeanor. She was very fussy for a poor family, but Vegeta loved her with a passion.
Trunks took after his father, somewhat, in appearance, except for the white hair. He was sturdy and muscular, which suited him for his job as a blacksmith. He had accompanied his energetic sister on a stroll, and was tired.
Bulla continued her flounce to Vegeta's side. "Hello Dad!" she cried. Then she noticed his defeated manner. "What's wrong?" she asked anxiously. Her father was not a quitter, and rarely ever complained, most times covering up discomfort or pain with stiff grunting and a gruff silence.
Trunks kissed his mother, then walked to his father's side. "Dad?"
"Your father's had an off day, dear," Bulma explained, gazing at him once more in sympathy.
Bulla skipped over to her mother's side. She rummaged in the pocket of her red dress until she found what she was looking for. She presented it to her mother. It was a plastic pearl necklace, beautiful although cheap.
"I worked hard for you to get it, Mom," Bulla said. "You deserve it."
"Why, thank you dear!" Bulma cried. "How much?"
But Bulla could never reply. At that moment, a frenzied knock came at the door.
"Who could that be?" Bulma wondered aloud as the knock was repeated, louder, more insistent.
Putting on the new necklace, Bulma answered the door. As the short, stocky man at the door presented himself, a gust of wind blew into the house suddenly. The wind extinguished the crackling fire with a hiss as the room grew dark.
Vegeta's head shot out of his hands. It was a bad omen, and sent chills down his spine.
The man was quivering. He shakily presented himself as "Lord Satan". [1] "I have come with a proposal to you."
"Come in, come in," Bulma replied warmly.
"No, I'm afraid not," Lord Satan burbled. He was anxiously twisting his hands and his eyes flicked this way and that. He had a long chin that stuck out awkwardly, and a ring of black, curly hair fringed his head. He had a ragged mustache, and his red robe was tattered and worn. "My proposal to you--I have a rare and seldom seen item. 'Tis amazing. 'Tis--" he fumbled around in his pocket for a while, his hands shaking so badly it took some time for him to get it out.
At last, he revealed to them a long furry thing in his quivering hands. "'Tis known as the Saiyan Tail. Very mystifying. Very few see it or use it. It grants three wishes of any kind." He proffered it to Bulma, who took it up, awe in her eyes, as she stroked it with reverent fingers.
Vegeta listened, hooked to Lord Satan's every word.
"What we could do with such a treasure," Bulma whispered. Trunks leaned over his mother's shoulder to examine it, as did Bulla.
"What is the price?"
The man moistened his lips. "It comes with no price in cost to you, no no, no price," he babbled. "But if you are wont to take it, know this-- nothing you know and love is safe from this when it is in your hands." An insane gleam raged in his eyes. "Take it, take it away from my sight!" he said, raising his voice to a shout. "It causes pain and destruction wherever it goes. Beware!"
He fled, quivering and stumbling, over the snowy slopes of the little tree-ringed forest in which they lived. Bulma pitied the man with a shake of her head, and a murmured blessing. Then, her attention riveted on the Saiyan Tail, she walked over to Vegeta. "What shall we wish for, dear?" she asked in a awed whisper.
"Nothing," he said this so harshly Bulma stepped back. "This is cursed--you heard it yourself."
"You never know 'til you try, Dad," Trunks said.
"He has a point, Dad. What should I wish for?" Bulla asked, examining the tail hungrily.
Vegeta dropped his head into his hands once more. "Fine," he growled. "But don't blame me if anything goes wrong."
A silence sprouted up after his words. Vegeta remained huddled in the armchair, not saying a word. Bulla's eyes lit up, and she ignored her father's warning, exclaiming, "I know just what to wish for! Two hundred dollars!"
Trunks nodded eagerly. "I want to see what happens."
Bulla closed her eyes, holding the Saiyan Tail. "I wish for two hundred dollars."
Silence. She opened a tentative eye, expected a rain of green to wash over her, finding nothing. Bulma and Trunks looked about, confused.
"I told you so," Vegeta admonished. "What a tawdry man."
Bulla laid tail in front of the hearth with a sigh. "Well, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She and Trunks left the room.
Bulma put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "Are you coming, dear?"
Vegeta gave a sigh. He stood, following his wife out of the room, pausing for brief seconds to glance at the tail, curled before the fire.
When the room was empty, the tail gave a small twitch, its fur shining oddly. Then it lay as it was, without a trace of any movement during the night.
[1] - Lord Satan is Hercule.