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This was written for a Halloween Challenge (yes, I know Halloween is over). The first paragraph was provided, and a list of words (given at the end) had to be used.
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I hope you enjoy. :)
~*~*~*~
Doomy
~*~*~*~
They had gone. Foolishly gone. The outsider was dangerous. The dwellings of
a hermit were no place for children, and yet they had blindly stolen a speeder
to uncover the mysteries of the loner.
"Master Qui-Gon isn't a hermit!"
"Oh yes he is," Obi-Wan disagreed, folding his arms over his chest and giving
Bant an admonishing look. "Who is telling this story of doom, again?"
Bant gave him a level look with her silver eyes. She plopped down on Obi-Wan's
bed in the initiates' crèche. "It wasn't doomy," she muttered, but at another
glance from Obi-Wan, she fell silent, letting the ten year old continue.
Obi-Wan gave the gathered initiates a serious stare, standing before Garen and
a few of the others in the darkness. Gloom had long since fallen over their
quarters, and the Crèche Master was gone for the night. And tonight was the
night to tell scary stories, and it was Obi-Wan's turn. They sat, leaning
forward intensely, listening to the story Obi-Wan gracefully unfolded, as if it
had happened to another and not himself and Bant. The room was nearly black,
and all the initiates had turned of their personal lights to add to the effect
of the scary story.
They had been told numerous stories of the Jedi Master – that was on the
verge of turning, like his own apprentice had once been. He lived apart from
the rest of the Jedi Temple, and although the official statement was that he
lived alone and apart was because of his high stature, the children knew
otherwise. His apprentice had turned to the Dark Side – he was dead to the
Jedi, and yet alive. Undead. Stories had it that when he turned, the
walls of the Jedi Temple room were found the next morning streaming with blood,
so dark was that day.
"I've never heard that story," Bant interrupted, giving Obi-Wan another dark
look.
Garen finally interceded. "It's a story, Bant! Come on, it's just for fun!" he
said, giving her a pleading look. "You're ruining the . . ." He waved his hands
emphatically, searching for the proper way to express what he was thinking.
Another initiate, Kelya, a smart Twi'lek girl, popped up with the rest.
"Surreal mood," she said triumphantly.
The other initiates blinked. Bant sighed.
Obi-Wan grinned, and continued.
The children, though, were uncommonly brave. They wanted to know the truth
of this outsider, and had even stolen transportation to do it, in the dead of
night. They might face death, but they would go towards it bravely –
"You nearly peed your pants, Obi-Wan!" Bant chortled, quickly getting her revenge.
Obi-Wan glowered. Garen moaned in exasperation, though he let loose a short
giggle afterwards. The Twi'lek girl spoke up. "Can you please make the
sacrifice of silence so we can hear the story?"
Either she's going to get chosen by a Master fast, or get beat up,
Obi-Wan thought about the interestingly worded comment, but he nodded
gratefully at Kelya. Bant subsided.
They went forward, moving along dark halls, ignoring the still silence. They
moved up to the door of Master Jinn, moving as quietly as could be. The wiser,
more intelligent one knew something of getting into places unnoticed, and his
companion would follow. They entered the quarters within a few minutes.
Everything appeared normal. There was a couch, a table and chairs, and none of
it was frightening. Though there was a lot of alcohol lying about, which the
brave one thought was kind of funny, but he was grave about examining it as his
companion foolishly giggled, perhaps even letting the man, if he was in the
dwelling, know of their presence.
There was a quiet snort, but Obi-Wan didn't stop spinning his tale.
Then there was a noise. And lo! A giant man, with a head full of crazed hair
and wild, red-rimmed eyes, stumbled through one of the doorways. The two
children hid behind the couch immediately, hearts beating at lightspeed in
their chests, watching carefully. The man looked like a slayer of Sith, so
terrifying was his presence.
He looked at his used drinks for a moment, and then his eyes swept the premises
curiously, a sort of blank, zombie stare to them.
The two companions kept still.
The man raised an eyebrow, and turned away, entering the kitchen. The two
children remained where they were, uncertain of what to do next. They had
gotten into the dwelling of the feared Jedi Master. But what now?
They watched as Master Jinn entered again, a glass with clear liquid in his
hand. He moved over to a bookcase, set against the wall and near the couch the
children were hiding behind. He looked at something, and picked it up – a holo
of some kind, of people, too small to see from so far away. He looked sad, and
his terrible form seemed to wilt –
And then he looked up, straight at the two companions, and said, "Do you know
what happens to little initiates who break into Jedi Masters' quarters?" And
there was a devilish amusement in his eye, and he grinned!
The children screamed and ran, jumping onto a speeder –
"Obi-Wan, that's just silly," Bant interrupted, patience finally lost. "We were
in the Jedi Temple – how could we have gotten a speeder? Especially before
going there? Why even use it? Not to mention you're hotwiring skills no doubt
leave something to be desired from the example I saw," Bant finished primly.
"Bant!" Obi-Wan cried, folding his arms again. "You're spoiling it! It's . . .
it's . . . creative exaggeration!"
"Well, it's silly," Bant defended. "Master Qui-Gon caught us, took us to our
Crèche Master, and we were both assigned extra chores and meditation."
Obi-Wan put his face in his hands as the initiates giggled.
"He was just trying to make it a scary story!" Garen said, frowning and looking
at Bant, supporting his friend.
"I think we should go to bed," Kelya suggested. She gave Obi-Wan a sympathetic
look, and his appreciation of her went up a notch. "Maybe we can do this again
some other time." The other initiates nodded, and drifted off to their beds in
their respective quarters with their groups.
"I like Master Qui-Gon, no matter what people say about his former apprentice,"
Bant protested, explaining. Obi-Wan shot her another glare. He didn't care
about that – he just wanted to tell a scary story, not a tale of Master Jinn's
amusement at his antics.
"Night, Obi-Wan," Garen said with an understanding look of his own, and left
quickly and quietly, leaving Obi-Wan and Bant alone. Obi-Wan said nothing,
giving the girl a scowl.
Bant did the Calamari version of blushing, her skin getting a blue hue.
Obi-Wan shrugged, giving her a smile, if not much of one. Bant smiled in
relief, irrepressibly, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but fully return it. She was
his friend, even if she did irritating things sometimes.
"Well, then," Obi-Wan said, throwing out his arms and grinning at last. "The
end."
[fin]
List of words that had to be used:
- Blood
- Undead
- Sacrifice
- Death
- Slayer
- Zombie
- Grave
- Surreal
- Black
- Doom