Disclaimer: Redwall isn't my property. Neither are these characters.
They were all created by Slagar the Cruel of Slagar the Cruel Productions.
His site can be found at stcp.vze.com. This short novel (it probably
doesn't even count as a novel, but it has chapters, so for the sake of this
disclaimer we'll call it a novel) is based on his short (but nonetheless
intensely fun) downloadable video game called The Haunted Abbey. If you
haven't beaten it yet, reading this novel would help you a lot with the
game. If you're a gaming purist, however, you don't want to know what
happens before you figure it out for yourself. So I urge you: if you
don't want the game spoiled for you, then don't read further.
Chapter 1: The Nightmare Begins
A shiver ran down the young mouse's spine as he perched himself upon a boulder in the middle of a woods that lonely October night. He breathed hard. He had walked all the way from Castle Floret, that thriving capital of the Southwest, nearly a week's march from his current location.
He was on his way to a place that he had heard about in bedtime stories as a young one: Redwall. At the moment however, he was on his way to an inn to meet his friends who would be going with him on the journey. They had just been getting off a ship, having been put fighting searats.
Suddenly, the mouse's ears perked up. He looked around. There was a straining in the wind just across the path, as though it were blowing through something. That's odd, the mouse thought to himself. I didn't know of anything around here...this area of the woods has been deserted for a very long time. There was something here once, I remember...but it was destroyed. Yes, that was it. It can't've been anything.
Overcome with curiosity, the mouse got up off of his perch to investigate. He had been off the path for five minutes only when he saw it, looming up off the path...a gigantic stone building. The mouse was engulfed in shadow. Seeing the gates slightly ajar, he walked through. Perhaps I can find shelter here for the night, the mouse thought. That hare gave me terrible directions. I know that inn is around here somewhere...yes, but it's very late. I think I'll sleep here for the night. Perhaps there are kind beasts and good food.
Entering the gates, he looked up. A gigantic stone door stood in the way, barring his path. A stone arch stood above the door. At the peak of the arch was an inscription: Soilran Abbey. That must've been what was in this area, the mouse thought to himself. Huh, this is odd. Nobeast is coming out to greet me, and there's no sound from inside. Oh well.... Gripping the handle, he pushed inside.
Darkness greeted him. He heard a noise behind him; wheeling around, he saw that the door had shut tightly behind him. What in the world? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, the mouse thought. Either way, there's no turning back now. A gatehouse lay to the right, and the mouse decided that checking that would be best. That's right, he assured himself, the Gatekeeper will tell me everything I need to know.
Upon entering the Gatehouse, however, the young mouse was not told everything by the Gatekeeper. In fact, the place was completely deserted. To the left was a desk and chair, both of them covered in cobwebs. Upon the desk were clumps of what appeared to have been paper. It wasn't anymore though, just yellowed clumps of cobweb-covered material. Next to the paper lay a pen, which actually looked quite new when juxtaposed with the paper. To the right were a set of cabinets.
Curiosity overtook the young mouse once again; he immediately went over to the cabinets and opened them. Inside, he saw a mass of yellowing and decaying papers. There was one paper, however, that stood out from the rest. It looked relatively new. Picking it up, the mouse turned it over and read it. It appeared to be some sort of stationery. It was completely blank, except for the top, which was adorned with a single R. Frowning, the young mouse pocketed the parchment...it might come in handy at some point, he thought to himself.
Completely creeped out by the place, the young mouse left the gatehouse. This place is deserted, he thought to himself. The whole Abbey. They're all gone. Where could they all have gone, leaving the Abbey in this condition? Ahead, he saw the main building looming; he veered straight for it. His rationality was kicking in now. No, no, he told himself. There's no way this place is deserted. They're probably all in the main building, extremely quiet.
He pushed the main doors ajar, and the sight that he saw made him jump. There were no beasts in here. There was nothing, in fact, in the entire main hall except for three overturned and rotting tables. Across from the main doors there was a courtyard; to the right a huge staircase spiraled upwards, revealing that there must be some sort of second floor. On the right side of the room was a doorway.
Moving into the room, the young mouse examined the tables more closely. There were arrows embedded in them, and the wood was slashed. A struggle took place here, the mouse concluded. In the midst of the tables was a mantelpiece with a skull motif carved upon it. There was some sort of writing all over its sides.
The young mouse hurdled the tables and broke into an all-out sprint towards the courtyard. Wherever he was, he sure as heck didn't want to be inside this place.
Skidding to a halt in the courtyard, the mouse saw three different options. There was an orchard, a pond, and a maze. A maze! the mouse thought excitedly to himself. It must lead to a way out! Breaking into a sprint again, the mouse ran into the hedges. Leaning into the corner, he peeled right immediately. He ran until he hit a hedge.
"Woah!" he exclaimed as he slammed into it full force, falling down. Picking himself up and dusting himself off, the young mouse looked around. He ran to the right again, but soon ran into a dead end.
Going back to where had fallen down, he turned left. He kept running until he nearly hit another hedge; his speed, considerable before, had been multiplied by a large coefficient. That coefficient was fear.
There was only one direction he could go: left. Again, he broke into that dead sprint. He shot past a turnoff without a second thought, slamming into another hedge a couple of seconds later.
Shaking himself, he turned and headed back towards the turnoff he hadn't taken. He went through it. Though the path twisted and turned, it stayed true; there were no turnoffs.
Suddenly, the mouse pulled up. He had reached a turn. Leaning left, he started to break into a run again. As soon as he started, however, he stopped. Looking to his right, he saw a boathouse. Perhaps I might find something to help me get out in there, the mouse thought.
The house was in a terrible state of decay. In it was an upturned boat. Lifting it up a little, the mouse was disappointed to find only worms and grubs underneath. Letting the edge of the boat down again, the mouse looked around. Upon one of the shelves lay an exceptionally well- crafted fishing rod.
Being a bit of an angler himself, the mouse took it eagerly. I might not be able to fish here, he thought, but at least I have something to show for this stupid idea.
Leaving the boathouse, the mouse took a left to continue in the direction he had been going. Soon, he came to a gate. He could see the lever that controlled it atop the hedge. Beyond the gate was a pond, surrounded by some sort of dirt field. Maybe I can fish here after all, the mouse thought. Hey, that's right, he said to himself. I saw this pond before I entered the maze.
Taking his fishing rod, he tried to recall all of the skill that had made him so admired back at Castle Floret. Zip...thunk! His cast was true, and he caught the lever. Giving it a tug, he opened the gate and strode out into the dirt.
The water was completely stagnant. Is there anything in here? the mouse thought to himself. Picking up a clump of dirt, he hurled it into the pool. Some bubbles rose to the surface. That's odd, the mouse thought. Nothing could be living in that water. Well, I guess something has to be, if bubbles come up. I'm gonna catch it.
Casting his line into the water, the young mouse sat down to wait for his quarry to bite. He knew he didn't have any bait, but he figured that whatever it was must be so hungry that if he just moved the hook around a bit it would bite.
Looking up, the young mouse could make out a sign in the darkness. It ran thus: "WARNING. SOME BIG FISHES ARE RAISED IN THE POND FOR FEASTS. STAY AWAY FROM THE POND." Hah, the mouse thought to himself. Not too big for me to catch!
Suddenly, the young mouse felt something that made his heart stop. Something was tugging on his line. He hadn't really expected to catch anything in the stagnant water. Reeling in, he saw something that made him scream as he'd never screamed before. The skeleton of a horribly animated pike had bitten his hook. The huge fish wriggled free, but began circling, as if to attack.
As if one of the monsters wasn't enough, several other fish could be seen below the surface. Gulping, the mouse knew they were coming for him. He turned to run, but somehow the gate had shut again.
Palms sweating, he grasped his fishing rod. A pike made a beeline for him. As it broke the surface, he cast at it, leaping away at the same time. The hook caught the fish's mouth, and it dissipated.
Another fish dived. Catching it in the same way, he watched as it dissipated just as the first had. He repeated this process two more times. Finally, there was only one pike left.
It dived. The young mouse cast, but missed. The pike returned to the center of the pond, circling. It dived again. This time, the mouse's cast was true, and he caught the pike by the jaws. Wrenching it out of the pond, he dropped it onto the ground, where it ceased to move and became naught but a skeleton.
Emerging from the pike came something which took the young mouse's breath away. The ghost of a hedgehog came out of the skeletal remains of the pike. Struck dumb, the mouse listened as the hedgehog spoke, more to himself than to the mouse, who sat open-mouthed, gaping in horror.
"I was running...from the vermin...I thought I could find some sort of refuge in the Courtyard. I was running so fast that I slipped and fell headfirst into the jaws of those fishes. I suppose I was lucky, though...while I had already been hit by the bonding of souls, I had escaped the bonding of wills...the terrible curse not even these fishes could avoid." He paused, and suddenly stared straight at the young mouse.
He would have jumped with fright, but he was already scared to his limit. He stayed perfectly still as the hedgehog spoke. "Perhaps you will be the one who will lift our curse. In that case, I shall provide what aid that I can." The hedgehog vanished, leaving behind only a single bronze key.
Taking a deep breath, the young mouse picked it up, and stepped back into the Courtyard.
Chapter 1: The Nightmare Begins
A shiver ran down the young mouse's spine as he perched himself upon a boulder in the middle of a woods that lonely October night. He breathed hard. He had walked all the way from Castle Floret, that thriving capital of the Southwest, nearly a week's march from his current location.
He was on his way to a place that he had heard about in bedtime stories as a young one: Redwall. At the moment however, he was on his way to an inn to meet his friends who would be going with him on the journey. They had just been getting off a ship, having been put fighting searats.
Suddenly, the mouse's ears perked up. He looked around. There was a straining in the wind just across the path, as though it were blowing through something. That's odd, the mouse thought to himself. I didn't know of anything around here...this area of the woods has been deserted for a very long time. There was something here once, I remember...but it was destroyed. Yes, that was it. It can't've been anything.
Overcome with curiosity, the mouse got up off of his perch to investigate. He had been off the path for five minutes only when he saw it, looming up off the path...a gigantic stone building. The mouse was engulfed in shadow. Seeing the gates slightly ajar, he walked through. Perhaps I can find shelter here for the night, the mouse thought. That hare gave me terrible directions. I know that inn is around here somewhere...yes, but it's very late. I think I'll sleep here for the night. Perhaps there are kind beasts and good food.
Entering the gates, he looked up. A gigantic stone door stood in the way, barring his path. A stone arch stood above the door. At the peak of the arch was an inscription: Soilran Abbey. That must've been what was in this area, the mouse thought to himself. Huh, this is odd. Nobeast is coming out to greet me, and there's no sound from inside. Oh well.... Gripping the handle, he pushed inside.
Darkness greeted him. He heard a noise behind him; wheeling around, he saw that the door had shut tightly behind him. What in the world? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, the mouse thought. Either way, there's no turning back now. A gatehouse lay to the right, and the mouse decided that checking that would be best. That's right, he assured himself, the Gatekeeper will tell me everything I need to know.
Upon entering the Gatehouse, however, the young mouse was not told everything by the Gatekeeper. In fact, the place was completely deserted. To the left was a desk and chair, both of them covered in cobwebs. Upon the desk were clumps of what appeared to have been paper. It wasn't anymore though, just yellowed clumps of cobweb-covered material. Next to the paper lay a pen, which actually looked quite new when juxtaposed with the paper. To the right were a set of cabinets.
Curiosity overtook the young mouse once again; he immediately went over to the cabinets and opened them. Inside, he saw a mass of yellowing and decaying papers. There was one paper, however, that stood out from the rest. It looked relatively new. Picking it up, the mouse turned it over and read it. It appeared to be some sort of stationery. It was completely blank, except for the top, which was adorned with a single R. Frowning, the young mouse pocketed the parchment...it might come in handy at some point, he thought to himself.
Completely creeped out by the place, the young mouse left the gatehouse. This place is deserted, he thought to himself. The whole Abbey. They're all gone. Where could they all have gone, leaving the Abbey in this condition? Ahead, he saw the main building looming; he veered straight for it. His rationality was kicking in now. No, no, he told himself. There's no way this place is deserted. They're probably all in the main building, extremely quiet.
He pushed the main doors ajar, and the sight that he saw made him jump. There were no beasts in here. There was nothing, in fact, in the entire main hall except for three overturned and rotting tables. Across from the main doors there was a courtyard; to the right a huge staircase spiraled upwards, revealing that there must be some sort of second floor. On the right side of the room was a doorway.
Moving into the room, the young mouse examined the tables more closely. There were arrows embedded in them, and the wood was slashed. A struggle took place here, the mouse concluded. In the midst of the tables was a mantelpiece with a skull motif carved upon it. There was some sort of writing all over its sides.
The young mouse hurdled the tables and broke into an all-out sprint towards the courtyard. Wherever he was, he sure as heck didn't want to be inside this place.
Skidding to a halt in the courtyard, the mouse saw three different options. There was an orchard, a pond, and a maze. A maze! the mouse thought excitedly to himself. It must lead to a way out! Breaking into a sprint again, the mouse ran into the hedges. Leaning into the corner, he peeled right immediately. He ran until he hit a hedge.
"Woah!" he exclaimed as he slammed into it full force, falling down. Picking himself up and dusting himself off, the young mouse looked around. He ran to the right again, but soon ran into a dead end.
Going back to where had fallen down, he turned left. He kept running until he nearly hit another hedge; his speed, considerable before, had been multiplied by a large coefficient. That coefficient was fear.
There was only one direction he could go: left. Again, he broke into that dead sprint. He shot past a turnoff without a second thought, slamming into another hedge a couple of seconds later.
Shaking himself, he turned and headed back towards the turnoff he hadn't taken. He went through it. Though the path twisted and turned, it stayed true; there were no turnoffs.
Suddenly, the mouse pulled up. He had reached a turn. Leaning left, he started to break into a run again. As soon as he started, however, he stopped. Looking to his right, he saw a boathouse. Perhaps I might find something to help me get out in there, the mouse thought.
The house was in a terrible state of decay. In it was an upturned boat. Lifting it up a little, the mouse was disappointed to find only worms and grubs underneath. Letting the edge of the boat down again, the mouse looked around. Upon one of the shelves lay an exceptionally well- crafted fishing rod.
Being a bit of an angler himself, the mouse took it eagerly. I might not be able to fish here, he thought, but at least I have something to show for this stupid idea.
Leaving the boathouse, the mouse took a left to continue in the direction he had been going. Soon, he came to a gate. He could see the lever that controlled it atop the hedge. Beyond the gate was a pond, surrounded by some sort of dirt field. Maybe I can fish here after all, the mouse thought. Hey, that's right, he said to himself. I saw this pond before I entered the maze.
Taking his fishing rod, he tried to recall all of the skill that had made him so admired back at Castle Floret. Zip...thunk! His cast was true, and he caught the lever. Giving it a tug, he opened the gate and strode out into the dirt.
The water was completely stagnant. Is there anything in here? the mouse thought to himself. Picking up a clump of dirt, he hurled it into the pool. Some bubbles rose to the surface. That's odd, the mouse thought. Nothing could be living in that water. Well, I guess something has to be, if bubbles come up. I'm gonna catch it.
Casting his line into the water, the young mouse sat down to wait for his quarry to bite. He knew he didn't have any bait, but he figured that whatever it was must be so hungry that if he just moved the hook around a bit it would bite.
Looking up, the young mouse could make out a sign in the darkness. It ran thus: "WARNING. SOME BIG FISHES ARE RAISED IN THE POND FOR FEASTS. STAY AWAY FROM THE POND." Hah, the mouse thought to himself. Not too big for me to catch!
Suddenly, the young mouse felt something that made his heart stop. Something was tugging on his line. He hadn't really expected to catch anything in the stagnant water. Reeling in, he saw something that made him scream as he'd never screamed before. The skeleton of a horribly animated pike had bitten his hook. The huge fish wriggled free, but began circling, as if to attack.
As if one of the monsters wasn't enough, several other fish could be seen below the surface. Gulping, the mouse knew they were coming for him. He turned to run, but somehow the gate had shut again.
Palms sweating, he grasped his fishing rod. A pike made a beeline for him. As it broke the surface, he cast at it, leaping away at the same time. The hook caught the fish's mouth, and it dissipated.
Another fish dived. Catching it in the same way, he watched as it dissipated just as the first had. He repeated this process two more times. Finally, there was only one pike left.
It dived. The young mouse cast, but missed. The pike returned to the center of the pond, circling. It dived again. This time, the mouse's cast was true, and he caught the pike by the jaws. Wrenching it out of the pond, he dropped it onto the ground, where it ceased to move and became naught but a skeleton.
Emerging from the pike came something which took the young mouse's breath away. The ghost of a hedgehog came out of the skeletal remains of the pike. Struck dumb, the mouse listened as the hedgehog spoke, more to himself than to the mouse, who sat open-mouthed, gaping in horror.
"I was running...from the vermin...I thought I could find some sort of refuge in the Courtyard. I was running so fast that I slipped and fell headfirst into the jaws of those fishes. I suppose I was lucky, though...while I had already been hit by the bonding of souls, I had escaped the bonding of wills...the terrible curse not even these fishes could avoid." He paused, and suddenly stared straight at the young mouse.
He would have jumped with fright, but he was already scared to his limit. He stayed perfectly still as the hedgehog spoke. "Perhaps you will be the one who will lift our curse. In that case, I shall provide what aid that I can." The hedgehog vanished, leaving behind only a single bronze key.
Taking a deep breath, the young mouse picked it up, and stepped back into the Courtyard.