All Characters in this story are the property of the Disney Company.
The story is based upon a scary story I heard around a Boy Scout campfire.
The chracter of the Fortune Teller is played by KPFAN72491.
Thanks to kpfan72491, a good friend, for all your help with proofreading. Check out her Danny Phantom stories.
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A Scary Story
This is a love story. But like all true love stories, there is always a bit of tragedy. Otherwise, how could we cherish our love for one another, if we never had to worry about life without that love?
Let me start by telling you about them.
They had a history, going back as far as they could remember. They started out as schoolmates, then good friends, and for the last few years, best friends. He was her protector, she was his defender. As such, no one knew them as well as they knew each other. With a simple glance, he knew what was on her mind and where her thoughts were leading her. With nothing more than a touch of his hand, she could tell his hopes and his worst fears. Birthdays, holidays, play dates, good and bad days, they could never remember a time when the other one wasn't present in each others lives. The idea of what life would be like without the other was simply unthinkable.
Good and bad times befall all men and women. Sorrow is part of our lot in life. Life was not always easy for them, but no matter what happened, as long as they were together, they faced everything and triumphed.
At the age of sixteen, a situation occurred that if they failed could have meant the end of their world and possibly of ours. Things had not gone well in their battle with the wizard and the witch. They had met with betrayal at the hands of someone that had entered their lives only a few weeks earlier. This golden newcomer had tried to drive them apart, playing with her emotions. The evil one nearly drove a wedge between the two of them that was clearly crushing him. Hope seemed lost. But near the end, even as she felt defeated and was giving up, they still had each other, and the bond they shared could not be broken. This bond grew stronger that last night. For though they found that almost all others had forsaken them, he overcame his greatest fear and spoke to her from his heart.
"Out there…In here."
Her heart leaped within her small frame, "He loves me, He LOVES me, HE LOVES ME!"
With the renewed strength of his professed love, stirring her soul, and the help of a naked mole rat, they escaped their bonds, and defeated the evil blue wizard and his partner, the green witch.
Now to the story.
The school dance that night was like all others before it. Loud music, odd lights, noisy crowds, and horrible food. To them, however, this was a magical night. For the first time they danced, but no longer as 'bestest' friends. That night they danced as lovers do. It started slowly, the dance unsure as they grew into their love for each other. But grow it did, there on the dance floor. They held each other tight. The only music they heard coming from their souls, a beautiful composition written over their lifetime and playing a melody that they alone could hear. The room around them was dark, the only lights they could see coming from each others eyes. His deep, chocolate brown pools, she knew if she stared long enough, she could get lost in them. He could only see her emerald green eyes, jewels to rival the greatest treasures a man could ever possess. They paid no heed to anyone else, holding tightly onto each other, ignoring the rest of the noise coming from the crowd. Their physical hunger satiated through each others touch.
And so they danced.
Far into the night, and on into the next morning. They stopped only long enough to profess their love to each other with tender, loving words and a heart felt kiss.
And so they danced.
Their lives became the dance, circling and twirling, holding each other in their arms, and growing both physically and emotionally, dancing to music they created and only they could hear.
And so they danced.
What joy she found in his arms, what power she felt whenever she held him, she could do anything. What joy he found in her arms, what power he felt whenever he held her, he could quickly overcome any fear, his innate clumsiness disappeared when he wrapped his arms around her and twirled her around.
And so they danced.
Eventually their lives joined at the altar, two souls becoming one, and with a promise to God in a ceremony that ended with a dance.
And so they danced.
They danced on the first day when they moved into their new home, enjoying the strength of what they could do together. They danced through their first few years of a married couple, the ups and downs, the joys and pain. Their bond of love growing stronger with each day and with each dance.
And so they danced.
What a glorious day it was when she came to him with the news. They would no longer be a couple, but a trio! Their dance that day surpassed any other they had shared before. A child to love. The creation of a life which came from their love for each other. She would be the perfect mother, he would be the perfect father. Their child would soon dance with them.
And so they danced.
But they lost the baby. Not quite into three months. Joy became pain. Laughter gave way to silence. She was to never know the feel of their child in her arms. He would never pickup their child and make them laugh at his goofy grins.
The dance slowed.
One day, the music faltered, the dance became erratic. What the argument was about, no one remembers. It was that insignificant. They had gone thru bad times before, but their love and the dance had always carried them through. Yet something was different this time. They danced, but it just did not seem the same.
Later, another argument, another fight, another worthless reason. Perhaps they had not completely resolved the first one quite yet.
One day they stopped dancing.
Oh how they yearned for the dance. They lay awake at night remembering the dance. But pride and pain slowly bent the unbreakable bond they had shared since the beginning. She remembered the dance, but could not forget the words he said to her last night. He also remembered the dance, but could not forget the stinging slap to his face. However, neither of them could remember the reason why they fought.
Silence filled their lives. Along with the dance, the music also stopped, nothing could be heard in the house except the flowing of tears. There were no longer any arguments, but also no words of comfort and love were spoken.
This went on for what seemed like eternity.
One day the both decided to go into the town, just to get away from the house and the silence there. The local town festival was today, and with it came pleasant memories of past festivals.
She went off to see the exhibits of agriculture and science, he went to see the games and the exhibits of oddities.
She found wonders of the world that could stagger the mind. He found a dirty pitched tent, with a sign that said STEFI WEFI the Fortune Teller, Future Seen, and Fortunes Told.
She saw people laughing and dancing and thought this could be exactly what they needed. He was drawn into the tent with promises of things he knew were wrong, but he went in, unable to resist.
She went to find him, love, hope, and forgiveness growing again in her heart. He found himself in a smoky room, with an exotic, older woman seductively spread out on a small couch behind a table and chair.
She motioned for him to sit down. Then she spoke, "Tell me what your heart desires?"
He sat down in the chair and replied, "I wish to find happiness again. I wish that my wife and I will find our way back to what we had. We have lost our way and I seek a path back with her."
She gazed into a glass ball on her table, "Ah, but the trial you two are going through has not ended. Your path back to her is one of danger and potential loss."
He quickly responded from his heart, "But her love is all that matters to me. Tell me what I must do."
She smiled and gazed back into the globe, "Good, I see that you have not lost your love for each other, you simply have forgotten how to show it. Even now she seeks you out, to also start anew."
Suddenly her smile faded and a sad look replaced it on her face, "However, there will shortly come a time when you will feel you must leave your wife. You will have one last fight, it will be bad, but your love may survive this, if you follow my advice."
"And what is your advice?"
"Do not leave her. No matter how bad it gets, no matter what your head tells you, follow your heart and stay with her. If you must leave, never be parted from her for more than three days."
"So I must leave her for three days?"
Her eyes flashed, "NO, I did not say you must leave, but that you will be tempted to do so. If you do leave, do not leave her for more than the three days."
She looked down, and continued to stare into the ball, "Be warned, if you are gone from her side for more than three days, I see that you will lose her forever."
He stood up to leave, to find her and make things better.
The woman followed him to the tent opening. "Now go, she seeks you, and your love. Go to her and give her all that is in your heart. But heed my warning!"
He exited her tent and searched for his love. They found each other at a place where some local musicians had started playing. With tears of joy, mixed with tears of sorrow, the two lovers started to dance again. The dance was slow as each apologized to the other. Griping each other tightly, the dance gained momentum as they remembered their love and what each meant to the other.
And so they danced.
They danced as they had never before. They danced away the pain. They danced away the sorrow. The joy of the dance returned to them and with it, their love. They danced away the night, returning to their home with promises to never stop dancing again. The pain filled past forgotten in the music and the joy of the dance.
And so they danced.
But not all things should have been forgotten.
And so they danced.
Months past as each worked hard to regain what had been lost.
And so they danced.
Life and love returned to their home and with it came the birth of children. Twins. A boy with blonde hair and fair skin, the girl with bright red hair and a face full of freckles. The sound of children's laughter is a gift/blessing from God and that blessing filled their home.
And so they danced.
One season there was a blight in the valley and the crops where not a plentiful as they had been in seasons past. Provisions were tight in their home, but they knew the love of their family would help them in this time of trial. He worked the fields as best as he could, she took a job in the town, the children began taking over more chores in the house. Each doing, in love, what was needed to help the family.
And so the four of them danced.
No parent was ever too busy to stop and bring joy to the children's lives. Funny faces, stories at bedtime, piggyback rides around the yard. Each child using their gifts to lighten the burden of the parents. The boy could make his mother howl with laughter with his antics and pratfalls. The pride the father felt as his little girl surpassed his gift in the kitchen, producing treats for the family with what little food they had on hand.
And so they danced.
This growing season had started so well, the farm was actually looking to make a surplus in both the grains and the livestock. They had discussed different ways to make the surplus help them. He wanted to buy equipment to make the farm easier to work, making his daily burden lighter. She wished to invest the surplus in a bank, to help them in times of future trouble. They simply could not decide.
Eventually he decided what the best course of action should be. He got up early one morning, before his wife and children were up. He left her a note explaining where he was going and that he would be back within a few days. He knew she might be a little angry, but that she would understand, once he got back.
So he set off on foot, smiling at his decision, and confident that all will be perfect when he was done. He hurried, trying to get as much distance as he could before twilight came. The next day, as he walked through the woods, his mind turned to her and their family. The sounds of the birds reminded him of his little girl and her giggles as he tickled her. Above him, he could hear a branch snap and saw a small squirrel scamper down the tree, reminding him of his son, and the silly way he would trip over nothing. The leaves of green were so vivid in color, reminding him of her eyes. He missed them so much and wished he was home.
He was about halfway through the second day when came across a village having a small celebration. Passing through the town, he was startled to see the fortune teller he had talked to years earlier. She was standing out front of her tent when she saw him coming near.
"FOOL, do you not remember my warning? IDIOT, heed my words! Do NOT leave her for more than three days."
Instantly he remembers her advice from so long ago. He stood there in fear of her as she waved her hands in the air, shouting words in a language he did not understand. Then she spoke to him in English, "the Blue Wizard and the Green Witch will be after her. And you have left her alone! Hurry back to them that you love, run back to your family and save them from harm."
He turned back to the path he had come from and began to run home. He could hear her voice shouting at him, "Heed no stranger, and follow no path but the one you know."
And so he ran.
His sides hurting, each breath painful to draw, but still he ran. He had already been gone two days, he knew he could make it back in time, but only by not stopping. Each minute he stopped to rest or sip water seemed like forever. He could not abandon his family to the evil ones.
And so he ran.
Hour after hour, mile by mile he ran. Crossing the fields, jumping the streams, and racing through the woods disregarding the stings as the branches seem to slap his face. His heart beating so hard he thought it would burst, but his heart was also filled with such love, he knew it dared not.
And so he ran.
The third day began already more than half over, but he knew he could make it. He could make it back to them, for them, regardless of what he had to do. As he came to within miles of his home, he began to call out their names. He came to a familiar crossroad, and his heart leaped as he knew he was close.
But he also knew only one way back home, it was a smooth path but it would take him around the area of forest that was filled with a black swamp. No one he knew had ever made it across, yet this path would save him time and distance to getting back to his family. He remembers the fortune teller's words, 'Heed no stranger, and follow no path but the one you know.' With that thought he turned to the smooth path and started to run.
"Wait," he heard her shout. Turning towards the voice, it was her, the fortune teller. "Wait, you will not make it in time going that way. You must go through the swamp, it is the only way you will make it in time."
How she got there he didn't question. After all she had to have some type of powers, otherwise how could she have gotten there at the same time he did?
"I will do as you say, but everyone knows the swamp has no bottom. Is it safe?"
"Yes," she said with an unusual laugh, "the swamp does have a bottom, now hurry up and start through before the sun sets. You are almost home."
He started to run through the swamp, pushing moss away from his face and dodging limps that seem to block his path. He was less than a mile away, when he began to sink. He struggled to make ach step, but the swamp only seemed to grab onto his legs and would not let go. Deeper and deeper he sank, but to no avail. As the sun began to set, he heard his wife screams, and could see smoke rising from th4e direction where his house was. He had failed them. With tears in his eyes, he continued to sink into the swamp. He turned his head to see the fortune teller standing in the middle of the swamp and she was laughing at him.
"Why do you mock me? I took your advice and came in here. I would have made it home, if I had stayed to the path. I have lost my family, the loves of my life. You said this swamp had a bottom."
"Oh it does have a bottom, you buffoon," and right before his eyes she changed from the fortune teller into the green witch.
"You just haven't sunk deep enough to reach it. HAHAHAHAHAHA."
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