Powdered Sugre 4
Chilled
Ryo shifted his hips stepping from foot to foot as he arranged Lyo's little dragon costume. The leathery wings kept going off center every time the child moved. "You okay," Dee whispered close to his ear. Ryo nodded turning red watching Bikky snicker behind his false fangs. "I'll be gentler tonight." He promised then pressed a small kiss to Ryo's cheek. "But when you started screaming my name like that I kind of lost it."
"Dee!" Ryo shushed him when Carol and Julie came downstairs. Carol looked ravishing in a white dress and long dark wig. She forgo white face paint this year preferring Heaven's healthy human complexion with her fangs. Julie wore an elaborate flower covered dress with wide pink wings. Rain stood beside her in a simple cheongsam that belted at the waist leaving many folds of cloth hiding his slim figure. His long hair was tied at his nape. With face powder and mascara he resembled a tan Lord D. "Now you boys make sure you keep holding onto Lyo's hand." Ryo informed them as they left to take their little brother trick-or-treating.
"Make sure you come back in about three hours," Dee called placing his hands on Ryo's hips. Ryo sighed as he shut the door making sure the bowl of candy resided in the hall chair so that he would be prepared when their doorbell began to ring. "Yep... that seems about right."
"It'll take three hours to give kids candy?" Rain asked with a grin. "Surely you know that the bell will not stop ringing until well after we return. Whatever plans you have may be postponed."
"Don't worry Dee," Ryo promised. "Our room is soundproofed we can all the fun you want later."
"But I wanted to play trick-or-treat," Dee pouted folding his arms.
"Da-Dee come with us," Lyo offered. Surely if Dee wanted to go trick-or-treating he should leave with them. Dee gave a indulgent smile as he shut the door. No sooner than he started licking Ryo's neck, the door bell rang. With a laugh Ryo got to his feet to hand out the large bowls of cavity inducing sweets.
Break
"I'm a dragon, just like grand da Laton, I'll blow fire..." Lyo danced around as a smiling old lady placed wrapped candy in his little bucket. "Biggy, look, Rain..." Lyo turned around smiling showing them his ample supply of bags. The boys and girls looked around and saw that they had reached the last house on this block.
"We should head back soon," Julie said holding onto Rain's arm as the night wore on getting darker the wind howling in the balmy evening air. "This wind is unusual."
"It's just wind," Jorge said laughing watching as his sister clung to Terry while their younger siblings all clamored around Lyo comparing bags.
"Hey," Bikky pointed. "One last house back there." Bikky peered through the trees to see lights in what appeared to be a small house far enough from the road to not be seen if not for the lights in it's windows.
"When did that get there?" Rain asked feeling his spine tingle as he looked at the house. The closer they got to the house, the further away he wanted to be.
"Look how old it looks," Bikky said. "It has probably been here since California was founded." Bikky laughed again. "You know the rules though, if the lights are on, they have candy. Let's be quick then take 'em all home." Lyo took hold of Bikky's hand as they approached the dilapidated house. Rain gasped as a shiver raced along his spine and he heard the wind roar in his veins followed by a flash of thunder. He looked to the sky, but there was no clouds heralding a storm.
"Wild Wind?" Rain wondered looking up again and seeing nothing. He took another step and the wind roared pushing him back. "Bikky wait!" Rain called out as Bikky knocked on the door. The force of his fist caused the door to swing open Rain gasped as he and Julie were knocked to the ground by a strong gust of wind that tried it's best to pull him back. "Stop it, I won't leave my brothers," Rain commanded. Julie looked at him oddly as the wind died and he got to his feet. Rain wondered why everyone stood staring into what appeared to be a one room shack. He watched as Bikky shoved Lyo and the other children behind him.
"Nice set-up," Bikky said tot he woman inside dressed in ratted colonial clothing. They could not tell the color of the outfit for it was splattered with an obscene amount of blood. He looked in horror at the walls that were covered in the same gory spatter. "That almost looks real. But you know what..." Bikky began to back away when the woman looked at him with clear gray eyes that did not appear to see him, or the group of young people looking at her. Carol gasped and hid her face in Bikky's shoulder when the womans stood reaching out to them blood dripping from her gashed open wrists.
"You have small ones," her voice was hollow, filled with a eerie chill that ran like ice over their skin. They all took another collective step back.
"I'll bet getting this ready took a lot of money and you had none left for candy," Bikky retreated two more steps picking Lyo into his arms his heart rate speeding up as Lyo began to sob. "So we are going to leave you in peace."
"Peace," her voice rose in startling volume as wild laughter shook her form, more blood falling to the floor, her hair looked as if it had once been blond now a matted brown as it was soon dripping as well. "Don't have peace, don't have money, don't have medicine, don't have nothing." She began to approach the door again reaching. "But you do, small ones gone, no children, no medicine, looks healthy." Lyo screamed as she lunged.
"Back!" Rain yelled extending his hands he was shocked to feel a force of wind blow past him pushing the woman until she fell into her chair. She looked startled at the group before her face mottled in demented rage and she began shrieking the door slammed in their faces.
"Run," Bikky urged as he carried Lyo, Rain scooped up another child while Julie sobbed and followed them. Jorge totted one of his siblings while Erick and Terry did what they could to help the older ones too large to carry. Carol looked behind them and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"She's behind us!" She shrieked again. "Bikky..."
"I pressed the panic button, I am getting no reception," Bikky said nearly stumbling over a raised stump he straitened and dared not look back. They heard wild howling in the trees as they dashed to what appeared to civilization. "We weren't this far back," Bikky said. "It did not take us this long to get here."
"That hag beckons," Bikky gasped as he saw an old man running beside him. "You will be safe soon, keep running," He commanded and Bikky recognized him as the old man who had given Rain the native clothing and called him Wind Rider. "Bikky looked beside the old man to see his wife frantically searching through several bags. The bloody woman shrieked again calling for the healthy young one. Bikky felt as if Lyo was being tugged from his arms and held the small boy tight to his chest using his velvet cape to trap the boy to his body.
"I'm not letting go," Bikky spat the words over his shoulder. His blood nearly stilled in his veins as he saw the bloody woman reaching out clawing at the air her clothes fluttering in the dark wind as she ran after them her feet never touching the ground. "I won't..." Bikky yelled at her running on. "Rain, you hold on to me," Bikky said over his shoulder. Rain nodded grasping the belt lop of Bikky's pants they crashed through the endless woods.
"Do not stop until you are with your parents," The old woman commanded as she and her husband ceased running. They both pulled two large sticks with bells and balls attached the bells jingled as they waved them. The old man reached into a pouch for some blessed dirt that he blew into the bloody woman's face. She howled in pain rage evident as she again reached after the retreating figures of the children. "She-Hag you are bound," The old woman commanded as simultaneously she and her husband slammed their sticks deep into the ground. The bloodied woman tried to continue to run after the children but fell back as if caught in a net. She tried several more times yelling in anguish before she slumped to her knees on the ground and moaned in agony. Bikky heard the sorrowful sound, but refused to turn around. He and the others kept going and soon found themselves near their home. They found the street deserted as the curfew had long ago passed. Bikky's phone began to buzz immediately as the cold wind died around them.
Ignoring his phone they continued running until they crashed up the grand staircase and into the door to find Ryo standing with his phone in his hand. Dee stood wearing a jacket preparing to leave the house. He stared down at the tangle of sobbing children in the hall. "Where the hell have you all been!?" Dee demanded when no said anything. "We have been worried sick for the past hour, Ryo was near ready to declare war!"
Ryo hung up the phone when he saw the Bikky was shaking as he held on to Lyo. "Dee...wait a sec." Ryo got to his knees on the floor near the huddled children and teenagers. "Bikky?" Ryo said softly watching as Bikky pulled Rain free of the tight grip the other boy had on his pants. Bikky nodded his head as he rocked Lyo back and forth. Ryo began to worry as Lyo sobbed clinging to his Biggy.
"I didn't let him go," Bikky said to Ryo his breathing ragged.
"I want to go home," Julie sobbed. "But I'm not going out there," She looked at the door and began to hyperventilate. "Don't make me go out there."
"It's okay," Dee said kneeling next to Ryo.
"No it isn't," Carol sobbed. "I have seen some odd stuff on Arcadia, I know the secrets, I have been there, but... not like this... nothing like this."
"Bikky," Ryo said calmly trying to take Lyo from Bikky's arms. Bikky held the boy tight refusing to release him. "It's okay Bikky, give me Lyo."
"Ryo," Bikky said tossing his arm around Ryo's neck pulling Rain and Dee into the embrace as well. "I did not let him go."
"Biggy keep me from bad lady, Rain make bad lady go away." Lyo sobbed reaching for Ryo. Only then did Bikky release his hold.
"Bikky," Dee said close to Bikky's ear, sure the other kids were in too much shock to care what they said he continued. "Were you attacked by demons."
"No," Dee sprang into action his gun out and pointed at the intruders. The old man and his wife both held up their hands in innocence. "We were called to aid the wind rider by Wild Wind himself."
"Will someone tell me what is going on here?" Dee said. "You kids get upstairs and get out of those costumes, we'll take you home in a bit." Dee looked at the old couple. Bikky and Rain stubbornly refused to leave. Lyo clung so tight to Ryo that it was no point in trying to dislodge his little fingers.
"Please,"Ryo said in a gentle voice as he got to his feet with Lyo in his arms. "Come into the living room."
"I will explain," The old man said. "When this land was first settled by the Europeans there was a family that settled in those woods. They did not have much money, but they were happy. They had two small children with them, the man I think was a woodsman, he hunted to feed them all. One day he oldest child became ill. He infected the younger child. They did not have money for medicine and both children died. Stricken with grief the wife went mad and murdered her husband with his own Axe, then she sat cradling his body for days. When the town marshal came looking for her she sliced him up as well then opened her own wrists."
"Every year," The old woman continued. "On this night she beckons to those who can see her lights. Trying to steal healthy children. She traps them in the woods with vile illusions and then they are found dead in the woods several weeks later. There are not many who can see her lights..." The old lady looked at Bikky with a deep gaze as if trying to peer into his very soul.
"Who are you that Wild Wind would send you to me?" Rain asked looking into the deep brown eyes of the old man. "And if you can hear the Thunder Bird, why are you not the Wind Rider?"
"I am too old," The old man said. "But in my youth, I rode wild and free, just as my son did after me and as his son is now expected to do." The man met Rain's eyes with sage nod. "Of course I knew you when I saw you, I was there the night of your birth, Rain Cloud."
To Be Continued
I hope you like our Halloween Spectacular, Sorry it is late, but look forward to Thanksgiving being nearly on time. Thank you for your continued reading of this series, you are appreciated and I look forward to comments. Oh and Ubiko, I do apologize for not answering a question that you had put to me about 'Who would kill a baby because of a Prophecy?" The Answer is King Herod, Refer to New testament the book of Matthew, chapter 2 verse 16-18. A lot of my work has references like that... Again thanks for reading.
Ja
Chi
