Disclaimer - don't own the characters etc etc
"Danny so where's that fairy ring you said you wanted to show us?" Sam asked, stepping carefully over a tree trunk. Tucker climbed carefully over a fallen tree behind them. Their flashlights waved around, scanning the area.
"It's not that far, just behind those sets of trees. I think?" Danny pointed over to the left.
The Fentons studied myths. Their clan history was long connected to the Fae. In honor of his ancestors, Jack Fenton chose to study Mythology. Maddie whose ancestors came from Ireland was interested in myths of her homeland. They met and clicked well over myths. Maddie's knowledge as a historian had came in handy in filtering out fake artifacts and translating old texts. Years ago, they discovered an old grimoire in the stack of belongings Jack inherited from his great aunt. Within it they found a ritual for opening gateway into the 'Other' world where Fae and other supernatural beings were said to have retreated to.
It took almost twenty years but finally they have gathered the required items and successfully grew their mushroom ring. They could barely contain their excitement.
The trio stumbled over the uneven undergrowth and into a clearing. Scattered clouds lazily floated across the sky, lighting the clearing with random patches of light.
"Is this the place?"
"Yeah, over there." Danny pointed to a clump of something white littering the grounds. They trudged on with flashlights in their hands lighting the way.
"Here" Danny slowed down to a stop, "this is it."
"This?" Sam asked incredulously, "this is what your parents have been so obsessed about since you were old enough to remember?" she cautiously toed the mushrooms but stopping just short of touching the milky white mushroom cups.
"Hmm I don't see it," Tucker squinted, light reflecting off his glasses, "these look just like ordinary mushrooms to me."
They waited impatiently for Samhain to arrive. Iron filings were carefully poured around the mushroom circle as countermeasure just incase the ritual is real. As farfetched as it seems, they weren't risking the possibility that the Fenton grimoire is the real deal. Especially when their family had so many stories about their interactions with the Fae folk. They've also brought several protection charms just in case.
The moon was rising over the horizon when his parents poured the last ingredients on the floor and chanted. They waited for the moon's rays to pass over the ring. But nothing happened. Jack poked the interior of the ring with his finger but it only met moist grass and soil. Disappointed but not that surprised, Jack and his family decided to return to civilization.
"These look like the usual mushroom rings you see in the neighborhood gardens." Sam noted, crouching down to take a closer look at the mushrooms, the flashlight in her hand pointing at the white ring formation. "Yep, just like the one in my grandmother's garden."
Tucker, losing interest in the ring, strolled around the clearing idly. "Oh yeah, that time when you were into the fairy princess phase and tried to get us to dance around the mushroom ring. In all your pink glory. Ha ha- Hey!" he cried indignantly, grabbing his suddenly bare head.
Sam holding her stolen trophy in her hands grinned, "Come and get it from me then, Mr. I-was-a-hungry-werewolf-kid. Can't believe you used that excuse when you got caught red-handed with meat pie your mom baked for her friend." She danced gracefully away from Tucker who chased after her frantically.
Danny who was carefully examining the runes his parents carved into the soil finally stood up. "Guys? Let's go back, it's pretty late now. You've seen the ring. We can come back to look at it later tomorrow."
"Your parents made a fairy ring circle? Like an actual supernatural one?" Sam asked incredulously. Danny had met up with his friends for sleepover at Sam's house after his family returned home from the failed fairy ring. Sam's parents were out hosting their quarterly ball; with Sam's grandmother turning in for the night early, the trio had the house to themselves.
"Dude, your parents are still into that fairy ring project of theirs?" Tucker's never left his phone screen, his thumbs rapidly swiping at the screen, trying to beat his old game record.
"Well, it would've been if it did work. Nothing happened so I think that's a dud."
"Still sounds cool. Can we go see it?" Danny considered the question for a moment.
"Yeah, it should be okay. You guys can come over and look."
"Here Danny! Catch!" A small dark object flew at him. Danny's first instinct was to dodge before he belatedly realized that's Tucker's beret. Swinging his body back to try to catch the beret Danny tripped over his feet, landing on the ground harshly. His hand flared up in pain.
"Ow" Danny fumbled for his dropped flashlight. His hand felt a bit sticky wet.
"Hey Danny, are you okay?" his friends voices and running footsteps carried over from the edges of the clearing. Danny flipped over, half-crawling on his legs and uninjured arm to reach for the flashlight.
"Ow! Okay I got it!" Danny shifted the flashlight over to his uninjured arm, flipping it over to examine his injured hand. Red was seeping out from a cut on the palm of his hand, mixing with black flecks on his hand to form a nasty dark slush.
"Guys, do any of you have water? I think I cut my hand on something" Danny tilted his flashlight, turning it in a wide circle to look at his surroundings. The lights skimmed over the white mushrooms in front of him, then over to the side, then behind him. Flipping the light back to the front, he looked beyond the white rings. On the outer edges of the ring, the black iron filing lines appeared to have been disturbed, piles of black powder scattered over the area haphazardly. Danny looked back at his injured hand which was covered in some dark substance under the moonlight. He tried to move out of the circle but his legs were stiff.
"Guys? Can you help me up? I think there's something wrong with my legs. I can't move." Danny tried to move his limbs again but it feels as if something is holding his arm and legs.
The clouds drifted away, moonlight washing over the clearing. The mushrooms lit up under the moonlight, its glow highlighting red patches of grass within the ring.
"Hey -uh guys? I think the thing's not a hoax after all-"
"Danny!" was the last thing he heard before his friends and the woods behind them disappeared from his view.