Tales from the Castle - a Sofia the First fanfic
Chapter 23: An October Campfire
Note: this is a Halloween chapter featuring a 12-year-old Sofia, a 12-year-old Dorrie, and a 12-year-old Candice from my story "Dorrie: Book Two". This chapter also features other characters from "Dorrie: Book Two", some characters seen in "Sofia the First", and Lily from the "Sofia the First" episode "Cauldronation Day".
Mid-October in the Peppertree Forest
It was an October evening in the Peppertree Forest. In a large clearing, Mrs. Hanshaw and her Buttercup troop had just set up their tents, and were sitting around a campfire. The Buttercups gathered were Sofia, Amber, Dorrie, Candice, Lucinda, Ruby, Jade, Meg, Peg, along with Abby Murphy, Suzie Lorich, Adair Starwell, Matilda Honey, Valentina Androcasia, Winter the fawn, and ten-year-old Sabrina O'Malley. There was also a new Buttercup - a blond haired girl with white skin who was Sofia and Lucinda's age.
"Welcome, Buttercups, to our annual October outing" Mrs. Hanshaw announced. "Before we get started, I'd like to introduce a new Buttercup to our troop. Everybody, this is Lily. Let's give Lily a warm Buttercup welcome".
"Buttercups, Buttercups, make some room" the Buttercups chanted. "Buttercups, Buttercups, watch us bloom".
"Who would like to give Lily her Buttercup vest?" Mrs. Hanshaw asked the troop.
"I will" Lucinda volunteered, excited.
Lucinda helped Lily put on her vest.
"You're a Buttercup now" Lucinda smiled.
"Thank you, Lucindy" Lily smiled back, before turning to Mrs. Hanshaw and the other Buttercups. "This is so exciting. I've been wanting to join ever since Lucindy and Sofia told me about you".
"We're glad to have you, Lily" Mrs. Hanshaw happily said before addressing everybody gathered. "Since it is coming up on Halloween, let's say we have a Halloween song - Double, Double, Toil and Trouble".
Lily smiled since she knew the song well. The Buttercups then sang.
"In the cauldron, boil and bake. Fillet of a fenny snake. Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf. Witches mummy, maw and gulf".
"Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble!".
"Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Something wicked this way comes!".
"That was wonderful, Buttercups" Mrs. Hanshaw smiled. "How about we tell some Halloween stories? Does anybody have a good story to tell?".
Sabrina raised her hand.
"Yes, Sabrina?" Mrs. Hanshaw asked.
"I have a story" Sabrina announced.
"Then let's hear it" Mrs. Hanshaw happily agreed.
Doggie lick
"Ever since Tammy was a little girl, when she got scared she would put her hand under her bed and her dog would lick her hand to comfort her" Sabrina started.
"Tammy was fourteen and her parents were going out and were going to be out until late at night" Sabrina continued. "Tammy didn't want to stay home alone but her parents told her she was old enough to stay home alone and she would be fine".
"Well, Tammy's parents left at 8:00 PM, and after an hour of reading, Tammy went to bed" Sabrina explained. "She was kinda scared, sleeping with no one home, when she heard a whimpering sound, almost like a puppy whining. She put her hand under her bed and her hand got licked. So she tried to fall asleep again. Then she heard it again, the whimpering sound, so she put her hand under her bed and her hand got licked. She finally fell asleep and was woken up in the morning to the sound of her dog barking in the backyard. He had been outside ALL NIGHT LONG!".
Those gathered gasped in shock.
"That was good, Sabrina" Mrs. Hanshaw said, impressed. "Any other stories?".
"I have one, Mrs. Hanshaw" Sofia volunteered.
"Go ahead, Sofia" Mrs. Hanshaw approved.
Rose Marie
"Once there was a little girl whose name was Rose Marie" Sofia began. "One night she woke up about midnight because she heard someone walking across the floor downstairs. Step ... step ... step ... step ... step".
"She quickly pulled the covers up over her head and shivered, holding her breath" Sofia continued. "Soon, she heard a wavery voice - Rose Marie, I'm on the first step and I'm coming to get you!. Then, Rose Marie heard another step and then the voice said Rose Marie, I am on the second step and I am coming to get you!. Well, every step the voice called to her until the voice was right beside her bed. Rose Marie, I am right beside your bed!"
Sofia then crouched down in front of those gathered, and said "Rose Marie!". Sofia then jumped at those gathered as she shouted "I GOTCHYA!".
Everybody froze in place in fright, then laughed at Sofia's prank.
"Oh, wonderfully done, Sofia!" Mrs. Hanshaw said, impressed. "Who's next?".
"I know Candice has a tale to tell" Dorrie spoke up.
"... I don't know" Candice said, cautious.
"Now you have my attention" Amber admitted.
"Tell us, Candice ... please" Ruby pleaded.
The Birth of the Nehova Devil
"Okay" Candice agreed. "A storm was raging in Nehova one night, when Rosalee Thurlow was brought to bed in child birth. The room was full of woman folk gathered to help her, more out of curiosity than good will. They had all heard the rumors that Rosalee Thurlow was involved in dark magic, and had sworn she would give birth to a devil".
"Tension mounted when at last the baby arrived" Candice continued. "It was a relief, and to some a disappointment, when the baby was born completely normal. But a few moments later, before their terrified eyes, the child began to change. The room erupted with screams as the child grew at an enormous rate, becoming taller than a man and changing into a beast which resembled a dragon, with a head like a horse, a snake-like body and bat's wings".
Those gathered gasped.
"As soon as it was full-grown, the monster began beating all the woman, including its mother, with its thick, forked tail" Candice recounted. "With a harsh cry, it flew through the chimney and vanished into the storm".
"The Monster of Thurlow, or the Nehova Devil as it was later called, still haunts the pines of Nehova, wrecking havoc upon farmer's crops and livestock, poisoning pools and creeks, and appearing on the Nehova shore just before a ship wreck" Candice announced as she ended the story.
"That was wonderfully told, Candice" Mrs. Hanshaw said, pleased, before turning to Lily. "Perhaps our newest Buttercup has a story to tell?".
"Let me see" Lily said as she thought. "Ah! I have one".
The Welcome Inn
"Angela and her mother were on summer vacation" Lily started. "They had enjoyed a wonderful day at the beach and had stayed longer than they had expected. They were driving their wagon home, very late at night, when a fierce thunderstorm broke out. Angela's mother could hardly see to drive the wagon. Then suddenly, in the glare of some lightening, they saw a house with a sign in front that said Welcome Inn. Angela's mother thought it would be a good idea to stop for the night and go home in the morning. They parked in front of the door, hurried up the stairs which lead to the front door, and knocked. An elderly woman in rather outdated clothes answered the door with a smile. She welcomed them into the house as if she had been expecting them".
"After enjoying a warm meal, the woman took them to a cozy room to stay the night" Lily explained. "Angela and her mother slept soundly. When they awoke in the morning, the elderly woman could not be found. They decided to leave some money and a thank you note on the front hall table and be on their way".
"A few miles down the road, they stopped at a general store for some supplies" Lily continued. "While paying for the supplies, Angela's mother told the store owner about the wonderful night they had spent at the Welcome Inn. With a look of surprise, the store owner told Angela's mother that the Welcome Inn had burned down twenty years before and the old woman who ran the place had lost her life in the fire. Angela and her mother went back to the Inn in disbelief. But, when they arrived at the place where they had spent the night, all that they saw was a singed sign and the shell of the house. Where the front hall had been, there was a dilapidated table and on the table was the envelope containing their thank you note and money".
"Whoa!" everybody gathered exclaimed in shock.
"That was an outstanding story" Mrs. Hanshaw smiled at Lily, before turning to everybody gathered. "Let's say we roast some marshmallows, Buttercups?".
Everybody brought out sticks and marshmallows, and had a wonderful time roasting them over the campfire.
Getting ready for bed
The evening's activities came to a close, and Mrs. Hanshaw and the Buttercups began to get ready for bed. Lily was looking through her backpack when Sabrina walked up.
"Hi" Sabrina cheerfully introduced herself. "I'm Sabrina O'Malley. My parents own the general store in the village".
"I love that store" Lily happily responded. "They have the best peanut brittle".
"My mom makes it" Sabrina announced. "It always sells well. In fact, my mom gave me some to pass around tonight". Sabrina then handed a piece to Lily.
"Thank you" Lily said, pleased. "How long have you been in the Buttercups?".
"About a year" Sabrina answered. "My older sister, Nell, was a Buttercup when she was my age, and she got me interested".
Lily looked over to where Lucinda was standing with four other girls.
"Who are those girls with Lucindy?" Lily asked, curious.
"Those are some of Lucinda's good witch friends" Sabrina explained. "There's Adair Starwell, who's parents own the local restaurant. Then there's Valentina Androcasia, who's father is the royal lawyer. And then the other two are Dorrie and Candice Cosmarune-Cooper who work at the castle, and are also the royal magicians of Enchancia".
"Think I'll go over and say hi" Lily said.
"See you later" Sabrina smiled as she headed into her tent.
Meeting Lucinda's friends
"Hi" Lily smiled as she walked over to Lucinda, Adair, Valentina, Dorrie, and Candice.
"Hi, Lily" Lucinda cheerfully said. "Let me introduce you to my other good witch friends".
"Adair, Valentina, Dorrie, and Candice, isn't it?" Lily acknowledged. "Nice to meet you four. I didn't see you at Lucindy's Cauldronation Day ceremony".
"We would have attended, but we had our own Cauldronation Day ceremonies to attend" Candice confessed.
"Then, the four of you are Midnight Witches as well?" Lily asked, impressed.
"Yup" Dorrie smiled.
"Wonderful!" Lily exclaimed in delight. "Where did you have your Cauldronation Day ceremonies?".
"Here in the Peppertree Forest with my parents" Adair answered.
"At my house with my dad and some relatives" Valentina responded.
"Candice and I had ours at House Cosmarune" Dorrie added. "It was us, our mom, our aunt, and some family friends".
At that moment, Mrs. Hanshaw walked over.
"Before we all go to bed, I thought some hot chocolate would be nice" Mrs. Hanshaw announced. "Its over by the campfire".
An unexpected guest
As Mrs. Hanshaw and the Buttercups enjoyed some hot chocolate by the campfire, they heard some movement from some nearby bushes. Everybody stared at the bushes, frightened. Suddenly, a familiar creature emerged.
"Mossy!" Ruby and Jade exclaimed in glee.
"Mossy sorry for scaring her Buttercup friends" Mossy apologized. "Mossy heard her Buttercup friends, and Mossy wanted to join in the fun".
"You're always welcome here, Mossy" Mrs. Hanshaw smiled. "Would you like some hot chocolate?".
"Mossy would love some" Mossy answered, pleased.
As Mossy, Mrs. Hanshaw, and the Buttercups enjoyed their hot chocolate, Mossy looked over at Lily.
"Mossy has not seen you before" Mossy said to Lily.
"I'm Lily" Lily smiled. "I'm new to the Buttercups".
"Mossy enjoys making new friends" Mossy smiled back. "Would you like to be Mossy's friend?".
"I'd love that" Lily happily said.
Everybody smiled at the touching scene. Soon, it was time for bed. As Mrs. Hanshaw and the Buttercups settled into their tents, Mossy stretched out near the tents. It had been a fine evening filled with fun times. Everything was right with the world.
Author's notes
Abby Murphy is from my stories "Dorrie", and "Dorrie: Book Two".
Adair Starwell is from my stories "Dorrie", and "Dorrie: Book Two".
Doggie lick, Rose Marie, and The Welcome Inn are all popular campfire ghost stories. I rewrote Doggie lick and The Welcome Inn a little bit to make them fit into the "Sofia the First" universe.
Dorrie and Candice are from my stories "Dorrie", "Dorrie: Book Two", and "Enchancia Castle".
Lily is from the "Sofia the First" episode "Cauldronation Day".
Matilda Honey is a "Sofia the First" version of Matilda Honey from the "Matilda" books and movie. The version of Matilda seen here appears in my stories "Dorrie", and "Dorrie: Book Two".
Mossy is from the "Sofia the First" episode "Buttercup Amber".
Sabrina O'Malley, and her older sister Nell, are alternate versions of the characters seen in stories written by theblindwriter95, and are used in my stories with the permission of theblindwriter95. For more about these alternate versions, see Chapter 8 of my story "Dorrie: Book Two".
Suzie Lorich is the woodcutter's daughter seen in the "Sofia the First" episode "Holiday in Enchancia".
The Birth of the Nehova Devil is actually The Birth of the Jersey Devil, rewritten here to make it fit in with the "Sofia the First" universe.
The song sung around the campfire is from the movie "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".
Valentina Androcasia is from my stories "Dorrie", and "Dorrie: Book Two".
Winter the fawn is from the "Sofia the First" episode "Winter's Gift".
"Wonderful!" Lily exclaimed in delight. "Where did you have your Cauldronation Day ceremonies?". "Here in the Peppertree Forest with my parents" Adair answered. "At my house with my dad and some relatives" Valentina responded. "Candice and I had ours at House Cosmarune" Dorrie added. "It was us, our mom, our aunt, and some family friends" - Adair's motherwould have served as Adair's Witch of Honor. A female relative would have served as Valentina's Witch of Honor. Dorrie and Candice's mother (Violet) and aunt (Colette) would have served Dorrie and Candice as Witches of Honor (with one for Dorrie, and one for Candice).