Chapter 5: A Friendship Forged from Finger Food
Getting to know the author: I tried to read the Twilight books. Managed to get through a book-and-a-half before giving up on it. My verdict: not enough Belmont. This long overdue chapter will be extra long to compensate. I was originally going to write two chapters covering the backstory between Gryphon and Viola, but you'll get the whole thing here. Rest assured, I have not abandoned my dozens of faithful readers. You will get a finished story before next spring. Also, to save time, I am going to cut back on some of the imagery as I assume you've seen Toby's playthrough of this game. Okay, enough about me. Let's take a trip through time, shall we?
At the park near Ellen's house, three weeks before the frisbee incident that would lead his owner to several untimely deaths, Gryphon was dashing for his life. Apparently, being adorable was not enough to justify snagging a chicken leg from a toddler at a family picnic.
'Well, if my human would remember to feed me once in- crap!' the shih tzu thought to himself, having dropped the loot. Going back to get it wasn't an option since a couple of very angry preteen siblings were in hot pursuit.
After about another minute, Gryphon became too tired to continue. Looking behind him, he realized that the kids gave up the chase. The relieved dog could finally relax. He figured their parents called them off, then debated on whether or not to go back for the chicken. He was still hungry after all, and he doubted those humans would want that leg back. Gryphon started to make his way back before another smell caught his interest. Accompanying that smell was the sound of a girl crying.
Following his trusty nose and ears, it took our tiny hero no time at all to find the source of both stimulants. One was a box of chicken nuggets sitting on a bench. The other was a golden braided girl with green eyes and a simple white dress. Gryphon knew he'd have to be a bit more diplomatic to score some food this time. Also, the guilt of stealing food from a crying child would not bode well for his conscience.
'Okay, Gryphon.' he thought. 'Time to put on that charm the girls love.' Upon finishing that thought, he sat down, whining and wagging his tail. This caught the girl's attention immediately.
"Oh! Hi, puppy!" she said through her tears, trying to cheer up at this new sight. "You're hungry, aren't you? Here you go. I hope you don't mind them cold." She forced a smile as she sat the box on the ground. Before Gryphon could dig into his long awaited meal, he suddenly felt that something was a bit...off.
"Warm or cold, chicken's chicken." Gryphon said, hoping the girl wouldn't scream at the reality of a talking dog. To his surprise, she was quite calm. He finally began eating as the girl began talking back to him.
"I'm glad you like it. My friend doesn't like them at all. She's so stupid! Who doesn't like chicken nuggets?" She was about to rant until she noticed that the box was empty and Gryphon was sitting next to her on the bench.
"I know, right?" Gryphon responded. "It's only the greatest invention ever, next to the pizza Tobuscus leaves in the fridge overnight and never notices that I help myself to- but that's not important! Why are you not scared of me?"
"Because you're cute, silly!" she answered with a smile that quickly faded. "Do you believe in miracles, Mr. Puppy?"
"You can call me Gryphon. Is that what you think this is? A miracle?"
"I think so Mr. Gryphon, bu-"
"Just Gryphon is fine."
"Okay, Gryphon. I'm Viola." She began to pet him. "You talking to me feels like a miracle, but it's my friend who needs one."
"Is that why you're so sad?"
Viola nodded. Tears began to form again. "She's been sick her whole life! Her parents hated her and now they're dead! She has no friends and the doctors say she's gonna die alone!"
At this point, Viola was shaking with multiple emotions: fear of losing someone, pity for a dying girl who has only known suffering, rage against those who neglected a sick child, and guilt from not being able to stop the inevitable from happening. Gryphon felt all those emotions and curled up in her lap. His presence was somewhat soothing. Viola soon got her body back under control, but her crying couldn't be contained.
"It's not fair, Gryphon!" she managed to get out between sniffs. "No one deserves such a miserable life!"
"I know." Gryphon spoke softly. "It's very sweet that you care so much for your friend, but do you think she'd want you to be just as miserable?"
"Huh?"
"Your friend, what's her name?"
"Ellen."
"Okay. So you're the only friend she has, right? You've done so much and felt so strongly for her. It's probably the only bit of love she's ever experienced and will ever feel. If she's really your friend and feels just as strongly to finally have someone in her life who cares, then you're the last person on earth that she would want to feel just as terrible as she does. Whatever comfort and happiness you bring her in her final days should be reflected in you."
Viola hugged Gryphon. "You're right, and I know that. Why can't I stop feeling so awful?"
"Because you humans are idiots who dwell on too many negative things." This got a small chuckle out of Viola. "So, let's lay off the sad stuff for now and talk about something else."
For the next hour, they talked about whatever came to mind: favorite foods, friends, toys, what Viola wanted to be when she grew up (a veterinarian), Gryphon's love/hate relationship with the humans in his life, and the weather. After a while, the pair decided that it would be best to head home
While walking her home, Gryphon agreed to meet with her in that same spot every day until Ellen's passing. Happy as he was to make a new friend, Gryphon couldn't shake the feeling the something was amiss. He went to bed every night for the next two weeks with increasing unease of something really wrong brewing near where the daily hangouts with his new friend took place.
It was three days before the frisbee incident and Gryphon had to figure out what that feeling was. He cut off Viola's story about her school day with a request he knew he should have made from day 1.
"Can we go see Ellen together?" he asked seemingly out of nowhere.
"Really?" Viola answered. "I'm not sure I want to feel sad again today."
"Hey! What did I tell you about the sad stuff? Eh, I guess it's only natural for you humans. I just think I should see her. She should see me, too. If her life was as terrible as you say, then I'm sure she's never had a pet. Maybe I can help ease her pain a bit."
Oblivious to the shih tzu's bluff, Viola was delighted to hear this. She picked Gryphon up and hugged him almost uncomfortably tight.
"Okay!" she agreed with the biggest, most sincere smile she made since the two have met. "Let's go. I'll bet she'd love to make another friend."
While their usual hangout spot was infrequently visited by other people, Gryphon couldn't help but notice that the path to Ellen's house was alarming secluded, especially during the park's peak hours. After a half-mile walk, they passed a large yard with a few dead trees and several stumps leading up to a lone two-story house. The oak door leading in was unlocked per Ellen's request to Viola upon her first visit, so Gryphon had been told.
"Ellen! I'm back!" exclaimed Viola happily as the two entered the house. "I brought another friend to play with!"
'I don't like this at all!' Gryphon thought as the feeling of ill intent nearly became overwhelming. Worried as he was, he kept himself from showing it as he followed Viola upstairs and into Ellen's bedroom. On the bed lay a girl around Viola's age. This sickly child had her long purple hair tied in the back with a large red bow.
"Oh! A puppy!" Ellen cried weakly with excitement. She then had a bit of a coughing fit, but managed to get it under control as Viola carried said "puppy" over to the bed. Gryphon could tell a couple things: this girl really liked purple and she only had a few days left, a week at best. Whatever pity the dog felt vanished as he realized that a good deal of this powerful evil he had been feeling was emitting from her.
'If Ellen isn't even half of the source of this darkness, then we're in trouble!' Gryphon thought as Viola placed him on the bed. Before he could take that first cautious step toward Ellen's feebly outstretched arms, the other evil source revealed itself.
A black cat jumped out of nowhere and landed between Gryphon and Ellen. As if the energy he felt from these two new foes wasn't intimidating enough, the hissing and swiping from the cat sent Gryphon into a panicked rush out of the house with a speed he never knew he had. He made it back to the bench where he met Viola, discovering that the cat never bothered giving chase. He calmed down a bit. By the time Gryphon caught his breath, Viola came into view, calling after him.
"Are you okay?" she asked as soon as she was within normal speaking distance. "I had no idea she had a cat. I'm so sorry, but it looks like you two won't get to play."
"You shouldn't play with her, either!" Gryphon yelled, letting out an uncontrolled bark. "There's so much about her and that cat you don't know!
"Like what?" asked a curious Viola, who sat on the bench. Gryphon climbed up on her lap, sat up, looked her in the eyes and spoke.
"They are evil! I've felt it since the day we met. Ellen and that cat are not the be trusted. You said you believe in miracles, right? Well, here's one: a talking dog is saving you from a fate worse than death. Viola, you cannot see Ellen again!"
Viola looked puzzled for a moment, then began to chuckle. She could barely contain fits of giggling.
"Viola, I'm serious!" Gryphon shouted, barking loudly and growling in her face. This frightened her to the point of pushing him off and whimpering.
"What's wrong with you?" demanded a scared, sobbing Viola. "I thought you cared for Ellen as much as I did. How do you show it? By running from a cat and calling it and her evil? I thought you were joking, but are you really that jealous of her that you'll attack me for my attention?"
"What?" Gryphon asked, confused at this strange argument. "No, that's not it at all! I really wanted her to be happy, but now I know she's up to no good. Viola, you have to believe me!"
"Just...go away...please." Viola was crying as she was on the day Gryphon found her. Defeated, he walked home.
That night, Gryphon could barely sleep. This was partly due to Tobuscus loudly trying to build a machine that would instantly heat Hot Pockets to the perfect temperature and then dispense them onto a plate. All this was done while singing about his progress in four part harmony.
However, the main reason he was up was the same reason Viola was about to break down 19 days ago. The fear he felt was from knowing what could happen to Viola in the coming days. The sorrow was from the idea of losing who had quickly become one of his closest friends. The rage came from the hatred of Ellen and her cat, who had pretty much warped Viola's emotions to the point of owning her. The worst of it, though, was the combination of guilt from allowing her to fall into their hands and how powerless he felt when his attempt to reason with her failed.
As dawn approached to clear away a nearly restless night, Gryphon decided that he wasn't going to give up on Viola. He'd get to their bench after a short nap and some food. It was a school day, so he had plenty of time to get there before she even had the chance to visit Ellen.
Unfortunately, Gryphon's nap took much longer than he planned. It was already after 3. More time was wasted by Tobuscus' reluctance to let him out in the rain. By the time he got to the park, he was already late for the time when they would usually meet up. He feared they would not be meeting up today for reasons other than the weather.
'Dammit! I'm too late!' Gryphon pondered as hopelessness begin to weigh him down. By the time he came to a stop, though, he saw something that picked his spirits up.
A man, looking much older than Viola, was standing between her and the path to Ellen's house. He appeared to be lecturing her- well, half lecturing, half yelling at her. Through he wasn't close enough to get to know this man, he could tell from his smell at about twenty feet away that this man was someone close to Viola, perhaps her father or older brother. Whoever it was, Gryphon was grateful he was intervening and likely preventing disaster. He decided to listen in on what was left of the conversation.
"-and you believe some crazy superstition!?" the child yelled, half-crying.
"Whether it's true or not, I'm not allowing you to spend any more time with that 'friend' of yours!" countered the man. "Think, Viola! Her parents have been dead for six years and she's still around. Have you ever seen anyone other than her or yourself at her house?
Viola opened her mouth in protest, but was quickly hushed as the older man continued.
"The police gave up on her, and any doctors who may have seen her would've reported her. A little girl living on her own wouldn't go unnoticed by anyone, much less acted upon."
"But Dad, everyone hates her! I'm all she has! This girl cannot be some evil witch! Please! Come with me! See for yourself that Ellen is just a scared little girl who doesn't want to die alone!" Viola was tugging her father's arm now, but he wouldn't budge.
"The witch will die alone! No daughter of mine is going to another statistic!" With that, it seemed all was won. Viola dropped her head in defeat.
"I'll never forgive you." she said soft and cold.
"I can live with that." replied her father, mocking her tone. They both walked away in silence. Gryphon felt a massive burden being lifted from his tiny frame.
'Thank you, Viola's dad!' he thought while walking home. 'The man must've done his homework on Ellen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped her. What did he mean when he mentioned another statistic? Has Ellen done this before? Will she do it again? Oh well, at least I know she won't get Viola.'
The next day, Gryphon became curious as to whether or not Viola would expect him at their bench. To his surprise, he found her there. It wasn't her presence that surprised him. He knew in the back of his mind that the girl would at least try to defy her father, if not succeed in doing so. The surprise came in the form of her expression. While it was usually an odd mix of sorrow and content, today it seemed she was perfectly calm and pondering something.
"I'm sorry." she told Gryphon as he approached, giving her a break from her current train of thought. "I know everything about her now. She confirmed everything Daddy told me."
"I'm glad you came to your senses." Gryphon said while licking her hand. "What were you thinking about?"
"How all those other kids abandoned her just like I'm being forced to."
This made Gryphon tilt his head sideways in disbelief. Viola, not noticing this, continued.
"She was just a playmate to them until they learned about her curse. It was then that they showed their true colors as 'friends'. I won't run away like they did."
"They didn't run, Viola! They died!"
"They ran! No one can find them! No one wants to find them! I won't be like them. But...I'm scared."
"Of course, you are. That means you need to stay away from her."
"But she's just as scared, Gryphon. She us going to die with this curse without knowing any sort of love."
"Except yours!" Gryphon barked "Your love is enough for anyone! Ellen will just have to make due with what you gave her!"
"That's not enough, not for her. That's why I decided that I'm going to take her up on her proposal to switch bodies for a day."
"WHAT!" Gryphon shouted.
Viola was aloof in her own little world at this point, paying no mind to the protesting pup. "I'll have to prepare myself. Tomorrow, Ellen will get to spend the day in my shoes." With that, she walked home, leaving a stunned Gryphon at the bench.
Gryphon slept well enough that night, for he knew the following day would bring the absolute final chance to save his friend. He was dreading the thought of losing her all day until he heard Tobuscus and Gabuscus talk about going to the park.
'I can't believe I'm about to do this, but I'll need their help to save her.' he thought as he took off for the park, getting there well before the Buscus duo and thankfully, before Viola went to "help" Ellen.
Gryphon stood as tall as a shih tzu could possibly stand between her and Ellen's house. It was as effective as one would expect a shih tzu sized barrier to be, as Viola walked around him and down the path.
"You worry too much, Gryphon." she said dryly. "I'm just giving a friend one good day in her life while she still has one."
"Do you not realize that once you do this, you'll never get your body back?" the dog asked as they travelled side by side.
"I trust her, so I'm not worried."
"I am! For the same reason you trust her, too! Let's forget for a moment that she's a witch. That makes her a scared little girl who's found a way out of a horrible fate that - and it really hurts to say this - was meant for her. You're not supposed to die today! She is!"
"I can't let her go without knowing a family, Gryphon. Nothing will change my mind on this."
"Viola!" Gryphon ran in front of her to look her in the eyes again. He whined and wagged his tail. "You're my friend and I love you! I'm begging you! Please don't do this!"
Viola picked the dog up and kissed him on the top of his head. "I love you, too. Mr. Puppy. Thank you for being a good friend. Please understand that this is not goodbye. I promise that you will see me again." With that, she set him on the ground and walked the last hundred feet toward the house. As she entered, Gryphon felt a familiar evil that turned his sadness into rage.
"Show yourself, cat!" he shouted.
The cat descended from the top of one of the dead trees. Upon touching the ground a deep, demonic laughter escaped his mouth. No words were exchanged as the cat slowly approached Gryphon. As the gap between them shrank to less than a foot, Gryphon's anger got the better of him.
He lunged at the cat, who jumped up in shock. The cat landed a couple feet behind Gryphon and pounced in for the kill. Gryphon reacted just in time to flip the cat over. He landed on his feet, but couldn't find his bearings before Gryphon had his jaws locked around the feline's neck and pinned to a trunk. The cat laughed at this.
"You think killing me will save the girl? Ha! You simple, stupid, silly creature! Viola was under my influence well before you came along. Besides, this is but one of many vessels for me to inhabit. Do you think you can destroy all of them in a vain attempt to rescue a lost cause?"
The demon-cat's words caused Gryphon let go and back up. The shih tzu gathered his thoughts and came up with an idea rather quickly.
"Okay, so I can't truly beat you in a fight. What if I beat you in a game of chance?"
"Are you suggesting a deal with the Devil? Sorry, that's my boss and you ain't worth his time. I will, however, make a deal with you myself."
"You seem a lot less intimidating now." Gryphon sighed.
"Hey, shut up! I'm a bit out if practice! I've spent the last six years with a sick little girl who calls me 'Cuddlecutie' and merely needed to say 'boo' to scare all the little kids that come here to get devoured! Make no mistake, I am a legend among demons!"
"Sure thing, Cuddlecutie." Gryphon said, barely suppressing laughter. "If I'm gonna take you seriously, I need to know your real name."
"About that. Umm...I've gone by that name for so long, I forgot what my real name is."
Gryphon couldn't hold back anymore. A demon who goes by the name "Cuddlecutie" was too much to take in. His uproarious laughter took a good five minutes to get under control. It was then he regained focus on his mission.
"Okay, Cuddlecutie. Hah! Anyway, I'd like to make a bet. You in?"
"Of course, dog. Name your terms."
"It's Gryphon, and here goes. We both know that Ellen's not going to give Viola's body back to her and Viola won't listen to reason. What to you say I take this into my own hands. If I can take two people-"
Gryphon was cut off by the sound of a girl screaming.
"Viola! No!" he yelled toward the house.
"It's done!" Cuddlecutie declared. "You've stalled for too long, Gryphon. Name your terms now or Viola is gone forev-"
The cat was cut off by an intense rumbling of the ground. The quaked knocked them both off their feet. By the time they regained their footing, the house had grown greatly in size.
"Hmm, it seems your Viola still has some fight left in her. It seems Ellen's magic is hers from now until she dies, which can be at any moment." Cuddlecutie began laughing.
"What if I can make Ellen give her body back? Will that save Viola?"
"Good luck convincing her. She'll never do it. Ah!" Cuddlecutie had to jump out of the way of an orange frisbee that came crashing down at an alarming speed.
"Okay, no more distractions!" Gryphon demanded. "This gets settled now. I know the two guys who are going to come for that frisbee. If I can take them through that mansion, most likely full of death traps now, and convince them that Ellen has taken Viola's body, then the girls will switch bodies again and you'll give up every soul you've claimed in the last decade, including Ellen's and her parents' souls."
"Interesting." Cuddlecutie responded. "If they don't."
"You keep all those souls as well as the two dummies coming this way."
"I'm not sure, two extra souls isn't nearly enough incentive for me to take such a risk. Sweeten the deal and I just may take your bet."
"If you win, you'll also get my soul. How's that?"
"Perfect! Your dog soul would be worth twice as much as all the humans souls I've collected with this house so far. Hell, I feel so good about this that I'll give you a few little gifts. While the witch's magic is still around, you and your friends will have an unlimited number of lives. Any progress they make through the house on the way to rescue Viola can be saved merely by asking you."
"Like a video game?" Gryphon half asked, half sighed.
"Yeah. Sure. Why not. Video games are awesome."
"...continue."
"In return, you are not to tell them or give them any hints as to which girl is which. That is something they must figure out by themselves." Cuddlecutie then pulled a piece of paper into existence. "Here is the contract we just discussed. I'm going to sign it. Now, if you're okay with the terms of our wager, you'll need to sign it, as well. Unless you don't mind Vi-"
Gryphon snagged the contract and signed it. Cuddlecutie took it, laughing maniacally as he disappeared into the house. The sound of his owner calling for "discbuscus" was Gryphon's cue to head over to the frisbee and wait for his last hopes at saving his chicken nugget sharing friend.
About an hour later, Gryphon, Cuddlecutie, and Ellen, who now had Viola's body, came down the stairs into the kitchen. Ellen leaned back against the wall opposite the door to the staircase. Gryphon sat next to her. Cuddlecutie stood on the kitchen table. It was Gryphon who spoke first.
"Listen, Ellen. There's a way out and no one has to lose their soul to this douche."
"I'm not giving this body back, pooch." replied Ellen. "I feel so much better in this body. I can move. I'm not hurting. I have a new life waiting for me."
"How many lives did you steal for just the one!" Gryphon growled.
"Now, now children." Cuddlecutie interjected before anything had a chance to escalate. "Viola, I need you to help me out here. We kinda made a bet on whether or not those guys upstairs would figure you out by the time you re-encounter your old body. You've been screwing up your story. My ass is on the line here and I nee-"
"Wait!" Gryphon cut him off. "I thought we were supposed to present Ellen her options at this time, not convince her to do your bidding."
"What options?" Ellen asked. "What bet?"
The animals ignored her. Cuddlecutie began. "I'm not sure what you thought this meeting was about, but I'm trying to win a bet here."
"So am I," Gryphon argued. "But I'd like to let her know what going on without manipulating her like a dumb cheater.
"What's going on!?" Ellen demanded.
"I'm a dumb cheater?" Cuddlecutie ignored his witch again. "You're just as stupid, if not more. Who failed time and time again to save Viola from my influence? Who put the fate of his soul and 78 others in the hands of a moron and his victim of a friend?"
"Hey!" Ellen cried out, hoping for answers. Of course she was getting nothing accomplished with her words.
"Who forgot his own frigging name?" Gryphon retorted. "And 78 souls in ten years. Wow! You really are the - how'd you put it - 'legend among demons'!"
"I'll have you know that's a lot! A lot of work goes into claiming a soul. Yours will be by far the easiest to claim, and you're worth 200 human souls!"
"Brag while you can, fleabag. Soon enough, your name won't be your only laughable feature."
"Like 'Gryphon' is much better. You're a dog! Your owner - Two Biscuits, was it - might as well have named you 'kitty hippo!'"
Ellen was filling the sink up with cold water while the pets' argument slipped to the maturity levels of "my favorite fictional character can beat up your favorite fictional character." She couldn't really make sense of their nonsense as she picked them up and gave each of them an unwanted dip, effectively shutting them up.
"Now, can we get down to business?" Ellen asked sternly, receiving two humble nods in response.
"What was the bet?" she asked.
Cuddlecutie answered. "I already told you about our bet, but not the consequences, so here goes. If they don't figure you out you get out of here in one piece, I win and will acquire Viola's, Tobuscus', Gabuscus', and Gryphon's souls. If they see through you, the dog wins and all my work over the last ten years will be undone. That mean you would be free as well."
"You mentioned options." Ellen said. "What options do I have and how will they affect anything?"
"You options are simple." Gryphon answered. "You can confess the truth and willingly give Viola's body back or you can try to keep up your failing charade in an effort to leave on your own. Basically, the outcome of our bet relies on your actions. Bear in mind that you'll eventually have to give up either your body or your soul."
"What? No!" Ellen began to tear up. "You can't put the pressure on me! I was about to die knowing only loneliness, illness, and neglect? I was scared, so I got desperate! Now you're saying a choice I made when I was seven will cost me my body or my soul? I've come too
Gryphon and Cuddlecutie began at the same time. "Ellen, your parents-"
"Save it, you two!" Ellen stopped them short. "I'm leaving with this body and with my soul intact. I will not cut my life short to preserve my soul, nor will I throw my soul away for another shot a life. Was that all you two had to say to me?"
The pets nodded, then followed Ellen upstairs where they would rejoin the Super Buscus Bros, who were ready to tackle the third floor.
What dangers await our heroes on the third floor? Will Ellen have a change of heart? Will the dog and cat at least pretend to get along? Which Buscus will die more? Will you be surprised? Will the next chapter go up before Thanksgiving? All this and maybe a bit more next chapter.
Thanks for sticking with me for this lengthy chapter. I know it wasn't very funny, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Regular lols and deaths return next chapter.