Some Halloween fun for pactnmmt
Title: Monsters
Rating: PG
Word Count: 695
Prompt: A scary take based upon this AI generated image
pactnmmt I had to think a little out of the box for this one. I hope you enjoy your Halloween treat. Thanks for taking part and, of course, my thanks to nursesparky for her beta.
“It was horrible.” He held his audience spellbound. If there was one thing at which he excelled, it was storytelling. “I thought it was the end.”
“We only have your word for it.” Gustave was his chief adversary. If he said big, Gustave said small.
“That’s true, but you are welcome to check it out for yourself. I will be more than happy to show you.” He was careful with his storytelling. Many of his yarns were spun, but he always made sure a few were real. It cast doubt on the others.
“I think you are awfully brave.” Helga was the apple of his eye. The minute he’d first seen her, he’d wanted her, but so had many others. Proving to her parents that he was worthy proved a much harder task.
“I think he’s just awful.” Helga’s sister, Marie, turned her back on the lot of them. “He’s a liar and a charlatan.” She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but her father had used it and if he thought it was a good word, the so did she.
“But I’m not.” He looked from one to the other. “Come with me tonight and I will show you.”
“Monsters aren’t real.”
“So you keep saying and I keep saying I’ll prove they are.” He grinned now. “What are you afraid of? Me? My monsters?”
Gustave inflated his chest and beat on it. “I fear nothing.”
“Then prove it!” He nodded to the others. “And they will be our witnesses.”
Immediately, Gustave started to backpedal. “Well, I couldn’t tonight… we have… um… company, yeah, company, that’s it.”
“Gustave!” Helga grew amazed. “You’re scared.”
“I’m not! I’m just… busy.”
“Well, I’m not and I will be there.” Helga smiled at him. “If he’ll have me.”
“Of course! I will make sure no harm comes to you.”
“I’ll go, too!” Marie piped up and he worked hard not to look disappointed. He knew which side of the bread to butter.
“Of course, Marie. You are welcomed as well.” He gestured widely. “Then, tonight!”
“It seemed like a better idea this morning,” Marie murmured, holding tightly to her sister.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Helga was scared as well, but determined not to show it.
“Nothing will happen to you,” he said, bravely. “They might see, but they will never believe it.”
“Why deny what you see with your own eyes?”
“They are adults.” That was explanation enough. He led them to a dark corner and pointed to the portal. “That’s where I see them, almost every night at this time.”
“You’ve seen them before?”
“Many times. The monsters are very real, no matter what Gustave says.”
“I’ll speak for myself.”
“Ah, Gustave, you grew bold enough to join us.” He gestured them closer, off to one side. “This way they won’t see you.”
“I don’t care if they see me.” Gustave took a step forward, looked and screamed. He turned tail and ran. Marie followed suit.
“And you?” She swallowed, then nodded and he eased her forward for a peek. She squealed and spun, hiding her face in his chest.
“I see it!”
“See? I didn’t lie. I did warn him. The monsters were real.” He would never need to look again. He’d won her heart fair and square. He held her and felt very brave, indeed, then he heard the voices.
“What the hell?” Napoleon Solo took a step back from the mirror.
Illya had his weapon drawn before he realized it was just them in the hallway. “Napoleon, what’s wrong?”
“Just now in the mirror.”
Illya looked into it. “I can’t see anything except a reflection.” He straightened his tie slightly. “What was it?”
“You’ll laugh, Illya.”
“Possibly.” Illya nudged him. “What was it?”
“Some sort of… a monster. It was looking at me.”
“Your nerves, Mr. Solo.” Let’s get dinner. I promise you there are no monsters living in the mirror.”
The voices faded and he grinned, holding Helga close. He was very real, just as real as they were. And if he has his way, soon there’d be a whole bunch of baby monsters. One man’s monster was another monster’s man…
Rating: PG
Word Count: 695
Prompt: A scary take based upon this AI generated image
pactnmmt I had to think a little out of the box for this one. I hope you enjoy your Halloween treat. Thanks for taking part and, of course, my thanks to nursesparky for her beta.
“It was horrible.” He held his audience spellbound. If there was one thing at which he excelled, it was storytelling. “I thought it was the end.”
“We only have your word for it.” Gustave was his chief adversary. If he said big, Gustave said small.
“That’s true, but you are welcome to check it out for yourself. I will be more than happy to show you.” He was careful with his storytelling. Many of his yarns were spun, but he always made sure a few were real. It cast doubt on the others.
“I think you are awfully brave.” Helga was the apple of his eye. The minute he’d first seen her, he’d wanted her, but so had many others. Proving to her parents that he was worthy proved a much harder task.
“I think he’s just awful.” Helga’s sister, Marie, turned her back on the lot of them. “He’s a liar and a charlatan.” She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but her father had used it and if he thought it was a good word, the so did she.
“But I’m not.” He looked from one to the other. “Come with me tonight and I will show you.”
“Monsters aren’t real.”
“So you keep saying and I keep saying I’ll prove they are.” He grinned now. “What are you afraid of? Me? My monsters?”
Gustave inflated his chest and beat on it. “I fear nothing.”
“Then prove it!” He nodded to the others. “And they will be our witnesses.”
Immediately, Gustave started to backpedal. “Well, I couldn’t tonight… we have… um… company, yeah, company, that’s it.”
“Gustave!” Helga grew amazed. “You’re scared.”
“I’m not! I’m just… busy.”
“Well, I’m not and I will be there.” Helga smiled at him. “If he’ll have me.”
“Of course! I will make sure no harm comes to you.”
“I’ll go, too!” Marie piped up and he worked hard not to look disappointed. He knew which side of the bread to butter.
“Of course, Marie. You are welcomed as well.” He gestured widely. “Then, tonight!”
“It seemed like a better idea this morning,” Marie murmured, holding tightly to her sister.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Helga was scared as well, but determined not to show it.
“Nothing will happen to you,” he said, bravely. “They might see, but they will never believe it.”
“Why deny what you see with your own eyes?”
“They are adults.” That was explanation enough. He led them to a dark corner and pointed to the portal. “That’s where I see them, almost every night at this time.”
“You’ve seen them before?”
“Many times. The monsters are very real, no matter what Gustave says.”
“I’ll speak for myself.”
“Ah, Gustave, you grew bold enough to join us.” He gestured them closer, off to one side. “This way they won’t see you.”
“I don’t care if they see me.” Gustave took a step forward, looked and screamed. He turned tail and ran. Marie followed suit.
“And you?” She swallowed, then nodded and he eased her forward for a peek. She squealed and spun, hiding her face in his chest.
“I see it!”
“See? I didn’t lie. I did warn him. The monsters were real.” He would never need to look again. He’d won her heart fair and square. He held her and felt very brave, indeed, then he heard the voices.
“What the hell?” Napoleon Solo took a step back from the mirror.
Illya had his weapon drawn before he realized it was just them in the hallway. “Napoleon, what’s wrong?”
“Just now in the mirror.”
Illya looked into it. “I can’t see anything except a reflection.” He straightened his tie slightly. “What was it?”
“You’ll laugh, Illya.”
“Possibly.” Illya nudged him. “What was it?”
“Some sort of… a monster. It was looking at me.”
“Your nerves, Mr. Solo.” Let’s get dinner. I promise you there are no monsters living in the mirror.”
The voices faded and he grinned, holding Helga close. He was very real, just as real as they were. And if he has his way, soon there’d be a whole bunch of baby monsters. One man’s monster was another monster’s man…