Something Fun and Creative

Prologue

Something Fun and Creative

Prologue

I woke up in the dead of night. Darkness was all I could see, but I wasn't as scared as I felt I should have been. The forest floor was hard, but I felt no temperature. Then, I looked up and saw the moon, the blinding light chasing away the darkness for a moment. Standing up, I tried to walking in the direction I faced, but tripped over something. Looking at the offending object, the shape of a broom handle revealed itself in my clenched hand. Following the length of the wooden handle, six sticks protruded from the other end, creating crooked bristles tied in place by a long piece of white string.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my clothes. I wore a plain, long, brown, wool dress that was torn and brown boots. I don't remember anything from before I woke up, so I guessed I must have been running from something before and caught it on branches. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now, it's not like I can feel the cold anyway.

I got back to my feet, careful not to get tangled with my broom this time, and continued on my way, having no clue where I was going. On my short journey, the broom dragging behind me, I came across a small, old, broken-down shed. Knowing I wasn't going to find anyone here, but enjoying the slight creepiness emanating from the crooked half-door, I turned to go back and decided I'd return later.

Finding someone seemed like something I needed to do, I had no desire to encounter anyone, maybe I was fine being alone. In the middle of my thoughts, I suddenly was jerked upward by my hand toward the sky. The sensation of the wind surrounding me and whipping everything around everywhere was refreshing. This surge of energy and magic came from my broom, I discovered. So I could fly as long as I had it, then? Cool.

I began to fall as the power disappeared momentarily, but sopped and hovered in mid air before I hit the ground as it returned. I'll have to practice this eventually. Why not try flying to find somewhere easier, as if that'll go well but I don't care, let's do this.

So that's exactly what I did, attempt to sit on my "new" broom and rockily steer it through the night sky. a small village came into view a little later and I still hadn't quite gotten the hang of flying, but my skill rose the tiniest bit in the sense that I could now stay sitting on the handle. My bumpy excuse for a landing ended up in me crashing into the side of a well... oops.

Peeling myself from the bricks, I shook off the pounding in my head and tried to ask where I was. However, the first person I encountered walked straight through me? As if I wasn't even there? I felt this emptiness and uneasiness grip my heart, but I couldn't bring myself to care enough to be upset. I don't mind being alone and unseen, but once in a while, someone to talk to would be nice.

Finding nobody able to see me, I flew back to that small shack and sat on the roof, wondering what I'd do next.

My name is Raven Hollow and I'm the Spirit of Halloween. How did I know? The moon told me, and that was a long time ago.

283 Years Later... Halloween Day

"Alright! I want those Jack-o-lanterns out by the door! And the purple-and-black candles in the front windows with black drapes hanging!" I directed my many spiders and Frankensteins as we were doing some last minute decorating for our shack. I may have all year to prepare for my holiday, but I'm a bit of a procrastinator and tend to leave everything for the beginning of the month, preferring to go out and draw instead of work. It's the morning of Halloween, also the 283rd anniversary of the day I woke up in this forest to find I was a spirit. I don't only look after Halloween, I'm also in charge of Day of the Dead in Mexico, or Dia de los Muertos.

I have done a little bit of renovating my shed over the rears, so now most of the flooring is gone, creating an enormous hole leading down into my actual home beneath the tiny building. As soon as you walk through the still crooked door, there's two feet of untouched floor boards left before it drops down. It's also pitch black inside (no pun intended) so you can't see the hole.