Some random things

Will'O the Wisp

This is the first one-shot I wrote about a specific character of mine, Gédéon. He's somehow become something like my mascot, and I ended up giving him some actual lore after doodeling him everywhere since October 2018. I will probably write more about him in the future, because I love my dumb pumpkin son.

 Cold. She was cold. And scared.

She had never liked Halloween that much to begin with. While all the kids of her age spent days crafting their costume with their parents, buying candy for trick-or-treating and planning their 31st of October, she only ever felt like it was one day like another.

But despite all of this, she still went out on that evening, probably to feel like she still belonged to this town she felt so estranged with. She had no parents to craft a costume with, only her aunt who tossed her a ragged piece of her old sheets and let her somehow turn it into a not very convincing ghost costume.

The wind was howling around her, a few dead leaves tickling her naked ankles as she walked.

She had gone out with her so-called disguise and a plastic bucket she had found in the garden. Following the enthusiastic kids, she had knocked on doors, acted like she enjoyed it. She got quite a lot of candy, an amount she had no idea what she would do with. She didn't have that much of a sweet tooth.

She was so quiet that she seemed to morph with her disguise. The other kids barely noticed her, and several adults had to quickly apologize for forgetting to give her her share of sweets. She didn't even have to say a word, and it somehow felt relaxing.

She walked past the last street light, which halo crackled with a soft buzzing sound. Another gust of wind lifted her sheet, making her wince under the cold and hold her bucket closer to her chest.

When the kids had started to go home, she had walked off by herself. When she was starting to think that this evening hadn't been that bad, her face had met the pavement. A bunch of kids stole all her candy after making her trip, laughing at her and her dirty costume. When she tried to get her earnings back, they only laughed harder, sticking her head inside her bucket and kicking it, making her fall backwards. They kept laughing and laughing as she shakily got up, and she eventually found the strength to run away as fast as her short bruised legs could carry her. Their laughters kept echoing behind her as she blindly ran, fear and shame twisting her insides as tears blurred her vision.

It didn't take her long after she stopped running to understand she was lost. Panting and trying to catch her breath, she clutched her ghost-sheet around her when the wind rose. Quickly pulling her thoughts together, she decided to follow the street lights to find her way home. Her bucket was now empty, so she was sure she wouldn't get attacked by stronger kids again. Steadily and a bit shakily, she headed towards the next street light, already eager to sink into her bed.

But she never found the way home.

Letting out a quiet whimper, Aelicia sat down on the pavement, her frail body leaning against the last street light. It was so dark, she could barely see a few steps in front of her. The street lamp's fragile light kept crackling, the wind howling.

Aelicia brought her legs closer to her chest, covering them under the ragged sheet of her makeshift ghost costume in a weak attempt to warm herself up. Dead leaves flew past her, disappearing from her view once they exited the street lamp's light.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know the way home, she didn't have a way of warning her aunt, she didn't know what time it was, and she had met nobody while she was still walking. She was completely alone.