odd encounters of the strange kind - BARREL

[sarah]

The park was one of Sarah's favorite places to be, which was why she frequented it so often after her classes let out for the day. It was surprisingly warm, so she had left her jacket back in classroom. She walked along the concrete path, simply soaking up the sunlight. The fresh air had made her nausea vanish for the time being, leaving her in a much better mood than she had been before.

Stretching, she folded her arms across her chest as she continued along the path. Her legs ached since she hadn't done that much dancing in a while, but now that she had taken over the position as dance teacher, Sarah found she loved it - until her students dropped her, but Sarah was often able to protect herself from being hurt too badly with a bit of magic. It was nice to be teaching, spreading dance to others who held the same passion as her - although, in several months she wouldn't be able to teach the class.

Sarah sighed softly and brushed hair from her eyes, stretching her left arm across her chest, then her right, as she stretched out after her dance lessons. Streatching afterward was just as important as stretching before, and she was hoping the walk would do it for her. Her shoulder and hip still hurt somewhat from where one of her students had dropped her, but she was recovering easily enough from it.

Humming softly, Sarah continued on her way, every once in a while rising up on the tips of her toes to stretch her legs.

[barrel]

Barrel didn't like the sunlight. It was bright a warm and wonderful, it brought smiles to so many people. The sun never really would shine in Halloween Town, and thats just how Barrel liked it. He was hurrying along in the park with a gruesome frown to replace his generally just as hellish grin. He didn't even know what the sun was until today and even now he only called it that awful light in the sky. Everyone around seemed to be enjoying it, people where out walking, some reading on benches. Barrel was going to have to do something about this. It was too peaceful here, too boring. All this little fleshy humans with their fragile lives, what fun it would be to see what makes them tick.

The little boy had only just begun to wonder if they could breath underwater when he noticed a girl doing something strange with her arms. She was pretty, and all too happy looking. Barrel smiled. He quickly ran to close the space between then, not stopping until he had planted himself right in from of her path. He stood on his tippy toes and leered at her, eyes flashing with deadly thoughts. He tipped his head to one side before focusing on the sound coming from her lips. Teehehehee he giggled in a ugly high pitched tone. Silly girl makes dumb sounds he cheered, dancing a circle around her before returning to face her. What a lovely game they could play. Barrel loves games, particularly ones that ended with his gain and a creatures death.

[sarah]

Sarah adored children now that she was old enough to deal with them. As a teenager, true, her brother had driven her up the wall - but she had ran a labyrinth to get him back and challenged the Goblin King himself (and he was now her husband, but she didn't pay attention to details). Other children were okay, as long as they weren't . . . odd.

Like the one that had just stepped in front of her.

On instinct, Sarah recoiled slightly from the little boy. Something was obviously not right about him, and Sarah didn't want to get close enough to realize was it was. She watched as he circled her.

"I was humming, thank you. And shouldn't you be with your mother?" She asked, glancing around for any sign of someone who looked like they could be his mother so she could send him quickly scurrying off back toward her. "Are you here by yourself?

[barrel]

Not even a minute had passed and already devilish ideas rocketed through his dark little mind. Humming, he realized, wasn't a super uncommon thing. Habitants of Halloween town partook in such activities even, only their song were far less cheery. Still, this sound was coming from something living inside this girl, and this intrigued him greatly. It was true that not many things inside Halloween town could be classified as 'alive,' so he found everything about these strange. blood riddled beings vastly interesting. He wanted to push their limits, see just how much their feeble bodies could bear. What fun little play things he'd come upon in this new land!

The moment she uttered the word mother an idea struck his brain and set his little eyes on fire. His grin broadened and he let another ear popping giggle escape his malicious, curled lips. mommy mommyyyy? he questioned slowly, swaying slightly in a rhythmic way. He let his head fall to the side again before continuing Lets play a game! he cheered a game a game! he paraded the word as he rocked slightly Barrel loved games, mainly because he was clever enough to win them, and winning meant he got what he wanted. You be my mommy! he urged, pointing a little finger up at her. His voice held a strange musical quality to it, like it was some high pitched eerie tune. As if he might begin speaking some kind of creepy poem or a deadly spell.

Yes, yes he thought to himself, smiling as he waited for the girls answer. play fun games with the stupid pink thing now then lock her in a box for later! he thought happily.

[sarah]

Sarah blinked at the creepy little child for a moment, processing what he had just said. Yes, she did love children, but playing mother to this one was something Sarah really didn't want to do. Her gaze swept the area again for some sign of the child's mother. No one was in sight, leaving Sarah to assume that he was indeed here alone.

"I'm sure you have a perfectly lovely mother and she's probably very worried that you're off by yourself." Sarah said slowly, but doubted it would have any effect on him. Sighing, she knelt to his level - which probably wasn't a safe thing to do with the way he was bouncing around and such. Brushing hair from her eyes, she studied him for a moment. He seemed okay except that malicious smile of his and the way he kept speaking in such an eerie tone. She certainly hoped it wasn't his real tone of voice.

"All right. One game, but then we'll have to find your mother, okay?" She offered to him. Children loved games,a nd she'd often given in to Toby in playing games in order to get him to cooperate. With any luck, the child's mother would come out of nowhere while they were playing whatever game they were about to play and take control of her child.

"What sort of game do you want to play?

[barrel]

This girl was stupid. Barrel giggled at her obvious lack of common sense. How could she not get that her being his mother was the game. What, did she honestly think he had one of these mother things of his own? Please she died in a freak trick or treating accident a long time ago, well, so did he, but anyway she wasn't around any more. This dim lady made it sound like everyone his age depended on these maternal figures. What a strange thing to think, what a weird girl, a weird stupid girl. She would be easy to trick and dissect. Or maybe he'd just tire her up and pull on her limbs to see which one would tear off first.

Despite his clear lack of respect for the thing in front of him, he smiled up at her. He let out another bought of laughter when she asked what game to play. Oh the games he wanted to play. He'd like to see what color her blood was, then he could play tic tack toe using it as finger paint. Or he would like to know if she bruised like the others here, turning their skin purple and blue. Those colors were much more exciting than their normal boring peachy shade. First, however, he wanted her to be his mommmy! Because he said so and he should get it! You be my mommy! he insisted again, laughing and dancing another circle around her. then we'll play a gaaaammeee he said darkly, eyes sparkling with the devils interests.

[sarah]

Sarah twisted to watch him once more as he circled her. The most sane part of her was telling her that she needed to find a police officer and hand this child over to them and be on her way - or perhaps erect some sort of magic shield around herself, just in case - but she didn't do either. Maternal instincts were kicking in whether she liked it or not - damned pregnancy hormones.

Sighing, she gave in.

"All right, I'll play your mother for now, okay?" Hopefully that would satisfy him for now. She was still kneeling at his level, arms resting against her legs. She brought a free hand up to her temple to rub it for a moment, pushing against the headache threatening to form before she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Now will you tell me a game we could play?"

[barrel]

Barrel let out a musical bit of frightening laughter in his success. Mommy! she shouted, throwing his hands in the air and allowing another tinkling giggle escape his rotting lungs. Oh the fun they would have together, new Mommy and son. She'd take him to parties and buy him sweets. What a lovely mommy she would be, all fleshy and pink and dumb. Oh the games they would play! Red rover, red rover, until no arms are left unbroken. Unfortunately for new mommy, Barrels idea of such classic games as tag and tic tac toe weren't quite so simple and nearly always ended in death. This made perfect sense to him, when spending all your time in a place where most things are already dead, dying again is just a inconvenience, making it the perfect incorporation into games and the like. Stay alive and you win, maybe they are just as simple, just a lot more lethal.

Suddenly, with a vicious though, Barrel pulled string of twine from his jacket, looped at the end like a noose. In one quick movement he cast it at her, aiming for it to fall over her head and lace around her neck. He'd pull it tight should it make its mark. Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone? Oh where, oh where can he be? he sang gleefully. This is that game Barrel wanted to play.

(completely forgot >.< /fail)

[sarah]

Sarah half expected the boy to grab her leg or something, but she was glad when he didn't. His giggling made chills run up her spine, but she hid the shivers they caused as well and instead put on a gentle smile for the boy. If she was going to be a mother in several months, she was going to have to start learning to put up with children.

The twine surprised her - she jerked back and threw her hands up, but it had already wrapped around her neck. She struggled for a minute before she brought her hands up. The twine burst into flames around her neck and disinigrated, leaving no trace of it against her skin. She glared at the boy, frowning.

"You terrible child! You don't wrap things around people's necks!" She said in a scolding tone, probably a bit more harsher than she intended. Then again, to her, he had just tried to kill her. "You could have seriously hurt me!"

[barrel]

Barrel grinned and laughed, tossing the twine about and tugging on it to and fro once it was secure around her neck. Practically delirious with his dark mind for humor, he cheered and continued his eerie nursery rhyme With his ears cut short and his tail cut long, Oh where, oh where is he? His words where interlaced with his sadistic sniggering. This was all too easy, rope her like a common cow and drag her back to somewhere dark where no one would be lurking. What funny sounds these beasts could make, Barrel wondered just how many, perhaps he could find out with her in his care. With him as the player and her no more than a disposable instrument, oh what music he could make.

Just as his fantasies began to grow more colorful in his mind, however, miss mommy threw her hands in up and burned her leash away from existence. A frightening grimace appeared on his features for a moment, until he'd assessed the situation and worked it all out in his mind. Mommy had magic. Suddenly she was somewhat less disposable and more of a long term project idea. Barrel would like to make fire from his hands. He could take it from her, or make her give it, either way, he would have to restrain himself at this very moment from slipping a knife from his pocket and lunging for her heart. He stared at the place on her being where her heart must beat. Thump thump thump. Beating away behind all that gooey nonsense. His heart made that sound no more. He could take that from her too, but not yet, not yet. Need a plan, more riddles, more games!

Barrel smiled up at her once again, looking as innocent as a hellish zombie boy could manage. Oh, I don't want to hurt my mommy! he shrieked I'm only just having funnnn. he concluded, eyes flashing.

[sarah]

Sarah stared down at the boy in disbelief. Was this child serious? Frowning, she folded her arms across her chest. "Well, you don't put ropes around people's necks to play with them. That's very mean. I don't want you to do it again." She said, pointing a warning finger at him. A mom for three minutes and she was already scolding the child. Perfect.

"What happened to tag and hide-and-go-seek? I thought children liked those sorts of games?" She said to the boy, glancing around again. Still no sign of any sort of mother figure or any police officer she could hand the boy off to. Only children, teenagers, ad other adults who were on their merry way. None looked like they had lost a child.

(amg fail)