Halloween 2020: Choose Your Spooky Outcome: Chapter 6
For those who’ve missed it: here’s a link to the Choose Your Spooky Outcome Discord
The last time you chose a path, selecting the pile of bones led to something called the Ball of Bones, filled with beings apparently dancing the tales of their lives. Given how literal the interpretation was before, candy seems the safest option available. As the watcher said, you are walking between the many facets of Halloween. At least one of the places has to embody the kid-oriented version, where the scares are light-hearted and safe-ish.
Fully aware of how optimistic that interpretation is, you still mosey forth down the road beneath the basket of candy, turning back occasionally to look at the tree. Without warning, when you check the rear after a few minutes, everything behind you is gone, lost to the shifting fogs and impermanent landscape.
Pressing on, because what else can you do, soon a new sound reaches your ears. Laughter, joy, the sounds of people playing. Shapes are beginning to pop up along the road as well: what look like stiff, unmoving versions of trees, bushes, even a few derelict houses in the distance. An audible crunch makes you tense up, but spinning around you find yourself staring at Jim, who has just snapped several leaves off a bush.
And “snapped” is very much the right descriptor, as even now the foliage remains stiff in his grip. Before even the specter of better judgement can prevail, Jim shoves the largest leaf into his mouth, taking a large bite. It shatters, leaving you to stare dumbstruck as Jim chews for several seconds, swallowing with a mildly perplexed look on his face.
“Huh. Was gonna see how this stuff smoked up, but it tastes like sugar.” He takes another bite of leaves, though whether it’s to confirm the theory or for simple pleasure, who can tell.
Tapping, then licking, a few of the trees branches nearby, you confirm it’s more of the same. Everything seems to be made from edible, decorative material. You did pick the path of candy, surroundings made of it certainly fit the theme.
Continuing onward, the candy fauna grows denser as the voices grow louder, until you literally break through a bush and find yourself staring at a playground. Swing sets, monkey bars, sand pit, slide, everything is here, and almost all of it in active use. Small figures race about, playing countless games among themselves in a flurry of fun.
Of course, the scene is made slightly odd by the fact that said figures are all living pieces of candy, most with small limbs growing from their center. There are sour balls rolling, gum drops bouncing, chocolate bars walking tall above the smaller treats. Every variety of cookie animal can be found in some part of the playground, roaming and climbing like their organic counterparts, only without the mauling. Or without the mauling so far, at least. Best not to make too many assumptions.
Several of the candies near your point of entrance appear to notice your arrival, but most pay you little mind. There’s only one exception, and it’s a doozy. A ring of various candy people soon forms around you as you step fully onto the playground. Their voices ring out, innocent and sweet, a sharp contrast to their not-so-merry song.
Dead man, Dead man,
seeks what he lost in a Dead land.
Brought his friends and risks the grave
But is this another he’ll fail to save?
“What?” You turn to the small array of candy-folk encircling you, probing for answers, but they’re already moving on by the time you’ve processed their words. They don’t make it far, however, quickly forming the same circle around Jim, who was close behind you.
Wild man, Wild man,
drinks and smokes like a- “AAAAARGH!”
Yeah, a song and dance is neat, but Jim is Jim, and he just saw gigantic versions of some favorite snacks. The fact that they were performing wasn’t going to stack up against his limited impulse control, as proven by the gummy snake currently missing a hunk of its tail.
“Whoa, pretty sure that’s… not… cool?” Thad’s objections die off at the sounds coming from the snake. Evidently, that first scream was either surprise or… something you really don’t want to overly contemplate, as now the snake is making moans of pleasure while Jim chews his sizable bite.
“Eaters!” The word rises from further up the playground, a caramel cauldron pointing it’s ladle in Jim’s direction, just as he goes in for another bite, earning a fresh wave of disturbing joy from the snake.
Soon, other candies join in chanting it. “Eaters! Eaters! Eaters!” Even the formerly singing ones have taken up the words, fading into the crowd along with any insights to their rhyme. You’d really expect “Eaters” to carry a negative tone, considering the implications, but it’s downright celebratory. The candies are reacting like they’re favorite rock star just showed up to play a surprise concert.
Finally, movement from the rear causes a wave of silence as the various strangely shaped beings part, making way for a slow-moving circular yellow-brown candy, the arms and legs growing from its center visibly struggling to carry it along. At last, it arrives before you, looking your group up and down.
“A traveler, I see. Been many an eve since one wandered through lands of ours, most prefer the more iconic aspects, even with the inherent dangers.” The candy dips it’s head, nearly toppling over from the shift in weight. “Call me Ole Scotch, I’m the eldest among us. It is a pleasure to welcome a traveler, and his guests.”
“It’s our pleasure and honor to be here,” you reply, doing your best at playing diplomatic. It might have come off a tad more dignified if Jim hadn’t taken another bite of gummy snake in that moment, eliciting a series of near-ecstatic sounds. “And sorry about my friend’s appetite.”
Ole Scotch chuckles at that. “We are candy, good traveler. To be eaten is our purpose, our destiny, our glory.”
“Okay then…” Still kind of weird, but hey, this is Halloween candy. It’s to be expected that it’s a little off. “So, at the last place, they asked us to dance to earn help. Is there any sort of event like that in this land we should know about?”
“Indeed, indeed, but nothing as stuffy as a dance,” Ole Scotch assures you. “What other task could there be in a place such as this one? We would ask you to join us in a game, and see what prizes you can win. There is greatness to be had in triumph.”
You glance at the others, who are looking right back at you, probably with the same thought. No way it will be a normal game, just like the Ball of Bones didn’t actually want a standard duet. “What sort of game did you have in mind?”
Tapping the top part of its circular body, perhaps the equivalent of a forehead, Ole Scotch mulls the question over. “I know travelers loathe to dilly-dally, let us stick to games easily on-hand. Nearby, there are boards for Candy Cornhole, nets for Waffle Ball, and sticks for Gummy Smack. Tell me, traveler, which of these would you prefer?”
Much as you would love more detail on what those entail, there’s an entire playground of candy staring at you, waiting for an answer, some of them vibrating from anticipation. Doesn’t feel like a crowd open to a long discussion. Plus, Jim has started devouring the snake in earnest, and it is a lot for the ears to handle. You definitely need a distraction, so time to decide what it’s going to be.