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 Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:12 am
 ✍ Stop the Presses, for I Have News
✍ To Be Hopeful Has its Rewards
✍ Sticks and Stones
✍ Package Delivery
✍ Package Found
✍ Newest Guardians
✍ In the Garden
✍ Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog
✍ A Night to be Remembered
✍ Opening the Doors to the Beast
✍ Fly Me to the Moon
✍ Beware of What is Lurking in the Shadows on Halloween Night
✍ Look Behind the Curtain
✍ A Winter Update
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:30 pm
 Stop the Presses for I have News. The golden rays of a descending sun shown through the great windows of the Maevin's home; it was a beautiful light that bathed each and every room in the home with its radiance. The great statues, tall and built with the unyielding pride of an artist, stood as haunting pieces of work against the sunlight. Paintings of extraordinary places where one only dreamed of visiting looked almost real as if they were portals waiting to be entered upon their place on the walls. Objects that had been crafted long ago sat in their rightful places, rarely touched, in fear of their elegance being disturbed. This home, cluttered with treasures of the past, sheltered two unlikely candidates that had come to be the relic’s guardians and protectors from the outside world.
A melody, sad and soft, broke the silence of the old home. The tinkling of piano keys danced through the halls as small fingers played upon the old musical instrument. Tyson sat on the bench in front of the piano, clearly the hunched over child was the artist of the whimsical song. Who knew that the child, who boasted of his bubbling energy and boisterous attitude, could actually possess the talent and patience to play the piano with such grace?
Even when the obnoxious rings of the telephone sounded the child did not move from his seat.
Thunderous footfalls down the stairs broke the piece's rhythm which reduced Tyson to scrambling about on the keys for the right tune again.
"Don't touch the phone!" Lillian yelled after her feet made contact with the main ground. She threw Tyson an, 'I mean it and don't you dare.' glare only for it to be returned with a dull look from the child. Even if his concentration had been knocked off key it returned in a second or so to which the child used as if it never left. ~~His piano was the object that soothed his wild soul and kept him restrained truly an enchanting thing.
After four loud rings, the answering machine picked up the caller on the other end.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” A voice asked over the static that crackled on the others’ end. Their voice was hoarse and unfamiliar. “Lillian? Lily bear? Are you there, sweetheart? Mrs.—“
“Yes?” Lillian had snatched the phone from the hook before the person on the other end could even finish their sentence. “This is the Maevin residence; may I ask who is calling?”
Silence met her question but Lil could’ve sworn she heard a heavy sigh from the unknown person on the other end.
“Lillian? This is your mother. Are you okay, sweetie? Did you not recognize my voice?”
The teenager was quiet for a moment after her mother had revealed herself. “Mom?” Ah. So her voice decided to come back. "I'm glad to hear from you."
A sweet, melodic laughter carried over from a place that she knew was miles away. "Darling, your father and I have missed you two so much. I have news..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:31 pm
To be Hopeful has its Rewards. “Mom and Dad are coming home!? When!?” The room Lillian and Tyson sat in was warm, if you could count it as a logical explanation, Lillian would blame the heat in the room on the child’s seemingly everlasting supply of energy that just radiated off of him.
Lillian, who sat comfortably enough on the old sofa, raised one of her hands that sported four outstretched fingers. She didn’t speak or add to her movement, so the lad just guessed that her motion was the answer to his question.
“Four?” Just saying the number gave him a case of the jitters. “So, by four do you mean four days? Four weeks? Four months?” He inhaled a gulp of the warm air. “Or could it mean four years?” The child cringed at the word “years” after it had forced itself out of his lips.
Tyson’s expression Lillian thought reminded her of the first time he had tried a lemon slice. Similar to the past, the boy’s face scrunched itself up, his lips became pursed and his eyes squinted to almost being thought of as closed.
“Four months.” A simple and short reply, and yet it was all that was needed to light the wick to Tyson’s whooping and hollering fit.
“Do you think you can wait that long?” Lillian asked as Tyson thrusted his arms into the air like a boxer who had just won his match.
To many, the amount of time that Lillian and Tyson had to endure to see someone felt like forever, and Lillian certainly wasn’t excluded from it. Yet for the child who had been awaiting their return six months ago and still had not grown impatient, what could four extra months do?
In one swift motion Tyson swiveled upon his heel and turned himself around to face the window. “I can wait forever, Lil. I just really want to see them again.” His voice was strong and filled with the confidence Lillian had come to envy during these times. “Besides, when four months is up, I’ll be playing the piano better. Mom will really like that.” A dreamy look captured his features when his eyes fixed themselves on the happenings of the outside world.
“Well, anyways! I’m bored….let’s check and see that everything is working outside! I bet’cha my new idea is gonna work really, really well.” The moment had ended abruptly and Tyson’s bright wide eyes a long with his chesire smile returned in an instant. He was ready to go do something else, the silence that had enveloped the room was too tense and heavy to remain in any further.
Before his sibling could get out of her comfortable seat or even mutter a “Wait.”, Tyson had scampered out the room and completely out of the house.
“That kid…he’ll never slow down.” Lil pushed herself to stand; her legs had fought silently to remain sitting but had clearly lost the battle. It wasn’t like she could actually sit still for a moment though; especially because Tyson was outside in their yard without her watching over him. Just the idea, a small and normally insignificant idea that was of Tyson being left alone without any sort of guidance, particularly her own, screamed trouble and disaster to Lillian before she could put it up for second reasoning.
The boy was her responsibility, her family, heck he had become her life. To loose him to the world and its unknown would be an act of failing her parents and herself.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Put that down!” She hollered when her eyes spied Tyson out the window fiddling with the broken arm of a statue. Lillian frowned when the little culprit dropped the object and ran into the brush. Pfft, like that would save him. Well…if she always kept an eye on him, Lillian reassured, then Tyson would never be taken and their small family wouldn’t be torn any further. All she had to do was protecting what she had, and with that Lillian hurried out the door to catch her rambunctious little brother.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:36 pm
 The children are visited by their dear friend Alex one day. Although she does not come alone. A large wooden crate is wheeled into the home by Alex, who explains that it is from Lil and Tyson's parents. What lies in this mysterious crate? And could what's inside be an important factor in the future?
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:59 pm
Package Delivery? The air that lofted around the Maevin home was fresh from the rain that had fallen the night before. To wake up and explore the yard with its new aroma was a special treat Marmaduke, the Maevin siblings great dane, took great pleasure in enjoying. On days like these, after the rain had cleared, he was always out exploring the rejuvenated land. The natural scents that lain heavy and distinct amongst the ground and foliage had now become meshed together with one another. So, what once could’ve been a piece of bark now smelled like a rotting mushroom.
Today though, as the big dog lumbered about the large and infested yard, there was nothing new that caught his interest. There was no extra smelly moss hanging off the statues nor were there any new fungi colonies growing over the beach logs.
Lillian hadn’t installed any new traps as of recently for him to take a gander at either. Usually he looked over those after the rainfall, just to make sure they were still fully intact. Today was, well, it was….dull. As days drew into months, his searches had come down to lackluster experiences instead of the dazzling adventures he had in the past.
Marmaduke drew across a sad but probable conclusion to explain his boredom, the excitement of prowling around the yard after a good rainfall had grown old with age.
He had spent months roaming around the yard as well as the beach in back of the large Maevin home. Sad to say, but what was left on the broad land that he hadn’t seen before? So what if the statues had grown more moss? Big old whoop de do. They were just old stones, carved to look like stupid humans and were in the process of transforming back into what they once were, a lump of dirt.
Marmaduke snorted and plopped himself down in the wet grass. Exactly what kind of dog had he become? It was true that he had changed after Lillian adopted him, but to be thinking over his life like this? In the past, he would have been expanding his life and living freely! No one would have been able to hold him back from what he wanted. He could take a stroll in Durem city without a leash, which would then be followed by a meal in Barton town, and he would finish his day with a snooze on Bassken Lake’s shores. Now that had been his ideal way of living! It was lazy life, but boy was it a good life.
When he had been on his own, living life freely, there had always been so many possibilities awaiting him on every corner. It wasn’t that Marmaduke didn’t enjoy his life with the children, but on some days, he cursed his hulking horse size. That was had landed him in trouble a year ago. What if he had been able to fit through that darn hole in the fence? He wouldn’t have landed in the pound and he would have never been taken under the caring wing that belonged to the Maevin children.
So being caught by the dogcatcher was fate. Now he had a home, and two people who loved him and kept his belly full with tasty goodies. He had no right to complain while the dogs he lived with a year ago still wandered the streets in search of their next meal.
Another snort and with an added grunt Marmaduke pulled himself back up to stand on all fours. He needed to learn when to stop being such a sap when it came to the past or he’d be thinking like a human even more.
Slowly the dog began to make his way back to the front of the house. Every step that he made was a careful one for he wasn’t about to wind up in a pitfall, a hanging net, or any other mechanisms that littered the ground undetected. Ugh…traps. Those doodads created by the children would be the end of him for sure. All because of that one night when he picked to hide under the kitchen table rather than confronting the man who had broken into the home and taken various things from the house.
That’s the last straw! Marm recalled Lillian saying those exact words the day after the break-in when she saw what had been done to the house. The night before the break-in, Lillian and Tyson had watched a movie that had a little boy and two men in it. By the way the older men were acting, Marmaduke guessed that they had wanted to get into the house of which the boy was in. Throughout the whole movie that Tyson called, “Home Alone”, the child used trap tactics to take down the villains and save the day in the end.
After the attack, the same movie was playing the next day too, but this time Lillian had out a pad and paper. He had caught a glance at the paper to realize that his young lady was writing down something and drawing what looked like traps. Afterwards, he had followed Lillian into the computer room where she searched and printed out details on the machines of defense.
Marmaduke continued his walk, the dog getting closer to the mansion as he recalled what occurred afterwards. They had gone “shopping” for the needed materials, he being the fellow to pull the wagon. Instead of going to a real store, Lillian had dragged them to the Aekea’s junkyard. What a long trip that had been! The ferry to Port Gambino and then the taxi to Aekea took time, and then followed by the wait as Lillian and Tyson gathered up items in the junkyard made their journey feel like an epic tale.
Oh how relieved he had been when Lillian pulled his leash to the exit of the junkyard. But the following days were filled with more work that concerned setting up the various tools around the yard and hiding them so no one would suspect what was going on.
The dog looked up at the mansion’s front porch when he arrived back from his exploration. Now that he was back, Lillian would open the door and let him in so he could-- Something was seated infront of the door, something that he did not recognize.
Ever so slowly Marmaduke crept towards the object until it came clear to him exactly what it was. A suitcase. But if it was just a suitcase, then why did it smell so weird? The great dane leaned forward and sniffed at the suitcase with an extreme sense of curiosity. Whatever it was, it was old…and something was up with it. If something was up, or wrong with things, then that would cause Lillian problems. When Lil had problems, that meant he had problems alongside Tyson. Not today though…he didn’t want to deal with anything today.
So, why not get rid of it or at least hide it for a few days? No one would notice and he’d get off the choir of carrying anymore tools, packages, or wagons.
Lumbering up the stairs and quickly moving towards the suitcase, Marmaduke took a hold of the case’s handle with his teeth. The unfamiliar object needed to be taken care of before something happened and he knew exactly where it could go. At least this would last until Lillian or Tyson stumbled upon the item, but that wouldn’t be for two or three days.
With that in mind, Marmaduke picked up the suitcase with his powerful mouth aligned with thick and sharp teeth. He knew exactly where he could put this and not be punished once it was discovered. When Marmaduke headed off to the garden with those thoughts in his mind, he couldn’t help but shake the pride in himself at the “good deed” he was “committing to for everyone’s benefits.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:01 am
Package found. “Come ON you stupid weeds!! Submit to my…urgh…power!” Yet no matter how loud Tyson hollered, or how hard he pulled at them, the weeds in the rag tag garden would not budge. The boy had been at this task since one in the afternoon and at this point the clock now read quarter after four. When five o’ clock rolled around, he’d have to eat dinner, and that meant facing Lillian who was expecting to see a weed-less garden when she went to retrieve him.
Since he had been outside for over four hours it was a guarantee that Lillian was ready to see a clean landscape after allowing the boy to put off his choir for two days straight. But instead of staying true to his word and doing the job for his sister, Tyson had wasted those precious four hours doing other outside activities.
So what exactly had distracted the youth for so long to put off work? Why, puddle jumping and seashell collecting of course!
It had been two days now since a powerful storm had struck with a mighty force upon Gambino Isle. Left in it’s wake were humungous puddles all over the Maevin’s yard. Determined to play in them after the rain had cleared, Tyson had struck a deal with his elder sibling. She would let him play in the puddles for two days. After they were gone, he’d de-weed the garden. Once he had won that battle, Tyson had spent the last two days splashing in the puddles and creating boats to play in the puddles with.
Today was the third day though and that had meant Tyson needed to get to work. Yet the evil little demi devil known as distraction had perched upon his shoulder as soon as he had stepped outside. Instead of getting straight to work, the boy decided to revisit the puddles which had shrunk in size and depth. Rather than pull weeds, for an hour and a half the tyke splashed and leaped in the final remains of the late rain.
Oh, but let’s not forget the other outdoor treasure that he took time to collect along the shores of the beach after his game with the water. Shells of all sorts of colors and structures, now picked over by tourists of the isle, had come in to lie on the shores after the storm. Ranging from ordinary browns and beiges to outrageous oranges and pinks there was no wonder as to why the boy had wanted to collect them. He even found some sea glass in the wonderland of ocean goodies!
Nowadays sea glass had become labeled as a rare treasure that was hard to come by when searching the beach for interesting souvenirs. Since plastic was used more than glass in the twenty first century, glass bottles were no longer thrown into the ocean and no longer created the beautiful gems.
With the adventure of the sea glass and the puddles out of the way, Tyson had finally gotten to work on the garden.
The sound of dirt collapsing under his strength brought a smile to Tyson’s expressive face. At last! He had this tough weed right where he wanted it, one final tug and he’d have it!
Just…one…more….Tyson pulled at the weed, his little figure thrusting backwards to give him advantage over the pest. There were still an armful of weeds left to take care of and to waste his time trying to demolish this one wasn’t worth it. Yet he could hear the dirt caving in and the weed’s grip to the land loosening.
Suddenly it broke and Tyson was sent reeling back onto the ground. Not only had the weed been torn out of the ground, (FINALLY!) but about a dozen of weeds and dirt came up with it. It seemed like someone had taken the liberty of clearing out the garden before him, if you would call it that. It would’ve been nice if they hadn’t reburied the weeds just to make it harder to pull the others out.
Once Tyson had seated himself upright, rubbed his head, and crawled back over to the garden something half-buried in the soil amongst the weeds that were strewn all over the place caught his eye. It looked like….a briefcase?
Torn and mud-covered the briefcase, Tyson concluded, must’ve been uprooted from the ground along with the weeds. Where it exactly came from was a mystery since it wasn’t a usual thing to find a briefcase in the ground. Yet that had to mean that something cool and astounding was inside of it! Why else would it be in the ground?
The boy reached forward and carefully lifted the briefcase up from the dirt and into his arms. Upon closer inspection he could see teeth marks aligning the handles and upon the sides of the case. Marmaduke.
“Tyson!” Lillian’s call alerted the youth, but by the time he had gotten himself out of the garden with the suitcase tucked safely in his arms it was too late.
“What’s that?” His sister asked from behind. Her eyes were already on the dirty briefcase and the look she wore was easy for Tyson to read. Lillian was going to take the briefcase, whether he wanted her to or not.
Tyson didn’t even try to evade Lil’s extended hand that reached for the briefcase since he knew it was no use.
“Come on, Tyson, let’s go inside and see what’s in it.” Lillian figured could scold him later for ditching his choirs. Right now she too wondered what the boy had found, especially since Marmaduke hadn’t demolished it.
~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
Lillian and Tyson sat at the kitchen table where the morning newspaper laid spread across the ebony tabletop to prevent a mess. In the middle, untouched since they brought it into the house, was the suitcase.
“Lillian…I don’t think sitting here and staring at it will open it any faster.” Tyson spoke from his seat at the table. This wasn’t the time to be analyzing who sent it to them and why. This was the time to open the darn thing and see what was inside of it! If it was from the lab, God only knew what kind of exciting trinket had been sent to them!
Lillian, who was digging through the drawer for a knife, didn’t say a word against her younger brother. It was only until she found the utensil that she turned around and returned to the table. From there she worked on prying open the suitcase, its locks jammed thanks to the rough time it had with Marmaduke.
At last, a loud snap sounded screamed victory for the two Maevins. The briefcase had opened after enough prying to reveal a packet of paper and two glass objects.
“Whoa…what are those?” Tyson asked Lillian as he reached for the paper to only push it aside so he could look at the bottle and vial better.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:04 am
Tyson is so excited to have received a soul bottle and fel essence he quickly has Lillian call Aphismet to tell him the good news. They are invited to his house during the phone call, and eagerly accept. Lil has some questions to ask Aphismet, while Tyson can't wait to show off their gift. What will happen though when Tyson stumbles on Rivener as the raevan paints? Will trouble occur?
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 9:34 pm
After being dropped off by cab at Aphismet's house, before they enter Lillian and Tyson run into Isi and Eiry. A young teen and his raevan enjoying the nice day gardening. Will Tyson have better success at making a friend with this raevan? Could Lillian have things in common with Isi and develop a tie with him?
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Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 9:42 pm
Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jog. The trek home from the Delaran home took longer then Lillain expected. Instead of reaching home at seven, when the sun was still out; they were back at nine and dusk had already set itself the dominator in the sky.
“Tyson, hold on.” Lillain struggled to get out of the taxi with the dessert she and Aphi made. After spending over an hour making the treat, there was no way in hell that she was about to let it fall on the sidewalk and be a strays dinner.
The tyke in question spun around to look back at his sister just before he reached the gates. At least Lil wasn’t the only one who had her hands full. Tyson was balancing two boxes in his arms. One contained some paper and paints from Aphi’s home, while another held the fel essence and soul bottle; and yet the boy could hold both boxes with ease and still prance about like a wild pixie much to Lillain’s distaste.
When they got inside the iron gates and past the traps, Tyson lowered the two boxes to open the front door. Lillain walked past her brother and quickly headed into the kitchen to set the dessert in the fridge. Tyson waited a moment outside, his hands busy petting the stone being on the porch.
Ever since Alex had dropped the creature off and told Tyson about them, the child had taken a liking to stroking its head. If the creature did come to life, then Tyson rather have the gargoyle remember him as affectionate rather than mean.
“Night, Mr. Garg! See you in the morning.” Tyson bent down and picked up the two boxes and hurried into the house, locking the door behind him.
Before the siblings went to bed, they checked each and every room to make sure that nothing was out of place. It was routine that they performed every night, just to make sure that nothing had been misplaced.
After everything was secure, both headed up to their rooms. Instead of letting Tyson take the raevan box, Lillain took it to her room where she could keep an eye on it. Once there, the box was placed in the deep depths of the trunk where the youngest of two couldn’t find it. It would remain there, until the right time came to use it.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:18 pm
A night to be remembered. Lillian held her pose upon the staircase, a metal bat raised high above her head and grasped tightly between her trembling hands. A loud noise followed by Marmaduke’s frantic barking had woken her up just a few minutes ago. The scuffled sounds of a fight had come from somewhere down the stairs.
Before she had gotten this far, Lillian had to actually pinch herself to just give the reassurance that she was not experiencing another nightmare. This was real…someone, or something, was in the house. That was the only way to explain that noise of something shattering, in the dead of night and the dog’s retaliation.
Upon the stairwell she stood, ready to strike and protect the treasures that lay amongst the home. Yet the fear of what was lying in the dark, awaiting her appearance, had stricken her immobile. Every time she readied herself to step forward and down the stairs an invisible force, like chains, pulled her back and kept her in place.
The courage and will to conquer that had flowed through her veins every single day was absent when she needed it the most. But really, what was she supposed to do?
The fact was: Someone was in her house! They had evaded every single trap and disarmed the alarms. They were good…and if they were really good and really big all hope was lost. Marmaduke had probably fled to the nearest covering by now, but to blame a cowardly dog wouldn’t get them anywhere. The preparation that had taken over a year for a night like tonight was a waste. The bold woman that Lillian had worked so hard to create had turned tail and left in her wake a cowering child probably to join the pet under the kitchen table.
Suddenly another loud crash echoed from somewhere to the right, Lil guessed somewhere in the kitchen. Heavy footfalls that shook the floor followed and only gave Lillian more of a reason to dread the soon to come encounter.
How was she supposed to brace herself against something this big? It’s size was evident just by the horrendous shakes of the house.
Doomed….trapped….the evidence of her and her families’ demise was all there. It had been set in front of her like a placemat just before dinner.
“Lillian?” The voice of innocence whispered behind her. Complete dread shuddered through Lillian’s already trembling bones. Tyson. She had not locked his door…she had gone straight to the stairwell with a bat with the vain need to defend. What a grand protector she was…she forgot the first step to keeping someone safe; keeping them away from the danger.
With agility that could have only been brought on by adrenaline, Lillian whipped herself around to stare at the little boy. He met her frightened eyes, and probably because of post-slumber, just rubbed his own as though Lil’s fear was nothing to concern himself with.
“What’s wrong, Lil? Why do you have a bat?” Sleepy eyes fell upon the sports tool, the metal bat catching and glowing in the moonlight. “What time is it? Isn’t it a school…” The child’s voice died as stone cold reality smashed against the back of his head.
Baseball bats weren’t placed in every room of the small mansion just in case the kid’s decided to suddenly have an indoor game. It had been established almost a year ago that the bats would be used as self-defense, and only that. A gun was something they couldn’t acquire, and their kitchen knives hadn’t been sharpened in ages, it was their last resort.
The lad’s newly acquired frightened eyes stared up at Lil as they begged for reassurance that this was just a drill. No one was in their house, they weren’t in trouble, and in just one minute Lil was going to give him a lecture as to what to aim for if they ever found themselves in this position.
The answer that Tyson would have favored did not come though. His heart clenched inside his chest when the hallway he stood in shook violently. It wasn’t an earthquake….Gambino Isle sometimes had them but just from experience he could tell this was nothing of the sort.
Strong arms then seized the boy and they were off down the hall, running to escape the threat behind them. Lillian was making a run for it! To carry Tyson she had to drop the bat, but if her idea worked, all they would need now was hope.
Powerful vibrations shook the statues and paintings upon the wall. In one of Tyson’s favorite paintings, the ball room with a hundred dancers, they looked to actually be twirling upon the golden floor.
Lillian’s footfalls, that she once thought were loud, did not compare to the ones that followed them. Tyson could only match them suitably to thunder. They were racing against a storm.
A loud smack sounded and then Lillian pushed them through ebony doors. Breathing heavily, for air never came quick to the panicked, the young teenager with brother in arms hobbled past the colorful kites to a window.
How could she have almost forgotten of this escape route? If this had not come to mind they would already be in death’s arms.
“Alright Tyson, just follow my lead.” The ringing of her ears and the gasps for oxygen hide Lillian’s voice from her but all that mattered was if Tyson had heard her. He nodded and that was the signal to take flight.
The thunderous footfalls were getting closer, and as they made their escape out the window and onto the roof of the lower floor the ebony door swung open in their wake. Quickly! Time was of the essence!
Lillian dragged the boy behind her as she searched for the white picket rose fence that leaned against the first floor wall. It was just to the side and if they managed to climb down it then they could make a get-away into the forest. No thief would put up that much effort to capture two kids when they had the house all to themselves.
“WAIT!!!!” The roar came from the window they had just exited. Lillian never halted nor looked back as it pleaded for them to stop. Trickery would not work on her!
The sound of glass shattering rang throughout the bleak night, the moon now hidden in the clouds. No one would hear the struggle though, for the Maevin Mansion was secluded from the rest of the houses upon the beach.
Time never slowed for the youths as Lillian fell to her knees and began to scurry down the picket fence; crushing the red roses that laid upon it in her wake. Balancing herself ever so carefully yet still managing their time, Lillian led Tyson to follow the steps she had taken. He was almost fully on the fence when he vanished from Lils sight.
A horrendous scream pierced Lillian’s ears that ripped past the ringing and pounding orchestra that beat through her. For a second she thought the dark of the night would surround and devour her whole. Instead, the fire of fury that could only match pure rage flowed through her body to make her blood run boiling and her vision turn red.
Strength that she never knew she had overtook Lillian and helped her to leap back onto the roof but barely off edge with her sore hands balled into fists.
The moon was still a captive of the clouds, but who needed the light when one’s life treasure was in danger? The soft whimpering of a child that came from a dark figure on the roof was all she needed to aim at.
“DROP HIM!” A tone that suited the general to an army accompanied her command. Lillian swung her arms forward and kicked off what little of the roof she had to launch herself at the darkened figure.
“LILLIAN!” The soft cries had broken into a scream.
Too late.
Gravity overtook the form that had thought the roof was wider and her sprint not that quick. What once was below her was no more but air and she was plummeting.
That left the treasure, her brother, still in the hands of the thief to be tortured to their hearts content when she hit the ground. It was a guarantee.
Like the night was starting over again, the bravery fled and replaced itself with fear. Instead of screaming for revenge or watching the ground come closer; Lil closed her eyes.
Yet contact with the grassy ground never came, only the sensation of a frigid hand around her arm and a powerful wind against her. She was…safe.
The cold encompassed her entire form in seconds to hold her in a secure hug. Even against the beating of the wind Lillian could hear mewls of a child in her ear. Yet she was pressed too securely to the being to crane her neck and see the face of her brother.
One final gust sounded in their ears as the moon escaped the clouds, it’s rays falling upon the trio that were now on the grass.
The hug tightened when deep voice that one would describe as rich and strong washed over the siblings. “I got you, shh, you are both safe.”
An angel? As corny as Lil believed it to be, that conclusion to their hero’s identity matched fairly well to the sudden display.
Seconds turned to minutes and they were still held in the arms of their protector. Had it already dealt with the thief to keep this moment lasting? If not, it should stop holding them to go back and take care of those cretins.
The muffle from Tyson must have voiced Lillian’s complaint of the seemingly everlasting hug and they were released gently onto the ground.
Yet what stood before them, engulfed in the moonlight, was no angel. It had wings and had saved them...but that was those were the only things that could have made it fit the criteria of such a holy being. This thing…was a monster!
Lillian was ready to scream a blood curdling scream when she was interrupted by the soothing voice.
“Are you two alright? Young Miss, I must say that was quite the performance. It was like you and your brother have been preparing yourselves for an escape quite sometime.” The beast had crouched before them, the tower it had been now diminished to the size of a child’s playhouse. “You two are the only ones in this house though, well…except for that fuzzball. Doesn’t that mean you shouldn’t have the need to escape an evil stepmother?” It chuckled at its attempt at light humor before reaching its clawed hands down to the children.
Tyson was the only one to take it, his sister too busy ogling their rescuer.
In one fluid motion the boy was pulled onto his feet and held in place. The newcomer then released him after Tyson made no sudden movements that would hint at the need to faint or become sick.
The young boy looked up at the beast before him, the fear that had previously held the child now amiss. “You’re….the gargoyle!” Surprise and joy possessed the child’s voice now as he realized who it was that had saved them. “You ARE alive!” Sudden joy made the boy dance in his place before he threw his arms around the thick arm of the gargoyle.
He hugged the partly scaly skin close to his warm body for he didn’t mind how cold the beast was. This was what had had hoped would happen!
The legend that surrounded the gift their parent’s had sent them that been on his mind ever since Alex (a friend of the family) mentioned it.
Tyson pulled away and before the gargoyle could ask what was the matter, he pinched both of his cheeks. Nope, this wasn’t a dream. That meant…
“YOU’RE REAL!!!!” Tyson then promptly attached himself back onto the gargoyle’s arm with the hope that the other didn’t mind if he spent the rest of the night there.
Lillian, who had remained silent so far with a glower attached to her face, finally decided to interrupt the happy-happy joy-joy moment. “Hold it.” When the attention of a startled and concerned face was on her, she continued. “How the hell is this possible? Gargoyle’s coming to life is a legend and as far as I know, it has stayed a legend up till now.”
“Ah, yes…” The gargoyle’s gaze shifted between the boy on his arm and the girl still on the ground. “I knew this would come, and I would have much rather introduced myself in a less than theatrical manner. Yet to start off, I would like to say that I am sorry for the expenses I will be causing you to pay in the close future. You see, I was placed too close to the door and well….when night came…I transformed and seemed to have crashed through your entrance way.”
Tyson just looked up at him and whispered, “Wow”. He was simply astounded.
Lillian on the other hand…
The gargoyle’s ears flexed back to mimic that of a dog when it is being punished. He already knew that this one would be the hardest to gain friendship and trust from.
“Miss….I am very sorry. Truly and deeply sorry. If I was a good craftsman I would fix the door and entryway myself but…I prefer to let a professional do it.” Already he found himself in the need of apologizing to current head of the household. This was just not his night.
“Now…back to how I am here. You see, young miss—“
“Oh! She’s Lillian and I’m Tyson!”
“Alright. You see, Young Miss Lillian and Young Master Tyson…”
“We’ll work on it.”
“Thank you, Young Master Tyson. As I was saying, I am from an ancient race that is said to have descended from dragons; or perhaps we were made by something...Whatever the case may be, I cannot recall due to my age and how clouded my memory has become, we have been around for ages. Our duty, Young Miss Lillian you are bound to like this, is to protect sacred vessels as well as homes and humans who live within them. Honestly I cannot say I recall how I got here, last I remember I had left Notre Dame and was on my way to Greece, but now I am bound to this house. Because of this, I will always protect whoever resides here from any intruders, so that means you two.”
Lillian could feel her scowl deepening as she listened to the once ornamentation speak. He sure was chatty for a monster…
“Well, Mr.Gargoyle, you’ve already been doing a good job at protecting house. Not so much our house, but we can pay for it.” Tyson drew himself even closer to the large fantasy creature not minding the cold that emitted from its skin.
A sheepish look that fit a child more than a supposedly ferocious beast overtook the gargoyle. “Well…actually…there was no danger in your house tonight. What made you both so frightened was me. I haven’t dealt with humans in so long that I forgot how jumpy you are. I was the one you chased you both out here.”
“WHAT!?” Lillian lurched forward and stood up to make her way over to the monster and her brother. “You mean to tell me that we risked our LIVES because of your clumsy actions!?” She prodded her fingers against the gargoyle’s chest accusingly. “How are we supposed to be safe from harm if you’re it!?”
“Young Miss Lillian.” His free hand came up to capture the young girl’s hand just before he took to dodging her other that was aimed for his head. “Please calm down; if you hit me like that you could break your hand!”
This time he managed to snag both her hands and keep them held in his grasp as he spoke. “Now, once again I shall apologize from my wrongdoing. I am terribly sorry for the terror I brought upon you and your brother. It will never happen again. Let’s not go swinging punches, I do not want you to hurt yourself. I might not be stone now but my body is still has hard as it.”
When it seemed to the gargoyle that Lillian had quit her struggling, he released the young girl’s hands. A quiet sigh of relief sounded below him from Tyson who was glad to see the battle between them had ended.
“Fine.” Lillian growled as she begun to rub her wrists. “I’ll forgive you. But listen, you better not mess up again, got it? If you are to protect us than do it right.”
With that being said, the older Maevin turned on her heel and stalked off to the back door. Clearly she didn’t want to speak of this any more and would leave it as it was.
“Well Garg,” Tyson smiled a toothy grin as he stared up at their hero in the beautiful silver moonlight, “Welcome to the family.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:19 pm
Opening the doors to the Beast. Lillian outstretched her hand to give the beast another plate. She held her tongue to stop herself from commenting on how he should just stay out of the house. He barely fit in the kitchen and that was the only area of the house besides the bathrooms that held the littlest amount of artifacts.
The young girl cast another glance at the gargoyle as he dried the white dining plate with a pink washcloth in his dark gray and brown claws. He possessed such a deep look of concentration as he did his choir. If only Tyson had the look when he was doing his jobs around the house…maybe then they would get done.
How many days had it been now that Garg, the nickname he had been deemed by Tyson, was with them? Well, perhaps how many nights?
Afterall, their new guardian was a gargoyle. A creature of legend, it was said that when dawns rays fell across the land the Gargoyle’s would turn to stone. Only when the darkness of night concealed the land were they gifted life.
The first few nights had been pretty odd, but they weren’t so bad as the first encounter had been. Lillian’s body always was wracked with cold shivers when she thought of that moonless night. It may have ended well, but if she were to just replace their guardian with a thief she probably wouldn’t be standing in the kitchen now.
Nowadays the gargoyle is much more careful when he awakens from stone. The first time he woke up he hadn’t been quite so. His clumsiness now cost Lillian a door and a part of the front house.
"Ah! Miss Lillian! Do be careful!”
She looked up to see only the gargoyle’s wings and back. Ever so slowly he straightened himself, two plates in his grasp this time. Curious as to where he got the second, Lillian looked down at her hands. Her hands? Where did the other…
Lillian frowned when she realized she had dropped the plate.
“Thanks.” Saying thank you to a monster was not something Lillian really wanted to do, especially when it was to atone for her own mistake.
“For a big guy you are pretty agile…too bad you weren’t so quick to avoid falling into my house.”
Garg huffed and shook his head that was heavily decorated with horns of various sizes and scales. “You know full well Miss Lillian that I said I was deeply sorry and that it will never happen again. Please do not continue to bring it up…”
“Than should I bring up how you almost killed myself and Tyson?”
“You are not being fair now. I saved you both.” He then looked to the plates he had dried and stacked. “Are we almost done? I promised Tyson he could read me his new comic book. It is very interesting; do you know that some of you humans have acquired super powers? I never thought I’d see the day!”
Lillian arched a brow, he sounded seriously amazed!
“Garg, I hate to break it to you, but comic books are just fiction. They aren’t real. Nothing like that can happen in real life.”
Then again she never thought a hunk of stone would come to life…
“Here, why don’t I finish up here and you go listen to Tyson. I just have a few more.” Lillian reached forward and took away the pink wash cloth from the shocked gargoyle. He really seemed dumbstruck by her random act of kindness.
Lillian just scowled and shook her head, waving the hand that held the cloth to dismiss him.
With that, the large stony beast turned and carefully made his way out of the kitchen. Thankfully this time he didn’t knock anything over even though he was always able to pick it up before it crashed on the ground.
Lillian looked down at herself, her reflection amongst white sudsy bubbles. How was this happening? Her and her brother’s life had taken a sudden turn into story book land. Maybe she was really in the hospital right now in a coma? That would explain how she couldn’t wake up.
At least Tyson was comfortable around the big fantasy beast. Instead of complaining when the sun went down, the youth was overjoyed to see the darkness in the sky. He awaited Garg’s awakening like a hungry man awaits a meal.
It was struggled to get the tyke into bed nowadays when he knows that a mythical creature is roaming the house and yard. Yet to Lil, her brother’s joy overcame his recent bedtime difficulty.
Maybe…just maybe…she could come to like the Gargoyle, err, Garg. He seemed kind enough, and so far there were no signs that he would betray them. The tarp would be gone once the new entrance way was built, but instead of going back to the usual. Perhaps a larger door would be better for the big fella? Lillian was sure that she wasn’t going to pay for another door if Garg broke this one. So, it seemed wise enough to just go extra large now and stop the future struggle. It was the least she could do for someone who would be protecting them from now on.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:23 pm
Fly me to the moon. “You want to do WHAT?!”
The pair before Lillian cringed with distaste as her shout banged ruthlessly upon their eardrums. What had they been thinking? Of course she would never agree to something like this, even when a big stone gargoyle says it’s perfectly safe.
“Do you have any idea how many risks you would be taking if you went flying, Tyson? What if you fall off him!? He’s not a horse! I don’t see a saddle on his back!” Lil pointed to the large beast to make a point as she took a crack at him. “And you! You’re supposedly our protector, right? How can you say yes to this! If he starts begging you give him a flat out NO.”
Oh yes…Lillian was furious tonight. Perhaps if it wasn’t such a beautiful night with clear skies Garg would have waited to ask her. Although after enduring countless evenings of Tyson’s relentless begging the poor gargoyle was reaching his limits.
The lad frowned and stared at the floor as his hopes were dashed into the wind before they had the chance to soar.
It was time for the one doing the flying to step in. “Young Miss,” Garg began as he diverted Lillian’s dark glare. “I promise you nothing will go wrong. The house is safe for the few hours that we will be out, you have my word.” The large beast’s voice was extra rich and charming tonight. He was wise enough to know that he’d need it if he were to convince the lass of letting them out.
Lillian sighed heavily, her defensive wall crumbling at their feet without the need for another shove. If she didn’t let them do this tonight, then every other night would become a repeat of tonight. Tyson’s pleads to fly wouldn’t end until he and Garg were freed from this prison. The starry night sky that she loved so much would become a harbinger of a vicious cycle.
Her lips finally moved.
The boys had to lean closer to Lillian to hear the words she hissed behind clenched teeth. Neither one wanted to ask her to repeat herself. So they merely exchanged sheepish looks until one of them dared to shake the beehive that had become Lil’s nerves. Finally after several ticks of the clock; Tyson asked for a redo.
Unlike last time, Lil’s snarl of a reply was clearer to the ear than expected.
“Let’s go.”
Upon the roof of the house, as high as they could climb, Tyson still could not cease the dance that sprouted from his joy. It wasn’t his fault that his feet wouldn’t stop their little jig. This was just amazing! He was going to fly! Who knew that such a dream would ever become reality?
Still...Tyson couldn’t help but wonder why Lillian, the one who had forbidden it earlier, was going with them. Clearly she was nervous and unsure of this since she wouldn’t stop looking at Garg; probably questioning if they were to hold onto his spikes or if he would whip out a harness for them to grasp.
Their ride must have seen the way she was looking at him, for before he got a step closer to the edge he asked. “Are you really sure you want to come with us, young Miss? I do not want you to get sick nor do I want to have you screaming like a banshee the entire time we are up in the air.” At least he was being truthful.
“I’ll be fine.” And that was the end of that.
With heave and a hoe Lillian managed to climb up onto the Gargoyle’s back without piercing herself on a single spike. Once secure, one of her hands wrapped itself securely around a spike while the other held onto Tyson who had seated himself infront of her. There. Now she was as strapped in as she could be without the use of a seatbelt or saddle.
“Now you two, I must insist that you stay where you are unless I tell you otherwise. If there is a problem, Tyson, use the flashlight in your pocket and point it forwards. That way if we experience sudden winds and there is a problem back there I will know.” Garg stated as he worked to crane his neck back to look at them. “Let’s see…I can’t think of anything else to tell you two except to hold on. We’ll be flying to Durem’s clock tower and back.”
“Yeah, yeah, now let’s go already!” Tyson didn’t care to hear what the safety precautions were nor where they were going. Who would when one was about to take flight? This certainly wasn’t going to be like flying in a plane.
Without another word, their guardian took off into the sky. Up, up, and away they flew. The landscape that once seemed so vast and wide became smaller and smaller as Garg soared upwards to the clouds.
The sensations flowing through both Tyson and Lillian’s bodies were unimaginable. It was a magnificent feeling of freedom and life that rocked them to their very core. The thought of falling off and plummeting to the ground was a fear that cast itself far away from them now. They were flying through the clouds and the wind was rushing past them!
Tyson, either brave or just stupid, slowly and cautiously released his grip on the Gargoyle’s spikes to free his hands. Once he had let go the lad raised his arms and extended them out to the sides to mimic Garg’s wings as they flew.
“Look at me!” He cried through his laughter. “I’m just like a hero!”
Not even Lillian’s shrieks to put his arms down and grab the spikes would stop him now, not even when she began to threaten him. A simple act such as this would do no harm to them, they were perfectly safe! Lil was just a worry wart bent on ruining his fun!
Their flight took them past the port of their island, past Bass’ken lake, and right through Barton Town. Places that once seemed large and intimidating were reduced to specks of light under the stars.
If only it could have lasted longer. To Tyson’s dismay the illuminated clock tower, the main site to see at Durem, slowly came into view.
Behind him a sigh of relief whistled in his ear as Lillian too saw their destination.
As they crossed the line into Durem, Garg’s flight began to slow to the speed needed to make an easy descent upon the tower. Once, twice, three times they had to circle the tower until the distance needed to land was just right.
Lillian’s grip upon the spike and her brother only tightened as they began to drop towards the landmark. She was positive that it was going to be a bumpy and stomach turning landing! She just knew it. Perhaps closing her eyes would make it less frightening...
“Young Miss?”
Lillian opened her eyes to the sight of Garg looking back at her with a curious look in his eyes. They had landed?
“You can get off me now.” His large body swayed from side to side as his eyes remained on her.
Tyson was already sliding off him, laughing the entire time. “Jeez, Lil! You are a wuss!” Seemed his laughter hadn’t managed to fully overtake his speech. Too bad.
The Gargoyle waited for both of the children to get off him before he quickly ushered them back to him. “Now we are ontop of the clocktower. Do be careful and try not to fall off.” He made sure to give Tyson a stern and serious look when he said that. “It hasn’t rained in a few days but some tiles could be slippery without water, if you find yourself slipping say so and don’t wait to see what happens. You will fall.”
After he had completed that task, Garg sauntered over to where the pillar of the tower stood. Ever so gently, as to not dent the tiles, he sat himself down to have a better view of the city and Tyson. Lillian followed suit and sat herself as close as she could beside him. The thought of slipping off the tower and hurdling into the street below replayed itself over and over in her mind. So the safest place to be, where this demise would not be met, was next to the one with the wings.
“Beautiful isn’t it?”
Lillian turned her head to look upwards at Garg as he looked forwards at the scenery lit aglow before them. A smile was playing across his face, one that she’d categorize as dreamy. Honestly Lillian wasn’t exactly sure what to say of their view. It was pretty, but she certainly wasn’t amazed. It was a city, and a city was bound to be like this at night. If they were to have flown to the busier side of Gambino Isle and sat upon the casino house the view would be similar. Yet it’d be cruel of her to ruin the joy that had befallen Garg, he was always kind to them. “Yeah, it is.”
“You know…” Garg’s eyes along with Lillian’s followed Tyson as he slowly made his way up the small slope towards them. “I may have difficulty remembering my time on Notre Dame, but even so I still remember that the view was spectacular. The lights of the city night were magnificent.” The beast closed his eyes and sat back upon the tower, his clawed hands folding over his broad chest. “I must sound like a child, but when I was seated at my station and looking out into the sea of light I would imagine that I was actually seated in a field with a million fireflies dancing around me.”
Lillian kept her eyes on her brother as he sat down a few feet in front of them and worked to carve his initials into the tile with a broken piece of roofing he’d found. Yet their guardian’s words raised her to ask a question. “Why didn’t you just fly yourself to a field then? I’m sure you had fire flies in France that you could watch there.”
A frown took over the smile in an instant. Well it seemed that he must have known more of his past than he was letting on. “Since I had joined a sacred monument with a colony already established to look after it, and hadn’t just joined myself to a home by myself, I could not leave. You see, if a gargoyle looks after a home they can leave whenever they wish. Homes become deserted, new owners that you do not agree with take over, and other circumstances that befall a home give you freedom to leave whenever you desire. Since one gargoyle normally looks after a home, then they are able to decide for themselves what they wish to do.”
“But when you join a colony, which are formed at special locations, you are not able to leave without special permission. Your duty is to make sure that no harm comes to the people or building that you watch, and that is especially so when it comes to sacred landmarks that have been around for centuries. It is an honor, and yet a curse. I must say though, that I do not know how I arrived here. One moment I recall sitting at my post as dawn broke, the next I’m sitting outside your home looking for you two.”
Before Lillian could explain the reason behind that specific memory lapse and how he was removed from the Cathedral (all her parent’s doing) a sudden sound tore her from her thoughts.
Tyson had finished his little engraving upon the tile fixture without any sort of problem. Yet such good luck never lasted long. Bad luck was sure to follow, for it did with every story. No one ever escaped unscathed. Not even Tyson.
He had stood up alright, and had even made it a few steps before the tiles beneath his feet broke. The noise sounded similar to gravel upon the road and it cried death to the ears of the boy as he lost his balance. Backwards he fell. With nothing to grab a hold of he continued to slide back towards the clock tower’s roof edge. His attempts to steady himself, to stand and run forward, were to no avail in saving him. The struggled tumble only sped up his fate and into the sea of darkness and artificial lights Tyson fell.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:26 pm
Beware of what is lurking in the shadows on Halloween Night.
Carved pumpkins glowed brightly upon the Maevin's front porch as the day of Halloween rolled around once again. The two siblings were in a flurry of motion as they worked to get on their costumes. Jumping, leaping, scurrying, twirling, and all kinds of other actions the two were attempting to quicken the pace. Tyson was being a ghost buster while Lillian had decided upon going as a witch. Where were they going exactly? Why, to Aphi's Halloween party of course! It was to be a fun party and since neither had seen the other in a few months it'd be good to meet up again.
The only problem was that their costumes had been designed on the rather complicated side. Tyson's had too many buckles while Lillian's had too many pieces of cloth that managed to get stuck in every little nook and cranny. It was a hassle but both wanted to look great when they stepped into their friend's celebration.
As they busied themselves with getting army boots on and finding their much needed hats neither sibling noticed just how twitchy Garg had become. The usually calm gargoyle who sat about idly with a serene look to his large face was not what sat upon it tonight. The large gargoyle sat inside the house watching the two children shout at the other when they couldn't find exactly what they were seeking. As his deep eyes followed after their running figures his rocky body lurched forward as a terrible case of shivers wracked his form.
Giggles and calls from the children outside could be heard inside the house. Today was the day when little kids were sent out in costume to see just how much candy they could get out of people. For some reason the Gambino children came in large groups into the richer part of town and they made the most noise on this night.
Never before had it bothered Lillian and Tyson since they were usually apart of the groupings. Just because Lil was paranoid most of the time and preferred to stay around the house didn't mean she wouldn't let them go out patrolling for candy on Halloween. Oh no, she always liked to see just how much goodies they could wrack in from the people of Gambino. That was probably why so many kids came into this neighborhood. This was the place where candy was plentiful. Probably because all of the residents here could afford the most and the best treats.
Garg lifted his head from his crossed hands when he saw the youngest of the two leaped into the room he was laying in. A wide grin was on Tyson's face as he placed his hands on his hip. "Well?" The boy asked expectingly.
The great rock creature chuckled in his deep rough voice and nodded to the child. "Very nice, Tyson. You look just like those men from the movie."
The wide grin turned cocky upon Tyson's face as he reached back with one hand and produced a toy gun with a tube attached to it's hilt. "See this? I made my own ghost catcher too." His gloved hands wiped the silver coated plastic of the gun as he turned his eyes upon it. "It's even better than what they used. This way I can conceal it! The ghosts won't know what hit them when I whip this out of my pocket!"
Garg eyed the machinery and nodded his approval. After Tyson came Lillian who strode into the room in full witch attire. She looked dazzling for something thought to be so wicked and ugly. Garg smiled at the teenager and once again nodded. "You look stunning, Lillian. The bell of the ball."
Laughter rose from both Tyson and Lillian even though the lad's didn't last long before he was silenced by a playful bat to the head. As Tyson scowled and whined about the injury while rubbing his head to soothe him of his pain, Lil smiled at Garg. "Thanks. Even though this is just a party. It's not supposed to be fancy but you've always been good at making me feel like a princess." The teen stated as she sent him a wink and led Tyson out of the room.
The guardian followed after them with Duke in tow. Both he and the dog looked at the kids as Lillian reached down for her purse. While Duke could not speak his mind, Garg could do it for them both, "When will you be home by?" As he spoke Garg turned his head to look out the door. Tyson had opened it just the slightest but he could certainly hear the voice outside. They were laughing and shouting like bandits!
"We should be back by midnight or a little later. You'll see us so don't--"
Tyson's shout turned Lillian to look not at her cellphone but out the open door. She didn't even think about why it was open for their were greater concerns. Such as a furious gargoyle running down the winding driveway that's end would present him with dozens of children dressed as mighty villains.
"Dammitt!!" Was the shrill that made Duke howl from ear ache.
In moments the two Maevin children were outside. Tyson was running as fast as he could after the lumbering gargoyle while Lillian scurried into the garage. The keys to her rarely used car were sitting upon an unused work bench when she entered the dank room. Forgetting how eerie it was Lillian snatched the keys and hopped into the car.
Tyson screams for Garg to stop fell upon deaf ears. The creature either couldn't hear him or didn't want to. Honestly Tyson was ready to give up on the chase and let the ferocious ancient being maul the traveling trick or treaters when the car zoomed past him.
Lillian was putting the pedal to the metal as she sped up to Garg. In a turn she had high doubts of making, Lil managed to make it so the car blocked the Gargoyle's view of the children bustling around on the street. With the car's radio blaring some old 80's rock tune their laughter had been drown out as well.
As Tyson came upon them wheezing and choking like an overweight middle aged man Lillian had gotten out of the car and had her arms around the creature's thick neck.
Some hours later the trio found themselves sitting up on the roof of the large house. This was where they always came and spent their time. It was a place where many memories had been formed and the best spot to see the stars. But tonight it was used as a way to keep the beast calm.
Never before had Lil or Tyson seen him this way. He snarled and roared, lurched and shuddered, even clawed at the roof's tiles in a vain attempt to dig into the room below to escape the awful bought of worry he was feeling.
Were the children safe? Who were those people? What were they doing so close to HIS home! This was HIS territory! HIS family! How dare they move themselves in close range of HIM.
"Shh, Garg, calm down." The gentle of that belonged to Lillian brought the gargoyle back. He could feel the young girl's hand gracing across his stoney flesh as she attempted to keep him calm. He couldn't control of he was feeling now. It was all from instinct.
Garg noticed a weight on his arm and turned his eyes low to see Tyson leaning against him. The lad was yawning, his own eyes heavy with need for sleep. Yet he could still muster a small disappointed grumble. "Guess we aren't going to Aphi's...."
Guilt devoured Garg's heart as he thought about how he had taken away their chance to see this man. He sighed and hung his head apologetically. "I am sorry...please..forgive me."
In no time the gargoyle was embraced by the two children. Lillian holding his head while Tyson took grip of an arm. "Of course we forgive you." Lillian whispered as she patted the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah. It was kind of cool seeing you go beserk too. So I forgive you." Tyson chimed with a slight laugh in his voice.
The guardian chuckled and shook his head at the two. "Thank you...you two know I would be at a loss without you two to hold me back from these terrible feelings. You protected me...what little heroes I have."
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:31 pm
Look behind the curtain, there lies the trickster.
“Want another one?”
The hazel-eyed boy glanced up from the new glossy comic book he had begun to read just a few minutes ago. Sitting across from the sofa in a comfortable but old plush chair was an older copy of the boy. Their eyes, identical in color but one pair far more worn, crossed.
A sigh was released into the air and Lillian stretched her arms up towards the ceiling before she fell back against the chair. The silence weighed over their heads like a cloud as the teenager awaited some kind of answer from the youth. By the look he wore, definitely on the confused side, he had barely heard what she said. Someone had been lost in the realm of superheroes and make believe again.
“What?” Tyson asked from his seat, his single word proving Lillian right.
With a huff the spiky haired brunette picked up a piece of candy and waved the sugary ball of goodness in front of her face so her brother could see. “This? I said do you want another one.”
“Hmm? Oh…yeah…sure.” Tyson mumbled before his attention fell back to the colorful pages of Lightning Man.
Suddenly something small but hard hit him on the side of his head. “Ow!” The child cried in both pain and panic. Immediately he shot a glare at Lillian who sat with her hand still out from the throw. The smile on her lips only made the boy’s spine tingle with rage.
“Why did you do that!? I’m right here! You could have just handed it to me!” Tyson barked.
The pleased smile continued to sit on Lillian’s cherry red lips. “But now what would be the fun in that?” Her body laid back into the welcoming couch as she stared back at Tyson with extreme pleasure mingling in her eyes.
Tyson, certainly not about to be defeated, opened his mouth to retort his sister’s answer only to have his words vanish at a sudden sound.
CRASH!
The Maevin siblings hadn’t jumped so high in ages. Comic books and candy balls went flying into the air, their plops and tingles upon the ground singing a small chorus to the terrible noise heard just moments before.
Two pairs of wide eyes met before breaking as the two got off their seats and ran towards the kitchen where the noise had come from.
Praying that it wasn’t a burglar that had decided to be risky and invade in the morning, Lillian was the first to arrive on the scene. A second later she was pushed into the kitchen thanks to Tyson arriving on her tail…too close to avoid collision.
Too panicked to tell the boy to mind her space, Lillian simply readjusted herself and scanned the cluttered kitchen. Her eyes looked about wildly in search of finding whatever had made that noise. A broken window, a dark figure against the wall, muddy foot prints, just about anything that would lead to assume a break in. But as she walked into the kitchen the teen found none of those. Absolutely nothing. Instead she found broken bowls that had been sitting ontop of the fridge.
“How did…” Lillian asked herself while staring at the porcelain corpses.
“Hey! Over here!”
Quickly Lillian hurried over to Tyson’s side to find him kneeling over a bag. At least…what was left of it…Colorful shreds of red paper laid at the lad’s feet and the torn card that had been signed by the skilled hand of their friend Alex.
“Happy Halloween you two! Don’t eat too much candy! Enjoy this little gift! <3 But don’t open it until Halloween!
Lots of Love,
Alex”
“What the heck?” Lil stared at the wreckage and looked at Tyson whose eyes were transfixed on what was left of their gift. After all the chaos that had occurred yesterday, opening the treat they had been given was the last thing on their mind.
Tyson stood up and brushed off the remnants of the bag off his knees. “What do you think it could have been?” He asked, his big eyes looking up at Lillian with great worry.
A grimace formed on Lillian’s face as she shook her head, “How should I know? But whatever it is or was it’s gone now. Might as well just clean up this mess and—“
The second time today words were cut short by a sound. This time a loud screech echoed in the kitchen. Both Lillian and Tyson raised their hands to cover their ears.
Neither one knew what to do as they struggled to get out of the room, knocking things over in their escape. But they didn’t make it very far. For the one causing all the trouble was just about to make itself not only known but seen.
Lillian nearly fell back on Tyson when she came almost nose-to-nose with a creature of all white. The only color to be found on the flying critter was the red eyes that stared hauntingly at them. A cry of terror broke from Lillian’s throat as she tried to scramble away from the thing, her heart racing as her mind declared the creature a ghost. Yet the fear that Lil had did not sit alongside Tyson.
Instead, Lillian’s ears were greeted with laughter! Not a cry of panic to share with her own…but…joyous laughter! Confused, the teen looked over her shoulder to see Tyson rubbing his cheek up against the white critter’s cheek.
“Lillian!” He called out, looking over with a great big smile on his face. “It’s friendly! And look!” With two fingers made to resemble a crab’s pinchers Tyson reached in back of the flying creature to pick up a piece of red paper, the same kind that had been the wrapping in the Halloween gift bag. “This is our gift! Nifty huh? Of course Alex would get us our own little….ghost…thing?”
Tyson looked back at the flying gift hovering in front of him. With hands cupped to hold, he extended them to the little critter. For a moment it looked down at Tyson’s hands in confusion before slowly settling into them. Another giggle came from the boy as he looked back at Lillian. “Cute huh? Only Alex would think up something like this. What do you think we should call it?” He asked with a wide grin.
Slowly, Lillian walked over to Tyson and his new found pet. She stared down at it with wary eyes…not ready to touch it just yet. “Erm….I don’t know if we should keep it. I mean…it’s not like we know how to take care of it or anything.”
Of course she was met with opposition from the lad. “No!” He cried with a stomp of his foot, clutching the creature close to his chest where it peeped at the close proximity. “This little guy was a gift! I’m keeping it and that’s final.”
And before Lillian could say another word Tyson was off scurrying down the hall, up the stairs, and into his room leaving his older sister standing confused and obviously lost in the living room.
With a click of the door’s lock Tyson had officially declared that the little white winged critter he held in his hands was off limits to the glaring teen below. When his sister didn’t chase after him, Tyson retreated to his bed, plopping down and releasing the tiny gift from his hands.
Wary after the events it had just gone through, the little one lifted up and slowly flew around the room. It’s eyes scanned every little object resting upon Tyson’s dresser, bookcase, and table. It flew under his toy planes that hung upon the ceiling, a sound that could be described almost as a giggle being heard on the bed below.
“Enjoying yourself?” Tyson asked it, knowing it wouldn’t respond to his question but not minding the silence.
After a while, about five comic books later, Tyson felt something light plop onto his shoulder. Blinking with surprise, Tyson turned his head to spy his Halloween gift resting happily but certainly sleepily, upon his shoulder. “Time to rest, huh? After all that flying I’d be tuckered out too.”
The lad was proven right when it yawned and the trio of red eyes closed. It wasn’t until nightfall that the gift had woken up and Tyson had finally let Lillian along with Garg enter his room.
“So….” Lillian spoke, her voice trailing off as she stepped into the colorful room of posters, action figures, and other goodies that resembled all sorts of heroes who lived within Tyson’s beloved comic books. Lillian’s eyes only fell on the creature huddled up on the bed. “How’s it doing?”
Tyson lowered his eyes from a few pictures he was looking at when Lil asked the question. “Fine.” He replied without even casting a glance at the little one, absolutely certain she was doing just that: fine.
After Lillian settled upon the bed beside the little bundle, lumbering footsteps followed, indicating Garg’s entrance to the boy’s hideout.
His eyes fell upon the alien of a creature, studying it the same way Lil had. “It’s…very small.” He snorted and then turned to look at Tyson, “Have you come up with a name for it?”
The boy pushed aside the old photos and lifted himself up from his seat. His eyes also joined the others target a few seconds later. “Not it…she.”
Lil arched a brow at this, “What?”
Unlike Lillian the gargoyle smiled and nodded his head, only muttering a calm, “Ah.” In response to this.
Tyson, well assured, nodded and joined Lillian upon the bed. “Yep. She’s a girl. When I was trying to figure out if she was a boy she got really mad, like I knew Lillian would, and when she started playing with her hair I just knew it. I mean…she acts a lot like Lil so…yep. This is a little lady.” Ever so carefully Tyson reached down and picked up the little one, a proud smile resting on his face as he placed her on his lap. “I’m naming her Ghoulia.”
Just like before the lad’s decision was met with mixed emotions from his two onlookers.
Lillian shrugged and reached down to pet the newly named creature-erm…Ghoulia. “I guess it’s an okay name. But why not something…I don’t know…normal? Whatever happened to Susie, or Jasmine, or something like that?”
The warm and always encouraging Garg chuckled above Lil’s words, muffling the critic with his acceptance. “It’s a beautiful name, Tyson. I must say you picked a good one. Such a name suits her splendidly.”
Tyson grinned. Of course he took Garg’s words over Lillian’s. Lil was just fussy due to the mess she had to clean up and, after all, boys had to stick together.
A yawn made them quickly redirect their attention to what was sitting prettily in Tyson’s lap.
“Looks like the princess is waking up.” Lillian murmured as she pulled her hand away, becoming rather cautious when she saw the little fangs that decorated her mouth.
“Well good evening.” Garg greeted as he remained where he was, not wishing to raise alarm if he moved too close.
Ghoulia blinked her red eyes before one wing came up to rub at the closest oval. She still seemed pretty drowsy. So much that her body fell back against Tyson and instead of quickly gathering herself, the little demon only buried her face deeper in his chest.
Tyson laughed at the gesture and reached down to pet his new pet. “Well Ghoulia, welcome to the Maevin clan!”
And with that the group gathered closer to bestow a bit of their love on the new arrival. Even the wary Marmaduke came into the room to give Ghoulia a welcoming gesture with a lick to the cheek.
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:33 pm
A Winter Update Quote: As I write this the days have grown shorter and the nights have come much earlier. It is wonderful! Now Tyson and I have more time to be with Garg. Thank goodness too since now we can actually go to bed at a decent hour and avoid another bought with sleep depravation. That certainly was no fun but we had worn ourselves to become so tired we came over tired and couldn't catch an hour of sleep.
It's just neither of us can get enough of Garg. He's amazing! He's sweet, kind, gentle, and just a big teddy bear. I can hardly believe that I was scared of him before. He's just a big love bug.
Of course I did get to see a side of him that made me realize he does have another side to him. I thought I was the overprotective type, but I am nothing compared to Garg. On Halloween Tyson and I planned to go to the party that Aphismet was holding at his home when he were stopped short at the door by Garg. It wasn't that he didn't want us to go, he just was going nuts due to all the trick or treaters he could hear and vaguely see out wandering the streets.
I suppose he thought they were somehow going to rob the house or harm Tyson and I. No matter how many times I tried to convince him that the ghosts and witches wandering around were simply just kids in costume like Tyson he wouldn't stop snarling and charging down our driveway.
He was just on a rampage. Thankfully I got the bright idea to hop into my car and drive down the driveway fast enough to stop him. I was able to pass him and with Tyson by my side we somehow managed to convince him to sit with us up on the roof and watch just how harmless the trick or treaters are. That was where we spent many many hours chatting and hugging Garg close whenever he spotted a child in costume. After a while he finally began to calm down but it was too late to try and go to the Halloween party. Even though I drove my car to catch up with Garg, I still don't have my license and the taxi wouldn't take two kids so late to a house so far away. I wish we had been able to go, but there's nothing we can do now. That was what...two months ago?
Thanksgiving came and gone. We celebrated at night so Garg could join us. He didn't eat anything but we enjoyed each others company. I gave Marmaduke some turkey and he gobbled every last bit up and slept the entire night.
Still no update on our folks. I'm beginning to worry. Their phone calls have begun to come less and less along with their mail to us. I want to know where they are exactly and how work is going but their number is always changing. When I try to call them it's either a hotel or an out of use number. What am I to do? They aren't coming home. Four months have come and gone without news on if they were still going to try and visit. I doubt they are coming but I still want to know that they are okay. I just don't know what to do....
Oh! To lighten the mood Tyson and I took Garg out to build snowmen. He's a pro at building them even though I thought he'd crush the snowballs with his massive strength. I think he had fun. Although he was too heavy to go sledding with us he was able to manage a snow angel, build a snow fort, and join in a snow ball fight. I think he enjoyed it. I know Tyson did. I can't wait to see how he reacts when Christmas rolls around. I think Garg will love it and hopefully then we'll hear something from mom and dad. Tyson is loosing hope.
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