#like. she just vanished. they saw her get onto a carnival ride and never get off

[autism-swagger]

Hey does anyone else remember that Canadian exchange student who was here for five days took down a serial killer and then vanished into thin air

Alternate versions under cut (^ ^)

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Mystery Of Pixie Hollow by GleefullyCaptainSwan - Sneak Peek

Chapter 3/11

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche @jonesfandomfanatic @winterbaby89

Chapter 3: Story Time

“I asked who you are, and you have yet to give me a name.” He growled again in her ear.

“My name’s Emma Swan. I just want to talk to you about your daughter.”

“What do you know about my daughter?”

“I know she went missing just like my son, Henry.” She felt his entire body flinch. “Please, right jacket pocket, there’s a picture of him. I just want to talk.”

She felt him dig into her jacket, pulling the photo free and stepping away from her. He stared at the picture, a frown slipping on his stubbled face. “How old is he?”

“He’s six. He went missing on his birthday a few days ago.”

He was waving the knife around, tucking it under his chin as he talked to himself. “It’s the appropriate age range…makes sense…hmm...few days ago…where were they…went North…” He stopped moving and stared at her. “Storybrooke, not again...”

“I’m sorry?”

“They were in Storybrooke last weekend, correct? The carnival.”

“That’s right, how did you know that?”

“I track their movements, keep an eye on where they go, look up any missing person reports after they leave.” He stepped into the boat, gesturing for her to join him. Emma stood nervously on the pier as he disappeared into the belly of the boat. She looked around at the empty pier. If she went missing now, no one would have any idea where she was.

Shit.

He poked his head up through the stairwell. “Are you coming or not, lass?”

She sighed, stepping onto the boat, and following him cautiously down the stairs. When she got to the bottom she gasped. In every direction she could see there were photos on the wall with string connecting them. It was like an art project had exploded in the small area, except it wasn’t art, it was some low-tech stalking shit if she ever saw it.

She knew she should turn around and get the hell of this man’s boat, but curiosity was eating at her. What did he know? Why was he so obsessed with the people on the walls?

“This is where I started doing my research, Alice, she went missing five years ago. We found Pixie Hollow just walking through the neighborhood and Alice loves fairytales, so she just had to go.” His voice trailed off sadly, as if he didn’t even remember she was in the room and then suddenly he spun around on his heels. “This one went missing shortly after, it’s harder for me to get information on anyone that disappeared before Alice, I tried, but my research skills aren’t that great. I hate computers, Alice always did everything…” He trailed off as he turned around again.

“You can see that they all fit the age range, around 5 to 8 years old usually.”

“You’ve been collecting all of this information for 5 years?” She finally spoke.

“I’ve had to be resourceful; the cops are useless.”

“Tell me about it.” She said with a snort.

He turned around and stared at her. “Where did he go missing at?”

“I told you, Storybrooke.”

“No, what attraction?”

“It was a mirror maze, you know, filled with mirrors, can’t find your way out.”

“Mirrors…that’s a new one. Alice, she went missing from the Jolly Roger Adventure ride, she got in the cart, she was only in for a few minutes, but when it came out the other side, she was no longer there. Vanished.”

“I don’t remember that ride being there.”

“I’m sure they change them out to avoid suspicion, just like the name. When we went, it was called Neverland Adventure Park. I believe they go by Pixie Hollow now.”

“How do you know it’s the same park?”

“You have to follow the money, love.” He said with a smirk. “And this one.” He turned toward the board on his wall. “She’s always with them.”

“Who’s that?” She stepped closer to the photo of a woman with short hair, wild eyes.

“That’s Tink. If the park opens near you, she’s sure to be found nearby.”

“Wait, like Tinkerbell?” She laughed.

“The one and only.”

“This is ridiculous. Next you’re going to tell me Peter Pan owns the place, and all his lost boys operate the rides.”

“Well done. You’re quite perceptive love, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to need to tell you.”

Her mouth dropped. “You’re insane.”

“Ouch, you wound a man, I can assure you I have my wits about me.”

She turned to leave. “I just want to find my kid, I’m not here to play pretend with a man who believes in fairytales.” He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

“I can assure you love; this is no fairytale; this is the stuff nightmares are made of. Pan is dangerous, and if he has your boy, you best start believing in him.”

She shook her head and pulled her hand away from him, turning to leave before something caught her eye near the stairs. She stepped closer to the photo. “I know this idiot.”

She felt him hover behind her, his breath at her neck. “That’s Felix. Real jackass that one.”

“He’s the assistant manager at Pixie Hollow.” The idiot who told her that Henry must have run away. He was there. No. Emma closed her eyes. This was insane. “I have to leave.”

“This isn’t some fantasy I’ve made up, Swan. It’s all real.” He called after her, letting her run up the stairs and away from the boat. “It’s all real.” She heard him shout as her feet hit the pier and she hurried back to her car, slamming the door shut behind her.

She tried to slow her breathing, the thought that perhaps what she had witnessed was just an elaborate nightmare and soon she would wake up in her bed and Henry would come bounding into her room and everything would be alright but as she drove home that night, thoughts of what she witnessed in that boat, she knew that no matter how crazy he seemed, the man was just desperate to find his kid.

Henry had only been missing for a few days, Killian’s daughter had been gone for 5 years. She wasn’t sure how crazy she would look if she hadn’t found Henry after that long of a time.

She stopped at a station when she was halfway to home, she filled up the bug and bought some snacks to eat on her way. She was starving and realized that she had skipped eating since she left her home that morning. As she stepped into the light, leaving the gas station behind her, she recognized a black car that she swore she saw parked outside Ashley’s house.

The sunlight gleamed across the front window for a moment and Emma walked casually to her car, she opened her door and sat in the front seat. Glancing over at the black car she saw movement in the front seat. She pulled out of the gas station, turning onto the road as she watched the black car behind her do the same.

Whoever this asshole was, they were definitely following her.

Emma drove a few miles until she spotted a convenience store on her left, turning quickly she dashed into the parking lot and parked her car. The black car squealed to turn into the lot, parking a distance away from her. Emma watched it in her rearview mirror and then swung her car open, grabbing the tire iron next to her on the seat.

She marched toward the car, gripping the tire iron in her hand. As soon as she got close to the vehicle, the door opened, and Officer Nolan stepped out of the car with his hands in front of him. “Hello Emma.”

“Are you fucking following me?” She yelled as she lowered the tire iron.

The passenger door opened, and Officer Locksley stepped out, his hand firmly on his hip where she knew his gun sat.

“We weren’t following you…” He said and Emma rolled her eyes.

“Are you kidding me? I spotted you miles ago, are you really going to try and convince me that we all just really had a hankering for some snacks miles away from town?”

“Well, we weren’t following you earlier, we just…” Officer Locksley started before his partner interrupted.

“We were following Killian, so imagine our surprise when you showed up.”

“Jones? Why are you following him? He’s just some nut on a boat.”

“You need to let us do our job, stay away from Killian Jones.”

“Why, what aren’t you telling me?”

“Look, I can’t get into specifics with you. I get it, you’re desperate.” Officer Nolan began and Emma found herself wanting to toss the tire iron at him. He flinched and held up his hand. “I’m sorry your kid hasn’t come home, but this isn’t the way to find him. Jones isn’t all there.” He said pointing to his head. “His daughter’s been gone for a long time now; we’ve been keeping tabs on him.”

“Why? I’m pretty sure you’re outside your jurisdiction.” She said with a laugh. “Why are you so obsessed with the guy.”

“Alice went missing in Storybrooke five years ago. He moved out here after a while, but we’ve always kept tabs on him. He was in and out of shelters with that little girl. Working as a fisherman with men he never should have trusted around his daughter. He’s dangerous, stay away from him.”

“Wow, judgmental much? So, if you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of not being able to provide for yourself, of needing to ask for help somehow that makes you a bad person? Is that why you don’t believe someone took my son either? You looked me up and don’t like my backstory either?”

“Look Ma’am, we don’t want to see you get murdered too.” Officer Locksley added.

“Murdered?” She exclaimed

“Why do you always do that?” Officer Nolan yelled at his partner before turning back to her. “Look, just stay away from the man, let us do our job.”

Emma laughed and turned away from them. “Try doing your job first, maybe then you can give me advice.”

Emma took the backstreets home, satisfied when she didn’t see the black car following her anymore. How dare they judge someone because they had to live in a shelter. Emma had spent a few years in one herself before she was able to provide for her and Henry. Things weren’t always easy for them after Neal left them high and dry with no income and no clothes on their backs. Emma did what she had to do to survive. She hated to think that because of that, she was viewed as a bad mother.

She would do anything for Henry.

Emma tossed her keys on the table, shutting the door behind her and locking the latch. She went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, popping the top and dropping down on her couch. She reached over and pulled the laptop toward her, clicking the button as it blinked to life.

Pulling up Google, she typed, “Killian Jones Storybrooke.”

The search was quick and efficient, the first story came with an older photo of the man she met today. He was younger, probably in his early 20’s. The photo was of him being taken into custody, and another of his mug shot, steely blue eyes staring into the lens with a look of anger. The article was from 15 years ago.

“Killian Jones arrested for manslaughter.” The title caused her eyes to grow, she clicked the link, digging into the details. It appeared the man worked for a criminal mastermind, Mr. Gold, who operated outside the lines of Storybrooke. Killian appeared to be the muscle, hustling people for money that was owed to his boss. The story told of a love affair with the bosses’ wife, Milah. Apparently love was enough to set him straight and he turned on Gold.

From what she could gather from the court case notes, Killian had interrupted a fight between Mr. Gold and his wife, a fight so brutal that it left the woman paralyzed and unable to walk. The ensuing fight ended with Mr. Gold’s death and Killian’s incarceration for manslaughter, with time served and good behavior, Killian served five years.

Emma searched again, “Killian and Milah Jones.” A grainy photo of a wedding was all she could find, the man smiling as he stood behind the woman in the wheelchair. She bit her lip, clicking onto the next article. “Woman dies in car crash leaving behind husband and infant daughter.”

Emma made an audible noise as she clicked the article, reading the story about how a drunk driver had crashed into the couple who were returning home from a quiet dinner. Milah Jones died at the scene leaving Killian alone with his infant daughter, Alice.

Emma wiped the tears from her eyes, clicking on the search bar. “Killian Jones missing daughter”

The photo of the carnival caused her heart to stop. She recognized the lettering on the sign in the background. It said “Neverland”, but she remembered the way the letters of “Pixie Hollow” lit up the night she had arrived at the carnival. Reading the article, she found that the story matched the one that Killian had told her earlier that evening. His daughter had gone into the ride and never came out.

Whatever Killian had become in his life, a liar wasn’t one of them.

Emma didn’t know what it was about the man on the screen in front of her, blue eyes staring back at her as if he had a sad story to tell, but more than anything, she saw understanding behind his eyes. He understood what she was going through more than anyone else.

She reached for her phone sending off a text to Will.

Emma: You were right, it was a wild goose chase going after these parents, no one wanted to talk to me. I just need a few days to get right in my head. I’ll text you soon. Love you.

Before she could stop herself, she was in her car, driving down the highway on her way back to Boston. She glanced in the rearview mirror making sure there wasn’t a black car behind her, the officers who had found nothing about her son in the time they had been looking.

When she pulled up to the dock, she looked at herself in the mirror. “This is crazy.” She said with a laugh.

Crazy was all she had, she thought.

Getting out of her car, she made her way toward the boat parked at the end of the slip. She creeped onboard, unsure of the etiquette for alerting the resident of a houseboat to her presence. “Hello?” She called out nervously, hoping he wasn’t brandishing his knife at this hour. “Killian? It’s me, Emma Swan. We met earlier today.”

There was a creak below her, and she froze. “Hello?”

“It’s bad form to sneak into a man’s home in the middle of the night.” She heard the voice below her; his boots tapped against the boards as he ascended the stairs, moonlight dancing against his dark hair as he reached the deck.

“I’m sorry. I uh…I needed to talk to you. To warn you.”

“Warn me? What do you have to warn me about, love?”

“When I left here, I was followed by the cops.”

“Of course, you were. I’m honestly surprised it took Mills this long to send those two out for a visit. Pity they involved you, my apologizes, Swan.”

“Wait, you knew you were being followed?”

“David and Robin have been keeping an eye on me ever since I left Storybrooke. They are determined that one day they will catch me slicing young children to pieces and put me away forever.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is that what you believe, love?”

“I think you just miss your daughter.” She said softly.

“You mean the boys didn’t tell you all about my sordid past?”

“No. Well, I mean yes, but I don’t care. I read all about it, Mr. Gold, Milah, Alice, if you wanted to hurt me you would have done it earlier when you held a knife to my throat. The way I see it, everyone has a past, that doesn’t mean we don’t miss our kids.”

He stepped toward her. “You’re not afraid of me, Lass?”

She shivered as his lips practically danced off her neck. “N..no.” He stepped back and stared at her as if he were examining every inch of her.

“Then you believe my little, how did you put it earlier…fairytale?”

“I don’t know what I believe, but I know my son didn’t run away.”

“Very well, then it’s story time.”

~*~

“Daddy I want to ride the Jolly Roger!”

“Ok starfish, but first daddy needs to get you that churro you wanted.”

“But I want to ride the ride, there’s isn’t any line.”

“But you can’t take food with you on the ride, Alice.”

“I can go on it by myself while you hold my churro, daddy. I’m a big girl.”

“Are you now, love?”

The little girl smiled brightly, and Killian knew he could never tell her no. He paid for the churro and the man handed it toward him as they walked toward the Jolly Roger Adventure ride. They approached the attendant and he handed over the tickets.

“Is she alright to ride alone?”

The man laughed, “Ah yeah, it’s not scary, in one door and out the other.”

He nodded to the man, looking around at the quiet ride, there wasn’t a single child in line. “Alright, starfish, get in your ship and enjoy the ride.” The little girl wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him.

“Love you daddy.”

“I love you too, my darling.”

She ran toward the ride, looking back one last time. “Don’t eat my churro.”

Killian’s eyes darted around the room, watching as the woman examined the photos he had amassed in the belly of his boat. He didn’t know if the woman believed everything he had told her about his dealings with Peter Pan and his traveling carnival, but he knew that she was desperate to find her son and if he knew anything it was that desperate people would believe almost anything.

If Pan had this woman’s son, he would need her to believe him. It was the only way he was ever going to get Alice back. He’d been doing this alone for five years, maybe it was time to try something else.

~*~

“What are you going to do when you get out of here?” Alice asked Henry as they sat in the dark.

“I’m going to eat the biggest piece of birthday cake I’ve ever eaten. I might even eat an entire cake.” The girl laughed. In the few days she had known Henry, he had always been at her side. He was scared and missed his mother, but more than anything else, he seemed to feel comfortable in her presence.

Alice had been here longer than most of the other children, she had remembered that terrifying feeling of being alone, knowing that you were trapped and couldn’t get home. She missed her father more than anything in this world but growing up she had learned a lot from her father about accepting your circumstances, learning to adapt to your environment.

She had done just that, adapted. She didn’t cause trouble, she made friends with all the children, and she knew when to speak and when not to. She felt it was her job to take the children under her wing, to keep them out of harms way.

“What are you going to do when you get out of here?” The boy asked.

“I’m going to sit down with my dad and eat a churro.” She laughed, smiling fondly at the last memory she had of her father standing at the entrance of that stupid ride, holding a teddy bear in one arm and a churro in the other. The smile on his face as he watched her disappear into the black void was the last thing she remembered every night when she went to sleep.

One day, I’ll find you daddy, she thought.

One day, I promise.

[mell-bell]

Chapter 4: Wondertrev Modern Ice Cream Shop AU

who knew all it would take was some ice cream (to bring you into my life)

Diana x Steve

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

AO3

Words: 1654            

Series Summary: Diana, a wrongful convictions attorney living alone in a big city, finds a small hidden ice cream shop one day. Little does she know that this ice cream shop will become her home and the man who owns it the most important person in her life.

Chapter: 4/10

Author’s notes: Seriously I have like 5 other stories to write but this one has a hold of my soul right now soooooo here you go haha hope you enjoy!

Diana glanced down at the watch on her wrist and let out a soft groan. It was four in the morning and she was still at the office. A new case had popped up a few days ago and there was a significant time constraint. The woman in question was about to be deported for committing a crime that her family had proof she had not committed. Diana had looked over every single piece of evidence from the two-year-old case and was just about done writing a request to halt her deportation until the case could be reviewed.

She finished off the letter with the flick of her signature her head dropping to her desk in exhaustion, only for her beeping phone to force her back up. After sending a quick reply to her coworker she caught sight of her phone background. Steve. It was a picture of him asleep on his couch with Lasso and Cinnamon perched on top of him.

She smiled remembering that night a week ago. She hadn’t seen Steve in days because this case had taken up all her time. She hadn’t seen Lasso either. She had dropped her off at Steve’s so that Diana could travel in and out of the county without having to worry about her.

She missed them both. They had become such an integral part of her life. She and Steve had been officially dating for a month. And it was going perfectly. They fit into each other’s lives perfectly. Diana would go to Steve’s shop a few times a week. Steve would stop by her office with lunch. And they would always see each other on the weekends. Being with Steve was different than any relationship she had ever been in. She had never felt like this before. She had never connected with someone like this before. And now she didn’t know if she could live any other way.

Diana swore she would only close her eyes for just a second, maybe a few minutes at the most. But when her phone rang startling her back awake she saw that she had been asleep for 45 minutes. With a deep sigh, she answered the call, Steve’s face filling the screen.

“Hey, Angel how are-did I wake you up?”

Diana’s hand covered a yawn while she shook her head, “No. No, I’m awake.”

“Mhm. Do you know what time it is? You’re still at the office?”

Diana smiled slightly looking down at the watch, “Yes, I have your watch you lent me, remember? And yes I am still at the office. Everything is going too slow. I do not think I will get home for another few hours.”

Steve smiled looking slightly wistful, “It looks good on you. Anyways, I called to cheer you up. This should help.”

Steve reached out of frame and pulled up a bundle of fluff to hold in front of the phone.  

“Lasso! Hi, baby!”

“She’s been a good girl. The customers love having her and Cinnamon around all the time.”

“I miss you.”

Steve’s face once again filled the screen, “I miss you too.”

“I was talking to the cat.”

Steve’s jaw dropped open at Diana’s emotionless expression. After a second her mouth began to curl up and Steve rolled his eyes letting out a laugh.

“I miss you as well.”

Diana’s case finally settled down a few days later. Everything fell into the place and her request to halt her client’s deportation had been approved. Though the case was far from over, the hardest part was over and she could get back to life outside of her office.

The first thing Diana did was all but run to Steve’s shop.

She went flying through the door, the bell jingling incessantly.

“Hey, Angel!” Steve exclaimed as he shot around the counter. He pulled her up into his arms, before letting her down to press a gentle kiss against her lips.

Lasso and Cinnamon came prancing over and wrapped their bodies around her legs purring loudly.

“There is a carnival. Can we go? Please?”

Steve laughed, “I was going to ask you the same thing. My friends and I were planning on meeting up there. You ready to meet them all?”

“I would love to.”

With one last lingering kiss, Diana settled onto her table, Lasso jumping up to relax in her lap as Cinnamon settled in the chair across from her. She dug into her work as Steve went back to running his shop.

The day flew by and Steve locked up early. After feeding the kittens, he gently shook Diana out of her work daze.

“Ready to go?” Diana nodded, leaving her belongings and following him out the door.

“We can walk, it’s pretty close.”

Diana grabbed his hand in hers, swinging it back and forth with a smile.

As they walked, Steve caught Diana up on his past week. How he had lunch with his sister.  And how his niece wanted her favorite (cough ONLY cough) uncle to come see her dance in her recital.  

“Steve!”

They had reached the carnival. The lights from the rides shone throughout the night sky, the sound of laughter flowing into their ears.

“Steve!” A group of people shot over to them. Diana’s eyes widened as they quickly descended upon them.

“Hey, guys! Diana this is Sameer, Chief, Charlie, and Etta. Guys, this is Diana.”

“Ah the misses”

“Hello, Diana.”

“Hey, ma’am.”

“Another girl! I feel so blessed!”

Diana greeted them all with a smile and the festivities began.

Diana raced around with a wide smile on her face. She had never been to a carnival before and she wanted to do everything. She ran from booth to booth to booth trying every game. Steve trailed after her with a wide smile loving seeing her relax and let loose. Letting loose didn’t change the fact that Diana was a natural. At everything. She popped all the balloons, she won the water gun race, she hit the strongman bell successfully on her first try.

Sameer stood there staring at her in awe, “I am both terrified and aroused.” Steve nudged into him with a smirk as they followed Diana to the next booth.

As she settled in to knock over all the bottles, Steve turned to catch up with Sameer. He learned that he had recently been cast in a new movie, the producer creating a character around him because she loved him so much. As Steve congratulated him Diana came bouncing up next to him with a stuffed tiger as big as her torso clutched in her hands.

“This is for you.” She said shoving it into Steve’s arms. She pressed a kiss to his cheek before flitting away towards Etta, who was fishing for some goldfish. He smiled as he watched her speak to Etta, her arms waving around as she told her story. Etta stared at her with a smile before pulling her into a hug.

Steve swung around when he heard Chief called out his name. He was standing behind him hold five long balloons. Steve smiled taking two to make a balloon sword.

When Diana came back with the four goldfish she had won, “These are my new children,” Steve offered her his sword with a deep bow.

Diana handed off her fish to Etta before taking the sword. She gave it a slight wave before pointing it at Steve, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die.”

The night was coming to a close and the carnival was closing for the night.

On their way out, Diana bought ice cream cone for herself.

When she returned from the vendor, Steve gasped dramatically grabbing his chest, “Are you cheating on my ice cream?!”

Diana nodded enthusiastically as she took another lick of ice cream.

As Diana enjoyed her ice cream everyone journeyed back to Steve’s place. Leading everyone up to the roof, Steve quickly set up chairs and everyone settled in. Chief started a bonfire and everyone scooted closer trying to keep themselves warm from the brisk night air.

Diana cuddled up close to Steve relaxing against him. She stuffed her cold hands under his jacket and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

Charlie sang them a few songs at Steve’s request.

The Chief told stories of his family and ancestors.

As the chatter faded and silence permeated the group and Steve went inside to grab a few blankets, Sameer sidled up alongside Diana.

“You know he really likes ya.“

“I really like him as well.”

“He hasn’t had the easiest life. This is the happiest I’ve seen him in a while. Thank you. I- Is that his watch?”

“Oh yeah, he lent it to me the other day. My watch broke and I needed one.”

Sameer was quiet for a second, “That was his fathers. I’m surprised he gave it to you. He hasn’t taken it off in years.”

The door slammed open and Steve walked back out onto the roof carrying a pile of blankets, Lasso perched on top. With a meow, Lasso jumped down and up onto Charlie’s lap. Cinnamon trotted around Steve’s legs and sat in front of Etta looking at her with a tilted head.

Sameer vanished from her side and Steve settled next to Diana once again, her hand fidgeting on his watch. He glanced down catching sight of her fingers dancing over the band as she threw a fleeting glance over at Sameer.

“Sameer told you?”

Diana met Steve’s eyes, “If you would like it back-”

“No. No. I want you to have it. I looked at this watch every day wishing I had been given more time with my parents. I don’t want to have to wish for more time with you. I want you to look at that watch and see all the time we will spend together.”

PART 5

[crazybloggingavi-blog]

Today, folks, we’re going to enter a dimension of sound, of sight, and of mind, a dimension of imagination* …  Two stories to entertain you as we approach the day honoring spookiness and oddities, Halloween.

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To this day, she doesn’t know if she was dreaming or actually in this world of impossibilities.  All she knows is that she was entering her apartment, or at least thought she was.  Of course, her apartment never was that big as it was that – day?  And it had had four walls and flooring.  But not that time.  She walked into her place to find prints in frames (from DCKM) hovering at impossible angles all around her.  She was dressed in an outfit from {KT}, a sexy dress with shoes, makeups and nail polish.  Yes, she seemed to remember, she had been out somewhere, she just couldn’t remember where.  “I must have really hit the bar hard,” she murmured to herself as she approached a Celtic vanity from JTDD. She looked in the mirror and gasped – she was wearing a different dress from Applique Chic, a lovely skull corset dress!  She sat down heavily onto the stool.  What was going on?  She tried to make herself wake up but couldn’t.  “Oh, this has got to be from too much to drink!” she thought as she stood up and looked around.  Surely there would be an exit … wouldn’t there?

A coffin from Khargo with candles and a skeleton caught her eye and she wandered over to it.  She felt something shift near her shoulder blades and turned her head to see the tips of bony wings; her dress again warped to Changed Season’s Twisted Alice outfit, with wings, hat, necklace, earrings and gown.  She looked down at her feet and almost screamed as she saw pillows near her feet, leaning against the coffin – one had written in blood on it “RIP.”  She squeezed her eyes tightly.  “No, no, no, this is not real!” she moaned out and turned from the coffin to nearly collide with a cauldron, also from Khargo.  This cauldron steamed as a raven and a rather tall woman with a skull in her hands just watched it.  She stumbled away from the eerie sight and sank down on a flamingo, her hair also inexplicably changing to no_match’s NO_WONDERLAND hair in blonde.  She shook her head, bemused for just a second.  “I guess only Alice would be in such a strange world as this!” she thought.  But this was getting very old!  And then to see a chair and lamp from The Dark Fae hanging in the air, the chair almost upside down …. ! She shook her head rapidly.  “Make it stop!” she cried out and she suddenly couldn’t see – a sleep mask from Lush was covering her eyes.  (I think it was good she couldn’t see what was stitched on it!)  She reached to yank it off – right now not being able to see was even scarier than the sights she was seeing – but it vanished on its own to reveal a purple chair, also from The Dark Fae, hovering at another impossible angle.  “What else could go wrong?” she cried out as a room from Something New – and no, she never did figure out how a room got into another room – pulled her in, and she found herself in a bizarre pose and dressed in another dress, this one more reminiscent of the Disney Alice, the Mad Alice Mini from Little 2 Large.

From there, she just materialized into another room from Something New … it made it look as if she were reaching into one picture on the wall while a teapot poured tea out of another picture on top.  “This is ridiculous!” she thought to herself.  “I certainly hope this is a dream; I don’t fancy living like this forever!”  Just as she was thinking that, her dress changed to the Mad Bad Alice dress, complete with red splatters, and she was doing trick riding on an upside-down horse from Something New with The Dark Fae’s spooky backdrop to provide just the right scare.  At this point, she was wondering just when it all WOULD end!

She did pause to wonder at what seemed to be a circus caravan, pulled by two elephants and illuminated by a floating hot air lamp, both from ~ASW~, going up into thin air.  She shook her head and saw a circus car from ~ASW~ that hadn’t been taken away with the others, Curious, she strolled up to it – and suddenly found herself inside the cage!  She slumped down, sighing in defeat.  “I’m tired of this – let me out!” she called, meaning the whole dream (if it was one), but the cage released her abruptly, revealing she had changed clothing yet again, into [AF]’s Ivy Dress DarkWeb.  By now, she was just numb to all of it.  She trudged over to ~ASW~’s Carnival Ride and flopped onto the seat, her head in her hands and elbows on her knees.  “I hope this all goes away soon,” she sighed in defeat as everything faded to black ….

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What a wonderfully spooky tale! Hope she does find her way out of the maze … poor girl!  But here’s a more heart-warming story about a little witch, trying to find her forever home …

It was a dark and gloomy night; the sky looked washed in a dreary green and black clouds scudded across the sky.  The little witch approached this next house carefully; it looked a lot like the Mildread’s Mansion from Dragon Magick she’d been sent to find, but so did the twenty others she’d seen so far!  She did notice that the outside was decorated with a candy dish from Khargo – a pumpkin on two hands coming out of the ground – and she smiled.  The rest of the yard was festooned with jack-o-lanterns and a pumpkin garland from LIVID and an altar, spider tree and wheelbarrow from Khargo.  She nodded approvingly – spooky, but not so much that children would be chased away.  She so hoped this house was the one!

She walked into the house, her adorable braids, courtesy of Sn@tch’s Wednesday Hair, bouncing on her shoulders and her Presley dress and Esme witch’s hat, from {Momoko}, flapping with every bounce as well.  Her nails were painted in a Halloween-colored webbed chevron pattern from Dark Passions and her hand held a cleaver, properly bloodied, from :Z.S:.  After all, a girl can’t be too prepared!  She shone her flashlight around and caught a couple of halloween wall tattoos (from Khargo) decorating the wall.  She smirked, “Boo and Happy Halloween!  What a nice way to be welcomed!”  Her eye caught a pentacle rug and two chairs (from Squishy Fluff) and then a wall with framed pictures of familiars from Oubilette and a wall sconce from Dragon Magick.  “Oh, very nice!” she said, falling in love more and more with this house.

As she twirled around, she saw the :Z.S: Pendulum Crystal holder by the door and then the ::OOPS:: Cross Wall opposite, near a hallway.  The cross glowed and she somehow knew – the house had accepted her!  This WAS her home, to live in, to play in, to tempt children in … and children made such delicious snacks!  She put on her ::OOPS:: Arachnid Strap and set out her -Extra- Into the Nether Conjuring set.  As four of the black candles floated about her, she lit the fifth one and began the chanting that would meld her powers into the house and decor, making it such a popular stop for the children this Halloween … !

Wasn’t that sweet?  It’s always good to see little witches finding their happy place!  And if you are looking for items (such as the ones featured in our stories) for creating YOUR happy place, here’s where you can find them!

Looking Glass story:

All items featured are from one of the Evil Bunny Production’s events/hunts this month or from Khargo Halloween Store:

Boo! Bunny Hunt:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brewery/126/192/21

The Mad Circus 4:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brewery/85/130/21

Gacha Life – Haunted: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brewery/121/131/21

Twe12ve:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brewery/79/200/21

Khargo Halloween Store:   http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Yellowstone%20Falls/133/230/41

and of course, more awesomeness at the following stores’ LMs:

~ASW~:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Anala/200/40/235

Anny’s Fashion:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zinaida/201/226/21

Applique Chic:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Woodland%20Park%20North/97/225/21

Changed Seasons:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serena%20Pontypridd/145/67/50

Little 2 Large:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Jokung/160/224/21

The Dark Fae:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Jupiter/33/142/27

Something New:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rainbow%20Illuzion/62/61/23

Lush:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brewery/121/131/21

DCKM:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Enoshima/160/4/21

JTDD:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Michigan%20Bay/163/164/24

{KT}:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brewery/112/143/21

The witch trying to find a home’s featured items are from the event, Dark Passions’ Trick or Treat:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spectacle/181/233/58

and you can find more coolness visiting the individual stores’ LMs:

-Extra-: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Capodorso/218/173/2805

::OOPS::  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vespeira/92/219/21

:Z.S:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lanisha/83/142/23

Oubilette: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//128/50/25

Dark Passions: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spectacle/46/43/81

Dragon Magick Wares: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/New%20Kadath/47/235/21

LIVID: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//192/71/52

Sn@tch: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snatch%20City/122/133/29

Squishy Fluff:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Serena%20Rainbows%20End/94/180/2001

Momoko – will be in-world soon; here is their Facebook link: https://tinyurl.com/y836fvvl

but hurry – the EBP events/hunts go only to Oct. 31 and the Trick or Treat until Nov. 2 … and that is a scary thought indeed!

  Through the looking glass … and a witch finds her true home Today, folks, we're going to enter a dimension of sound, of sight, and of mind, a dimension of imagination* ...