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It's night. You'r
Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
It's night. You'r
It's night. You're sitting in your bed, staring out the window, searching for something lost. But you can't remember what it is, or was. All you know is that it's out there...it's important...and it was once yours.
Perhaps you never used it, perhaps you did--once, maybe twice. Or more. But for some strange reason, you can't remember if you did or didn't. Or what effect it had on you. Or...where it is now.
As you awoke from a particularly bland and boring dream, the memory that you were missing this...thing slid into your head. As you sat in a haze between asleep and awake, you stared outside, scouring the landscape that, for one fleeting moment, was no longer the familiar world you saw every day.
So here you are, staring outside, searching.
And then you finish waking up.
And here you are, trying to remember what you were just doing.
Hm, you think, smacking your dry lips. The covers rustle as you reach for your water glass, which sits by your lamp on your nightstand like it does every night. That's really wierd...I can't remember my dream. It seemed important--almost real. Your hand meets cold glass and you close your fingers around it. You bring it to your lips for a satisfying sip, but you realize that it's empty.
"Darn," you whisper. You'll have to get out of bed to fill it up--but it's really cold, and you don't have socks on.
Eh, it's no big deal. You'll fill it up.
Throwing the covers to the side, you haul yourself out of bed. With every footstep towards the kitchen all memory of strange dreams and searches leaves you, and by the time you return to your comfy nest of blankets with your full cup of water, the night seems almost normal. That is, until you glance outside the window.
Something moves across the front of the moon, which is full and shines right through the middle of your window, lighting up your comforter. What could it have been? It seemed familiar...And perhaps it's the fact that you're still half asleep, half awake that you can sense it, but a powerful force beats from it. Calling you. Presenting opportunities that you absolutely cannot miss.
Without any hesitation you get back out of bed, but before you can even leave your bedroom you notice a puddle of water near your nightstand.
So that's where all my water went, you realize. I must've knocked it over. Upon closer inspection you realize that there's writing on the carpet, glowing faintly yellow from under the patch of wetness.
The writing is so interesting you don't even realize how strange it is that the puddle isn't soaking into the carpet, or wonder how the words got there. In fact, the words don't even seem scary to you, despite their suspicious nature.
Hello, person! You are one of the lucky few CBers to be chosen to go on a nice, relaxing, beautiful vacation over Lake Lelillo! (Lay-LIH-loh) If you do indeed come, and we absolutely hope you do decide to, you will be given a free getaway from work, school, and empty water glasses! Here at Lake Lelillo, you will have all-day access to the lake itself, the fun attractions, the ice cream stands, the hot dog stands, the hamburger stands, the steak stands, the spagghetti stands, and any other stand marked with a silver star. (Which is all of them, so please don't forget!) Your rooms will be huge and most of them will even overlook the lake! They will of course be inside our one and only Luxury Lake House, which you will live in until your stay comes to a close. Remember this is all completely free, free free! Please pack your things, bring an AE and/or CAPTCHA if you'd like, and wait with them by the nearest stream at sunrise tomorrow morning. As we always say: All inlets lead to Lelillo!
~Your Soon-to-be Chaperones,
Cassy and Lily of Lake Lelillo
How you read all that small print was beyond you. Will you go? It certainly seems relaxing enough. The choice is yours to make.
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I'll tell you all when the spots are closed, so join while you still can!
Please note that this is my second ski lodge, and it's kind of linked to my first. In a sense, it's the next part. I don't know if I should call it a part two, or what, but some things might reference the first ski lodge. Don't worry--I'm not going to make things super confusing. I'll explain things as I go--and I really need new CBers to join in. But I also need some CBers from my previous ski lodge to come. ('Course, they don't have to join if they don't want to; I'll understand.)
Here's another clue (if you didn't catch the others...) for the CBers who were in my first ski lodge, or read it, and wanted to be in this one:
What do you get when you cross a scorpion and a sloth?
Hehe, my alias isn't going to last the day. :D
submitted by Your Chaperones, Cassy and Lily
(January 1, 2017 - 11:51 am)
(January 1, 2017 - 11:51 am)
(July 12, 2017 - 1:46 pm)
(July 12, 2017 - 5:49 pm)
Here's the next installment! It's extra long to make up for lost time.
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Day Eight:
The night was dark and still. Midnight came and went, and the Noodle manor was asleep in its entirety. Faint breaths stirred the air, and like a tide, swept it through the house, the result of the thousands of individual breaths blowing throughout the mansion. It was an invisible reaction unified by the disjointed and seemingly unrelated actions of others, all of which fed the breeze traveling sluggishly through the house.
In an office-themed living room, footsteps disturbed the silence, and the stream took a different direction. A thousand possible destinations were blotted out as the steady breathing of the house took on a different path.
A restless moan. The footsteps drew nearer, and through the cold came a caress, gentle and loving. Ragged breaths faded to softness--but somewhere in the depths of the Alter Ego's mind swam a face, the face that had tipped the balance, the face that brought the turmoil back.
Another moan. And a sigh, from somewhere close.
"Cassy," muttered the AE.
"I know," replied its CBer, rubbing his back. "It'll be okay."
"I trusted her."
"So did I."
"And now...now we can't trust anyone."
"You--That's not true."
"It is," he protested, attempting to sit up. The Chatterboxer pushed him back down gently with a worried sigh.
"Jayfeather..." she said. "I don't know what's going on with you. I feel like this is all just too much. You...you need a break, I think."
"A break would be nice," Jayfeather murmured.
"Why don't we settle you down in a room somewhere upstairs where you can recuperate. You...stay here. I'll be right back."
The warmth left and the cold returned. Footsteps retreated and the night was silent once more. Jayfeather let one arm dangle off the couch and--for a split second--thought he felt an icy breeze trailing across the floor, carrying with it a promise of events of titanic proportions. Then it was gone.
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It was around lunch time. That morning, Cinderpelt had told the other Chatterboxers that Jayfeather was taking a break from the mystery for a while to collect his thoughts alone upstairs. Everyone thought that this was a really good idea, and wished they could to the same. Unfortunately, they could not. It was part of their responsibilities as CBers to stay on top of things.
Now they sat in a large sitting room, doodling in their notebooks and generally trying to give their minds what little breaks they would allow.
The murderer was writing a reply to Ice Wolf's message while Elvina was scribbling furiously in her notebook, one of the few CBers not resting their brains. She had a very concerned look on her face, which she mostly used to stare at the other CBers with.
Once the reply had been finished, the murderer set the note inside its journal and contemplated other things, such as the recent development with Jayfeather. It looked up to see Cinderpelt sitting glassy-eyed on the hearse of an enormous fireplace, staring at a burnt patch of carpet. She was probably deep in thought about her Alter Ego. The murderer sighed and sat back. Jayfeather's decision not to work with the murderer had really thrown a wrench in its plans. Now how would it get the CAPTCHAs to the game room?
"I'm going to get some lunch," it announced, grabbing its notebook and standing.
"Okay," the Chatterboxers replied as the murderer left the room.
Moonfrost was also writing in her journal--a very dangerous task if you considered what was inside its pages. Had the murderer seen what Moonfrost knew--well, had it seen what she knew, her lifespan would've been reduced to just a few more hours.
Finally she seemed satisfied with her work, and she set the book on the table next to her.
"I think I'm going to get some lunch, too," she said.
"Me too," Booksy agreed.
It went on like this until everybody decided just to head over to the dining room and try to make themselves some lunch.
"It's just like the cooking competition," Owlgirl said, leading the way into the kitchen. "Just cook like you're cooking at the cooking competition."
"Except for you two," Joan said to her AEs. "Cook like you're not there."
The Chatterboxers didn't want to make Lily prepare their lunch. She probably had enough on her plate already. But that many CBers in one tiny kitchen never ends well. Finally someone had the sense to shoo the bad cooks out of the kitchen, leaving the experienced cooks plenty of elbow room. The cooks in the kitchen were oblivious to what was going on in the dining room, as, unfortunately, were those in the dining room. The murderer was hard at work in their midst and they didn't even notice.
About half an unsuspecting hour later, lunch was ready. The Chatterboxers filed out of the kitchen with their meal and placed it on the table. The group seated themselves in new spots, which were closer together than their old ones. But after everyone sat down, they realized that there were way too many blank spaces at the table.
"Oh no," Ice Wolf said. "W--where are the CAPTCHAs?"
Dragonrider stood up, knocking her chair over. "What?! They're missing?!" She had essentially adopted all the orphaned CAPTCHAs. Hearing of their absence filled her with surprise, anxiety, and a little bit of guilt.
"I don't see them anywhere," Ice Wolf said hesitantly. "Does anybody know where they could be?"
Nobody seemed able to answer her. The Chatterboxers abandoned their food and rushed out the doors to search for them.
All through the house the Chatterboxers searched. They found no trace of the CAPTCHAs.
"The only place left is downstairs!" Puck exclaimed as the CBers met up in the lobby.
"I hope they're there," Autumn Leaves said.
The CBers raced down the stairs and straight into the game room where Shadow had died--a scene of chaos met them.
It looked like a wrecking ball had been set loose upon the room. Everything had fallen over, been smashed to bits, ripped, broken, or otherwise destroyed.
"What the..." Booksy breathed.
"TINA!" shrieked Brooklyn Newsie, running over to a toppled-over bookshelf surrounded by spilled board games and their various pieces. The CBers watched as she grasped a limp wing sticking out of the pile. "Tina," she said in a shellshocked voice that echoed through the demolished room. Then she began to dig.
"Legolas?" Elvina called hesitantly. "Legolas, are you down here?"
"Luna! Where are you!"
"Holly!!!"
Brooklyn Newsie pulled Tina's limp feathered body out of the pile of spilled board games. "She's..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.
The CBers sifted through the wreckage and found, to their utter horror, the bodies of the remaining missing CAPTCHAs. Nico and Luna had died holding hands. This reduced Autumn Leaves and Ice Wolf to tears.
"Now what do we do?" asked Dragonrider, her voice choked.
"We have a funeral," said Elvina stubbornly.
And so they did. Not one trap was tripped; in fact not one sign of Cassy was present outside. The service seemed to last forever yet only in a single heartbeat. When it was over, the CBers trudged back inside to their chilly meal and put it in the fridge. Then they went up to their rooms and flopped down on the first soft thing they could find.
A few hours later they heard some thumping coming from downstairs.
"It's coming from the lobby," Puck mumbled. Her face was smushed between the couch cushions and it took the CBers a moment to decipher her words.
"I wonder who it could be," mused Poetic Panda absentmindedly.
The thumps persisted, and the CBers felt an uneasy obligation to investigate.
Booksy sighed. "Let's go check."
The CBers stretched and then made their way downstairs. They entered the lobby to find two people (plus the receptionist) inside.
Lily was holding the door for someone the CBers didn't immediately recognize. His arms were laden with grocery bags that looked like they'd come from the food stands outside, and he talked loudly as he carried them in. The Chatterboxers just couldn't place him--but he looked so familiar!
"When we heard about Cass we couldn't believe it," the man was saying. "Me especially, you know. We've been looking, though, so don't worry. Anyway, I hope this is enough food."
"It's plenty, Pierre," Lily laughed.
Oh! So that's who he was. He looked different without his waders on.
The Chatterboxers wondered what Pierre was doing inside the mansion. Shouldn't he be outside, keeping a lookout for Cassy?
"Oh, hey guys!" Lily said, noticing the CBers for the first time. "You remember Pierre, right?"
Pierre set his load on top of the reception desk with a loud 'thump'. Well, that explained the noise. The CBers had gotten nervous at the sound of someone's groceries being unloaded. At least they were being careful--especially after what had happened at lunch.
"Yeah, we remember Pierre," Ice Wolf snapped, causing the CBers around her to jump.
"Hey, why so snippity?" he asked, turning to face the CBers. "Oh yeah, I remember you. Your little wolf thing kept eating my--"
"That's Nico to you," Ice Wolf growled. "And if you ever want to apologize to him," she continued, her voice breaking, "he's outside in the graveyard!" Then she spun around and stalked away.
"Um, okaaaay," Pierre said, bewildered.
"All our CAPTCHAs got...erm...killed earlier today," Autumn Leaves explained.
"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Pierre apologized. Lily closed the big wooden front door and walked over to join the conversation while the receptionist left the room, muttering something about needing a wheelbarrow.
"So, Pierre is going to be your other chaperone!" Lily exclaimed.
The CBers didn't seem too excited about that.
"I don't think they're very glad to see me," Pierre muttered to Lily.
"Nonsense!" Lily exclaimed, turning back to the Chatterboxers. "I can't keep track of all of you by myself, so I had to get some help."
"Why Pierre?" asked Elvina eventually.
"Why not?" he asked jauntily.
"I could list a number of reasons," she replied flatly.
"Who's Pierre?" asked Dragonrider.
Pierre looked offended. "What, Lily hasn't mentioned me before?"
"Are you her boyfriend?" asked Briar skeptically.
Pierre laughed. "No, I'm her brother."
A shocked silence followed, but the Chatterboxers quickly recovered.
"You have a brother?!" Briar exclaimed, gaping at Lily.
"You bet!" Lily said. "And a sister," she added, just in case the Chatterboxers hadn't realized this other OBVIOUS fact.
"Huh...I guess you two do look similar," said Autumn Leaves, squinting at Pierre's face.
There was a moment of awkward staring, followed by Pierre suddenly clapping his hands together. "Well," he said, "I'd better bring these groceries up to the kitchen. See you lovely bunch later." He went off to help the receptionist find a wheelbarrow.
"Hey, guys," Lily said just as the CBers turned to go. "Are you busy right now?"
"No, not particularly," they replied.
"Oh, good. Um, so did you guys want to send out search parties for Cassy?"
The CBers looked at each other. "Yeah. Can't the staff do that?"
"Well, the staff's busy tending to the grounds," Lily replied. "I was just wondering. I mean, you don't have to. I just feel like..."
The CBers caved in at Lily's expression. "Okay, Lily, you know what? We'll go upstairs and make a plan right now."
Lily smiled gratefully. "Thanks. Do you need any help?"
"We'll call you when we need you."
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Aha! So Lily and Cassy have a brother!!! Did anyone have a sneaking suspicion?
Chip says, "Uvfo." AHHHH! STOP, CHIP, YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE THEM ALL THE SPOILERS!!! Nah, just kidding. He's only trying to say 'Over'. Do you miss Over the Rainbow, Chip? She was in the farm story, but she never did join this ski lodge.
(July 12, 2017 - 6:30 pm)
NOOOOOOOOOOOO! TINA! TINA, PLEASE COME BACK! I NEED YOU!
mtng....
NO! NO, PLEASE!
(July 13, 2017 - 12:02 pm)
RIP all the CAPTCHAs!
Micna says tbga. She's sad about Tina apparently.
(July 13, 2017 - 3:57 pm)
NICO! MY BABY! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
*I'm right here, blockhead.*
HEY. DON'T CALL ME A BLOCKHEAD, YOU CREEPY LITTLE GHOST THING.
*FUZZ BRAIN!*
FISH BREATH!
(July 25, 2017 - 9:31 am)
LILYCAT!!!!!!!! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
(LilyCat says "gacx")
(July 13, 2017 - 7:54 am)
I read your other ski lodge- the farm one- and it was amazing! I've never seen a ski lodge before where the murderer raises a whole army. It was so good! I might come back and read this one sometime, but I just wanted to tell you what I thought of the other one.
(July 14, 2017 - 11:18 am)
Oh, thank you, Kitten! I am so glad you enjoyed it. :D
(July 18, 2017 - 7:28 pm)
Hey, guys, guess what! I just made a trailer for my original ski lodge (the farm story)! It's online now. [I called it 'The Farm Story (Trailer)']
(July 18, 2017 - 7:34 pm)
I saw it, and it's cool! The goats running around made me laugh.
I also watched the Kingdom trailer. That was cool the way you got the stick in your hand.
(July 24, 2017 - 3:58 pm)
Thanks! Yes, that's our Billy. He's pretty good at running around. (Not much else, though, unless you count eating brush.) To summon the stick, I used magi--I mean, the reverse tool. ;P
So sorry for not posting, guys! Nano's almost over, though, and I'll probably have a lot more time for my ski lodge when it ends. I'll see if I can post the next installment tomorrow, though!
(July 24, 2017 - 8:09 pm)
(July 19, 2017 - 7:05 am)
Please write more! *Sad puppy dog eyes*
(July 24, 2017 - 8:24 am)
(July 24, 2017 - 3:33 pm)