Places to Chat
Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
You walk home from school one bright, clear, October afternoon, still angry at your parents for grounding you for something you hadn’t done. The neighbors’ dog did not end up on your garage roof because of you, that was for certain. They were depriving you of the CB, your phone, and going out to play with your friends, for 2 weeks. Two whole, miserable,desolate weeks! Fourteen whole, miserable, desolate days! 20, 160 whole, miserable, desolate minutes without the CB or your friends. You trudge the rest of the way home, then drop your heavy backpack and rush upstairs to try to check the Chatterbox one more time. You put the familiar Internet address into your computer, then sigh in despair as the same message that you saw last night, and this morning, pop up.
Sorry about taking away your favorite website, but in this house, when you’re grounded, you’re really grounded. Love, Dad
But then, the screen flickers, and a new message pops up. One that you had not seen before…
Dear CBer,
You are one of the lucky few who have been chosen for a very special opportunity. A 3-week stay at my steampunk castle! There are luxury bedrooms, banquets every day, and many, many fun things to do in the forests, fields, and lakes that surround the castle. All expenses are paid*, so you can just go up on your garage roof- the same one that Barky got stuck on, and wait for the dragon, which may be real or mechanical, your choice. As many AEs and CAPTCHAs as you want are allowed. Please get the list in by Friday, the 24th, so that we may start as soon as possible. As a last note, The Castle Manager is not responsible for any injuries, deaths, missing limbs, etc.Thank you!
Sincerely(or not),
The Castle Manager.
*Popcorn is not already paid for.
Well, that was weird. How did she know all that stuff, like the neighbors’ dog’s name. But the sound of all that fun stuff intrigued you, so you packed a small bag, grabbed your AEs and CAPTCHA, and climbed out your window onto the garage roof to wait for the dragon.
~~
Hello, CBers, AEs, and CAPTCHAs! As you saw in the letter above, you are “the chosen ones”. Please get a packing list for you and each of your AEs, and fill out this sheet:
Name:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Real or Mech. Dragon:
What you are bringing:
We will start this Ski Lodge(my first one!) on the 25th. So, get to your packing!
~ The Castle Manager
submitted by The Castle Manager, age ?, Steampunk Castle
(March 17, 2017 - 6:56 am)
(March 17, 2017 - 6:56 am)
I'm really weird so I noticed that the "TOPS" were kind of tilted at an angle.
(April 2, 2017 - 9:47 am)
That IS really weird! I noticed it too. Also, this ski lodge is really good, elementgirl! Cardinal says "ghyi". You saw a ghost?!
(April 2, 2017 - 8:12 pm)
Wow, yeah! I saw that too!!
(April 2, 2017 - 5:21 pm)
Day Three:
The funeral’s vigil period, supposed to last the night, was punctuated at 5 am by RP’s voice.
“You’re elementgirl, am I right?”
The CM was startled. “How did you know?”
“Your accent gave it away.”
“Oh. I knew that that wasn’t going to work.”
Pulling off her disguise, the CBers could see that she was, indeed, elementgirl.
“Well, at least I can speak with my accent now.” she said. “That voice I had to use… I almost gave myself away more than once.”
This left 19 of the remaining 20 talking and laughing with the CM, while Wingnut slipped away unnoticed. He wanted to find out what had happened to Quirker.
~
He wandered away into the woods, not stopping at the fork, just continuing…. Right.
Soon, the path started to twist and wind, and he was pretty sure that he was not supposed to be there. Creepy shadows darted across the path before and behind him, and he had that uncanny feeling that he was being watched.
“Mlct?” he asked into the darkness. “Qntm?”
But nobody answered, and he continued slowly on, trembling with every step.
~
Meanwhile, the funeral was thrown into chaos when they realized that one specific little CAPTCHA was missing.
“Where’s Wingnut?” cried a panic-stricken Quantum.
“I haven’t seen him,” answered Malachite, equally horrified at the idea that both of them-as well as the rest- had instantly thought, but were too afraid to speak aloud.
“Do you think he tried to find-” started Quantum, but nobody would ever know what she had been meaning to say, because she started to sob too loudly or miserably to finish the sentence. The CBers tried to comfort her, but in vain. She kept on crying.
~
Wingnut continued on in this fashion until his paws started to hurt. He was just about to settle down to sleep, when- CRACK! The twigs under him broke, sending the poor CAPTCHA down, down, down. Then, rocks started to fall on top of Wingnut. Try as he might to dodge them, soon it was too much, and the sweet, unfortunate Wingnut was crushed by one of the falling boulders.
~
Back at the cemetery, everyone had heard the crashes. “What was that?” Kate asked, looking around wildly. “I don’t know,” said Icy, “but I think the murderer may have struck again.”
Quantum fell to her knees, weeping loudly. “Do you think… Wingnut is…-” Again, her sentence went unfinished. The CM suddenly said, “Come on, we’ve been out all night. Let’s go inside and rest. We can worry about the fate of poor Wingnut later.”
“Worry about Wingnut LATER?!?” Quantum shot back. “My CAPTCHA is DEAD OR DYING OUT THERE, AND YOU TELL ME TO WORRY LATER?” “Yes,” said the CM. “You, most of all, need to get some good sleep.”
Two mechanical dragons, the castle guards, escorted a fuming Quantum upstairs. As for the rest, they all followed, to get some well-deserved rest.
Deaths: Anabella, Quirker, Wingnut
Notes: If you or one of your AEs has not shown up in this by now, please tell me so I can put you in one of the next two or three days. Thanks! ~The CM
(April 3, 2017 - 6:23 am)
Awesome part!! My AEs Robert and Fred haven't shown up yet.
(April 3, 2017 - 10:16 am)
You know, I was kinda planning on killing Fred on Day 4.
YOU DIDN´T HEAR NOTHIN´!
(April 3, 2017 - 4:14 pm)
Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top!
(April 4, 2017 - 4:08 pm)
What do you all think?
Also, Top!
Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top!
TOP!
(April 5, 2017 - 4:23 pm)
Day Four:
The next morning, Icy got up with the sun and aimlessly wandered the grounds, notebook and pen in hand. She was going to find out who the murderer was, and she would do it today! As she walked, she flicked her left hand, creating pretty little patterns of ice in the air.
The murderer smiled from their vantage point behind a bush.
Quick as a wink, the murderer pulled Icy behind the bush.
Icy grinned, despite the circumstances. ¨I knew it was you.¨
Unable to hide their surprise, the murderer asked, ¨You do?¨
Before Icy had a chance to reply, she was bound and gagged.
~
Fred woke up and peered out the window. He saw something that looked like… was that snow? Now, Fred loved snow. He ran outside into the snow in his slippers, and started running around in… smaller and smaller… circles. Soon, he was running in place, large snowflakes falling around him. Of course he had not noticed that it didn't normally snow in October, even late October. And he had not noticed the small, moving bush at the edge of the forest.
~
“Now kill him,”said the murderer, turning on Icy with an ancient cutlass that had come out of nowhere, ¨or you both die.¨
¨But-¨ Icy tried to protest.
¨Now, or I'll kill him, and you, too.¨
Icy, sobbing all the while, started to build a slippery cylinder of ice up around Fred. Before he knew what had happened, Icy was out of the bush and creating a blizzard directed into the ice room. A really large amount of snow at once. Fred screamed. Suddenly, The CM dashed out of the castle, flanked by RP and Pepper Star.
¨Icy!¨ shrieked the CM. ¨Stop! You're going to kill him!¨
But it was too late. Fred had already suffocated from all the snow.
This was too much for the already distraught Shoshanna. She clung to her one remaining AE, sobbing loudly.
¨Put her…. In the dungeon..¨ she said through her sobs.
¨No! Please! I can explain!¨ cried Icy, but to no avail.
¨You just murdered Fred. Copper, Carbon, take this girl to the dungeon.¨
Icy didn't even have time to laugh t the dragon guards´ ridiculous names. They were taking her inside, down a creaking staircase, into a tiny room that smelled like mold and rotten food, Icy´s new least favorite scent in the world.
¨You're leaving me here?¨ asked Icy. The dragons grunted and went back up the staircase. Five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty. Icy started to cry, loud and hard. Why, oh, why, was this happening to her?
Deaths: Anabella, Quirker, Wingnut, Fred
Notes: Pepper Star, Muninn, Robert, Destiny, Cardinal, Kate, Malachite, LilyCat, and Amaryllis will all show up very soon! And I know that Icy would never really have done this, but I needed to make her do it for the sake of this ski lodge. I´m sorry, Icy, if you don´t like it. ~The CM
(April 6, 2017 - 6:25 am)
Well, at least you killed the most annoying of my AEs. I'll put some tires on his grave. Awesome part!!
Amaryllis says "gwic". Quick?
(April 6, 2017 - 9:27 am)
No! You don't understand! The murderer is--
*gets dragged away*
(April 6, 2017 - 2:54 pm)
Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top! Top!
(April 8, 2017 - 5:44 am)
Does any one remember this ski lodge? Just wondering. I can stop writing, if no one checks it.
(April 8, 2017 - 5:12 pm)
I doth remember it! Sorry, I had forgotten for a little while. Funny, though, 'cause I had the murderer use Icy as a weapon in my ski lodge too.
(April 9, 2017 - 6:34 pm)
Oh, that's interesting! I only had the patience to read through one ski lodge before starting mine, and it wasn't yours! So I guess we got the same idea!
(April 10, 2017 - 6:14 am)