Chronicles of Ounivat - A World Beneath the Earth

Chapter 1 - Blame the Clownequinns

Passive people are the bane of my existence. Those who stand by and do nothing when they are capable of action are exactly why it takes so long to accomplish anything. I grow tiresome with the fools who believe it is "easier not to get involved." Call it maturity - I call it cowardice. Those who have power should use it, at least on the behalf of those who cannot.

Emry was the worst of them all. The meek little wimp refused for so long to take any risk, to step outside their small mind and take action! They had to learn. I had to teach them. It was a long, long, long journey, and it was by the skin of my teeth that I did not kill them before they could grow. Oh, they were so stubborn for one so spineless, especially when they would not listen - but I am getting ahead of myself. You are yet ignorant yourself, blind in your own ways. You will learn, too, or die trying. If you do not survive, it is nothing to me. There will be another after you, and another after that, and another after that...

Settle in, little mouse, and I shall tell you the story of your predecessors.

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Overconfident people are the bane of Emry's existence. Why do they have to have so many bad ideas, and why must they insist on getting others involved? It never ends well and is never worth the risk. Why would you do something you know is stupid, especially when someone's likely to get hurt?

Emry's little sister tugged them by their hand, dragging them towards the "Haunted House" clearly marked "CLOSED FOR WINTER." The barn-turned-seasonal-attraction was less intimidating because it was "haunted" and more because it was falling to pieces. It had been shut down years ago when a rotten plank gave way from the second floor and engulfed a visitor in moldy, rat-infested hay. They threatened to sue and the landowner closed their doors to save the trouble. That was the sad, anticlimactic end of their tiny town's only Haunted House. Emry said "good riddance," but Tamara always insisted the whole thing was really to cover up a conspiracy, like experiments on aliens or a robot pigeon factory or whatever crazy idea she came up with.

The sun had set already and most of the Harvest Festival crowd was gathered around the concessions and outdoor heaters for food and warmth. The sixteen-year-old mischief-maker saw her moment to "get to the bottom of the mystery" and was determined to make the most of her limited window, "Come on, you baby! It's just a barn!"

"Tam, I really think we should go back. It's cold and I'm hungry, and there's no light in there. It's closed for good reason. Do you wanna be grounded for even longer? It's a miracle Dads even let you come out tonight." Emry dragged their feet as Tam pulled them another foot along, unable to run away from their menace of a sibling. Tam's summer growth spurt and penchant for wrestling meant she was both taller and stronger than Emry, so resistance was futile - but still necessary.

Tam tugged harder and won, "I'm going in, and you're coming with me because you'll rat on me if I go alone. At least this way, Dads can't be that mad at me because you're here, and you never do anything wrong."

Emry rolled their eyes while growing more nervous by the second, "That's total crap - they're going to be the same amount of mad at both of us. Anger is a self-sustaining resource and I don't want it directed at me! Can you just behave for once so we can have a nice, quiet night of happy, family fun?"

Tam stopped just long enough to give Emry a once-over, "Wow, college really did a number on you, huh? You used to be more fun! Besides, you're an adult now! You can do what you want! Dads can't ground you anymore."

"You were twelve when I left - of course I seemed like more fun! All you wanted to do was ride your bike and go skating and play video games. Those I can accommodate. Now you're making me go into a dilapidated barn that already hurt somebody. Also, just because I'm no longer underage does not mean I am safe from Dads' ire. Can we please just not?" Emry was whining at this point, knowing their fate was inevitable and at least resolved to complain the whole time.