The Tale of Horrible Harry

--1--

 It was a dark and stormy evening, and the residents of Hotel OJ were going on as per usual. All, except for the eliminated contestants. Trophy had gone up to each one separately and told them to meet him inside of the closet that afternoon, when a storm was predicted to roll in and possibly knock out the power. While OJ and Paper prepared for the possibility of a power outage, the eliminated contestants sat huddled in the closet as Trophy clicked on the overhead light.

"Hey, buddy!" Nickel growled as he was accidentally pushed against the other wall by Right Cherry. "Could you move over a bit? I'm practically suffocating here!"

"Believe me, I would," Left Cherry explained. "But I can't! There's not enough room!"

"What are we even doing in here, Trophy?" Soap asked, raising her hand slightly. Trophy snickered to himself.

"I've brought you all here today to tell you a story..." Trophy said in a low and menacing voice, clearly trying to set an intimidating mood. "A story of a tragedy that happened here a long, long time ago, on these very grounds..."

"Is it the anniversary of the show already?" Nickel quipped. "Man, time does fly by quickly!" Trophy glared at him before continuing.

"This is the tale of Horrible Harry-" Trophy was cut off by a loud snort coming from Yin Yang's direction. Yin quickly covered his mouth, muffling Yang's snickering. Trophy narrowed his eyes at the two, and he then proceeded with his story.

"Long ago, on these grounds, before the hotel was even thought of, there was a small pub. Harry was a normal guy, just like everyone in this very room, but he had a secret. Late in the night, when the only patrons in the bar were drunk beyond their minds, Harry would lure them down into the cellar where they kept their wine to age. He would offer them a glass, and when they drank it, it would knock them out. Harry would then drag the passed-out guy into a room he kept down in the cellar, and he would strap him down to a little table, and do you know what he'd do next?" Trophy leaned in closer to the group, most of which had huddled up closer. Nickel, on the other hand, sat away from the group, unimpressed.

"W-What did he do?" Balloon stuttered as he clung onto Tissues. Trophy grinned wider, the overhead light casting a dark shadow over his face.

"He would take out his trusty knife, and he'd cut them right open!" Trophy quickly drew his finger across his neck, startling the terrified contestants. Tissues went pale as he huddled closer to Yin Yang, who looked half terrified, half interested. "And while they bled out, Harry would collect the blood, and serve it to unsuspecting customers, claiming it was a foreign wine." At this, Soap grimaced, sticking her tongue out and drawing back. Trophy was pleased by this, for he was nearing the climax of his trick. "One day, he lured a man down into the cellar, as he did every day, but little did he know, it would be his last attempt. The man was immune to the potion, and when he realized he was in danger, the man attacked Harry, and in the brawl, the man picked up a knife..." Trophy paused as he reached for the hand broom next to him and held it like a weapon. "...and stabbed Harry!" Trophy thrust the broom forward in a stabbing motion. "Harry laid there dying as the man got away, and upon his death, a curse was cast upon this land." Trophy dropped the broom as he spread his arm out in a showy manner. "Legend says he vowed that anyone who dared set foot on his land on the day of his death was bound to die a terrible death."

"When did he die?" Left Cherry asked, cocking his head slightly. Trophy leaned in close as the faint sound of thunder rolled in the background.

"Some say he died right here, on this very day, so if I were you, I'd get out...right now!" Just as Trophy shouted the last two words, a booming clap of thunder roared as the power flickered out, sending the terrified objects into high-pitched screams. Trophy laughed hysterically as panic ensued. Suddenly, OJ opened the door to check on them, freaking them out more.

"It's Horrible Harry!" Tissues shrieked. "He's gonna turn our blood into wine!" OJ glared at Trophy, who had left the room laughing.

"Calm down you guys! It's just a power outage, nobody's going to come and turn you into wine." OJ said in an attempt to calm them down. Luckily, they started to settle down as he spoke. "Now, one of you, who in the world is 'Horrible Harry'?" OJ crossed his arms as he waited for an answer.

"He's this guy who murdered a bunch of people and turned their blood into wine!" Yang piped up rather excitedly. "Trophy said he was coming tonight!" OJ raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Trophy, who was wiping tears from his eyes after laughing so much.

"Trophy..." OJ said.

"Alright, alright! It was just a story, jeez!" Trophy raised his hands defensively. "Nobody's gonna come and kill us all," At this the objects sighed as they left the closet. "...Or are they?" Trophy added ominously, but he was elbowed in the side by OJ, queuing Trophy to knock it off.