Ghosts in the Pumpkin Soup

Chapter 10: Pumpkin in the Alley

Elyse's earliest memory was in her bed one late night. She must have been three, maybe four years old. It was pitch black, but a Care Bear nightlight gave her sanctuary from the hungry dark. She remembered a figure standing at the edge of the light, only a few feet from her bed. The figure stared at her with unmoving eyes. But it dared not cross the threshold. It feared the light. Elyse couldn't make out any defining features. The figure was merely another blob in the darkness, an omnipresent shadow of a man. There were other nights just like that, with the figure standing at the edge of the light. What did it want? Elyse never found out, but knowing what she does now, it couldn't have been good. She felt something tug at her arm.

"Are you spacing out on me?" the young witch said.

"Oh, uh—sorry. You know how I get sometimes." Elyse handed her a small sack.

"Thanks again, Elyse!" The young witch bolted off with raw excitement, leaving Elyse alone in a stone corridor.

The Black Feather Coven had a dank and eerie headquarters hidden underground. It was like being in an old castle that hearkened back to the Medieval Ages. Tradition held the Black Feather's back from modernizing their hideout. Elyse always thought the place could use more color and a lot less brick and mortar. Maybe some fluorescent lighting for a change? Torchlight is so old school.

"How are things, my dear?" An aged and prudent voice interrupted her train of thought.

Elyse recognized High Priestess Beatrice and gave a cordial bow. The venerable old woman looked exactly like you'd imagine a traditional witch to be. Tattered black robes and a tall pointed hat screamed classic Halloween costume, most new witches ditched the black robes and hat for their own fashion. This was forbidden and a highly debated subject at first, but times change.

"I'm well, milady."

"Good good. How goes it with the young lad?"

She hesitated for a moment and said. "He's uh—hanging in there?"

"You do know how important this mission is? He must seal The Eidolon, or we'll have another incident like thirty years ago. That's why I chose you Elyse, that midworld used to be your home."

"And you know how well that midworld treated me."

"Having second thoughts, my dear?"

"Of course not, milady."

"Good. Now, if you ever want to return to the ranks of the Battlewitch, the offer is still on the table."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm happier where I am." She never wanted to go back to serving the Lavender Corp again, not after the horrible things they made her do.

Back story time! Hey, it's me again, your favorite narrator! Let's learn a little bit more about Elyse, shall we?

October 31st, 1989

It was late on Halloween night; things were quiet now. The only commotion at this late hour was the weeping of a young girl. Her cries bounced and danced between the walls of the dimly-lit alleyway. The only source of light was a jack O' lantern that someone mysteriously placed there. Now, why is she crying all by herself in some sketchy alley smack dab in the middle of suburbia? Long story, but let's just say she hasn't had the best of lives. Her parents never paid much attention to her, mainly due to them bickering at each other most of the time. And when they did acknowledge her existence, it was usually in an abusive manner.

But every year, Elyse looked forward to Halloween. It was the only night of the year she could pretend to be someone else and get away with it, an escape from her shitty life. And this was the only time of year her dad would positively interact with her by escorting her around the block for trick or treating (which she now assumed so he could spy on the neighbors).

This year Elyse decided to dress like a witch. She spent the whole month gathering materials to make it herself because she was too poor to buy a costume. Her parents would rather not waste money on any outlet of enjoyment. And what made everything worse was this year, her father flat out refused to take her trick or treating. She noticed that he'd been acting stranger and was easily startled the past few months like something malicious was waiting for him around every corner. He'd been muttering incessantly all day, but Elyse had been too preoccupied with finishing her costume to give it much thought. Something about a meeting with the black man... racist? Maybe. Despite her seeming defeat, Elyse devised a plan. Pay attention; this one is a little complicated! When her father wasn't looking, she planned to walk out the front door.

Flawless.

It wasn't difficult because her father was nowhere to be found when the time of escape arrived. Everything was looking up for her tonight. She would get what she wanted, a night full of mischief and fun. That was until she ran into the over-privileged kids from her school, you know the type from every high school teen movie... except in elementary school. You know how they say kids can be cruel? No fucking joke, they tore Elyse a new one over her "shoddy" costume, and she was outnumbered six to one.

These girls had the best costumes money could buy, and they wore them like a badge of honor. After the typical bullying was finished, Elyse was in tears. She abandoned her candy sack for the next sugar-crazed child to loot. Which brings us back to the alley, Elyse had been sobbing into her hands for what felt like an hour now, and the only comfort she got was from the warmth of the unusually hot jack O' lantern. She stared into its gaze for a while, and her tears stopped flowing.

"Greetings, child." An affectionate voice emanated from the pumpkin. Normally this would freak anyone out, and Elyse was no exception. "No need to be frightened, my dear. Your costume is quite lovely." The nicest thing anyone has ever said to her came from a jack O' lantern. Who would blame her for the decision she was about to make? "Would you like to be a real witch?"

After what happened tonight, it didn't take much thinking. "... yes."

And that is when young Elyse took her first steps into the frightening yet exciting underworld of Inferos. Of course, there's much more to her story. She didn't become who she was now immediately after all. But that is a story for another time.

"How goes the investigation?" Elyse was curious; such a dangerous incantation should never have made its way into Mid Realm.

Beatrice groaned heavily, revealing her crippling exhaustion. "No progress. All we know is that someone smuggled the spell to Mid Realm. It's a tricky and dangerous task for ordinary underfolk, so it must have been someone quite powerful," Beatrice's eyes narrowed in the torchlight, "keep an eye on your scarecrow friend. He has a strange infatuation with the boy."

"Spying on him through your orb? And no, you don't think—he's just helping me out." Elyse sputtered.

"If you say so," Beatrice took a moment to clear her throat. "How is the boy adjusting to underworld life?"

"Better than expected. But without us, he would have been dead when he first dropped down here."

"Good thing Demoes performed his duty well. I'm not too surprised he's adjusting as well as he is. You do know who that boy's mother is, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Do you plan on telling him?"

"One issue at a time."