Time to Gather Golden Rings

Chapter 1
"Gather round the campfire children, where it's warm and safe. For it is the time of spooky tales of frightful nights that started much like this."

I looked at our camp counselor, standing across the fire pit from us, with disdain and what hoped was loathing. We.  What's that? Oh.  Yea.  A bunch of the older kids volunteered to get the fire going, if you know what I mean.  I sure hope I knew what that meant, because so far, the only thing missing was the girls. 

As if on cue, I could hear the girls coming, their flashlights illuminating their way. The rest of my group began drifting toward the fire.  Clearing my throat, I asked, "What story are you planning on boring, er I mean telling us tonight, Bruce?" I smirked at him, the sanctimonious prick.
Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah. I think you kids have heard about every story I have. I thought maybe you might give it a whirl."

I was so surprised, you could have knocked me over with a feather.  Oh, who am I kidding, I was so stunned, I stepped wrong, and wound up landing in his arms. Blushing, I quickly extracted myself from his arms, made strong from swimming. And he towered over me. He had to be at least six-foot five. As long as I didn't look at his hair, I had to admit, he was a rather attractive man with that chiseled jaw, and blue eyes. Then, to make it worse, my next words were out before I could stop them. "Really? Me? That's neat!"

Fuck, really? I sounded like I was eight.

Bruce rested a hand on my shoulder. "Yes. Tonight is your story. I've listened to some of the tales you've weaved." Then in a soft voice, only I could hear, whispered, "How 'bout the one about the rings? I've never heard that one all the way through."

This is the story I told.

Many ages past, three rings of gold were cast. Imbued with magical curses, should they be split. Even among siblings, the curse struck true, for only one person could own all three, and live.
Time and again, the rings were split. And yet, time and again, they wound up together in some poor soul's estate. Usually, after they were ... executed.

"By who?" Susie asked.

That was the girl I had hoped was going to come down and help get our fires lit. She was pretty too. Auburn hair, normally in a pony tail, but tonight it framed her face. Hazel eyes gazed out over her freckled nose.

I completely lost my train of thought. I frantically tried to remember, but nothing came out but, "Hi Susie." And I could feel my face heating. I prayed it wasn't a blush, or at the very least, no one would see it.

Susie smiled at me. It made my stomach do flips. "Who executed the ring bearer, and why?"
With relief, I picked up that wayward train. "Well, most of the time, it was the state. Occasionally, it was the police. And once in a while, a family member discovers their horrible secret, and does the deed to save everyone else."

Everyone slipped under the spell of my story again.  I took a deep breath and continued.
The last time the rings were sold, it was around here. They could have been bought by a camp counselor, even. The rings, once split, seek to control each other. Acquiring another ring meant killing its owner.

A fight always ended in bloody gory death.

It was that moment that Mother Nature chimed in. Lightening struck somewhere behind me. And the thunder cracked as I said death. It was rather a cool effect, if I do say so.

It was really hard to keep a straight face, and maintain the chilling atmosphere that had been created. So I closed my eyes and focused instead on who I would weave into this story.

"Could it be Bruce? His girlfriend is also a counselor." I glanced at Bruce, the blood draining from his face. Bingo! 

Bruce slipped into town on his day off from the camp. He scoured the pawn shops looking for just the right gift. Persistence paid off when he found three rings arranged in a triquetra.
One of the older girls near the back squealed, "You mean like in Charmed? It's my favorite show!"

I nodded to the girl, as I continued on.

He arrived back at the camp, heading directly for his best friend. I flicked my eyes over the counselors. Oh he was making this too easy!

"Joe, I need your help. After all, if she says yes, then you will be the best-man." I chuckled, when Joe jerked back in surprise.

Joe and Bruce conspired to get alone. And when they did, that was when the curse sprang into being. For Bruce had committed the ultimate of mistakes. He separated the rings.

"So, beware of things that go bump in the night, lest you too become a casualty of love, bound in a ring."

Lightening struck, dazzling my eyes. As the thunder struck, I was knocked off my feet by someone tackling me.

"Lie still, and you may be safe. Jane just tried to stab you." Bruce pushed himself off me, and stalked away from the camp fire. I could hear screams, moving away from me. A light mist was falling and it felt like a stick was digging into my back. I rolled over, and stood up.

Lightening flashed again, illuminating someone male lurching towards me. His clothing was ripped, his shirt hanging by a few threads. I could see blood dripping down his face from a gash. 

But what frightened me most was the crazed look in his eyes.

I backed up slowly, my attention focused on the man in front of me. I snagged my foot, and stumbled backwards, landing hard against something soft that almost immediately gave way.
In the flickering firelight, I saw the blade, heading for my heart. I closed my eyes screaming!
Eventually I ran out of breath, and surprisingly I was still alive.

The ringing in my ears subsided, and what I heard shocked me to my core. Laughter? I opened my eyes, and looked around.

"Oh my gosh!" Billy was laughing so hard it was hard to understand him. "You. You. You had such a scared look on your face!"

I looked around at the disarray, and fake blood everywhere. We would all get in trouble in the morning. Taking one more glance, I laughed then said, "Yea, you got the crown-prince of pranksters. I salute you."

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