Dancing Nightmares By Autumn Audosey Augustus copywrite 2006, as part of the short story collection Dancing Nightmares.

     Upon the summons of a golden ticket, I board a blood-red chariot on a cold moonless night. I'm pulled through the night by a dark steaming beast gilded in silver that glitters like twinkling stars. The ground blurs beneath into light-years of cobbled stones. The streetlights flicker by at great speed, mimicking the flutter of candles burning in distant rooms. Cold wind bites through my heavy cloak and random snowflakes bite at my fingers and nose.
    The fiery eyes of the dark beast lit the way and a hissing roar is sounded as we approach the party. Chilled revelers hug the high stone walls and frosty gates. Their feather laden and glittery masks tremble in their eager hands as they draw lots for admittance. I am fortunate however, for as my chariot squeals to a jarring halt before the gate, tall men in black top hats take my hand and guide me past staring eyes, flashing bulbs and raucous laughter.
    Gargoyles hiss and growl in great fun, nipping at the sharp heels of the ladies and swiping at the men's motley caps. Yet it was the brutes in monkey suits who decided which of the revelers would have the privilege to enter. I brandished my golden ticket with a flourish that was met by a deep bow by an ape in a red suit. I glided upon a thick red carpet gilded with gold spiral weaves. The gates were shining gold that flashed momentarily when I crossed the threshold.
    A dazzling array of laughter, lights, music and smells assaulted the senses. The whole scene was so overwhelming I could scarcely see to the end of the richly populated hall. The chandeliers dripping with crystals created refracted rainbow confetti that fell about in sparkling profusion. The smells of ginger, wilted roses, sweat and wine mingled to invite my soul to intoxication. The masqueraders around me bow and nod with generous recognition as I take in their motley forms.
    *There were arabesque figure with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There were much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. A multitude of dreams dancing with blind passions. And these - the dreams- writhed in and about taking hue from the sprawling decorous halls, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps.* All of them wore some type of mask or facial ornamentation, and through these gruesome facades stared eyes bright with malicious glee. In the high corners of the hall, jesters juggled and jigged, contorting into disquieting shapes and spinning flames at the ends of long chains.
    The band was a motley crew of seeley hosts. Dressed in high fashion of riotous garb, they stood upon a tall pedestal overlooking all. Such instruments and musicians I have never before seen, (nor shall I see again)! A lion fronted the show, wildly waving his arms to direct the score while growling and occasionally banging on immense triangles. Horns curled about twisted bodies while taunt strings were hammered or plucked with vicious nails. I think I saw you there, playing at the fiddle with wild abandon, your coat tails flying as your pounding feet struggled to keep time with the drummer. How one could play next to an angry ape is beside me, for he banged upon those drums as if he hoped to make the earth quake and the chandeliers fall upon the dance. Indeed, I did feel the heavy pulse of the bass throb through my feet. Waves of noise rose and fell in great swells and it seemed the lion trombonist lead it all proficiently with his racing melodies.
    The throngs of masqued merry-makers were compelled to dance in intricate mating patterns, and as I was trying to observe the steps they took, a strong red hand gripped my elbow tight. I turned to look into the face of a red demon encrusted with jewels all about his face and brow. Large red horns protruded from a mass of dark curly hair that nearly hid the sharply pointed ears. He only said two short words to me before I was flung into the dance, his strong arms guiding my feet across smooth mosaic tiles.
    "May I" He said and without waiting for an answer he took the liberty of spinning me round between laughing corpses and nimble nymphs. I squealed in protest and the Demon laughed, opening his mouth wide so I could see his sharp teeth and smell his putrid breath. I quickly lost myself in a dizzy frenzy, as we passed between sweaty masqueraders in an orgy of sacred communion to the dream and the dance. The Demon held my hands a little too tightly as he led me in rapid steps that nearly had my feet tripping off the floor! I was simultaneously engrossed and revolted by the Demon's long dark hair and strong red muscles. Yet his clothes were stained a suspicious hue of red and a smell like burning death crept off him and rubbed into my hands and coat wherever I was touched.
    Above me I could see fairies flitting about dropping mischievous glitter upon contorting cadavers. I was whisked past a long table heaped with delicacies that would only please the revolting tastes of Nightmares such as these. At that first glance, I saw a pile of squirming squids covered in thick syrup while the Demon dragged me to the bar for a drink.
    The bartender was a purple eight-armed demi-diety and he smirked as he poured from several bottles at once. The Demon paid him with a couple of large coins he produced from his pocket and handed me a simple glass goblet. I tried to refuse the bubbling berry-sweet brew that was pushed into my hand but it did smell good!
    Sweet ambrosia! My tongue tingled with just a little sip and already I felt an uplifting rush. I raised the glass to my lips, pausing to enjoy the sweet smell, the pure red nectar that bubbled just so…
    Suddenly a tolling bell shook the entire hall with such ferocity that I dropped my glass! I gazed down at the liquid that burbled and burned at my feet. When I looked up, my attention was brought to a massive clock tower that reined at the far end of the hall. It was so gaudy and monstrous that I wondered why I had not seen it before.
    All manners of revelry had paused at the mighty toll of the first bell. By the second beat, the band had stopped playing and all eyes were turned to the dark face whose two hands were positioned to the time of eleven o'clock. The roman numerals glowed as if lit from behind and those and the glowing hands stood out in sharp contrast to the black frame shaped like a great hooded man. Upon the third toll, a door opened within the clock to let out a small line of ghostly drummers.
    With this strange band came a strong gust of deathly cold wind. All around me, Nightmares screamed as they were plucked from the crowd randomly and pulled into the air. Their bodies spun in a corkscrew over our heads and were swallowed by the haunted clock. The Demon who had pulled me into the dance was among those that were pulled into the air. Of him I saw no more.
    The Nightmares around me ducked in fear and clutched their masks tight to their faces. I checked that my little cat mask was firmly in place and felt the smooth velvety fur upon my cheeks. My cute little ears were snuggly upon my head and if I shook my hips just right I could make my long black tail wag. My calico skirt clung close to my hips and flared at my shins with what I hoped was a becoming patchwork of brown, red and black.
    By the time the clock had struck its eleventh toll, the air-born Nightmares had vanished and the air hung heavy with an ominous silence. The Lion trombonist tapped his music stand then blasted the first few bugle notes of a swinging jazz number. I stood on my tiptoes to look at the band and saw that you were still there playing the fiddle with new purpose in your strange mask that gave you a long pointed nose.
    Gradually the party resumed, the dancers went back to the dance and the drinkers back to the bar. I had lost my thirst for a drink and was looking around for a new dance partner or someone interesting to talk to. I saw several stunningly beautiful women in outrageous outfits whom I longed to go and talk to, yet they were surrounded by overfriendly acquaintances who were kissing their fingers and whispering behind their masks. I sighted one beautiful woman standing quietly listening in on a circle that I thought I could try to speak to. She wore big black feathers tipped in red round her neck and her mask was made of black and red sparkles. I began to make my way towards her when an old batty hag thrust her beady face into mine.
    "New to the Nightmare Ball eh?" She said and the smell of decay poured forth from her rotting teeth. Her costume was absolutely trashy with bits of stinking debris sticking to the hole-filled fabric. A mask disguised her face, yet huge bat ears protruded from her head, between them she wore what was once a feather hat but the feathers were plucked bare and only the stalks remained.
    "Oh, um yes. First one in fact."
    "Oh how delightful! Just keep your mask on and you'll do fine dear."
    "Yes, I will. But where did they all go when the clock rang?" I asked.
    "Well now, don't you worry too much about that old clock. Its just taking us off to our jobs is all. You know, we can't all be at the ball at the same time, there are millions of dreams to haunt and even on holidays we have to work. Tis a pity they don't give us overtime pay it is now. But then again, being here does give me some fresh ideas. I might even get a couple of sharp owls to do a double with me. What do you think about that hooter over there? I think he likes me!"
    She was pointing to a tall owl wearing a mask that made him look like a frightened mouse. When she waved at him he turned the other way as if he didn't see us and was involved with another conversation with a large wolf.
    "Well, it's worth a try, have you talked to him yet?"
    "Oh, I would but I'm just so shy. My names Bertina by the way and you make such a lovely cat! What would you say to racing through some dreams together sometime? You can scare em up the trees, then I'll chase them out for you! He he! Such fun it could be. Look here, I'll give you my dream quadrants and you come spooking around anytime you feel up for a good laugh at the expense of the little ones!" She produced a dirty bit of cloth that she scribbled on with a crayon then stuffed into my hand. "I didn't get your name yet."
    "Oh, well, I haven't given it. My names -"
    "No, no, let me guess. You look like a - Selina?"
    "No."
    "Um, Shadow? I once had a cat friend named Shadow, tricky feline there, let me tell you. I swear he was the best hider; it would take me entire nights to find him once he decided it was time for hide and seek. Course if I was ever lost real good he seemed to have a knack to help me out. I sure do miss him, I wonder if he made it too the ball…"
    "Well, Bertina, there are a lot of haunts here, it may be hard to find him. I'll keep my eye out though."
    "Oh, would you? That would be just sweet of you Kitty. Do you mind if I pet you? You look so soft and cuddly."
    "Um, actually I do." I said and did my best to extricate her wandering hands from my head while sidling away from her. Of course each step I took backwards, she just met with one forwards.
    "Oh, well let me fix your ears for you, they look a little crooked now they do." She licked her fingers and ran her grimy hand over my temple and hair, which made me cringe with revulsion. Where was that beautiful Demon when I needed him? Well, I would have to get myself out. I saw an opening in the writhing crowd and quickly darted through and once I got a safe distance away from the old Bat I joined the dance.
    The dancers around me waltzed in neat organized circles, each partner caught up in their own rapture of eyes and whispers. Their steps were beyond my comprehension and besides that, I didn't have a partner. I ducked beneath upraised arms and spun around twisting bodies. My mask fell lose and I was partially blinded by it. I stumbled into rich dancers and heard a woman scoff. I quickly apologized while fumbling with my mask and trying to find a clear place to stand.
    "Please madam, allow me." Said a silky smooth voice and I felt my mask lifted in place a deftly tied beneath my hair. I felt sharp cold metal against my neck which gave me the chills and when I turned, I looked at the painted face of a jester, complete with the harlequin checked pointy hat and ruffle collar. He wore red, blue and black checkers that made his skinny limbs hard to focus upon.
    "Oh, thank you." I said and bowed quickly before the handsome man. I saw his face smile beneath his checkered mask.
    "You're welcome. You seem a little lost."
    "Oh, I think I am. My um date disappeared a few moments ago."
    "Ah yes, the time clock. It gets the best of us it does. But no need to think upon the other realms now. It is a lovely holiday and I also am in need of a partner. You can't go around by yourself here you know, or that turning of the clock will get you for sure!"
    "OH!" I said in surprise. He deftly took my hand and kissed it. His miss-matched green and blue eyes sparkling at me behind the mask. "My name is Nimble Nick."
    "I am Oddum Pandemonium." I replied. "Nice to meet you Nick."
    "The pleasure is mine beautiful kitty. May I have this dance?"
    "Certainly."
    He was a splendid dancer; he led with grace and finesse that wove us between the other dancers with not a toe scraped or an elbow bumped. I was in deep admiration of his tight flexible body and silky silver hair and scarcely took my eyes off him.
    "So what matters of Nightmares do you haunt?" I finally got up the nerve to ask.
    "Ahh, I'm a specialist. A lock smith you see." He took his hand from my arm and waved his fingers before my face whence I saw the many keys dangling from each finger. "I know the secret passages that the Gods forgot about and can slip past most any lock they set to keep the likes of me out. Why I didn't even have a ticket for the ball tonight and here I am! Simple really when you know the language of the locks. They like to be licked just right, especially when they're tight!"
    "Oh! Ha ha!" I chuckled for I was at a loss for a better reply.
    "I'm a highly sought after man in some circles. Why just last week, I had a job from a group of soul smugglers to unlock the hidden secrets in an old woman's delirious mind. That was an interesting job I tell you."
    "So you're a good dream than?"
    "No, I wouldn't necessarily say that. It depends on how you look at it I suppose. Or on my mood too, sometimes I open doors for the eternally running victims and give them a way into another dream. Other times, I shut the doors that naughty children leave open. But what I love to do is haunt bankers, for they are so greedy and sure their safes are impenetrable!"
    This elicited a hearty laugh out of me and as I looked up I noticed that we had crossed a good portion of the floor and were nearing the head of the hall where the mighty clock hung above all. Below this sat a very fat King dressed elaborately from crown to sparkling toes, the glittering jewels encrusted his gown so brightly that I could hardly see over the glare. On the throne next to him was a bone thin Queen, her gowns stark and simple yet radiant with pearls that matched her pallor. Her hair was draped in moon dappled pearls which dripped from her auburn tresses to the hems of her dress.
    As the dancers around us approached the end of the dance line, they paused in their dance to bow before the royal couple. Nimble Nick made no exception and he led my hand to a velvet gate where we were to bow humbly before them.
    "Have you a gift?" Nick hissed into my ear.
    "Um, no!" I said suddenly panic stricken.
    "Then I will give them two necklaces, one from each of us." From a hidden pocket he pulled out two jewel bedecked necklaces set in chains of bright gold. As we bowed, he placed them in the hands of an uppity porter who set them in a growing pile of jewels, antiques and fine crafts.
    I thought my eyes would pop out of my head at the sight of such a pile of booty. I was certainly thankful for my kitty mask now to hide my shocked face. The King laughed at the sudden flip that Nimble Nick performed directly after our mutual bow, and the Queen nodded her head at the both of us, her eyes lingering on me (at least I think they did). I starred at them with my mouth hanging open and Nimble Nick took my hand and yanked me back into the dance as the next pair of dancers came up from behind.
    "Your new at this aren't you." He said gaily.
    "What gave me away?"
    "Only your awkward bow and popping eyes!"
    "Was it that obvious?"
    "Oh, no of course not my lady. Now enough of that, tell me about your best Nightmares!"
    We danced with such ease across the floor, I felt instantly calmed as if I could and should tell this handsome man my whole life story. Yet as he requested, I told him of my nightmares full of laughing demons tearing out bloody guts, chasing zombies that tried to act like my friends until they were biting into my arm, and of course the clowns. The terrible frightening clowns that haunted my cirkus shows, jumping in at all the wrong moments to steal my spotlight that I had worked so hard for…
    "Really?" Said Nimble Nick. "Tell me more about these clowns!"
    "Well, just the other night, I was dreaming that I was doing a real neat flaming trapeze number, I had wicks going up the chains that held my trapeze and I lit it up just as I climbed on with a giant staff. While I hung upside-down swinging my staff around, in come a troupe of clowns ready to do their classic firehouse stunt and they banged their big ladder into my legs on the trapeze and when I tried to bat them off, one of them lit up like a candle. The other clowns put him out with much ado while at the same time they were acting like they were helping me down but really they were hosing me off with their high powered water guns. Once I finally got down they slammed a giant pie in my face and my beautiful act was ruined! To top it off, they pulled down my pants in front of a huge audience that was laughing uncontrollably. I ran back stage and they were teaming about, little midget clowns and they were like killing people with popcorn and cotton candy! I don't know how but… Well it sounds silly now I guess but it was a terrible dream."
    "Your right that the clowns are silly, are you really afraid of them?"
    "Oh no, not usually anyway, I've had several good friends who are clowns though we always seem to have unsightly partings in the end, but when they're in my nightmares, they just plow right into everything I've been working so hard on and just mess it all up."
    "Ahh, I see." Nimble Nick said with a sly grin. "How would you like to tie them all up and put the trick on them? I've got the best collection of locks around and could show you how to wrap them all up so tight that Houdini himself wouldn't be able to finger it open."
    "Ha ha! That would be fun. Maybe I could really saw them in half once I've got them in a box."
    "Why not? We could haul other dreamers into it and earn bonus hours while we're at it!"
    "Oh, joyous! Sounds like a deal!"
    "Shall I pick you up for a dream-date then?"
    "Well, perhaps." I turned coyly and in response he ran his cold key-tipped fingers down my spine.
    "I could take you to the most secret places you never thought of like the center of the Earth or the Fairy's forest glades. I've seen where the Cheshire Cat hides his calico body although it's not as nice as yours. I even know where Old Jack the Ripper hides his lethal blades! But to get to the center of a girl who lives in her own secret world, what a treat I should find within that delicate meat. Where chocolate cherries turn to red blood berries and candy veins are laid out like window panes."
    I gasped in realized fear of this dreadful dreams true intent, and whilst I turned to escape a sudden tolling bell rang throughout the hall. Immediately the band stopped playing and the throng of revelers turned to look at the massive dark clock that tolled out the slow beats of midnight. A cold chill blew through the room that stank of stale death, around me many a frightening nightmare huddled in fear.
    "Come back here!" Shouted Nimble Nick over the third beat of the clock for I had taken the opportunity of the distraction to slip into the silent crowd. All around me, nightmares rose into the air and spun a spiraling dance into the vortex face of the clock. Nimble Nick caught hold of my dress sleeve with his jagged key-tipped fingers and tried to pull me to him. I jerked the other way and as the clock tolled six, he was pulled into the air above me. I spun on my heels to watch with my eyes as he tumbled and turned, spiteful swears upon his lips that could be heard above the tolling seven, then eight loud bells. Those around me laughed as the clock tolled nine and at ten he had been swallowed by the vortex. I sighed in relief as the last of the souls slipped in at eleven beats then by twelve, the dark face of the clock returned to show its bright roman numerals.
    In the heavy silence that followed, fleeting thoughts of the unknown terrors I had just escaped from danced before my eyes. I saw my entrails strewn painfully around me and Nimble Nick's gleaming eyes glittering like stars above his jagged and bloody fingers…
    The party sighed, murmured and laughed while the band began once more to play their raging music. It didn't take long for the crowd to fall back into the rhythm of the dance and since there was more space now than ever (and perhaps the partiers were more inebriated) they took up a grand energetic round dance that soon had all the nightmares hooking arms and misshapen limbs into a spiraling, twisting, throbbing throng.
    I laughed with silly glee as I was spun between the arms of a spaceman and a howling banshee. Ahead of me were a couple of laughing clowns wearing masks that made them look like giant birthday cakes. Behind me I saw a creature dressed as a large beetle. They all danced with happy abandon, swaying from side to side and pulling the line this way and that. The banshee screamed in delight and the beetle behind her gurgled and growled.
    When we reached the center of the spiral, we followed the dancing line over and under the merry arms of countless frightful apparitions. Weaving in and out and under and around, I had to remind myself that I was at a party and was safe from all these ghastly frights, so long as I kept my mask on to disguise my true identity.
    I had worked my way halfway out again when the dance broke up in a jumbled hurdle of laughter in the middle where a tangled mass of limbs writhed for freedom and air. I backed up out of the way so others could lend a hand or claw. I worked my way over to the refreshment table, but the motley mess that lay there was crawling and wiggling so I decided to abstain from drinks or strange foods.
    "Not what I would call refreshments either." Said a smooth voice at my shoulder. I looked into the starkly intense eyes of a smooth tall man. He wore a beautiful feathery mask that gave him the impression of a darkly shimmering raven. Beyond the mask, copper red hair curled down his long smooth neck.
    "Oh, hi!" I said with a small curtsy.
    "Tell me little kitty," He said. "What kind of tasty morsels are you after?"
    "Um, I don't know. I'm not really hungry. Especially after looking at all that squirming food."
    "Ha ha ha!" He laughed deeply. "What, you don't like to play with your food?"
    "Oh, I usually settle for boring old kitty krunchens." I replied.
    "Well, how bland. I on the other hand love to chase mice just for the sport of it."
    "Good thing I'm not a mouse then." I said coyly.
    "No, but you could be, would you like to dance?" He stared into my eyes and I felt hypnotized. I wanted to decline but I heard my polite reply instead. He offered me his elbow, which was covered in soft feathers like his mask. The feathers extended to the floor from an elegant coat that was sharply tailored to his long thin frame. His black boots were pointed with little razors on the toes and shiny silver buckles over his high stepping shins.
    My vision swarmed with writhing dancing figures as once again I was pulled back into the dance. The band changed its song to a raging chaotic beat and between my swimming head and stumbling feet, I could hardly find the beat. My partner still deftly led me around as if I were but a rag doll in his thin yet strong arms. I felt my body spinning beyond my control, but all I could see where his intense eyes the color of a blue-gray winter sky. He hummed along with the music and I felt my mind empty of child-hood memories and future wishes. It was a delirious feeling and as my memories tumbled into his eyes and I saw myself swinging in the park and running through fairy-filled forests as a child, my feet found the rhythm of the dance.
    The band played on and on and time seemed to slip away.
    A sharp poke in the back and a haughty laugh brought me back to the present and I snapped my eyes closed and shook my head. I looked at my feet and indeed it seemed as if they were floating above the ground, my calico skirt swaying with the spiraling shape of the dance. I cried out in alarm and pushed out of my partner's grip. My feet hit the floor with a thud that shook my jaw and brought my vision to focus.
    The dance floor had thinned considerably as many nightmares had departed to other haunts or were taken by the clock. There were many nightmares in disheveled states of intoxication; they had removed their masks to partake of the horrendous treats and drinks and some were passed out in far corners in varied states of undress. Of those that were still dancing to the cacophony of the band, (for the lion bandmaster was no-where to be seen) it seemed each danced to their own rhythm. Three gorillas were waltzing in a lilting circle, the batty hag was fox-trotting with a bloody zombie and the fat King was leading a square dance with a myriad of hosts while the Queen was sulking on her throne smoking from a large pipe that filled the air with noxious smoke.
    "What's happened?" I asked as I tried to find my bearings.
    "The nights almost over and there are only a few dances left to be had." Said the tall Raven-dressed man with the sky-deep eyes and flashing sharp teeth. "Have you seen the paintings in the upper gallery? They are absolutely breath-taking and worth the little diversion."
    "No, I haven't." I replied. "It would be good to take a break from dancing, my head is a little fuzzy."
    "Need a breath of fresh air?"
    "Perhaps."
    "Let me lead the way to the gallery then, it will only take a few moments to see the masterpieces that Dreamworld has to offer." He stuck his elbow in my side and I put my arm through it and followed him to the stairs off the side of the throne. The Queen frowned as we left the dance floor but did not bother to stop us. As I climbed the marble stairs, I could still smell her noxious smoke following us to the upper gallery. A balcony ran round the whole sides of the ballroom and from up there I could see what strange fools were left to saunter and dance around the floor while a monkey played the drums and a hyena played the keyboard.
    "Come this way, the paintings are over here."
    "Ok." I said and walked to the dim spotlights set upon the huge paintings. I gazed into landscapes of incredible depths, orange and yellow skies met with jagged red and purple mountains where armies of insects gathered to rage epic battles. As I looked, I could see them moving here and there and was reaching out to touch the painting when I was called to view the next. There I saw a hoard of banshees riding great sea monsters over a raging sea lit by shards of lightning and a crescent moon. The next painting was of a crystal-filled cavern all the crystals glowed with their own sparkling colors of the rainbow and before them was a black demon prancing round a red rose bush.
    "This one here." Said my host in front of yet another painting. "There is quite a story behind this one I'm sure of it." I came round to look over his shoulder and saw a graveyard filled with fantastical creatures. In one-quadrant fairies danced round a big sprawling tree, in another a demon stalked a little girl and her dog and near the top ghosts writhed and rose from their graves with moans upon their tortured lips.
    "Look at the details of the trees and each of the graves, you can almost read what some of the markers say on them!" I said. "Oh and I love the fairies, it makes some weird kind of sense that they would choose to hide in a cemetery. Lots of big trees, and ethereal company…"
    "Yes." Said the dark man, "and look how that demon is pouncing for the kill, like a stalking cat." He put his hands on my shoulders and kissed my neck. I felt sharp teeth tease my skin and wiggled out of his grasp to look at the next painting.
    This one had two large men staring over a miniature town with one of the little men standing on the palm of one of the giants. I was just starting to comment on this when the great clock rang its loud bell. At the same time, I heard a door open with a loud boom. The roar of several large cats echoed through the suddenly silent hall, their roars ringing over the second and third toll. "But it's past midnight!" I said to the dark man.
    "Here the clock counts to thirteen! Come!" He said and pulled me through the gallery to look over to balcony. The nightmares below were running around in a blind panic death-filled shadows swept through the hall on the tails of the ice-cold wind. Once they landed on their prey they took form as huge black leopards spewing death from their claws and jaws.
    The King and Queen were nowhere to be seen and the masqueraders banged upon bolted doors that led out of the hall. I could see how the entrance to the stairs across from us was blocked off and the nightmares cried in fear as they shook its locked handles.
    "Oh where is Nimble Nick when we need him?" I cried.
    "Hush now, we don't want to be noticed."
    As the clock continued to toll (and its hands were pointed to the large XIII where a simple I should have been) the panthers fell on their easy prey with the poison of disbelief. They jumped on the nightmares and bit at their throats and tore at their bellies with huge claws. Then they absorbed some of their prey into their shadow bodies, which absorbed all light, color, and flesh that came in contact with their deadly fangs and claws. The screaming was terrifying and my dark companion pulled me down below the rail so I could not look upon the desecration below. I pulled at my mask as I covered my ears but he insisted that I keep it on.
    That clock seemed to ring forever and the cries continued even after it rang with reverberating silence.
    My companion peered over the rail and then pulled me up to look. The disarray was complete. The banquet tables had been thrashed across the floor, giving the crawling entrees a chance for escape while the shadow panthers paced and purred and lay down next to their kills to savor the treats. In a far corner, a group of muddled nightmares huddled in fear. They all clutched their masks tight to their faces as if this alone would keep them safe. The panthers did not seem to notice them until one came rushed up with a large serving platter poised for attack. The panther simply racked him through the middle and he was left sprawling with his entrails falling through his stunned fingers.

    "It is the first rule of the Nightmare Masquerade to always wear your mask." Said the dark man. "You will notice that all those that have befallen are without theirs."
    What he said was true, the dead Nightmares were all without masks and as I watched, the King timidly opened a side door to let out the survivors. Some of them I recognized as typical nightmare figures. Their awful forms grappled over each other to reach the door in a way I will never forget.
    "We should go." I said, as I didn't want to be left in this large hall with only those deathly shadow beasts.
    "You are right Oddity." Said the dark man. Around us the walls began to dissolve, their beautiful luster turning into so many glittering ashes.
    "I never told you my name!" I exclaimed.
    "You didn't have to, I could read it in your eyes."
    "And yours?"
    "You may call me Draco. And before we leave, I have but one small request."
    "And what would that be?" I heard a crash behind him and looked to see a whole section fall under the onslaught of mildew and termites.
    "A final kiss."
    I submitted to his embrace and gazed into his intense eyes while his mouth covered mine with hard kisses. He closed his eyes and then so did I. I then felt him nibbling on my neck and it was such a strange sensation…

The nightmare faded and slowly I woke in my bed, the sheets tangled and sweaty and my neck cocked to the side to make it ache terribly. Yet what really seemed to wake me was the strange and intense thirst I felt. An unquenchable thirst that made me hungry for an uncouth substance that I could not obtain by regular means. It made my throat so sore that I could not speak for weeks. That is why I have written this journal, not told it to you. That and I just can't seem to face the light of day to come over for a visit during reasonable hours…

*Quoted from E.A. Poe Masque of the Red Death