Quietly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled himself for the confrontation. As he neared the end of the bridge, he noticed something. All around him was a thin fog. But the thicker it grew the closer he came to the source. Quiggly could see a faint glow from the mist when suddenly a dark creature stood out. It was about seven feet in height with pointy ears, two furry feet and one clawed paw. The ghost was dressed in a purple skirt which hung to the ground, and had a fur coat with a hood. The last thing he saw before the light vanished completely was Quiggly’s terrified face reflected in its large green eyes. Quiggly’s screams echoed throughout the small world and awoke the entire city. - - - - By the time the sun rose, the excitement had died down. The City Guard’s patrol found the strange tracks and evidence scattered everywhere and came to the same conclusion that everyone had. They assumed that the creature had dragged itself away and no one was very curious to where it had gone. - - - - “We’ll keep an eye on this. You should stay indoors,” the guardsmen said and took their leave of the two friends. Quiggly was in a foul mood and was looking forward to the end of the night. “I want to go home,” he grumbled and began the trek home. His thoughts were interrupted when he realized he had almost reached their front door. Quiggly quickened his pace and began to speed up. Suddenly, something pulled him back and slammed him against a wall. Scared out of his wits, Quiggly shouted for help, but no one came. Instead, a girl dressed in a deep red robe with a long strand of beads draped her neck came out from the shadows. She was so tall that her head was at Quiggly’s height. Quiggly stared as her thin lips tightened and he saw a look of pure malice on her long face. With the help of the hood, her eyes became completely black and she revealed her sharp teeth. “I knew I’d find you, boy. We meet at last,” she said, looking deep into his soul. “I’m glad your search has ended. “I’ve found my destiny.” The girl held a glass bottle in her hand and began to speak. “I know what you are, and I will see you and your cursed family extinguished. It is written in the stars. The moon has come for you this night. The moon is the protector of the sea. It will grant my wishes and allow me to rid the world of your cursed race!” Quiggly wanted to hide under his cloak, but it was too late. The creature suddenly leaped forward and engulfed him. Quiggly didn’t have time to scream as he felt himself being drawn away. Quiggly screamed and thrashed as he was taken to the docks and tossed into the cold water. - - - - Quiggly awoke. He was alone. “Where’s the creature?” he whispered. Just as he asked this, he noticed a glimmer in the distance, and after he saw the light become stronger and brighter, Quiggly knew he had to act fast. Quiggly was still in his pajamas but began to run for home. As he turned the corner, he almost ran into two City Guards. They were holding his sister, Bev, and one of his brothers, Toby. The look on their faces was enough to terrify him. The two guards were as pale as death and wore frightened looks on their faces. “She’s here to help us,” they said. “Now if you all will just wait here, she will take care of the creature. It has been causing trouble in town for years. It’s a lot scarier up close.” Quiggly followed the guards as they turned the corner, but as he went, a man in a suit stopped him. “I want this thing gone and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. He won’t be able to get away. There’s nothing here for him now. Let him escape,” he said to the two guards and turned his attention back to Quiggly. Quiggly stared into the man’s eyes and knew he was a member of a strange kind of cult. The man’s face was covered in dark red circles and he smelled of death. - - - - Quiggly opened his eyes and looked to his right. In front of him was a forest filled with beautiful flowers. He gazed at the grassy hills and heard the chirping of some strange kind of birds. “Where am I?” he asked, but no one replied. Quiggly got to his feet and looked around him. He had not been inside of the strange building for long and everything was exactly how he had left it. He turned around and saw a door leading outside. He walked out of the building and noticed a large oak tree at the edge of the forest. He tried to calm his shaking nerves and decided to sit beneath the tree and rest for a while. He lay on the soft grass and closed his eyes. All of a sudden, Quiggly began to feel very warm and a weird mist started to appear in his eyes. “Hey, little bird, what are you trying to do to me?” Quiggly cried as the fog spread through his veins and he felt himself slipping away. - - - - Quiggly screamed out in pain and opened his eyes. He was in his bed. His heart was beating rapidly as he looked around and was greeted by the frightened faces of his parents, the two guards, and the strange man. “It was just a dream. I had another bad dream, but I’m alright. Go back to sleep, Quiggly,” Quiggly replied and they all laid down and went back to sleep. - - - - Quiggly was never to be seen again. - - - - The End - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -