[spookies] Spooky Stories

It was a calm night, warmed by the ocean’s breeze, the night alive with the crackling of a campfire, the squeals of delighted bappies, and the soft drone of conversations.

 

Ophelia stood watch, alone for once, as she had waved off those under her, telling them to enjoy the night. She stood there, the lone sentinel, watching over the bappies with a keen eye and making sure they didn’t stray too far and watching the perimeter for any danger. 

 

So far, so good.

 

All was going well, no danger, Malibu was serving some special dish she had cooked up, Devi had somehow caught Saint’s attention to where both were deep in conversation, Quinn was entertaining some of the younger bappies with stories, and Star was hauling in a late night catch. 

 

Ophelia let out a contented hum, rolling her shoulders as she turned her attention back to the coast. Within a few minutes, she felt something, or rather, someone, run into her leg. With a cocked brow, she looked down, a small bappy looking up at her with a sheepish expression. 

 

“Sorry! Was runnin’ too fast and couldn’t stop!” they squeaked out quickly, getting to their feet, wasting no time in exclaiming the next bit, “Quinn told us you got stories!” 

 

She blinked, pausing. Stories? What kind of stories would she have that would be suitable for bappies that Quinn at least thought she had? 

 

“Hm. Stories.” She echoed, adjusting her stance, stroking her chin. “Don’t got any for little ones like you.” Ophelia spoke gruffly, not paying any mind to how the bappy’s ears fell and they let out a high-pitched whine. 

 

“Pleeease? C’mon, you never tell us any stories!” They pouted, their brows furrowed. The annoyed but undeniably cute expression on their face made a grin tug at Ophelia’s lips. Her refusal didn’t stop them from clutching her leg like a lifeline and repeatedly saying “Please?” and “C’mon!”

 

It took nearly two whole minutes of begging for Ophelia to snort and reach a hand down, tussling their hair. “Goin’ to lose your voice if you keep that up. Give me a second and I’ll think of a good story, alright?”

 

Their response was an excited squeal as they hugged her leg harder before detaching themself and running back over to their friends, clearly to tell them the news, all while nearly tripping and falling from how excited they were. Cute.

 

Ophelia watched them go before turning her attention back to the perimeter, wracking her brain for a story she could tell that wasn’t too graphic. Idly, she drummed her fingers against the plating on her thighs, thinking before she finally settled on one. 

 

With one last look around the site they chose for the night, she finally moved towards the campfire, switching posts with Quinn to tell the excited group of bappies a story. The sand crunched under her hooves as she moved, nodding towards Quinn, who passed her and simply smiled. She settled on the log, listening to it slightly scrap against her plates as she adjusted herself. Bright eyes of different colors stared at her as she leaned forward, her elbows digging slightly into her knees as she propped her chin up on hands.

 

“Alrighty, I’ll tell you all a story, only for the bravest of bappies to hear. Are you all brave enough?” She grinned, cocking a brow at the crowd of bappies, getting a mix of nods and vocal confirmations, one even going as far as to say “‘m not afraid of nothin’!”

 

Ophelia chuckled, “Nothing at all? Good, good. Cause I’m goin’ to tell you a story from the marshlands. I know some of you’ve been raised there and then joined us, but this come from the deepest and murkiest parts of the inland where I haven’t even stepped hoof.” She began sitting back. “There was a bappy, around your age, maybe a little younger, was on his first real  hunting trip. Was so excited, had his spear, had been practicing over and over until he was finally allowed to come with. Where was he taken? Well, Inland of course, to an area brimmin’ with frogs hopping from lily pad to lily pad, birds singin’ their songs in the branches above, and fish dartin’ through the twisted roots of the mangroves.” She paused, letting the information sink in before she spoke again.

 

“There he was, stalkin’ a fish through the brush, branches, and roots, careful not to let the fish be made aware of his shadow and usin’ all his guardians had taught ‘em. With a swift motion, he jabbed his spear down, into the fish!” Ophelia made the motion for stabbing a spear into the water. “He was cryin’ to his folks, ‘I got one! I got one!’ Not carin’ for his volume, too excited and all that. But, as he tried to pull his spear back with his nice fresh catch on it, it was stuck. Stuck on what? The roots, the reeds, the muck? Who knows, water was far too murky for ‘em to see down.” 

 

She stood up, standing behind the log, crouched down as if she was peering into water beyond the log. “Now, he wasn’t scared, he was a brave little bappy and he was goin’ to get his catch, so he reached down, grabbin’ at nothin’ for a while, trying to get his spear loose, he almost had it, until something grabbed him back. He shrieked, trying to pull his arm out but he couldn’t!” She gasped, copying his movements, and pretending she couldn’t pull her arm back. 

 

“And suddenly, he was pulled into the water!” 

 

The bappies gasped, one piping up, “Then what? What got em?” 

 

Ophelia only chuckled, settling back on the log her hands resting on her knees. “Patience little one,” she chided gently.

 

“He fell in with a splash, and came face to face with somethin’ he hadn’t ever seen before, black glossy eyes starin’ into his own, frilled ears on the side of its head, long hair that looked more like leaves than actual hair, and of course a mouth full of small sharp teeth. A predator. It was like the muck came alive around him, dragging him down into water that previously wasn’t all that deep. It was gettin’ darker, he could breathe but he couldn’t see, couldn’t get away from the critter that was dragging him down.” 

 

She watched the bappies in front of her as she spoke, her voice low and serious, some of the younger ones cowering while some stared with unbridled curiosity.

 

“He kept trying to pry himself away from what had a hold on him, growing more tired, until he reached with his free hand, pulling himself forward and digging his teeth into the creature. It let out a pained scream, loosening its grip and he was finally free, able to swim towards the surface, grabbing nigh blindly at anything to pull himself up and out of the water. He could feel its presence, still close to him, closing in. Closer, and closer, and *closer,*” She paused for dramatic effect. 

 

“He could see the surface so close and with a burst of strength he grabbed at the roots of the very mangrove tree he had been perched on, pulling himself out of the water with a gasp!" She let out a gasp of her own,  "The spear was forgotten as he nearly fell trying to get as far inland as possible. He watched the water for a while, waiting, and then waiting some more.”

 

“Did it get out of the water?” came a squeak from the group of bappies.

 

She chuckled, “Well, he kept waiting to see if that creature of the reeds would try again. But all he saw was the water still settling from where he emerged. He was safe for now, albeit soaked to the bone, covered in dirt and leaves, yet wasted no time in scurrying back to the folks he came with, telling them all about what had happened.”

 

“What’d they do? Did they find it?”

 

She shook her head. “They combed through the heart of the marsh, being careful, and even checked where the little bappy had supposedly been dragged down.” But the water was barely up to his thigh, the water was calm, and they managed the retrieve his spear with only half the fish still attached, somethin’ else had taken a little nibble of it. After that? Seein’ how distressed the lil bappy was, they took em back alongside the half eaten catch and the rest of what they managed to snag.” 

 

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned in close to the bappies, “But tales of her spread further than just the heart of the marsh that say when you’re out swimming wherever there’s water, be very wary and careful, as the plants seem to come alive. If you feel somethin’ wrapping around your arm or leg, get out of there as fast as you can as it is on the prowl for unsuspecting prey and is trying to drag you down to take a little bite out of you.”