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Post by Joxcenia on Jun 5, 2008 17:09:45 GMT -6
The Warrior, The Phantom, And The Temple's Tomb
Written by: ChelSierra Remly
The Triskelion and Chakram slice through the air with a whoosh! Both weapons swirl, zigzag & spiral as they dance a frenzied tango across the sky.
“You know, Gabrielle, you’re getting pretty good with that.” Xena shifts her weight from one foot to the other and leans into position to catch the Chakram on its return flight.
“Well, it isn’t the Chakram, but it handles much the same,” said Gabrielle. She leans to one side and plucks the Triskelion from the air as it tries to fly past.
“If you wanted to keep the Chakram, you should have left me dead,” Xena shoots back.
Gabrielle gives Xena a sideways glance. “I thought about it,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “But then I weighed the pros and cons…”
“Oh, so that’s why it took you so long.” Xena teases.
“That isn’t fair, Xena.” Gabrielle forces the Triskelion back into the air with a flick of her wrist. The Chakram follows suit. “It isn’t as though it were a simple exorcism. I had to find a way to reform your body from ashes that were a year old before I could resurrect your soul. And then of course there’s the fact that you wanted to stay dead."
“Oh that,” said Xena, forcing a smile. “Well, I had my reasons.” Both Xena and Gabrielle catch their weapons in unison and place them on their hips. “I think we’re ready now to check out that temple.”
They walk through the woods in silence, each in their own thoughts, and hide behind some bushes near a temple. The day is hot, but the gentle breeze sends chills through their bodies as it flows across their skin, evaporating beads of sweat. A lone bird calls out, but the guards standing around the temple take no notice of it, they are intent on their mission and nothing will distract them.
“Oooh!” a woman’s voice penetrates the air.
“Help, someone help! My wife has gone into labor.”
The temple guards look to their right, but see nothing out in the open.
“Aaah!” a woman’s scream sends a murder of crow into flight, they form a black cloud which flows across the sky and settles into trees further down the trail leading to the village just down the hill. “Aaah!” the woman screams again. And again the murder of crow takes flight, this time leaving the area completely.
Virgil steps from the edge of the tree line and waves his arms overhead to alert the guards to his position. He doesn’t see Xena and Gabrielle in the bushes to the left of the men, but he trusts that they are there. “Hey,” he yells at the guards. “Can you come give me a hand? My wife is giving birth, and I need some help.”
The guards ignore Virgil at first, but a group of villagers come around the bend and take notice, so the men slowly stride over to assess the situation, glancing back at the temple doors from time to time. “We don’t know anything about the workings of a midwife,” one guard states loud enough for the small band to hear. “Why not get those men over there to help you take your wife into town?” He points towards the villagers. “I’m sure they have a midwife there.”
Eve steps out into the open and waddles up to the group of men. “The pain has stopped now. I think maybe the baby decided to wait a little longer.” She smiles apologetically at the guards. “I’m very sorry to have troubled you.”
* * * * * * *
Inside the temple, crystals hung from the ceiling, while the sun’s rays shone through small openings in the roof and walls, sending patterns of various colors and shapes throughout the room as both sunlight and glass intermingle. The multitude of shapes change in size and form as the colors battle for dominance, first blue wins, then red, green, yellow, red, blue, yellow, green. On and on and on, the sunlight and crystals continue their play.
“This is beautiful,” said Gabrielle, mesmerized by the hypnotic grace of the shifting colors and patterns. “Too bad this place is being run by warlords. It would make for a nice retreat for the villagers.”
“Yeah, too bad,” said Xena, her eyes on the tomb in the middle of the room. “But they can do what they want with it after we’ve taken care of these warlords.”
Copyright © 2004 ChelSierra Remly
Note:
- A Triskelion is the "Trianglar Flying Killing Thing" that Prince Morloch used in Dangerous Prey. I've wanted Gabrielle to have it ever since I first laid eyes on it... and now she does.
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Post by Joxcenia on Jun 26, 2009 2:05:15 GMT -6
The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Thread Started on Sept 30, 2004, 11:29pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Whooshites from near and far arrived at the 'House Of Whoosher' in droves and were each assigned a room for their month long stay. Those who stayed the whole month without fleeing in fear would be entered in a vote-off, and the winner would be crowned 'Ghost Buster of the Year.'
Dark clouds rolled in with the tides, as the strong winds picked up sand from the beach and pelted it against the stone walls of the sinister mansion. Joxcee pulled the brim of her hat down over her eyes to protect them from the onslaught and bumped into...
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #2 on Oct 1, 2004, 1:56am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee, thinking that she had bumped into the lifesize statue of Aphrodite she had seen to her right just before shading her eyes, stood motionless for a brief moment to get her bearings before starting up the front path toward the entrance into the mansion. The wind seemed to be playing tricks on her ears, and for a frightful second she thought the statue was talking to her. Sheesh! Get a grip on yourself, you'll never last long here if you let your imagination get carried away like that. Joxcee pulled the hat down further over her eyes, keeping only her feet and the pathway in her sights as a guide to the front door. Just as she reached the front door it opened...
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #5 on Oct 2, 2004, 10:50pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
The howling winds screamed with fury, as Joxcee raced through the open door to get away from its wailing. Every inch of her flesh tingled from the tiny hairs raising up on end. She jumped when a male voice started blabbering behind her, and turned to see two figures just inside the doorway. One man and one woman. The man was loaded down with various gadgets & contraptions, and was droning on about what they could do when an icy chill filled the room. Joxcee turned toward the direction where the man was staring and saw a gypsy-teller woman come out of the shadows muttering to herself before suddenly disappearing.
"Oh my gosh!" cried out Joxcee. "Did you two just see what I saw?" She turned to the two people and saw the same dumbfounded look on their faces that they must in turn see on hers. "Did any of those..." Joxcee pointed toward the 'ghost-busting' objects the man had. "pick up anything?" She turned back to where the woman just disappeared. "Do you think it's a trick of some kind? I bet they'll do anything to keep from having to honor a winner." She nodded her head just to emphasize that she truly believed it wasn't real. As Joxcee turned to face the two behind her she saw a tall, matronly woman step out from behind the door, shutting it with a loud, "bam!" Everyone jumped except the woman. A thick braid encircled the woman's head like a halo, but that was the only angelic feature on this woman.
"Madam Joxcenia." the woman spoke in proper British English. "Mistress Le phoned to say she was running late, and for you to start the festivities without her." She clasped a wrist in each hand, as she sniffed the air quite loudly. "When do you think you will have your group meeting to explain what ever it is you're intending to do here for this next month?"
"Oh, umm..." Joxcee thought for a few seconds. "Perhaps after everyone has gotten settled in." She nodded her head as though to emphasize she had everything under control. "Yeppers... that'll work." Sheesh, I hope my room has its own bathroom, I'd sure hate to run into that sour old hag at night in a darkened hallway on my way to the 'loo'. Yikes!
"Very well then, you'll find each member's nametag on a table in the waiting room to your left. I'll check to see that the kitchen staff is busy preparing the evening meal." The woman unclasped her hands from her wrists and brushed away invisible creases from her skirt before starting down the hallway. As she past Joxcee, she stopped briefly. "By the way, if you need me for anything, my name is Mrs. Peacock." With that said she turned and walked on without waiting for anyone to introduce themselves, or to even ask a query.
Joxcee stood motionless, her mouth agape, as she slowly turned toward the others. "Did... di... did you two just see her eyes? I swear they looked just like the iridescent orbs on a peacock's tailfeathers... just for a second, and then they were normal blue eyes again."
Joxcee stood there dumbfounded, staring from one to the other.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #9 on Oct 4, 2004, 11:57pm » Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee found herself alone in the front entryway as the two others moved on into the waiting room. Apparently they were used to being in haunted surroundings, and the appearances of ghosts was just another everyday occurrence to them. Oh well... she wasn't here on a ghostbusting holiday like the rest of the whooshites, she had work to do and festivities to plan for. First on her agenda was to get her nametag and room key so that she could check out just where she was staying for the next month, and to make sure that her luggage was where it was supposed to be.
Sheesh! I would rather Le were here to MC the convention gatherings. Of course, I could always stall until she finally arrives, thought Joxcee, an evil gleam in her eyes.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #15 on Oct 8, 2004, 1:10am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee shivered as the room grew colder. I will never let Kym talk me into hosting a haunted mansion ever again for as long as I live. Provided I live through this, that is.
"Well Freebird, I'm Joxcenia... and I'm nuts all right," said Joxcee as she searched the table for her nametag and package. "I'm nuts for letting myself get roped into hosting this ghost hunting expedition." She pinned her "official hostess" nametag on. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm just the hostess, and I hope to avoid any further strange experiences from here on in, thank you very much."
Joxcee felt a cold wind blow through the room and looked out into the front room to see if someone had opened the door, but found it still closed. She heard laughter behind her and turned to see what was so funny, but the others were also looking to see who was laughing. The four of them stood still as they glanced about the room, which was eerily quiet until the techie guy started his babbling again. Sheesh! That guy is gonna have to start talking in layman's terms if he expects me to understand anything coming out of his mouth. Awwwww.... now recording ghost speak, I can understand.
"Okay... so what are the rules?" asked Joxcee as she eyed the recorders.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #23 on Oct 11, 2004, 7:46pm » Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee stared flabbergasted as the events unfolded. The techie guy with the gadgets checked and rechecked his various devices, his puzzled expression grew more and more exaggerated until Joxcee thought the whole situation comical. She threw a hand over her mouth and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Come on Joxcee... if they see you laughing they'll think this is a hoax... then again, Kym could very well be behind all of this. I certainly wouldn't tell me if I had fake hauntings set in place.
As quickly as it started, the haunting stopped, leaving everyone to their own thoughts and ideas. Then the others filed out of the room in search for whatever answers they were seeking, leaving Joxcee alone. Okay... get a grip. This is just Kym pulling a fast one... that's all. Yeppers... it's all Kym. Joxcee took in several slow deep breaths and let them back out again. She learned this technique from a yoga tape, and it did help ease the tension and stress. Okay... now do what Kym asked and leave the others to investigate the "hauntings"... just keep out of their way and totally ignore the weirdness.
Joxcee shook off her fear and scanned the clipboard to see who had arrived and who hadn't. Quite a number of guests had not shown up yet, but there were still a few more days left before the front gates would be closed to the latecomers. After that, no one was permitted to enter, and those who wanted to leave would be led out the back gate in the dark of night and sequestered at a villa until the convention was completely over.
A voice from the front entryway drew Joxcenia to take a peek and see if perhaps it was a newcomer. Nope... just Guru, talking to himself. Better make sure I don't get caught alone with that one after everyone's gone to bed, that's for sure. She remembered the tape recorder on the table that was still running. "Oh hey, got a minute?" Guess not. Oh well, she probably wouldn't have understood his technological babble anyway.
Joxcee again heard voices in the front entryway as she was heading across the waiting room to see if the door on the far wall lead to the kitchen. Sheesh, Guru is not only talking to himself, he's answering too.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #28 on Oct 13, 2004, 6:41pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee wandered through the maze of hallways in search of the kitchen. Every doorknob she rattled was locked, and so she continued her wandering. She hadn't walked up any stairs, yet when she peered out a window she could see a stone cottage far down below. She was at least six stories up, or perhaps it was an optical illusion.
Joxcee jumped as a scream echoed through the hallways. Should I see what's wrong? Joxcee wondered, her fear urging her to run and hide.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #43 on Oct 20, 2004, 1:45am » Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee decided to do some backtracking to see if she could find her way back to the Library and as she rounded a corner she ran smack dab into Mrs. Peacock, one of the few people she dreaded running into while all alone. "Ooooh!" Joxcee yelled. "Mrs. Peacock, you scared me." She brushed her hair off her face. "Uh... could you direct me to the Library?"
"You're needed in the foray," Mrs. Peacock said with a sniff and a lift of her nose into the air. She unclasped her hands from her wrists and pointed back down the hall. "Just down those stairs. There seems to be an occurrence of some sort, and since you're the one in charge you should go check it out."
"An occurrence?" asked Joxcee, perplexed. "What sort of occurrence? And where did those stairs come from?" She stepped around Mrs. Peacock and started down the hallway towards stairs that hadn't been there just a few moments earlier. No reply came, and when Joxcee turned around, she discovered herself to be all alone.
As Joxcee reached the stairs she saw several people carrying another person. Three she knew from meeting them earlier, the other she hadn't met yet. She looked to check for everyone's nametags, but there were none. Odd... I thought the three that I met had put their nametags on when they entered the library... so why would they then remove them? She listened as the group did their best to explain the situation, but the ghost-speak made no sense to her. She felt that she should call 911 and get some help, but the others assured her all would be well and that each would take a turn keeping an eye on the 'comatose' woman until she recovered her senses.
When Guru volunteered to take the first shift, Joxcee left in search for her own room, deciding it might be easier to find than the kitchen. She wanted to make sure her luggage was in it's rightful place, and not in someone else's room. She went from door to door checking each to see if it had her room number tacked onto it, but none as yet matched. As she turned down one hallway, she noticed two women standing in front of double doors. One was the women in the 'coma' and the other was one of the new arrivals. Both had on their nametags, so Joxcee called out to them.
"Scrappy! How are you feeling? Should you be up and moving around? And Freebird, hello. I'm Joxcenia, the 'Official Hostess,' I don't believe I introduced myself earlier... it's nice to meet you." Neither acknowledged, nor spoke to her. "Oh, am I interrupting an investigation?" Instantly they disappeared. Normally, this would have sent her over the edge, but now all the weird happenings were becoming routine, and so Joxcee went to the double doors and opened them. "Scrappy?" She peered inside the door. "Freebird?" She looked around the large room with row after row of chairs and tall windows that went from the ceiling to the floor. At the far wall to the left stood a podium, and at the far wall to the right was a buffet table. Awww... this must be where I'm going to speak later today.
On the wall to the left of the doors was a large portrait of Kym Taborn, and beneath the portrait was a plaque, which read:
Kym Taborn Founder of Whoosh.org
[/font][/font] [/quote][/font][/center] The rain and wind pounded against the windows as the storm clouds opened up again. Joxcee started toward the podium to see if there were instructions for her there when she heard a Thwang, thwang, thwang. The sound echoed throughout the room eerily. "Hello? Scrappy? Freebird?" She glanced around the empty room. "Mrs. Peacock? Is that you?" Thwang, thwang, thwang. "Come in" Oh crap! Of all the vampire movies she had seen, she should have known better than to just invite someone into the room with her sight unseen.
A cold draft rushed past Joxcee, and the doors opened and shut as though someone had just left the room. Well, I guess it's better that they left instead of entered.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #56 on Oct 28, 2004, 1:08am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee walked up to the podium, glancing at the paintings on the walls as she did so. All of them had one theme, ballroom dancing. The echoes of her footsteps distracted her from the storm raging outside, but not from her thoughts. How on earth did she get herself talked into doing this, and why wasn't she running for the hills with all the strange things that have been happening? The front gate would be locked in a couple of days, and then she wouldn't be able to escape until the contest was over.
Behind the podium was a huge fireplace, and Joxcee could see through to the room on the other side, which contained a long dining room table with a hundred or more chairs. Wow! This fireplace opening has to be at least 7 foot tall, she thought to herself. She walked into the opening of the fireplace and stepped around the pit in the center, which contained several large logs, to get a better view of the other room. Except for its contents of both rooms, they were exactly the same; the size, the paneling, the windows, and the fireplace mantle. The paintings on the walls of the dining room also had one theme, food. On the wall to the left of the doors was a large portrait of Lesigner Girl, and beneath the portrait was a plaque, which read:
Lesigner Girl Head Administrator of the Whoosh.org Message Board & MSN Groups
[/font][/font] [/quote][/font][/center] As Joxcee stepped around the pit of logs to reenter the convention hall, she heard a "whoosh", and the logs burst into flames. She jumped back against a side wall of the fireplace to keep out of reach of the fire that blocked her exit to either of the rooms. The heat became more and more unbearable, and she feared her clothes would soon catch fire. Joxcee pressed herself against the wall in an attempt to get as far from the fire and its heat as possible, she looked from side to side to see if there were any protrusions that she could use to climb up and get out of the reach of the flames. She saw several bricks sticking out further than the others, and reached up to grab the closest one. When she caught hold, the wall swirled around and entombed her in darkness, the one thing she feared most in all the world.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #60 on Oct 28, 2004, 8:09pm » Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee closed her eyes to the darkness, at least this way she could pretend that a light was on. She took in slow deep breaths, held them for a second or two, and then slowly let them out again. This always calmed her down and gave her focus, something she desperately needed right now. Unfortunately, her vivid imagination took over, as it tended to do in total darkness, and she envisioned herself in a room full of corpses and skeletons. Sheesh, if people realized how much my brain liked to scare me, they’d understand why I’m so afraid of the dark. In her mind’s eye she could see the dead start to stir and get up. They, of course, can see in the blackness and know that she cannot see them. Burn in the fire or be eaten by the dead? Joxcee debated. Get off it, they aren’t really there.
Every fiber of her being jumped at the sound of escaping air, she froze completely, not even breathing. No sound. She exhaled softly, and again heard escaping air. Just me, she sighed in relief. Her ears were taking up the slack for not having eyes, and her skin tingled as it ‘felt’ for movement or a presence that might be closing in. Having to wear a patch over her ‘good’ eye as a child, to strengthen her ‘bad’ eye and bring back its sight, had helped Joxcee to develop and strengthen her other senses. Whether this was when she developed her sixth sense, she did not know. Not that she always listened to it, because her imagination was very good at mimicking it and leading her astray.
Okay… How am I gonna get out of this? Joxcee squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. The urge to open them came over her, but she knew that if she did her fears would intensify, and that wouldn’t help her in this situation at all. Think… I’ve gotta think… think about what? Whoosh! We hear our own screams here! …Oh yeah… that was helpful…
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #74 on Nov 5, 2004, 3:03am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee felt as if a face was a few inches from her own, and the urge to open her eyes and take a look overcame her. NO! She threw her hands up over her eyes to prevent herself from taking a peek. I've gotta get out of here! But how? Joxcee took a deep breath. Get a grip, Joxcee… there has to be another way out. Just feel your way along the wall and look for an object that will open a door into either the dining room, or the convention hall.
Joxcee rolled her body around so that she now faced the wall that had been against her back, never letting it out of her touch. No way was she going to get lost in the middle of a dark empty space with nothing to guide her. Okay… the convention hall is to my right, and the dining room is to my left… isn’t it? Crap! Who cares, just pick a direction and go for it! Joxcee felt her way along the wall, moving slowly, as she held one hand out further than the other to find the wall that should be the back wall of the convention hall. It had to be close, as the fireplace wasn’t that wide, but she couldn’t seem to find it. Her hand came to a brick that was sticking out further than the others. Don’t pull on it... you could end up back in the fireplace. Joxcee jerked her hand back, and as she did she heard the sound of bricks grinding against each other. Her eyes flew open wide just as the wall swirled around.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #77 on Nov 9, 2004, 4:22am » Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee was ready to reach out and grab the same brick she had touched earlier that had gotten her away from the fire before, hoping that she was quick enough that the flames didn’t burn her flesh or catch her clothes on fire. Not that she really wanted to be entombed in the darkness once again, but it was preferable to being burnt alive. She glanced back at the pit quickly as her hand shot out, then pulled back. The pit contained no flames, and as she neared it and reached out to touch the logs, she discovered the air and wood were extremely cold. An aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air and tugged at her nose, leading Joxcee into the dining room where she discovered the buffet table laden with platters and bowls of all kinds of victuals. yummmmm…. I could eat a horse! Joxcee thought to herself as she headed to fill her plate.
“Madam!”
Joxcee jumped and spun around to see Mrs. Peacock at the back wall behind her, she was fiddling with a bouquet of flowers that was sitting on a pillar to the left of the fireplace. The woman had been on her right, her blind side, as she exited the fireplace, and so had gone unseen.
“You must never walk through the fireplaces. They are on automated timers and can burst into flames at any given moment,” said Mrs. Peacock with a haughty air.
Now she tells me. As Joxcee turned her back to the woman she rolled her eyes upward.
“Shall I inform the others that dinner is served?”
Joxcee turned to face the woman with a faux smile on her lips. “Sure, you do that.” And get as far away from me a possible, you frightful hag.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #85 on Nov 16, 2004, 5:11pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee stuffed her face as she glanced from person to person. Not many here, there are far more tags on the table in the library than who actually came. Wonder if they had a bad feeling about coming here too, only they listened and stayed away. Not me, no… I had to bite the bullet and prove to myself I ain’t no scaredy cat. Joxcee listened to the conversation that went on around her, only half listening. She was heady with adrenaline from her near death experience and was finding it hard not to burst out into laughter at things that wouldn’t have tickled her fancy normally. Poor Guru, stuck in a room with a bunch of women. Poor us, we’re the ones who have to look at him. Why doesn't he shave a gap in that unibrow? Sheesh! Doesn't he know it makes him look like a gorilla? Joxcee choked on her drink, which thankfully hid her merriment at others expense. Not that anyone would know what she was thinking. Would they? Can any of them read minds? Nah… this place is just getting to me. Can’t wait until it’s time to leave.
Joxcee took her turn at introducing herself. “I’m Joxcenia. I am here because Kym couldn’t be here and she asked me to take her place. Actually, she asked Le to take her place, but Le declined.” Smart girl… er… woman. “So here I am. I don’t do tricks, of any kind. And I’d rather leave the ghost busting to the rest of you. I’m just here to see that things run smoothly, and to find out who the winner is. So ‘I’ have to be the last one to leave… and since I am working here, I don’t get to win anything for sticking it out.” Joxcee sat down abruptly and gulped down the last of her RC. What was that? I think my near death experience has totally screwed me up. Someone should lock me up in the attic. No wait... What if the house is listening? It might do the things that pop into my head. Okay... Don’t think. Don’t think. Don’t think.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #92 on Nov 20, 2004, 6:03pm » Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee noticed Guru and Scrappy glancing at a window off and on. They were up to something, it was obvious, even though they tried to make everyone believe they were at odds. Lord, keep me safe. And thanks for helping me not end up like the roasted turkey on the buffet table. Amen.
“Holy Crap!” Joxcee screamed, as a chair went scraping across the floor and fell against the table. She watched as the chair bounced and creaked as though someone were stepping on it. Then Scrappy went pale and started having some type of convulsions, and when she seemed to come to, she threw her arms around like she had a weapon. And then she did have a weapon. Note to self: Remember to have Kym set up a metal detecting device next time. Sheesh! I’ll have to live through this to give her that feedback. And I won’t be back here again, if I make it out alive this time. Joxcee backed up against the wall behind her, weighing her options. Okay. There are only two ways out of here. The doors behind Scrappy, or the fireplace, which has a blazing fire in it once again. What to do… What to do… think… think… think…
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #116 on Dec 31, 2004, 12:35am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee wished she were still hidden in the dark, secret passageway, she only had her imagination to fear there. Here, she didn’t know who to trust and who not to turn her back on. She was stuck in a twilight zone, ghost story, murder mystery, spy thriller, and no clue how to get out alive. She was only supposed to observe and then present the prize to the winner of the contest, not join in on the escapades. How she could have allowed herself to get caught up in all this is anyone’s guess. She had had the intention of wandering off and hiding when this strange speaking person she had never seen before came and drug her off with her. Somehow she felt safe and protected by this one person. Strange too was how she felt as though she had known this person from another life.
A soft chuckle caught in her dry throat. A dry tongue and throat is a side effect of leaving the mouth open for far too long. Something she was only just aware that she had been doing. Sheesh! I’m surprised I haven’t eaten a ton of bugs as yet. Joxcee closed her mouth and chewed on her tongue to get the juices flowing once again. She had thought herself the only sane person here. That was until this strange speaking person touched her and she felt a connection. It was then that she realized she was as strange and insane as all the rest, with their “powers” and such. Even the ones she could understand made no sense. “Blah, blah, blah,” they would drone on in their mumble jumble, and Joxcee could only look from one to the other wondering when a translator was going to join the group.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #127 on Jan 18, 2005, 10:51pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee found a corner to hide in to stay out of the way of the investigation and interaction going on, she was only here as an observer and didn’t want to influence any of the others. Even though any helpfulness from her wouldn’t have affected the outcome of this contest anyway, since the winner was the last one to remain, not the one to solve the mystery of this haunted mansion. The mystery could remain a mystery as far as she was concerned. And hopefully this attitude would see her through the hauntings. Perhaps the ghosts would leave her alone if she left it, them, alone.
Note to self… If you ever get talked into doing this again, insist on security guards and metal detectors at all entrances and exits. Me being here with others who have weapons is NOT an option that I will allow to happen ever again. Oh, yeah, and any future “haunting” conventions will have to include cast members of the RenPics television shows… lets see if Lucy is as tough as Xena when it comes to a real haunting, or if Renee is the real “kick butt heroine” when dealing with these harrowing incidents. Sheesh! At least if Hudson were here right now, I could be doing yoga to calm my frazzled nerves.
Joxcee wanted to run and hide when she saw the swords, but her feet wouldn’t move. She wanted to shield her eyes, but then she wouldn’t be able to see who was threatened next, and if it was her she wanted to have a chance to escape. When all ended well, she sighed with relief, only to gasp when she realized that the strange woman who had drug her here was leaving without her. How can she do that to me? Why didn’t she just leave me in the dining room where I was safely away from all of them? What is going to happen to me now? How do I get back to the mansion? Oh woe is me… if only the raven would come rapping at the door and distract everyone while I snuck off out a window or side door.
“What in the blue hell are you doing with a sword?!”
Joxcee turned to see a very irate Mrs. Peacock, her eyes piercing deep into Guru’s soul. If this were a cartoon, no doubt there would be smoke bellowing from her ears, and flames would be shooting out of her mouth as she opened it to utter each word. Oh great, it just keeps getting better and better. Now, how do I get away before one of them murders the other? And how did Mrs. Peacock enter the room when there are no doors behind her? She must have used a secret entrance, one that perhaps goes underground and ends back up at the mansion? I won’t have to go outside and fear getting lost and freezing to death. Funny how rain can turn into snow in a matter of minutes, how it can be warm and then the winds blow up a frigid, cold air front. How Mrs. Peacock’s eyes can turn an otherwise warm room into a freezer.
Joxcee searched the wall behind Mrs. Peacock, trying to get an idea of just where the hidden door could be. At first opportunity she was going to get inside the hidden passageway and head for the mansion, her room, and safety. Okay, hopefully, her room would offer her sanctuary from any harm the mansion and its occupants could cause her. With this mission on her mind, she braced herself for the right moment to take action.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #140 on Mar 1, 2005, 1:03am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee made a mad dash for the secret entrance behind Mrs. Peacock, her fear of the people in the room being greater than the unknown. What if the secret passage is dark? Joxcee stopped in her tracks, a seconds hesitation, giving her just enough time to scan the wall for the trigger to open the hidden door. She spied a rope sash hanging down the wall beside the fireplace for no apparent reason. It isn’t attached to any curtain… no bell at the top for it to ring…. What other reason can it be there for, other than to pull open the passage door? She pulled on the rope and rushed inside the hole that suddenly opened up in the wall. There was light! Praise the Lord! Joxcee gave a silent prayer of thanks as she raced through the narrow passageway. She followed the lit torches overhead, passing by several dark places along the walls on either side of her and stopped at the next set to look at them more closely. The pattern must mean something, like it was put there by design, not by some freak of nature.
A draft of cool air blew over and around Joxcee as she stood between the dark places on the walls, one in front of her and one behind her. For a brief moment, she paid no attention that her hair was blowing straight back, off her shoulders, and not across her face from one side to the other. Then she realized. Slowly she reached out a hand to feel for the wall her gut knew wasn’t there. Oh… Please be a wall… please be a…. Joxcee jerked her hand back when it went beyond the wall, into the dark void. A maze… I’m in a maze!?! Joxcee jumped back, then jumped forward again. Stay in the light… just stay in the light…. She looked up and down the row of torches to her left and right. As long as I stay on the pathway with the lit torches, I’ll be all right. I will. I WILL! She held her breath. Breathe girl… Breathe! Joxcee sucked in a mouthful of stale air, almost choking as her throat went dry. Run girl… RUN! Things are in those dark places… scary things… things that will reach out and grab you as you run past…. The worms crawl in… the worms crawl out….
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #142 on Mar 2, 2005, 1:48am
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee watched the row of torches that were leading her to where Mrs. Peacock had come from. Where had she come from? She had to have come from the mansion; there was no other building on this property, or was there? Joxcee slowed down when the lit torches in front of her ended, and the path led on into darkness. She froze for a second, concentrating on the shadows at the edge of the darkness, afraid to blink. Was there movement in the darkness? Were the torches lit in the opening to either the left, or the right? Should she venture closer to the darkness to peek around the corners to see if she could continue on her journey to wherever Mrs. Peacock had come from? Where had Mrs. Peacock come from? Did she really want to find out where Mrs. Peacock had come from?
Ever so slowly, Joxcee crept toward the darkened pathway in front of her and peeked to the right, nothing but darkness. She turned and looked to the left, darkness. She stepped back, and as she did so, the torches on the right and left of her went out.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #161 on Apr 23, 2005, 1:19am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee’s stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time as she made her way through the maze, lighting the torches to her left and right with the two lit torches she had in her hands. Hopefully they would stay lit and give her a visual of where she had been, and where she hasn’t been. She had grabbed these last two torches from the wall before they could go out, and they had remained lit throughout her journey. She took a couple of torches from their perches and laid them on the floor, so that if the ones on the walls went out, the ones on the floor might remain lit, just as the ones she were holding. She held out the two torches in her hands so that they would keep at bay whatever might be in the tunnels to her sides as she rushed past. She stayed to a straight line until she hit a dead end, then she would work out in her mind which path to take… the one to the right, or the one to the left.
scratch… scratch… scratch… Joxcee ignored the noises that sounded like rats trying to claw their way through the walls, and kept on finding her way through the tunnels. Don’t think… Don’t think… Don’t think… She played this mantra through her head, trying to drown out her fears. As she came to another dead end, she looked to the tunnel on the left, and to the tunnel on the right. The one to the left had lit torches on the walls, and three lit torches laying in the middle of the pathway. The tunnel to the right had light showing brightly at the far end. She studied the glow, wondering if it was from lit torches, or something else. There are some things worse than death… like dying slowly without food or water. Better to get skewered and get it over with. With her mind made up, Joxcee headed toward the strange light. The closer she got to it, the more it looked like daylight. Strange… why would there be an opening to the tunnels, exposing it for anyone to see? That would defeat the whole purpose of having them hidden underground, wouldn’t it?
As she slowly moved forward, Joxcee thought she heard voices. She froze. Now what do I do? Get skewered or die of hunger and thirst? I really don’t want to get skewered. Joxcee took a few steps back. I don’t want to die of hunger and thirst either. She took a few steps forward. Shadows moved through the light, but the forms were undistinguishable. She couldn’t tell if it was of human shape, animal, vegetable, or some kind of alien. She watched it as she strained to make out what the voices were saying. Her stomach growled, and she prayed it hadn’t been heard by whatever was up ahead.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #175 on Jul 13, 2005, 3:49pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee stood there for what seemed like days… weeks… months, but was really only a few seconds. Come on Joxcee, you can’t just stand here in this one spot for the rest of your life. Make a decision and go with it. Joxcee bobbed her head back and forth from one direction to the other as though she were watching a tennis match.
“Eenie… Meenie… Minie… Moe… In which direction should I go?”
Joxcee stared at the lighted path behind her. Okay… so I guess I’m gonna backtrack a little. No harm, no foul. There’s bound to be a path I haven’t taken back there somewhere. She stepped around the flames as she passed the torches in her way, searching for a path that was still dark. Finally finding one, she held out her two torches in front of her and started down it, lighting the torches on the walls as she went. She placed a torch on the floor every ten steps or so. Hmmm… Something’s not right here. Joxcee stopped and glanced up and down the walls on either side of her. Ooooh… I know… there are no openings… no other paths that lead into this one. It must not be a part of the maze. Now… is that good? Or is that bad? Okay… I’m going to choose to believe that it’s good. It is good. Don’t think about the fact that I can be trapped without an escape tunnel. It’s all good. Yeppers, all good.
Joxcee moved quickly to keep from being in a vulnerable position for too long. The path led her to a stone door, where she pressed her ear against it to listen for anything inside. All was silent. Okay, Joxcee, now all you have to do is figure out how to open it. Heh! Just knock on it and see who answers, why don’t ya. Joxcee shook her head against her inner voices. By the gods, how come no one has put me in a mental institution yet?
“Because you were needed here, that’s why.”
Okay, and why am I needed here? What does this place have to do with me? And why did I let Kym talk me into taking her place? Joxcee rolled her eyes. Yeah, like I could take Kym’s place.
“You didn’t take Kym’s place… it was meant for you to come here all along. She was never needed.”
The hairs on the back of Joxcee’s neck tingled as they rose straight up into the air. Was that voice in her head, or did she actually hear it spoken aloud? She held out the torches as she spun around in a circle a couple times. There was no one in the tunnel with her. The floor, walls, ceiling and door were solid, but how thick they were, she hadn’t a clue. Perhaps a voice could find a small enough opening to travel through. But then, how could the voice know what thoughts were going through her head?
Rock scraped against rock, as the door began to move. Joxcee backed up. Friend or Foe… be ye friend or foe? A deathly fear seized hold of her, and her feet took off in a mad dash back down the path whence she came. She found herself back at the very spot where she had hesitated just moments before, but she did not stop, for she knew that ‘it’ was on her heels and any stumble or misstep would be the end of her.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #176 on Jul 16, 2005, 2:15am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee neared the flickering light and shadows that she feared going toward just moments before. What was there couldn’t be any worse than what was coming up behind her. But if it was, she hoped she could get the two entities to fight and kill each other and not her, like Gabrielle had done in Dreamworker. The path straight ahead was dark, and the openings in the walls on either side were also dark, the only light source came from the opening just up ahead of her. And since she couldn’t take the time to light torches as she rushed by them, she decided quickly that it would be best to go toward the light that was already available. Yeah, go toward the light, goofball. Just like the psychics tell the ghosts to do. Don’t fret about what’s in the light… or you just may embrace the demon out to devour you whole.
The torch in each of her hands fought against the flow of air as Joxcee ran at the maximum speed her feet and legs would allow. The light the torches gave wasn’t helping her much anyway, so Joxcee threw them back behind her and kept on going. If she couldn’t see in the dark, maybe ‘it’ couldn’t either, and with her great sense of hearing maybe she had the advantage when there was only darkness. She turned into the lit opening and saw the funny talking woman with her sword and the unibrow with his sword. Sheesh… I wonder what they’re overcompensating for? Joxcee mentally rolled her eyes. Who cares, just get past them and let them deal with what’s on your heels… while ‘you’ get away. Thank you Xena for your great advice to Gabrielle.
Joxcee came close to skipping a beat when she noticed the huge pile of debris behind the sword-wielding duo, but she knew she couldn’t afford to slow down, not when there was nothing between her and ‘it.’ The sunlight coming from the opening overhead had a soft, welcoming glow, and Joxcee’s heart ached to be on the ground up above, safe and sound. She raced past the unibrow guy and gypsy lady and climbed the large mound as fast as the sliding and shifting earth would allow her, hoping she could make her way out of the hole. Why these two hadn’t done so already didn’t even enter into her brain, she didn’t have the time to weigh all the pros and cons of her situation, only to try and fail, or hopefully to succeed.
“Aw Crap!” It was fail. There wasn’t anything for her to grab hold of or cling to in order to climb out. “Now what do I do?” Joxcee dug along the top of the ceiling looking for an opening to crawl through. It was her only hope. “Aw… Hope… Don’t catch up to me just yet, darling. Give me time to find another opening, will ya?” She ignored the other two in her deep concentration to find a way of escape. Carrying on a conversation would only distract her and waste valuable time. She worked her way across the top of the pile and discovered a small opening. “Thank you, God!” She pulled out dirt, rocks, twigs, roots, and stuff she didn’t recognize as she dug the hole bigger and deeper, forming a rabbit den that would hopefully lead her to the rest of the tunnel on the other side of the mound.
Joxcee made small piles under her belly and then pushed them out with her feet as she worked her way deeper into the rabbit hole. She screamed as something grabbed her foot then released it to scrap out the dirt she was pushing out with her feet. It had to be one of the other two helping so that their escape could go faster. At least she hoped it was one of the other two. Sheesh… there’s that word again… Hope. It just doesn’t give the same warm-glow feeling that it once did, not after Gabrielle went and used it to name her evil spawn. Joxcee kept inching forward. If it wasn’t going to pull her out and rip off her head, she wasn’t’ going to stay still long enough to give it time to change its mind.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #177 on Aug 2, 2005, 6:55pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee dug deeper into the burrow, praying that the thing chasing her wouldn’t catch up before she managed to come out on the other side. What on earth would she find there, she wondered. Would it even be of this earth? Oh no. Don’t even go there, you sorry excuse for gray matter. You’re supposed to be on my side, helping me to survive, not serve me up on a platter to those out to devour me. ‘How to Serve Man’ Well, you served him roasted with an apple in his mouth, that’s how. Or perhaps deep fried and smothered in ketchup. Maybe covered with onions and dripping in gravy.
The commotion behind her didn’t even register as Joxcee’s hand reached out into a pocket of air. A sudden bit of cave-in dusted her face and choked the air from her lungs. It might have been worse if she hadn’t been beneath the tunnel’s ceiling that had remained intact in the semi-collapse. She fought for a good, clean breath of fresh air as she leapt from the tunnel like a baby from its slippery passage, and rolled down the mound of debris and along the floor. Once at the bottom she leapt to her feet and began dusting herself off, coughing nonstop as she did so. The small bit of light coming from the hole she had just fell from flickered as forms moved toward the opening. She hoped those forms were the unibrow and the gypsy, as they were undoubtedly the lesser of two evils at this very moment. And if it was them, they were between her and whatever it was after her. And you should keep it that way, you know. If they get out of there and get ahead of you, you’re a goner for sure.
Joxcee felt for the wall and worked her way along it in the dark, going as quickly as she could; there was no time to dawdle now, or to let the fear of the dark hold her back. She felt an opening, and looked into it, more pitch-black to struggle with. She rolled around the corner and placed her back against the wall before rushing forward and crashing into the wall across from her. From there she rolled back around the corner and worked her way down the wall toward the unknown. She could hear breathing and footsteps behind her, but the dim light from the hole only hid the forms in shadows, and thus she wasn’t quite sure if what was behind her was the real unibrow and gypsy, or the evil entity masquerading as them. She kept moving forward, keeping as much of a distance as possible, at each opening she rolled around the corner and rushed into the far wall, then rolled around the corner and again crept along the wall. The light grew dimmer and dimmer, and soon all that was left to her was her hearing and her imagination. She could certainly do without the imagination at the moment, but her drive to move forward kept her from paying it any attention at least.
Funny, but if nothing was coming up behind her, she’d be frozen to one spot, praying to be rescued, and here she was taking action like it was always her first impulse. She would laugh at that thought if she didn’t fear giving her position away, but as it were, she was maintaining as much silence as possible. Evidently so were the others, but her ears were picking them up just fine and she knew they weren’t very far from her, so she couldn’t afford to stop to get her bearings. Another opening, and as she rolled around the corner she noticed a glint of light which appeared to be coming from beneath a door. Was that good or bad, she wondered. Light, good. Dark, bad. Well, that answered that question then. She raced for the light like a thoroughbred at the Kentucky Derby, praying it was where she would find a safe haven. Instead of pausing to peek at what was on the side where the light was coming from, Joxcee shoved through and kept on running, she raced through the living room of the cottage and ran out the front door. She didn’t stop once she was outside either, she galloped down the path and made her way toward the front gate; she was not staying here one minute more.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #198 on Dec 1, 2005, 1:57am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee made her way down the long driveway, heading toward the big gates. She didn’t have a clue how she was going to open them, or where she would go if she managed to get on the other side.
“You can never leave,” called out a voice from within the shrubbery at the side of the guardhouse. “The gates let the visitors in, but they don’t let them out.”
Joxcee stopped in her tracks, each foot pointed in opposite directions. No way was she going to get caught with her pants down, so she kept her options open as to possible points of escape. She shifted from foot to foot as the shrubbery parted and a tall, lean man in overalls and a straw hat stepped out into the open.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, I happen to be the groundskeeper,” the man said, chuckling to himself. “There’s a bathroom in the guardhouse you can use if you can’t wait until you get back to the main house.”
“What?” Joxcee cocked her head to one side and leered at the man, trying to decide if he was touched in the head.
He shifted from foot to foot and chuckled once again. “The spirits will let you enter the guardhouse to use the bathroom, but they won’t let you leave the grounds. The groundskeeper stopped moving and glanced about to determine if anyone was around. “They don’t like to be talked about, but I can tell by your eyes you’ve had a run-in with them, so I’m not spilling any beans.”
Joxcee opened her mouth to deny she had a run-in with anything of the sort, but instead asked, “Who are they? And why won’t they let you leave?”
“I’m not privy to any answers, miss. Wish I were.” He glanced all around and shivered. “We’re not allowed to give out any information. We may be dead, but the spirits have ways to make us suffer their wrath.”
“Who’s dead?” Joxcee froze as her heart dropped down into the depths of her stomach. “I’m dead?”
The groundskeeper pulled a small silver bottle from his back pocket and took a swig. “You’re not dead . . . not yet. All the visitors are alive . . . for now. It’s us servants who are long dead. You’ll find our graves hidden in the wooded area down that way, at the far corner of the fence.” A roar filled the air, and the groundskeeper jumped. “I’ve said too much. I best be gettin’ back to work now.”
A motorcycle raced down the driveway, heading toward the gates . . . towards Joxcee.
“I think you best be gettin’ out of the way,” said the groundskeeper. “That rider seems bent on not stoppin’ for anything.”
“It’ll have to stop for the gates,” said Joxcee as she rushed toward the guardhouse to hide. She didn’t want to face whoever was on the bike. She trusted no one.
A motor kicked on, and the gates began to open.
“I thought you said visitors weren’t allowed to leave?” Joxcee shot the groundskeeper a sharp look.
“They won’t let anyone crash into them either.” He shrugged. “She won’t get away. The road will lead her right back to the gates. It won’t matter which direction she goes in. She’ll be back.”
The motorcycle roared past and Joxcee raced after it to get through the gates before they could close. If it had been a car that had left, perhaps she could have made it. But the gates only opened enough to let the motorcycle through, and then they closed as quickly as they had opened. She was not quick enough to get out.
“It wouldn’t matter if you had made it out,” said the groundskeeper. “All roads lead back to the gate.” With that said, he disappeared back into the shrubbery.
“This place just gets weirder and weirder.”
Joxcee decided to check out the guardhouse while she was here. Perhaps there was a secret passage that would lead her to the outside . . . to freedom. She opened the door and walked into a room with a bed. Her suitcase lay open on the dresser, and her nightgown was draped across the bench at the foot of the bed. This was her bedroom . . . just as she had left it in the mansion.
“Holy crap! This can’t be right.”
Joxcee backed out the door and found herself in the hallway. This can’t be happening. This isn’t happening. She made her way down the hallway, head bent, eyes directed only on the floor in front of her feet. She counted her steps as she made her way to nowhere in particular. She heard movement coming towards her, but she didn’t look up. The servants are all dead, and she wanted nothing to do with them. The thought of looking into their eyes made her queasy. She only wanted someplace safe in which to hide until this was all over. But where would she be safe? Her stomach growled. Okay, the dining room it is. Food is safe . . . or at least it’s comforting. Hopefully it isn’t poisoned. Whose side are the dead servants on? The evil spirits or the visitor’s? Wouldn’t they have poisoned the food already if they were out to kill the guests?
Joxcee kept her eyes directed towards the floor and her feet as she passed whoever was coming her way, ignoring them to the best of her ability. “Boo!” A voice hissed into her ear. The warmth of the person’s breath heating up the side of her face and neck. She jumped and scurried off down the hall as hysterical laughter echoed behind her. She raced into the dining room and slammed the door. Once inside she grabbed the biggest platter she could find and filled it to capacity. She didn’t want to deal with anyone, so she took her platter and a huge glass of RC and went to the fireplace, where she quickly rushed through the opening into the convention room to hide from everyone. She went and sat in a window to watch the ocean waves while she ate and gathered her thoughts. She heard voices coming from the dining room from time to time, but she refused to peek through the fireplace to see what faces went with the voices. She was alone, and she liked it . . . preferred it even. Alone equals one . . . one equals safe . . .
She stuffed her face long after she was full. Chewing the food comforted her as a pacifier does a baby.
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Post by Joxcenia on Jun 26, 2009 2:10:58 GMT -6
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #206 on Feb 15, 2006, 8:11pm »
Henrietta "India Ana" Jones "Momma's Science Project" - "Daddy's Eternal Nightmare"
India Ana scaled the wall and sat atop the ledge. She surveyed the mansion and the grounds surrounding it. Rumor has it that this place is a ‘Bermuda Triangle.’ People go in, but they don’t come out. Solving the mystery would make her famous in her own right. No more wallowing in her _daddy’s_ shadow.
“It’s high time the heiress took her rightful place on the throne and banished her father to the history books where he belongs.” She quoted from the book she would write when this was all done. Even when she was alone, she had an audience. It was the projected inner workings of having lived in the public eye all her life. And really, with the powerful satellites that the governments had in place now, and the paparazzi stalkers who could afford cameras that zoomed in from miles away, one never knew for certain one wasn’t being photographed, filmed, or recorded at any given moment. Not even when one was naked in their own home, or back yard.
Her fame, of course, had nothing to do with anything that she had done on her own. It was because of who her biological father was, and of what her scientific mother had done. Her mother had ‘borrowed’ DNA from her father without asking. She never disclosed how. Perhaps a dropped hair, a missing blood sample, a knocked out tooth that slide across the floor and hid away in a crevice; it could have been anything really.
Anyhoo, she took this DNA and used it to fertilize one of her own eggs and then had it implanted. She legally changed her last name to ‘Jones,’ and when the child was born she named her, Henrietta ‘India Ana’ Jones.
“Because of her mother, India Ana’s life has been one big fishbowl. And unfortunately, since it wasn’t a fishbowl of her own design, she had to do something in order to put her own spin on things. This led her to the ‘House of Whoosher,’ where she cracked the mystery that made her famous in her own right.”
India Ana pondered on her book and this mystery as she watched the mansion to see if it would reveal its secrets to her without having to actually enter into it. After all, you can’t write a book and be famous if you don’t come back from the adventure. And who would know she fictionalized her nonfiction anyway? No one ever came back, and so there wouldn’t be any witnesses to contradict her ‘facts.’
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #207 on Feb 17, 2006, 1:37am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee laid sprawl on the floor, unsure of how she got there. One second she was all alone, and the next she was surrounded by bickering convention goers. Fortunately, she wasn’t the bone of their discontentment, and needed not fear being chewed on or buried alive. Not by them anyway. Not so long as she managed to stay out of range of their weapons.
A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, but Joxcee didn’t look to see who it was attached to. Instead she glanced about for a way to make a quick exit. The fireplace had a fire at the moment, the wall had closed back up, and the door to the hallway was blocked by the dining table and a few of her fellow trapped rats.
Maids rushed in and cleaned up the mess, then left as quickly as they had arrived. Joxcee used the distraction to find a lone chair in the corner, out of the way of what ever had been going on before her ‘arrival.’ It wasn’t her job to participate in the goings on of the contest; only to observe and congratulate the one who didn’t let the hauntings run them off. At the rate this event was progressing though, it was more likely the contestants would be killing each other off rather than fleeing.
Note to self: don’t get talked into doing any future Whoosh assignments.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #216 on Apr 29, 2006, 12:42am »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee sat there listening to the lecture. Well, she was only half listening. Her mind raced through ideas for getting out of this house as quickly as possible. The contestants had special powers to use against the evil, she didn’t. Perhaps not having any powers was to her advantage. The evil wouldn’t have a reason to fear her, or for taking her out of ‘the game.’ Oh sure, the evil most likely enjoyed taunting and teasing her; using her to further it’s ‘little plan,’ but it had no expectations of her being able to defeat it. It didn’t view her as a threat. This fact could only keep her alive longer than the others, and her chances for survival would most likely be greater. Maybe she would be able to escape this vortex, or whatever force field was keeping everyone in this one area. What if it only had will over those with powers? What if she could just walk out without detection? That groundskeeper could have lied to her about there being no escape.
Wait, what if having powers isn’t what’s holding everyone here? What if it’s something else? Joxcee glanced about the room to see what everyone could possibly have in common besides powers. Hmmm . . . well, for one thing, they’re all weird. Yeah, well, I’m weird too, but I’m normal weird, and they’re abnormally weird. Okay, that’s another plus for me. Uh . . . those pluses won’t do me much good if someone has to be sacrificed for ‘the greater good.’ I’m totally expendable. Unless . . . what if we’re all related some how? Yeah, family loyalty just might save my sorry excuse for a human being. Wait. They can’t be human. I’ve never met humans with powers before. I have to be in a different dimension with a different species of beings. There’s no way we’re all related.
Wait . . . We’re all related? Did she just say we’re all related? Oh, great. Psycho-babble psychic-Barbie read my mind and stole my preposterous theory for herself. Well, what can you expect from a long dead ectoplasmic spewing entity? Okay, so how do I know she’s the walking dead? Well, the walls have ears and they don’t know the concept of keeping a secret. That can’t be good when plotting mutiny against the evil ones controlling the house. The longer I stay in this house, the more of an influence it has on me. It communicates with me without my permission, and I can’t seem to close it out. I need to leave soon, or become abnormally weird like the others. I don’t want powers, but the house doesn’t seem to care about what I want.
“The walls have ears,” My voice breaks the silence that has engulfed the room. “and often hears, things it should not know. So watch what you say, and don’t delay, for what I say is so.”
I freeze as all eyes are now on me. I wrote that poem years and years ago, and I’ve no idea why I felt compelled to recite it aloud for everyone. I’d always wondered where I was gonna use it, and this just seemed the perfect fit. Something tells me I just put a huge bull’s-eye on my forehead, as the evil ones are not gonna be too happy that I uttered that warning.
I did indeed write that poem ages ago, and wondered where it would come in handy.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #219 on Jun 5, 2006, 5:16pm »
Henrietta "India Ana" Jones "Momma's Science Project" - "Daddy's Eternal Nightmare"
India Ana took a walk along the wall’s ledge to get a different view of the mansion and grounds. In a far off corner, a graveyard fit snugly within joined walls set squarely to the north and west. South was to her back, and to her left was east. She would take that direction when she finished here.
“The graveyard faced east, with its tombstone’s backs to her prying eyes.” She glanced from marker to marker as she adjusted the mic closer to her mouth. “Oooh . . . all but one, which was facing towards her, but she couldn’t read the inscription because the stone was upside down and worn smooth.”
Hmmmm . . . . Were the grounds cursed too? Or was it just the mansion? None of the people she watched enter had come out, not for several days now. Perhaps she could investigate the grounds without fear of never returning. The one gravestone was too tempting to pass up on.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #221 on Oct 17, 2006, 6:58pm » Henrietta "India Ana" Jones "Momma's Science Project" - "Daddy's Eternal Nightmare"
India Ana debated whether she should stay on the wall or take a chance on walking among the gravestones. The one headstone drew her like ants to sugar and she was on the ground and in front of it before she was even aware she had moved. The markings were faint, and barely indented. The stone appeared to be the oldest marker in the whole graveyard. Whatever was written there was unreadable, as it blended in with the rest of the surface; perfectly camouflaged.
“The old graveyard was kept trim and tidy. Someone was taking care of it quite nicely.” Her voice sounded hollow, as though it were being sucked from the air before it could travel beyond her face. Perhaps getting off the wall had been a huge mistake. India glanced about for signs of life. No bees buzzed. No butterflies flitted about. No birds chirped. Other than the noises she was making, none else were heard.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #222 on Oct 20, 2006, 5:39pm »
Henrietta "India Ana" Jones "Momma's Science Project" - "Daddy's Eternal Nightmare"
India Ana pulled her camera from her backpack and began taking photos of the headstones around her. She paid little attention to the engravings while she went about her business. She would go over them later when she had time to load them onto her laptop and then browse and sort the images. The pictures would make a great addition to her book and help her with any fake details of her non-fiction.
“The quiet stillness was broken by the humming and clicking of her digital camera. No faint forms of the long dead showed up to the naked eye or in the camera’s viewing window. And so the adventure of the mysterious Whoosher House began as a boring, uneventful stroll in the estate’s graveyard.
India Ana finished taking pictures and climbed back atop the ledge of the wall. She continued her walk toward the east, hoping to find something more exciting than what had awaited her in the cemetery. So far her visit had been a complete waste of her time.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #223 on Oct 20, 2006, 6:59pm »
Mini-Mia _You_ Are Getting Veeerrryyy Sleeeeeepyyyy! ZZZzzzZZZzzz
Mia materialized before the upside down tombstone and placed flowers at its base. She ran her long, slender fingers across the worn, rugged surface until the faint words stood out in full view:
Baby Boy Born & Died 1880 Parents Unknown
‘Baby Boy’ was found dead on the grounds of Whoosher Estate in the autumn of 1880. It is believed that he is a bastard child that was conceived in sin and discarded, and is therefore a demon spawn. May he return to hell from whence he came. Amen.
Mia wept for the sweet soul condemned to hell for the sins of his unknown parents.
“May you one day be granted the peace you deserve, dear, sweet, precious child.”
The snapping of twigs alerted Mia to someone’s approach, and she vanished before the person could get sight of her.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #224 on Oct 23, 2006, 4:57pm »
Mini-Mia _You_ Are Getting Veeerrryyy Sleeeeeepyyyy! ZZZzzzZZZzzz
Mia marched into the dining hall and helped clear away empty platters, bowls, and discarded plates. This little get-together had been going on for quite some time, and she prayed the living would realize they were strongest when all were together. She would warn them herself, but then she would be punished. She glanced up at the moving eyes of the portraits. She wished she could speak out . . . .
“The walls have ears, and often hears, things it should not know. So watch what you say, and don’t delay, for what I say is so.”
Mia faded out of fright and quickly returned to solid form. For one brief moment she thought she had spoken out loud. She looked from the woman who had spoken and then up at the portraits. The moving eyes vanished and were replaced by still ones. Would she be punished? She had inadvertently made a connection with the woman who had spoken her warning out loud. If they discovered this she would be in big trouble, but if they were unaware she could use this connection to help free them all.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #232 on Mar 12, 2007, 1:17pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee glanced over at the gypsy from time to time. What was it about that Fallin’ Woman that seemed so familiar? Had they met before? Or did she simply remind her of someone from her past? Just like a friend of her mother’s whom she had taken an instant liking to. This new friend too had seemed familiar to her, and Joxcee had felt a connection to her, as though she had known her for a long time. Then years later, the family had taken a trip to Michigan to see how much things had changed since we last lived there many years before. We visited homes where we had stayed, and people we had known. And there it was! One landlord looked enough like mom’s friend from back home to be sisters. They weren’t identical, but perhaps fraternal twins born miles a part from each other. The gypsy woman must remind her of someone from her childhood. Someone only her subconscious remembers.
Joxcee snapped out of her thoughts. The room was silent. Deadly silent. Had someone said something to her and now they were all expecting a reply? Had she talked out loud any of the thoughts that went through her head? She froze for a brief second, but relaxed as she noticed everyone looking at the Psycho-babble psychic-Barbie who had called this meeting. Something was not right with her. Her face pale, her mouth agape . . . could she be having a heart attack? Mrs. Peacock reached out to touch her, but her hand was knocked away. She stepped back as though struck across one cheek and fled from the room.
We waited for what was to happen next. Fish in a small bowl is what we are. Trapped, and wondering when our air supply would run out. Servants cleared the tables and brought in fresh food and placed it on the buffet table. We may run out of oxygen, but we’re well fed; fattened for the slaughter. Do ghosts even eat? And if so, did they eat the living? Were these servants zombies that could look and act normal; or abnormally normal? Oh, good heavens, someone speak and distract me from my thoughts. What is wrong with me? Put me in a room alone, and I thrive, put me in a room full of people and I go insane. I came, I saw, and I desperately want, no, need, to go home now.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #275 on Jul 21, 2007, 8:59pm » Henrietta "India Ana" Jones "Momma's Science Project" - "Daddy's Eternal Nightmare"
India Ana sat atop the wall at the back of the house, watching the ocean below. Rocks, large clumps of earth and debris slid down and disappeared into the white, swirling cloud just at the water’s surface.
“This is no ordinary cloud,” she said into her mouth piece. “It appears to be a white hole; a vortex that is slowly devouring everything in its path.” She watched as more of the wall slid down and vanished. She would have to backtrack to get around to the other side of the house. How long before the house started to crumble and fall into the vortex as well? She would just have to hurry, or she too would vanish along with everything else.
“Can the vortex be the cause of the mystery surrounding Whoosher House? Can it be stopped? How do you destroy a white hole? Ooh . . . Is the Bermuda Triangle a white hole?”
Whoa. If I solve these questions, I’ll be soooooo famous. This just might make me more famous than my parents, India Ana thought as she got out her camera and camcorder to document her discovery before heading back the way she had came.
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #312 on Mar 29, 2008, 8:30pm »
Joxcenia I Came... I Saw... I Went Home! lol
Joxcee sat through yet another boring info dump meeting and wondered what it had to do with her. She wasn’t a part of all those other worlds, she only lived in one. She only cared about the one. The others could go take a flying leap for all she cared. “Yada, yada, yada . . . blah, blah, blah . . . yak, yak, yak . . . yip, yip, yip . . .” Utter snooze-ville as far as she was concerned. Her only duty was to stay and see which of the Whooshites would be the last to remain . . . all others having been run off by the hauntings. If not for that, she’d have been long gone by now. Kym so owed her big time for doing this in her stead.
Staring out the window as her mind wandered, Joxcee drowned out the conversations going on around her with a crow cawing in her head. That’s what usually happened in a scary movie when someone glanced out a window. Some dumb crow would caw like a banshee and fly into the pane and break its neck. A warning of the dangers to come, alerting a brief chance to flee before all hell breaks loose. And of course the idiots just scratch their heads and ignore it like it was a stupid random act.
Not Joxcee though. If she ever sees a crow cawing like a banshee and breaking its neck on the window pane, she’ll be gone before anyone could say, “Boo!”
Re: The House Of Whoosher... ;-) « Reply #313 on Mar 29, 2008, 8:43pm »
Mini-Mia _You_ Are Getting Veeerrryyy Sleeeeeepyyyy! ZZZzzzZZZzzz
Mia helped bring in yet another meal as she surveyed the room. It seemed they were having yet another meeting. She prayed that this time someone would figure out how to save them all. Time was running out. The ghostly crows cawing and slamming into the window panes gave testament to that. Only Joxcenia seemed to notice them.
“Hurry up you morons,” Mia softly muttered under her breath as she left the room to retrieve more food.
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