Twelve Truffula Trees

[whichwayyoulean]

[And today in the journal, there is a handy little message posted in it, which reads thusly:]



[And, apros to nothing else, the Once-ler decides to dictate into this thing. He's been largely avoiding the journal since that...nightmare mess. But he feels enough time has passed that anyone who wanted to chew him out for his own dream will have done it already]

Okay. So I have some questions about Halloween. Actually, just one question, because we have Halloween where I come from too, but there's one thing that's throwing me. So there's candy right? That's cool, everyone loves candy. But you guys let your kids just...wander around willy nilly in the streets to collect it?

Because where I come from that would be seen pretty much as a sacrifice. Or at the very least tempting fate in a pretty big way. I mean not even my mom sent me out on Halloween and her parenting skills were questionable at best.

So just asking what's up with that and if any other worlds have a creature who opens up a portal to hell on Halloween night? I'm guessing not most of you, if you're sending your kids out. Though, you know, I could be wrong. You could all really hate your kids.

Comments

[radiantwingedone]

... Cats? How well do they get along with each other?

[whichwayyoulean]

They've never fought together since I've had them. You know, besides normal kitten gambolling.

Do kittens gambol? Is that the right word?

[wilder]

Wait you have a holiday designated for a portal to hell being opened up?

[whichwayyoulean]

Well, not exactly designated. It's more this one guy who has this thing against holidays in general.

...Who happens to own a wagon that holds a portal to hell.

dictated

[midget]

Plenty of demons come out at Halloween.

forever!

[whichwayyoulean]

See? Thank you. So you wouldn't want to go out on Halloween, would you? [Just going to assume she's a small child, yep]

Dictated

[compromisedarrow]

Well, parents have been getting more paranoid recently and going with them, but not because of portals to hell.

forever!

[whichwayyoulean]

...Please don't tell me there's something worse than a portal to hell for them to be afraid of because I'm not sure how well I can handle that sort of information.

[heal_theworld]

...a portal to Niflheim- er, hell? Who would have a portal to hell? [...Well, she knows of one portal, but that's been destroyed by now by Kratos and Yuan, right? Spoiler: no.]

[whichwayyoulean]

Oh this one guy who hates holidays.

Dictated

[cyan_maid]

[Oh for goodness sake.]

I told you, we don't have any Grinches to worry about where I'm from. Trick-or-treating is perfectly safe. I could even prove it to you if you like, if the town celebrates Halloween!

forever!

[whichwayyoulean]

[No there has to be another world with a Grinch in it]

Oh no. No no no no. I am staying right in my room for the whole of the holiday. And even if Earth doesn't have a Grinch, others places might.

[courageous_wit]

Halloweeen is a very big deal in my world, as you can imagine. Every year we would have a big feast at school. It's also a special day for me personally: it was the day when Harry, Ron and I became friends.

[whichwayyoulean]

See, that sounds so much nicer than spending the day in a huddled mass of terror.

[encryptedlock]

Course we send our kids out! Hell isn't even real in my version of Earth. The most kids have to watch out for is other kids. Or maybe stupid vehicles, if they're wearing costumes that don't comform to the reflective standards.

[whichwayyoulean]

I'd say that's a regular given for any night.

[not_mafia]

That usually doesn't happen in my world. I mean, I don't think ghosts really go out of their way to drag you to the afterlife unless they have a vendetta with someone you know...

[whichwayyoulean]

...The fact ghosts do that at all is kinda worrying.

[heloise]

May I?

[whichwayyoulean]

I hope that's you asking for kittens and not asking if you can go open portals to hell.

[fluthlu]

I believe many Earth parents are merely afraid of other human beings, rather than any sort of demon from Hell.

[A small pause.]

Provided it will not devour my face, I wouldn't mind taking in another kitten.

[whichwayyoulean]

...Right. Well, human beings really are the real monsters here.

It'll only go as far as to lick affectionately. And great, would you like to pick one, or should I just send a random one to you via ghost?

[pianoman]

I want a kitten.

[Plain and simple--but then:]

Also, I don't think visiting Hell would be that bad. An adventure, at least!

[whichwayyoulean]

Great, which kind would you like?

...Yeaaah no. I think Hell is always going to be bad whichever way you spin it.

hall filter?!

[amiable]

[ She wanted to give Once-ler time after the nightmares. Then a cat started hurting others and it made her more hesitant to approach the castle. In the end, she realized she was just selfishly protecting herself and excusing it with "Once-ler needs privacy". But maybe he did, after what happened in her nightmare.

Uru marched into the castle, into the tower Once-ler inhabited and all the way up to his doormat.

Her first mistake because the trap activated and she was booted out. Fifteen minutes later she dragged herself back, her backside sore but with a determined expression on her face. At least the little cake she had brought hadn't been damaged.

She carefully avoids the doormat again and knocks on the door. ]

Hello, Once-ler? It's Uru.

forever!

[whichwayyoulean]

[He'd heard the boot go, of course. Huh, she came back. He has to give her points for tenacity. He cautiously opens the door, peering around it]

...Oh. Hi.

[He'd been avoiding talking about the nightmares to anyone for so long...but he had a feeling this time he wouldn't avoid it. Uru seemed to...well, caring, to let such a thing slide]

[foolreversed]

We don't really do Halloween in my country, at least not the trick or treating part. As far as I know though, hell portals aren't a thing; poisoned candy is though!

...How'd you get so many cats?

[whichwayyoulean]

I...poisoned candy? Who would even do that?

I had an experiment once to try and create a hovering device. It didn't work.

[fantasies]

Uh... I dunno about portals to hell, but... my mom usually goes with me when I go trick or treating.

[He sounds miffed, like he thinks he's too old for it.

Though Regina probably has to go, since he's short on friends his age to go with.]

She stands at the end of the driveways.

[whichwayyoulean]

Oh good, nothing like a little controlling paranoia. Thaaat said from what other people have been telling me, it's probably not a bad thing.

It's better to deal with a couple of hours of humiliation than being kidnapped by a crazy person.

[secondchances]

[Hey, Once. This isn't awkward at all, Steph will just chat like there were no nightmares earlier in the month.]

You, uh, seem to come from an interesting world...

[whichwayyoulean]

[Yes. He approves of this plan. What nightmares?]

I guess it's pretty whimsical compared to most others.

Dictated forever (should just be a given with these two. :D )

[ninjainviolet]

[Sheena's still in loss form, so she's inquiring for a later date.]

Hey, Once-ler. Is it too late to ask about a kitten?

[Priorities. She has them.]

darn tootin

[whichwayyoulean]

Nope, there's still one left over.

Though I do have a question.

[Dictated]

[hairflyingheartpounding]

...Wow, that's not what most people here say about Halloween. I'm, uh, glad you... Survived it.

Are there any kittens left?

forever!

[whichwayyoulean]

Nothing bad ever happened to me. It was more a tradition than anything, you know? Still. Better safe than sorry.

I'm fresh out of kittens, but I can offer you a toaster that's also a blender.

[assassino]

Everything on this page is contradictory and confusing... enough so that I'd call this the most confusing page in the entire journal.

[whichwayyoulean]

Oh wow, really?. Does that mean I get a special prize?

[perma-dictated]

[whathedoves]

That's really a lot of cats! [He laughs.] Kittens, I guess. We all grow up, though! Some of us more handsomely than others.

Soon we'll have five devilishly handsome grownups wandering around with us! [And this laugh is a little more rakish in pitch, as though the person laughing is trying very hard not to be alarmed.

Shortly after, as a bit of an afterthought:]

Afraid I can't be of much assistance in the demon woes department. I bet someone out there's tried it, though.

[whichwayyoulean]

[Wow. That was weird]

You okay? You sound kinda nervous. They're just cats, you know. It's not like they're tigers.

I wouldn't be surprised.

/kinda late to the party as usual

[fistfullofmagic]

I do not know what this "Halloween" is, but if demons are the trouble, it seems odd that some creature would choose that specific night to open a portal to their realm. The time of year hardly seemed to matter to them on Aselia.

[Once again, proof that being at all associated with that planet is suffering.]

never late!

[whichwayyoulean]

He kind of has a thing against holidays so it makes sense in the bigger picture.