FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Day 9: Magic/Sorcery

"Trick or Treat"

By Patrick D. Lambert

Fishy needed an upgrade. His can of beans, as much as he loved it, wasn't precisely "scary" for Halloween--putting a white cloth with an angry face on top of it wasn't doing the trick. He was sure Christopher wouldn't mind him borrowing his credit card for a couple of emergency purchases. A pumpkin-shaped doll and a small fox doll gave him the perfect costume idea. And the best part? The suspicious-looking website from where he bought them included a "Same-Day Delivery" option--at $9.99! What a deal!

However, Christopher didn't share his excitement, not when the black goat with scarlet eyes delivered the package some hours later only to disappear as killers do in a slasher movie. The orange fox swallowed, afraid the mysterious box contained a bleeding heart, a severed head, or worse, a glitter bomb--one never knew what kind of sick jokes people could do on Halloween.

Watching the exciting jumps Fishy did in his can tranquilized him. Then he got angry, realizing the small orange fish bought something--probably something stupid.

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" Fishy repeated.

Christopher took a deep breath, asking himself why that should surprise him, and proceeded to use his claw to open the parcel. He knew Fishy had bought something dumb--definitely with his credit card--, but the sight of a bucket and the doll was not exactly what he expected.

The items were protected with bubble wrap, and the doll rested peacefully inside the small bucket. Christopher couldn't believe he bought something that dumb, especially when that type of bucket could be found in pretty much any store in town.

Of course, Fishy didn't wait for his lecture and made the long jump from his can and into the bucket. He made a perfect landing and rested his fins on the sides of the bucket as if it was a jacuzzi.

"This is so much better," he said with a big smile on his face. He then pulled the small fox doll closer. "And hello, handsome. Do you come often here?"

"What was your exact thought when you decided to buy this?" Christoper held the bucket in front of his face. He wasn't really angry--well, not that much.

"I have the best idea for tonight. You're gonna put this on your head and we'll pretend we're piloting you," Fishy exclaimed, leaning on the opposite side of the bucket.

"We?" The fox frowned.

"Yes! This," and Fishy pulled the doll again for emphasis, "is you. And you are the giant robot. It's like those cartoons you like to watch."

"Don't you dare to call the Super Sentai a mere cartoon," the fox replied in a slightly more threatening tone.

"You get the point. I bet we're gonna get a lot of candies with this costume," Fishy swept immediately the fox's anger. He was really convinced of his idea.

"I don't think you might call that a good costume.

"Well, not with that attitude," Fishy mumbled and rolled his eyes. He crossed his fins just to make sure Christopher understood his discontent.

The fox sighed and took the small fox before leaving the bucket over a nearby table. Fishy tried to hold the doll but his fins just missed it.

"You could've at least told me. There's a lot of boxes in the attic for a cheap robot costume," Christopher held the doll in the air with one hand. He couldn't stop himself from smiling over how cute the fox doll was. "I don't say it's a bad idea, but no one's gonna buy it if it's only the bucket. Besides, I'm gonna look silly with it."

"You just need to think positive," Fishy insisted as he made small jumps expecting to reach his doll.

"I'm positively thinking I'm gonna look silly with it," the fox giggled.

He then noticed something else inside the bucket. It was a small golden cube. Fishy didn't notice it before because it was under the doll. A weak glow came from it. And the fox couldn't resist his curiosity. As soon as he touched it, Christopher felt incredibly exhausted, and the doll fell from his chubby fingers back into the bucket, covering the cube that was now glowing more. He stepped back from the table and breathed heavily. His body weighed a ton, and he had trouble standing on his legs. When he put a hand over his chest, the fox panicked after feeling the fast beating from his heart.

Fishy ignored what was happening, happy as he was for having tiny Christopher back. But the loud breathing from his friend caught his attention.

"Don't be so dramatic. Just say you don't like my idea," Fishy exclaimed.

"I'm not feeling good..."

What was he feeling exactly? Weak. Exhausted. Lighter than usual, and at the same time heavy. And dizzy. Christopher swallowed when his vision got blurry except for Fishy and the doll, who was looking straight at him.

"You see? Positivity. That's what you need," Fishy took the doll to put it back where it was.

Then something incredible happened. Christopher took a step forward. He didn't think about moving. He just did it. In a very clumsy and exaggerated way, but he moved. The fox panicked, and the fish jumped inside the bucket. But almost instantly something made click in his mind, and with his small fins, he moved the doll again.

Christopher moved again in the same clumsy way. His panic turned into desperation for not understanding what was going on. And he felt weaker with each passing second. A strange presence began to manifest in his head, speaking words he couldn't understand in a deep voice that made the fox feel small. He tried to resist the effects, but his body refused to move.

"Fishy... w-where did you get that doll...?" Even speaking was a huge struggle.

Fishy, however, ignored what his friend asked or what he was going through. The small fish held the doll and grinned like a kid opening his Christmas gift.

"It's a voodoo doll!" He exclaimed while waving the doll's arms in the air.

When Christopher mimicked the doll, Fishy jumped with joy. He was unaware of the dark presence between them, grinning sinisterly while the doll absorbed the fox's energy.

"I wonder if...," Fishy scratched his head, then whispered something to the doll's ear.

Christopher's eyes opened wide and his body moved again towards the table. He picked up the pumpkin-shaped bucket and placed it over his head, adjusting the large handle under his chin to secure it in place.

"This is fantastic! You can follow my orders too!" Fishy couldn't contain his excitement. That was even better than his original idea. And the best part is that he could say Christopher was under his control and everyone would buy it. It was beyond perfect. "Now, let's go get some candies!"

And the fox obeyed.

The plan went just as he expected. Dressed in his blue shirt and white short pants, Christopher walked with the mannerism of a zombie, keeping his arms up and walking without bending his knees. It was hard for Fishy to control his friend, and he almost tripped several times on his way out. But the small fish was getting the hang of it--at least for people to believe it was a really good impression.

He didn't question the nature of the doll or how his friend below was doing. In Fishy's eyes, the control was harmless and something they would laugh off later. But things weren't as good as he thought.

Christopher walked like that not because of the doll. He struggled to recover control over his body. He resisted each move, each step, each order given by Fishy, but he lacked the strength to do so. He continued listening to that deep, sinister voice in his head while his energy was sucked by the doll sitting next to his friend. And the more he resisted, the cleared the voice became. A male voice behind him came from someone no one else could see or feel.

"You are getting weaker. There is no need for you to fight. You should stop and rest and watch from this corner of your mind. There is no need to worry about it. There is no need to worry about anything anymore. You can sit and rest. You can watch and enjoy a life without worries."

The voice was deep and sinister and... strangely... erotic. Christopher recognized in his tone a male who loved control, one who knew how to get whatever he wanted. It sent a shiver down his spine and his fur bristled without anyone noticing it. It froze his blood, and at the same time, he felt attracted to his voice.

"You feel tired. You carry so much weight over your shoulders. You are responsible for so many things. And you are tired of it. You want to get rid of it. Think of what you really want. Turn all those responsibilities into a boulder that rests over your shoulders. You want to put it down. Get free from that weight. And all you gotta do is drop it."

But he couldn't. Christopher knew how dangerous that was. He didn't know why. It was a hunch from his racing heart. He tried to warn Fishy about it, but no word came out. All his effort was put into trying to stop his body from moving against his will, and he couldn't stop that, not for a single second.

And yet, he wanted to do what the voice was telling him. Give up. Rest. It all sounded so tempting. He was tired. Struggling against his own body had left him exhausted. He could use a rest. A long, long, long rest in the corners of his mind.

"All you have to do is put that boulder down. And you will be able to rest. And watch. And be completely free. You won't have to worry about anything else anymore. You can watch as life goes on. And nothing is gonna reach you. Nothing is gonna hurt you. You will no longer have control. You will be a spectator from this corner of your mind. And all you have to do is give up."

On top of his head, moving the doll to his will, an oblivious Fishy laughed.

"This is going great. I think this has been my best idea. Don't you think?" He asked the doll, and he made him nod.

Christopher nodded too. But in his struggle, the nod was more violent. Fishy held from the edge of the bucket. However, the golden cube still ignored by the fish was thrown into the air. The fox watched in horror, knowing in his heart that if something went to happen to the cube, he would be gone forever. An assumption not far from the truth, as that little artifact was the link between him and the doll sucking his soul.

As if it was magic, the cube stopped its fall and floated in the air next to him. It was the first time since all of that started that Christopher felt relieved. But that didn't last for long, not after he saw the ghost hand taking shape before his eyes, powered by the cube's energy.

"Don't worry, little thing. I'll keep this safe," the voice said. But it no longer spoke in his mind. The fox heard it next to him.

The cube immediately turned violet. Another hand, big and strong, took that boulder off his shoulders and Christopher felt immediately relieved. Lighter. Happy. The fox let out a sigh and smiled as soon as the pressure of stopping his body from moving disappeared. He was free. Completely free.

"Put everything aside. No more fears. No more pain. No more responsibilities. I will take care of everything. All you gotta do is give me all you have."

He couldn't refuse that. The space around him faded to white as the presence absorbed what was left of his soul, leaving him trapped in the empty void that was his mind, until he became nothing else but a spectator of his own life, now in control of whoever had the doll.

Fishy ignored the doll was only a vessel and that he had become a passenger. The true power came from the cube, now in hands of the demon that came with the package. The smile disappeared from his face when Christopher, now a mere puppet, threw the bucket off his head.

"What the hell?!" Fishy exclaimed as he went down along with the bucket. He tried to grasp the doll, but something held it in the air.

The bucket hit the ground and Fishy and the few candies inside were thrown out after the impact. The dizzy fish tried to get up, ignoring the fox behind him. Chris' eyes changed from orange to violet while the demon squeezed the doll in his hand, causing white smoke to come through its dead eyes.

"Well, well, well, what a fantastic host this will be," the demon said after a sinister laugh. "But before anything else happens, I think we should take care of this little pest."

Fishy finally came to his senses when he heard Christopher speaking. But he didn't have time to react to the fox paw looming over him. Rather than crushing him, Christopher squeezed him softly under his beans, moving his toes a little. Fishy huffed, using all his energies to drag himself out of there.

For an Autumn night, it was particularly hot, and his paw was sweaty after all that walk. Fishy moved between his beans, getting strangely aroused by the way Christopher played with him, treating it like a small and hopeless prey. After all the little pranks he put on him, becoming the victim for once was a different and curious sensation.

Putting an end to his escape plan, Fishy whined softly as the fox continued moving his paw from side to side. He didn't put enough weight to hurt him, only the necessary to let him know he was in charge. That he was small and weak. And, as strange as that might sound, Fishy liked that. But everything that night had been strange.

Finally, Christopher held the little fish between two fingers and pressed more. Fishy noticed the change too late. The sweaty paw and the slippery skin of the fish, among with the pressure put by his paw, contributed to shooting Fishy into the horizon. The demon only saw the orange dot fly street down and disappear into the night.

"And off he goes!" He said, followed by a sick laugh.

In his hand, he still held the small doll, which he began to crush. Somewhere, where only the demon could hear him, Christopher shrieked. More smoke came from the doll as it burned in the demon's hand. He delighted in the fox's pain as his soul faded into oblivion.

Christopher stood in the middle of the street, now being nothing but an empty vessel. The ashes of what was the doll and his soul fell from the demon's hand, who clapped once before jumping into his new host.