Just One of Those Days

Pacing up & down..... right & left... Worrying, wondering "What is that pet up to?"

Suddenly Liv stomped past, out the door & with a roar of motorcycles, she disappeared with Apocalypse Rider & his bikie gang.

The object of my worrying, Fireball, rushed in the door, dropped a gold chest at my feet - said 'from the Keeper of Wishes' - and disappeared out the door again before I could say a word. What was happening???

Now where is Pup? We were playing "Fetch" when I threw the stick a bit far. Hope he hasn't got himself into trouble. Oh well.

"Coming Perdita!" It is naptime. "How about I read you a story from your favourite - the Book of Dancing Shadows". Soon a soft snore lets me know someone in this household has settled down.

Excited yipping could be heard so I headed outside to find - Pup racing towards me carrying a long stout pole. He dropped it at my feet, sat back on his haunches with a look that said "See, I found it!" I glanced up to see Arabella Scales hurrying up my driveway - shaking her fist furiously at Pup. "THAT! That dratted puppy!" she panted. "He took one of the thick sticks I used to hold my Cauldron up - now my potion is spilled all over the ground! THAT! THAT! " she ran out of words but her look spoke a Volume of Fury. "Keep him out of my way!" she shouted as she headed back to the Underground Grotto. I look at Pup.  Now people tell me "He's just a puppy! He will grow out of it!" 'Please, I pray, give me Strength & Courage to last that long'!!!!

Now if I only knew what Fireball was up too?

Adventure

ADVENTURE! The pets were off & I had to race to catch up. We were going to Mirror Lake for an outing.

Pauly Parrot looked forward to catching up with Skull Pete's parrot. I warned Pauly "Any swearing & you won't be allowed back!" Petunia Pig & Heather Hippo wanted to investigate the Pirate Ship. Sebastian Seal & Pup Puppy just wanted to have a good time. Perdita Pegasus wanted to see the Lake.

When we got there, Pauly, Petunia & Heather peeled off to their respective objectives. Perdita found all that water a little intimidating & decided to stick close to me. Being friendly, I shared Skull Pete's bottle of amargnac (just one drink!) & as he got mellow the stories started. Perdita was spellbound & Skull Pete so loved having an audience that he gave her a gold chest ( "Another male bites the dust!")

Skull Pete's parrot was confused with Pauly speak. Instead of the usual 'colourful' language, Pauly kept saying "Not Bl****! Bubbles! Bubbles instead!" In the end the parrot gave Pauly a silver chest because he couldn't understand what Pauly was talking about.

Meanwhile, Sebastian & Pup had discovered the Kraken & decided to play "Tag" with it. Sebastian swam out with Pup dogpaddling behind him. Then they would bark & make a playful lunge for the Kraken's tentacle to see if they could "tag" it. The Kraken would wave its tentacles & give a fiery roar. They were all having a great time until one fiery roar came too close to the Bow Figure who shouted very loudly & very crossly. "STOP! STOP THAT, RIGHT NOW!" He tossed 2 rusty chests at Sebastian & Pup & told them to "Go Away!"

The loud roar startled Petunia & Heather who had been playing in the rigging. Heather fell out of the rigging & through the deck to the lower level in the ship. Petunia jumped after her friend. We rushed up onto the Pirate Ship to make sure the girls were okay. Heather was sitting on a silver chest while Petunia was lying on a gold one. They had found Skull Pete's treasure room! Petunia spotted Skull Pete & began moaning & squealing (what a ham actor!!!). Skull Pete gave Petunia the gold chest she was lying on & Heather Hippo the silver chest as compensation for any injuries.

I decide it was time to go home. We heard a loud shout. "SHIVER ME TIMBERS! WHO BROKE ME SHIP'S WHEEL?" We kept going although I am sure I heard giggling from behind me.

The Moonshine Episode

Cee_For has been one busy cat lately. He has been scrounging all the HOS for large clear bottles - to date he has found them in the Skulls, the Pirate Ship & the Winter Garden in the Castle while in Town, he has found them in the Doll Showcase & the Overgrown Pond. Why did he want them?
He has been schmoozing the cherub in the Scroll Storage & she has rewarded him with lots of Poisonous Flower. What was he doing?

Apparently Cee_For & Salty have gone into business making Moonshine. Whenever Arabella was away, Cee_For would use her Cauldron to brew his liquor. In went the Tears of Impurity (from the Rune Altar), the Poisonous Flower & another ingredient that is a Bloody Secret. When the Cauldron had expended its Boiling Power, Cee-For distilled his brew through the Purifying Fire. Then bottled it. Together, Salty & Cee_For took the Moonshine back to the Tavern & put it in the basement.

Beware if you have a drink at Salty's! That stuff has been known to cause you to go with Green Sickness.

Castle Entry Clean-Up

AHH! Young love! The Werewolf Knight is working himself up to proposing to Anabel. He is in such a state that the Castle Entry has become very neglected. So some of the pets have organised a working-bee to help him.

Sebastian Seal is putting his new-found knowledge of gardening to good use. He tended the garden of the Harp in Blossom - keeping her blossoms blooming. He said he would clear away the Dead Mushroom. The Harp did not have a chest to give Sebastian so she gave him some Fairy Dust.

Gabbi Griffin cleaned & polished the Astral Lamp. Moths leave such a mess! The Knight was so distracted that he told her to keep the Dragon Fang she found (in fact she found several) & gave her a wooden chest.

Fireball Phoenix helped his cousin, Fountain Phoenix, to clean the Fire Fountain & dispose of the rubbish (up, in a puff of smoke!). Fountain Phoenix was so thankful that he let Fireball have a silver chest & the several Vampire Palm that they found.

Pup Puppy ran around & around with his long ears trailing on the ground - eventually he had swept the floor clean so the Knight gave him a rusty chest for his effort.

Cee-For got into the carriage with the Wheel of Fortune & he tinkered with the spinning mechanism. "So help me, Cee_For if this Wheel does not give me something good you are in trouble!" I cried when I found him. The Knight gave him a wooden chest to shoo him on his way.

A tired crew headed for home.

Wedding Preparations (3 chapters)

Chapter 1.  The Grounds

Sir Oeland Silver Mane, the Werewolf/Iron Knight's father, has returned & given his permission for the union of his son & Anabel so now we are preparing a celebration at the Castle Gates. The pets have been roped in to clean, shop & cook.

Petunia Pig & Heather Hippo got to work with spit & polish to clean the grime from the Knight Lords. They rubbed & polished until the Lords shone. The Knight Lords loved their shiny new look so much they thumped their weapons into the ground startling Petunia who gave a squeal & fell on her backside. The Lords gave the girls a silver chest each.

Sebastian Seal tended the Rock Garden. He hosed the rocks down & with his flippers he carefully raked the small stones & gravel into intricate designs just like a Zen garden. He got the Midnight Rose & did an ikebana arrangement. Anabel was impressed. She apologised when she gave him a rusty chest but explained that, with the party expenses, she was running low on chests at the moment.

Hooter Owl & Steffany Squirrel got to work on the battlements & Belfry. Steffany scampered up the walls & pulled down the flags. She washed & dried & put them back up. Meanwhile Hooter cleaned & dusted the battlements & Belfry. Then he flew off, returning with the Torch (several of them) from the Crypt & a set of Northern Lights from the Column of the Fallen. He arranged them on the walls to light up the area. The Werewolf/Iron Knight was delighted with the effect. However, like Anabel, he was low on funds so could only give Hooter & Steffany a rusty chest each.

Hoppy Tiger raked the area & Prickles Hedgehog picked up all the litter. Their reward was a rusty chest each.

Snazzy Snail climbed into the Prison Cell. As she worked to clean it, she talked to the skeleton magician. She even washed his abra.ca.dab.**** cloth (the one over his magic top hat). He had had no-one to talk to for ages & he was very lonely. When Snazzy finished cleaning, he was so thankful that he did some magic tricks for her - ending up with several Manticore Eyes which he gave to Snazzy along with a silver chest.

Fireball Phoenix used his heat to burnish the metal on the Raven Stone. Then he scrubbed & cleaned the rest. Excited about his new look, the Raven Stone gave Fireball several bottles of Nocturnal Blood as well as a silver chest.

Chapter 2.  Food Shopping

Mandy Manticore, Emerald Dragon, Pauly Parrot & Happy Turtle went shopping for food.
Happy went to see his old friend, Skull Pete at Mirror Lake. When he asked about fresh seafood, Skull Pete led him to the Pirate Ship. Here Happy got fish, crabs & octopus. Skull Pete threw in some olives and eggplants as well.
Emerald dashed off to the Mirrors for some cheese, cherries, grapes & strawberries. While she was there she also collected some candy for after-dinner snacking.
Pauly flew off to the Battle Pit. Here he got some bread & a couple of lobsters. He returned with one of the lobsters attached to his tail feathers by its pincers - not happy!
Mandy headed off to the Tavern. At the Bar Counter she asked Salty for the freshest fruit - apples, pears & cherries - plus some onions, carrots, nuts & candy. From the Game Table she got mushrooms (not Fungus Among Us) & candy. Mandy also visited the Crypt to pick up some garlic & corn and the Broken Carriage for some eggs.

While she was at the Tavern, Mandy came across Cee_For who volunteered to go to the Frozen Treasure for some shrimp he had 'on ice'. Apparently he has the Ice Key & has been using the Frozen Treasure room as cold storage. He came back with some muffins as well.
Cee-For & Salty also sent over some Moonshine for the party.

Happy, Pauly, Cee-For & Mandy each got a rusty chest for their efforts.

Chapter 3.  The Celebration

It was the day of the party & all that was left to do was cook.

Emerald offered to cook the fish. She demonstrated a new meaning for the term - 'flame-grilled'.

Cuddles turned out to be a cook a- la-excellent. He prepared the salads - garnishing them with grated cheese & chopped olives. He made a fruit compote as well as a fruit flan for dessert. He popped corn. He heated up the bread & muffins so they tasted fresh & yummy! He boiled the crabs & shrimps & then put them 'on ice'. He marinaded the octopus, grilled the eggplants & sautéed the mushrooms. He prepared a lobster mornay.

For her part in the preparations, Emerald received a silver chest. The happy couple were so appreciative of Cuddles' efforts that they gave him a gold chest.

Finally it was all ready. With the Knight and Anabel looking on & joining in, it was time to PARTEE!!! Oh what a day & Knight, what fun we had!!

Fireball –The Delinquent

You WHAT! Fireball had just informed me he had gone into business - Phoenix Protection Services.
The Keeper of Wishes in the Mystery Chamber has paid him 2 gold chests & 3 silver chests so far to protect her from the assassin.
Fireball had found the assassin in the City Square. He warned him not to try anything funny. Chris the Assassin laughed & tossed a rusty chest at Fireball. Fireball gave him a hot foot & then sent Liv and her friend, Apocalypse Rider & his gang to pay a little visit to Chris. The assassin now pays Fireball to protect him from Liv & her friends - 2 gold chests & 1 silver chest so far.

"Well!! Now you can lay off the Ice Monster at Ice Rock," I say. "Okay!" Fireball replied. "He has run out of gold & silver chests anyway - only has rusty ones left."
Some days you just can't win an argument.

"Anything else?" I query. "Only the Binding Egg," he replied. Apparently, to avoid becoming hard-boiled, the Binding Egg has agreed to supply Fireball with several Blood Lotus. "That's extortion," I said. "No, it is the Binding Egg employing me to protect itself from me!" he replied. I can feel a Headache coming on.

To all the players having trouble getting a Blood Lotus from the Binding Egg, I apologise. Fireball has first dibs & he is talking about teaming up with Cee_For Cat & expanding into the Castle black market. Cee_For has found 2 great storage areas where they can stow all the items they plan to sell. The first area is in the Frozen Treasure Room to which Cee_For gains entry by using the Ice Key he stole. The second area is in the Headstone in the Ancient Park - a little deal he has going with the Headstone statues. At present Fireball & Cee_For are talking to Salty & some of his contacts about setting up business.

I shake my head. Sometimes there is no reasoning with them & you just have to let them go!

Mirror Lake

Emerald Dragon is pouting (again)! Emerald is very good at pouting. I think she practises in front of her bedroom mirror. Sebastian Seal & Pup Puppy have been telling Emerald what a great time they had playing with the Kraken. Now Emerald wants to see the Kraken. Trouble is Emerald & Skull Pete do not get along - he calls her the "Party Diva" in that snide way of his & Emerald gets huffy about it. So Emerald is pouting until Cee_For Cat leans over & whispers in her ear. Then a big smile lights her face. "Really!" she asks? Cee_For nods & the two disappear. Apparently Skull Pete has gone away for the day & while the pirate is away, the pets will play!!

Cee_For takes along a bottle of Moonshine plus he finds Skull Pete's rum so hands that to Emerald as well. While Cee_For goes off to see what else he can find, Emerald goes over to the Kraken. She asks the Bow Figure to join in as he already has his own bottle of wine. Soon the 3 of them are having a merry time. They come up with a game - Fireball tossing. Have a drink & see how far you can blow a flame! Emerald & the Kraken throw the Fireballs while the Bow Figure is the referee. Emerald was winning until she hiccoughed when she was blowing her Fireball. It barely missed Skull Pete's (who had just arrived back) hat & landed smack dab in the centre of the Skull & Crossbones flag Skull Pete loved - setting it on fire. "OUT!" roared Skull Pete, shoving a rusty chest at Emerald. She looked haughtily at Skull Pete & said "You have to do better that that!" Tossing a silver chest at Emerald as well, Skull Pete pointed to the way out & went off to rescue his beloved skull & crossbones.

Meanwhile, Cee_For slunk off with a rusty chest he had found. I don't think Skull Pete even knew he was there. My little sneak thief is very good at not being noticed so I suggest to everyone, check your inventory. You never know, Cee_For may have paid you a visit.

Meanwhile, Cee_For slunk off with a rusty chest he had found. I don't think Skull Pete even knew he was there. My little sneak thief is very good at not being noticed so I suggest to everyone, check your inventory. You never know, Cee_For may have paid you a visit.

Ghost Stories

It all began with a comment from Cee_For "I'm no scaredy cat!" Others were very quick to say they were not either. So it was decided that - they would show their bravery by having a story-telling session - telling ghost stories - in a gloomy, spooky place. The Ancient Park with its Weeping Stone Fairy/ Headstone & Sad Gargoyle was declared the ideal place so the intrepid little group trooped off. Once at the Ancient Park, they decided to have a look around first.

Prickles Hedgehog found a rusty chest in the reeds along the edge of the Overgrown Pond and Sebastian Seal found a rusty chest in the Overgrown Pond.

Hoppy Tiger went up to the Stone Fairy & asked why she was crying? The Fairy was so relieved someone wanted to talk to her that she gave Hoppy a gold chest.

Steffany Squirrel scampered up the tree to check out the Tree Face. It suddenly opened it's mouth & there was a gold chest - Steffany quickly grabbed the chest & scooted down the tree before the Tree Face could change it's mind & close it's mouth.

Fireball Phoenix had a little chat to the Headstone statues & using a little 'persuasion', he was given a gold chest! Honestly that boy!

They were preparing to have the scary story session when it started to rain. They all dashed inside the Chapel, pulling up short when a ghostly apparition appeared in front of them. It was Valeria's Spirit and she welcomed the company. Soon the brave little group was seated around Valeria listening to "live" ghost stories from a "real" ghost.