"No, you are staying inside with me tonight." Myrlene spoke firmly.
"I don't wanna stay inside mom. I wanna go outside and get candy and have fun like all the other kids in Rhy'Din City!" Calcifer whined and crossed his arms pouting at his mother.
Myrlene gave her son a warm, patient smile. "I don't want you outside, alone among so many strangers."
"But mom.....all the other pups are doing it too!" He whined more.
"It's safer for children to stay inside than it is to go outside during the Parade of Souls week, alone."
Calcifer's pout seemed to waiver hearing his mother. That was a cool sounding parade. He looked out the window to see the other kids running by in various costumes both scary and utterly silly. The urge to have fun and dress up warred with wanting to learn about this parade; curiosity won.
"What's a parade of souls?" He moved to the couch and took a seat by his mother.
Myrlene pulled him close once he was seated and began to stroke his hair as she spoke. "The Parade of Souls isn't exactly a parade. What our peoples culture fear isn't exactly what the other realms fear though many points are almost the same. Many realms believe that the natural magical boundaries between the living world and dead is very thin during this month, and that the last week they get so thin, things may suddenly appear. You see, these boundaries are usually what keeps the dead, spirits, ghosts, demons and other things nasty in their own realm and the people of the living realm safe. However, during this week they can come over to the realm of the living and hunt everyone, especially tasty children."
"But if that is true, why do kids dress up and go have fun and eat candy all night alone" Why do I have to stay inside and not them' Aren't their parents afraid they'd get eaten?" He said.
Myrlene grinned, sensing her son was testing her to see if she was making this all up to keep him from his friends. "Very good questions. You see, some of the cultures that live here hold celebrations based on their primary ancestors and the beliefs and rituals they used to keep their people safe during this time. Many believed that if you dressed up like the scary things that come over from the other realms they can't find you and take you back to their dead realms. Others found that if you leave sweets and treats you'll appeased the horrible spirits and they will leave you alone. Others believe if you put scary faces on pumpkins it keeps them away from you home. Yet another culture celebrates this time as remembering the dead, embracing death and celebrating it as part of life with festivities, music and more all depicting death.
Our culture has a good reason to stay inside this week. When people die, their souls sometimes don't choose to go on to eternal rest. Some souls decide to be reluctant, mad or stubborn and stay behind in this realm. Often these souls are housed in soul gems on their family shrines or in the Soul Gardens if their relatives believe in those methods. Some just linger around the living world, too weak to do anything but moan and be lonely, silent and invisible to most people.
Other souls, the ones from really bad, violent people that've done horrible things; their souls are locked into the realm of the dead for a long time as punishment by Vanguard, our deity of souls. He herds these bad souls all over the world, making sure they don't rest until they learn their lesson and decide to let go of their evil ways. One week out of the year he gives the bad the souls and even the good souls in their soul gems a chance to be free. This is mostly to let the good ones missing family reunite for a short while and strengthen family bonds and beliefs; meanwhile he watches all the bad souls to see if they behave. If they behave, he let's them go on to rest. If they don't behave, they go back to roaming in the herd of the dead." Myrlene explained.
Calcifer listened and his eyes got wide. "You mean souls, like.....like....like that nasty Ebony Knight' He can come back?" He trembled on the couch.
Myrlene pulled him into her lap and hugged him close. "Yes, except that soul won't be coming back. Your grandmother banished him for good and keeps his soul under lock and key. Even Vanguard isn't allowed to touch that soul by your grandmothers direct orders. But any of his followers, the creatures, demons and more, their souls are free to wonder about along with all the other bad and evil Lupinossai, Humans, Elves, Dark Elves and other races. This week is when the souls get a chance to be alive again.
Now many of these souls are crafty and know that at the end of the week they'll end up back in the herd under Vanguard's direction unless they be good. Sometimes souls feel it is too much work to be good so they try to cheat. To avoid going back to the realm of the dead, many souls have found another way to stay alive without behaving and slipping by Vanguards notice." Myrlene said getting really quiet as she spoke.
Calcifer looked at this mother not liking how quiet she got. He was getting jumpy already at thinking that the mean people he's met could be alive again. A part of him didn't want to know that other way the souls knew of. The dragon side of him shrugged off the fear and wanted to know.
"What.....what was the other way?" He said in a tiny voice.
"They look for misbehaving children that whine, plead and won't listen to their parents. For children that are spoiled, mean or those that go out at night alone when everyone is asleep. They say that in the old days any kids out at night alone never came home again because souls can be very quiet. When Vanguard found out what these crafty souls were doing he made every bad soul carry a bell. And ring it anytime they get close to any kids. Those who don't run will get their souls gobbled up like candy and the bad souls take over their bodies and live again like zombies!" Myrlene said in a spooky voice.
"Nuh-uh......they can't just take over kids souls...can they' Really?" Calcifer didn't sound so sure.
Myrlene looked sad and afraid. "They can. Even your mother was scared of them during this week. But all you have to do is not go outside or if you're unsure about being safe, just settle down......and listen...." She said in a whisper and tilted her head as if listened carefully for bells in the house.
Calcifer was trying to find some courage and not whimper from this story. That courage shattered like peanut brittle as he heard a bell near him begin to ring. He gave a cry and darted for his bedroom where he hid under the covers. Myrlene giggled seeing her son take off at the sound of her phone alarm going off. Turning off the timer she went to the kitchen and took out the Halloween cookies that were finished and grabbed two of them, sugar cookies in the shape of ghosts and went to Calcifer's room. She found a quivering lump under the blankets of his bed and she took a seat on the edge.
"I have cookies Cal. You know, if you really, really want to go out tonight, I think you may need to listen to a goddess." She said, coaxing him out of the covers.
Calcifer's nose was soon out from under the blankets and sniffing the cookies. "But you said it wasn't safe. That the souls get the kids." He whined.
Myrlene gave him a cookie to munch on as she rubbed his back. "They can, but you see, I know how to trick nasty souls." She said quietly and leaned in to whisper to him as if she held a sacred secret.
Calcifer ate his cookie and leaned in wanting to know how to keep safe during this week. "What's the tricks?" He whispered as well.
"You find a goddess to go trick or treating with you. You offer half of your candy to her and she'll make you glow like a soul. The glow will confuse the evil ones and they'll leave you alone." She gave him a little tricky smile.
Calcifer blinked his eyes a bit. "Okay, I'll do that but you gotta be a princess."
Myrlene ate her cookie and watched him. "Princess" Can't I dress up in something cool" Like maybe look like Wonder Woman or a cute girl for Thor?" Myrlene mock begged him.
Calcifer crossed his arms and shook his head no. "Princess. I'm going to be the dragon guarding and keeping the princess.."
Myrlene blinked hearing him and then started to grin. "Sure sweetie. I'll be a princess for you tonight. But only for you. Later, I'm talking to your uncle Ferunoth about some things he may be telling you. Well come on. Gotta make you a glowy dragon and me a princess. Move, move, move!" She grinned chasing him to the closet to get ready.
Within an hour a princess in bright blue silks and looking like a cross between Brave and Frozen emerged along with a stompy and ferocious pintsized blue and orange dragon left the beach house to go romp, trick or treat and conquer the world of scary ghosts, silly clowns, creepy aliens and evil souls.
