A Ski Lodge~

Chatterbox: Pudding's Place

A Ski Lodge~

A Ski Lodge

~~~ 

It's the middle of summer, and you're draped languorously on your couch, a thick book in your hands and a cool glass of lemonade within reach. A small fan whirs, a pathetic rival to the unrelenting heat. Your window is open, although it doesn't make much difference, for the air outside is still and humid. 

Suddenly, you hear the symphonious tinkling of wind chimes. You couldn't remember ever hearing wind chimes around your house before, but this isn't a huge source of concern. The biggest thing interesting you is the cream-colored envelope that has fluttered in from the window and onto your living room floor. 

You set your book down, and pick up the envelope, turning it over in your hands. On the front, in neat black ink, it spelled out your name. Odd. You slit the top of the envelope, and withdraw two pieces of parchment and a small, pressed purple flower - you aren't quite sure, but you think it's an aster. You pick up the first piece of parchment and read, 

Dear CBer, 

You are invited on an all-expenses paid vacation at Lockaria House, located within the Osorthe Forest. While there, you will experience a fortnight of fun, adventure, excitement, and, quite possibly, danger. Sign up quickly, only sixteen guests are allowed. This includes any AE companions you may choose to bring. We will begin when spots are filled.

Your hostess, 

Ms. Socie Grishelm

- Please note that the popcorn is not free.

- CAPTCHAs and CAPTCHAEs are not allowed. 

- I advise you to pack warmly, Osorthe Forest is trapped in an eternal autumn. 

- Lockaria House is not responsible for any damage or loss of property or person during your time here. 

- Please fill out the forms for both yourself and the AE you wish to attend. 

The second piece of parchment, you soon discover, contains said forms.  

Name: 

Gender/Pronouns: 

Appearance:

Personality:

Aura (Basically, what color embodies your personality?): 

Biggest Strength:

Biggest Weakness: 

Luggage:

Other:

Something about this letter makes you wary, but those thoughts are quickly banished to the back of your mind. It's so hot here, and an all-expenses-paid autumnal vacation is just the thing you need. You grab the writing utensil of your choice and in careful print, fill out the forms. 

Besides, what could possibly go wrong in fourteen days? 

~~~

Yep, this is a ski lodge!

I'm hoping for a full house of 16 guests! We'll begin when spots are filled. Feel free to guess who I am. ;)

submitted by Socie Grishelm, age ski lodge!, Lockaria House
(April 25, 2022 - 2:34 pm)

Day 0, Part 1

Mist settled over Osorthe Forest, blanketing the autumnal woods in a thick layer of fog. In the center of the forest, overlooking a wide glade with grass beginning to brown, stood a regal-looking post and beam cabin. The cabin, presumably Lockaria House, appeared to watch over the forest like a castle, and if it was a castle, that meant that the black, snaggletoothed cat sitting in the red Adirondack chair on the porch was the disapproving king. The cat did not move, save for the occasional yawn or stretch.

The forest was quiet today. There were no strong gusts of wind, just a soft, crisp breeze that ruffled the golden and carmine leaves. Even the birds’ cheerful songs were absent, leaving the metallic clanging of wind chimes as the only soundtrack of the slow morning. The climate felt different today. This was evident even to the cat, sleepy and passive as he may be. The air tingled with electricity, and it might appear as if the forest was expectantly…waiting? For what, well, that was anyone’s guess.

The cat turned over, exposing his underside, and closed his eyes. Yes, something was coming to Lockaria House. Even the cat knew that something bigger than himself was written in the stars. Better sleep now before anything chaotic disturbed his peace. And, knowing Socie, that’d be any minute now.

~~~

At about half past noon, Avara was still waiting to go to Lockaria House. She wasn’t sure how she’d be brought there, exactly; the letter didn’t give any information transportation-wise. “Maybe this is all a scam after all,” Avara considered, rather disappointedly, because she’d been looking forward to that vacation. No sooner had the words left her mouth than a swirl of buttery-yellow light engulfed her. “What the--!”

Suddenly, she was whipped of her senses as she descended into nothingness. It was like dreaming, when one is vaguely aware that they are in a dream, and they have some amount of control, but everything is nonetheless nonsensical. Avara thought she heard someone screaming. It might have been her, but she wasn’t positive.

Avara wasn’t quite sure how long this whirlwind of flaxen light lasted (common sense told her it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes - and yet it felt like hours), but soon it started to thin out, and her senses were gradually returned to her. Finally, she was released from its grasp, and promptly tripped forward and sprawled face-first onto the bronzed grass. “Ow.” She pushed herself back to her feet and looked around.

She was standing in the middle of what appeared to be a clearing in a forest full of browning grass with several other people. She took the three-story cabin to be Lockaria House, and the tall trees with red and yellow leaves surrounding the clearing to be part of the Osorthe Forest. From her viewpoint, Avara could see a large garden in many mauve and russet hues, brightly colored targets for archery, and shrouds of mist that still hung stubbornly by the tree’s bases.

The other people seemed just as dazed as Avara felt. Some were rubbing their eyes, still adjusting to their new surroundings. “Anyone know where Socie Grishelm is?” asked Script.

“I’m right here.” A voice replied as a figure emerged from the garden’s lattice arch. Everybody took a moment to study their hostess. She had a dark olive complexion, and braided auburn hair reaching the small of her back. Her face was round, her cheekbones defined, and her hazel eyes shone bright even in the cloudy afternoon light. She was dressed in a long amber skirt and a turtleneck sweater in a soft golden tone, not unlike, Sterling realized, the color of the windstorm that had brought them all here.

“There aren’t better methods of transportation than an extremely violent tornado-thing?” Reuby asked, voicing the question that had been troubling them all. She was bent down, scratching behind the ears of her large, black dog, Scath.

“Well, it was certainly effective. You’re all here on time, no?” Socie did a quick headcount of the group. “Hmm...seventeen this time.” She cleared her throat. “Now, it’s time for the proper introduction. Welcome, all, to Lockaria House!” She gestured elegantly to the cabin. “I’m your hostess, Socie Grishelm, but please, call me Socie.

“During your stay here, you’ll participate in numerous exciting activities, from archery to hiking to volleyball to many more I won’t give away just yet. Lockaria House also contains a library, game room, and arts and crafts room, so let’s get you all acquainted with the property and begin the tour!” 

~~~

Socie’s tour spanned two hours, in which they all became familiar with Lockaria House and its many rooms. The cabin’s first level contained a lavish entrance hall with several wooden benches, a large dining room with two long tables, and a game room with numerous board games, decks of cards, and (the guests all gasped loudly at this) a popcorn machine that Socie instructed very seriously was to be operated by her and only by her. The second floor housed all the rustic bedrooms (Socie’s was at the end of the hall), with a carpeted corridor stretching the length of the story. The third tier consisted of the aforementioned library furnished with squishy bean bag chairs and comfy sofas, and arts and crafts room hosting a fine selection of art supplies.

Finally, Socie and the guests wound back up in the entrance hall. Earlier, they had been told that every morning, they must meet in the entrance hall before breakfast for the day’s schedule and to check in. “Oh, and I almost forgot about the most important part of the tour.” She bent down and picked up the black cat curling around her ankles, probably getting a multitude of black fur all over her light-colored clothing. 

“This is Wraith, our cat in residence. He comes and goes as he pleases, but you’ll often find him snoozing somewhere on the porch...Say hi, Wraith.” 

The cat fixed the guests with a look of disinterest. The tooth that stuck out beneath his mouth was chipped and bright white against his dark fur. He stopped holding up his own weight so that he was heavier, and Socie set him down. 

At that moment, Scath padded forward, his nails clicking, and a big grin on his canine face. “No--” Rueby started, but it was too late.

Wraith’s eyes widened at the sight of Scath, who probably just wanted to play, and he bopped the poor dog on the nose with a loud hiss and dashed away, his tail bushy. 

Reuby managed to restrain her dog, while Socie shook her head, clearly amused. “He’s always like that around other animals. Likes to think of himself as the alpha of Lockaria House and is very territorial, but he’s kind of a baby, honestly. Don’t tell him I said that.” She smiled, then clapped her hands together. “Now, who’s ready for dinner?” 

~~~

Dead: N/A

Alive: 17

Comments, theories, and diary entries are welcome and appreciated! Don't forget I haven't been guessed yet. 

submitted by Day 0, Part 1, age she | they, Lockaria House
(May 2, 2022 - 12:27 pm)

>:0 This is SO COOL! And exciting! And amazingly well-written! Are you Pangolin?

submitted by Writing_in_the_dark , age 12, Valhalla
(May 2, 2022 - 2:43 pm)

Ayyy you got me~

Did the "she | they" in the age box give it away? I noticed too late I entered that instead of "Forgotten"...force of habit, I guess. XD

Anyway, thank you all for your comments! I already have the next few parts written, so I'll try to post the next part on Wednesday. :)

submitted by Socie/pangolin, age Forgotten, Lockaria House
(May 2, 2022 - 4:39 pm)

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Scath! Hah. Tipical cats and dogs XD

 

Are you Writing? Tsuki? Peri? Or Firefly?

 

 

submitted by Reuby Moonnight, age 11 nebulas, Lunaitaria
(May 2, 2022 - 3:18 pm)

Ohhh exciting! The 'hmm... seventeen this time' was VERY sus and I don't really trust Socie all that much (I love Wraith tho :3). Your writing is so ethereal and beautiful and I love it so much! <33

submitted by Silver Crystal, age Infinity, Milky Way
(May 2, 2022 - 6:27 pm)

Heyyy it's Silver! So idk if you saw this but we were paired together for the Make a Friend thing and I made a thread for us on DtE if you're still into that :) Sorry for bothering you, I just didn't know if you'd seen it or not ~

submitted by SC@Socie/pangolin
(May 3, 2022 - 6:34 am)

oooooh! I love it! And *gasp* a popcorn machine?? It comes free of charge correct? 

submitted by Script
(May 2, 2022 - 8:28 pm)

AWAWAWAWAWAAAA

The scene with Scath and Wraith was exactly what happened with my aunt's cat and her boyfriend's dog.  Like exactly.

submitted by Tsuki the Skywolf
(May 3, 2022 - 10:46 am)

YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!

Sorry for not bringing an AE, both of mine are new and I'm not sure I trust them with a Ski Lodge.

submitted by Avara, she/her
(May 2, 2022 - 2:48 pm)

Brought to you from the back of my science classroom~

Day 0, Part 2

Dinner that night was fettuccine alfredo, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Socie explained that every night, there’d be an hour and thirty minutes of freetime, and then thirty minutes to get ready for bed before lights-out. Sometimes there would be organized activities, such as marshmallow roasting. 

“Who wants to go to the library with me?” asked Writing_in_the_Dark. Xe got an excited response from Shining Star, Sterling, and pangolin. A grin spread across xyr face. “Alright, wanna race?” Xe took off running, xyr sneakers pounding against the wooden floorboards.

“Not so fast!” laughed pangolin, determined to not let Writing keep the lead for long. The four of them raced up several flights of stairs to the third floor. 

“Ha!” Sterling slammed their hands into the library’s door, claiming their sweet victory. 

Shining Star smirked. “Okay, you win this time. But we’ll have to have a rematch one day.” 

“Deal.” They shook on it. 

pangolin wasn’t looking to wait around, so, with a loud creak, she pushed open the heavy library door. The other three CBers walked in after each other, their footsteps muted and voices off, because there was just something about Lockaria House’s library, and all libraries, really, that made you want to be quiet.

Tall dark wood shelves lined with rainbows of books lined the walls, and Persian carpets covered the floorboards. A small spiral staircase led to a second loft-like level at the back of the room. Squishy armchairs, bean bag chairs, faux leather sofas, tables and chairs, and an oak roll top desk made the space feel cramped, cozy, and lived-in.

Writing_in_the_Dark immediately found a hardcover that interested xem, one with spindly gold lettering on the spine, plopped down in an armchair, and cracked open the book. Shining Star, on the other hand, browsed the bookshelves, searching for a book she liked. pangolin became very fascinated in the works of art around the library; marble busts of historical figures or famous poets, paintings and sketches framed on the walls. Sterling headed for the staircase, and looked for books up on the second level.

All too soon, though, it was time for lights-out. Socie came in and told the CBers it was time to head to bed. “Can I bring this book with me to read in bed?” Writing asked. Shining Star had found a book as well and listened for the answer. 

“Certainly. You’re free to help yourselves to anything you find here. Except the popcorn, of course.” 

~~~

There was something ominous in the wind tonight. It howled, bearing an eerie resemblance to a banshee’s screams foreshadowing somebody’s death. It picked up leaves and sticks and beat them furiously against Lockaria House, and rattled the windows.

The guests slept soundly, oblivious to the raging wind outside, their soft snores echoing around the silent house. This lasted until somewhere around midnight, when one guest awoke, gasping for air.

The wind had since died down, and only the occasional bluster could be heard, gently carrying leaves around the lawn. The guest rubbed their tired eyes, wondering why they had woken up. It had been a nightmare, they knew that much. But they couldn’t quite remember what it had been about. 

They hungered for fresh air, so they tugged on a jacket and a pair of old shoes and trod softly across the hall to the balcony. The guest rested their arms on the railing, letting the wind run its fingers through their hair. A smile flitted across their face. There was certainly something ethereal about being the only one up this late at night, and it filled them with a rush of adrenaline and a desire for adventure. 

They went back inside, crept down the staircase, and out the front door. If Socie knew they were doing this, well, they didn’t really know what she would do. Honestly, they didn’t really know what to make of their host. She seemed nice, sure, but the guest didn’t know what she was hiding behind her smile. 

The guest stepped off the manicured lawn and into the woods beyond. Although it was the middle of the night, the moon was a full ghostly orb hanging above the treetops, casting its bright white light over the trees and lighting a clear path for the guest. 

The forest floor was soft, covered with pine needles and wet leaves, and the guest’s footsteps were muted. The trees shook with a gentle wind, and they thought they heard someone - or something - whispering. It started off quiet, but then the whisper started to swell, invading their thoughts. 

Spinning around, the guest turned to face whatever was making that sound. There was nothing. You’re being silly, they chided themselves. It’s your own fault for being in the woods at night with your overactive imagination. Yes, they were certainly imagining all these things. An owl’s solemn hoot was just that - not a vengeful spirit, and a raven’s cry was definitely not the mischievous poltergeist they first thought it to be. They pinched the bridge of their nose. Perhaps they should head back to Lockaria House and to bed. Yeah, that was a good plan. 

They took one step in the direction they believed to be toward Lockaria House, and abruptly stopped, listening. The forest had gone still - the birds stopped chirping, the wind stopped blowing, the leaves stopped shaking. It was as if somebody had hit the pause button on the world, and everything froze but them.

“Hello?” they called into the silence, ignoring the increasing feeling of unease filling their stomach. Only their own voice came back, an eerie echo. Hello, hello, hello. 

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocked into them from behind and sent them falling to their knees. The guest was encircled by dancing green and purple lights like the aurora borealis. They were curled up in the fetal position, their arms shielding their face from the billowing ribbons of color. Their protective arms, however, could not stop the horrible pain in their head. It felt as if somebody was hammering into their head, each thunderous throb reverberating around their skull. 

Throughout all of this, they felt knowledge flooding their mind, and with each new piece of information gained, they hungered for more. Thoughts swirled through their head, thoughts that were not their own, thoughts that possessed them, teased them, tortured them, thoughts that threatened to tear them apart. They felt an anger burning white-hot in the back of their mind, an anger that had not been there before. 

They screamed, and their scream went unheard, and it did nothing to ease the agony being faced both inside and out of their body.

The guest looked up, their features sharp and twisted, eyes burning with a fierce flame, and a wicked grin that did not belong on their face. 

~~~

Dead: 0

Alive: 17 

submitted by Socie Grishelm, age Forgotten, Lockaria House
(May 4, 2022 - 12:06 pm)

whoawhoawhoawhoaWHOA

THAT IS SO COOL

THE PIECE AT THE END WAS SO COOL ESPECIALLY and the way the WORDS moved seemed all twisty and adrenaline-y and totally gave me the FEEL of it and--

WHOA

:0 

submitted by Tsuki the Skywolf
(May 4, 2022 - 4:57 pm)

Oooooohhh... there will soon be a victim o_O

submitted by Darkling , Area 51
(May 4, 2022 - 5:18 pm)

Oh that sounds lil bit like someone's possesed. Just a bit. I'm sure nothing bad will come from this! 

(But actually, this is really good writing!! Such good descriptions of the creepy vibes!) 

submitted by Script
(May 4, 2022 - 6:13 pm)

Ooh, I love this! The description is on point and the story is very intriguing and mysterious. Can't wait for the next part! 

submitted by Periwinkle, age Pi, Somewhere in the stars
(May 4, 2022 - 6:38 pm)

IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER

THIS IS SOME OF THE BEST WRITTEN STUFF ON THE CB IVE EVER SEEN

WHO'S GONNA BE MURDERED?

WHO'S THE MURDERER?

*SCREAMS* 

submitted by Writing_in_the_dark, age 12, Valhalla
(May 4, 2022 - 9:39 pm)