Fiction Challenge: Trick or Trick!

[Glitch Girl]

Just in time for October, it's a new fiction challenge!   :thumbup:

Challenge:
The theme is "Trickster" and "Tricks".

Your story must feature a trickster of some kind as a key element.  It can be any form of trickster, from legendary and mythological to something more modern.  For added challenge, your story must be set on or around Halloween night.

Otherwise, you may set this story in any era and any place, as long as there is some elements of the "superhero genre" in there.  You may NOT use any character from existing comic companies, such as Marvel, DC, Image, Darkhorse, Oni, etc.  You may use characters from Freedom Reborn, provided you get permission first from the creator.

Your story must be at LEAST 300 words, and no more than two posts worth of words (a post is 20,000 characters).  Please spellcheck and grammar check before you post, as both count.  Do not post Works in Progress, however minor edits up until the deadline are okay. I will assume that anything you post is the final version though.  Please try to keep content within the PG/PG-13 area (ie: no gratuitous swearing/violence/sex)  If you think what you wrote MIGHT be over the line, then don't do it.  Stories will be judges on use of theme, originality, quality of writing, and the ever hard-to-define "does it work" element.  :)  You must write the story yourself, however, you can ask someone else to proofread it and/or edit it. 

The deadline is Friday, Novemeber 2 at 11:59 PM CST
Judges will be me, Direwolf, and for a change, someone new who's from offsite (and an old friend of mine so no worries :D ). 

Prize:
$25 gift certificate to either Powell's, Amazon, or possibly ThinkGeek, your choice

Best of luck all!  Now get out there and start writing!

UPDATE Oct 31 - Deadline extension

[Uncle Yuan]

And here I am with last year's Halloween Challenge still half done . . .

I'll get around to finishing it soon.  Really.

[RTTingle]

I'll get around to finishing it soon.  Really.

I believe you!

RTT

[BlueBard]

I'm considering whether to continue what seems to be becoming a tradition with me (seasonal-based 'Fred' tales) or to sit this one out.

Probably sit out unless I can think up a premise that grabs me.

You go, Yuan!  Git R Done!

[Glitch Girl]

15 day warning!  [cracks whip]  Write faster!  :twisted:

[Glitch Girl]

Wow, it's looking lonely here.  Less than a week left folks!  Getcher entries in!

[BlueBard]

I got nothin.  Sorry.

[RTTingle]

I got nothin.  Sorry.

:blink:

RTT

[Glitch Girl]

I've had a request for an extension, and considering that so far I've got nothing to judge, I think that'll be okay.

The witching hour is now November 2nd at Midnight.  Write fast!  :)

[Viking]

For the record, I am working on an entry, and am glad to hear that at least someone else is, too.

This has definitely been one of the more challenging challenges for me!

[BentonGrey]

I'm in a creative writing class which has me cranking out a short story every week, or I would take a crack at this. :P

[Viking]

With Catlike Tread

A clatter echoed through the streets as the oaken truncheon fell to the cobblestones.  Constable Anderton silently cursed himself as he bent down to retrieve the weapon.  He wasn't normally prone to nervous fidgeting or dropping his equipment, but he had reason to be on edge tonight.  All of the force did.

Despite the chill evening fog, Constable Anderton found himself sweating.  The young constable wiped his brow self-consciously as he rounded the corner onto Cromwell Road to report to his superior.

"All's clear so far, Chief," he stated dutifully.

An noncommital grunt issued in response from the senior officer.  Obscured by the immaculately groomed gray moustache, it was hard to tell if Chief Constable Livingstone's lips even moved.  The rest of his face fit his namesake as well – graying hair, steel-grey eyes, and firm chiseled features.  The Chief Constable seemed to mirror one of the gargoyles on the edifice they were watching.

"D'you think she'll actually come?" inquired Constable Anderton, whose face was positively cherubic in comparison to Livingstone's.

"As sure as the night fog falls in the lonesome October," replied Livingstone, his watchful eye never faltering from the London Natural History Museum.  "Our little missy seems to like to make a game of this."

Constable Anderton's gaze dropped curiously to the card that Livingstone held in a gloved hand.  The Chief Constable's own gaze remained unwavering on the museum as he wordlessly passed the card to the junior constable.

After a moment's hesitation, Anderton took the proffered card.  The card's border was artistically rendered as twisting ivy in a bold contrast of pink and purple, while the lettering was inked with an impeccable calligraphy.

My fondest greetings to London's constabulary:

The Tiger's Eye gemstone of the Natural History Museum has caught my fancy.  I shall arrive at 9:00 PM tonight to steal it.

Courteously Yours,
The Cheshire Cat

Turning the card over revealed a crazily grinning cat's head embossed on the other side, also rendered in a pink and purple coloration.

Constable Anderton nearly dropped the card in surprise as a distant bell tolled the ninth hour.  His body tensed with an uncertain anticipation.  In contrast, the only indication of any tension on Livingstone's part was a faint narrowing of his eyes.  The ominous tolling of the bell finally trailed off, leaving the constables to maintain their vigil in a lingering silence.

A piercing police whistle broke the silence, and was soon echoed by a chorus of answering whistles.  From assorted directions, constables swarmed the museum in a flurry of blue overcoats and domed helmets.  Constable Anderton shifted his weight to the jimmies of his feet, ready to break into a run, but a hand from the Chief Constable held him back.

"Easy, lad," he cautioned, his gaze still locked on the museum.  "Our little missy won't be coming out on the ground floor, unless I miss my guess."

Constable Anderton followed his chief's gaze and nervously held his position.  He spotted the oddity just moments after Livingstone.

It was in one of the oversized paneled windows on the top story of the museum.  A large panel of glass slowly slid away from the rest of the frame, as if being carefully removed.  However, there was no sight of the person responsible.

Nearly a minute later, the pair of constables saw a shimmer of light on the rooftop of the museum.  Winking into view was a female figure, dressed in a glimmering, form-fitting suit of purple and pink.  She waved cheerily at them from a distance.  Moonlight glinted off of her suit with a rippling effect, and the woman vanished from view.

"Damn and blast," muttered Chief Constable Livingstone.  "We're not dealing with an ordinary cat burglar, Anderton.  This is one for the higher-ups."

Constable Anderton could only nod in stunned agreement.

*****************************

"Good Lord, Nigel!  How many outfits does a superhero need?" fumed Leonard.

"One can never be too prepared, Master Fairfax," remarked his faithful butler.

The leonine avenger stood uncomfortably in a dressing room of Castle Fairfax, thick folds of red and blue fabric hanging loosely over his large torso.  His butler, Nigel, was on his knees, marking the necessary alterations to his lordship's trousers with a small piece of soap.

Leonard looked morosely into one of the many ornate, full-length mirrors in the room.  It caught his reflection from the other mirrors, infinitely repeating variations of his doleful expression.

"I look like a load of sodding laundry!" he grumbled.

"Oh come now," remarked a much lighter voice from the room's entrance.  "You know it will look smashing once Nigel has finished with the details.  And besides, nobility is expected to set fashion trends, so why should it be different for noble heroes?"

"Just so, Mistress Elsie," remarked Nigel, as he gracefully rose to his feet, marking that final alteration points on the fabric.

Leonard glowered as his younger sister, briefly showing his fangs.

"Stop encouraging him," he rumbled.  "Or he'll make me stand through another fitting."

A series of chimes sounded throughout the castle, heralding the arrival of a visitor.

"It would seem that you have been spared from such a fate, milord," remarked Nigel blandly.  "Shall I make our guest comfortable in the sitting room while you properly attire yourself?"

Leonard grunted his assent, and the silver-haired butler briskly left the room, giving a fond nod to Elsie in passing.  Leonard wasted no time in moving behind a dressing screen so that he could shed the outfit-in-progress and don more comfortable clothes.  Elsie remained just outside the room as she continued chatting with her brother.

"You shouldn't carry on so in front of Nigel like that," she admonished.  "He takes his tailoring as seriously as his butlering.  It's practically a sacred calling for him."

"So sayeth my sister, who has imposed upon him to craft six variations of her costume!" called out Leonard, casually tossing the half-finished outfit over the dressing screen.

"Seven," corrected Elsie with an impish grin.

This answer prompted Leonard to look over the dressing screen in stunned disbelief.  He spotted Elsie in the open doorway, showing off her latest variation.  Over a sleek and shimmering bodysuit of silver, Elsie wore a high-slit gown of a deep, velvety purple.  Leonard couldn't help but notice that she had designed another mask with Nigel's help as well.  Designed to cover the upper half of her face without impeding her flowing, white-blonde hair, the finely-wrought mask was also a gleaming silver, with small grey feathers accenting the edges, and the Unicorn's signature ivory horn extended from the section covering her forehead.

"Good God, woman!" complained Leonard, ducking back behind the dressing screen.  "Don't you have anything better to do than pester poor Nigel in the name of fashion?"

"He enjoys it," retorted Elsie merrily.  "Besides, it's in the spirit of Halloween!"

Leonard simply grumbled incoherently in response, emerging from behind the dressing screen shortly afterwards.  In stark contrast to Elsie, he had opted to wear a set of beige trousers and an airy, loose fitting white shirt.  For all its simplicity, the casual ensemble still looked impressive on Leonard, and smacked of Nigel's influence.

"I'll never understand your need for fancy ornamentation," he groused as he made his way towards the door.  "Give me simple comfort any day of the week."

Elsie politely said nothing, but smiled and followed her brother to greet their visitor.

*******************************

Said visitor turned out to be Miss Primrose, their liaison with Britain's Secret Service, MI-6.  Unlike Leonard and Elsie, Miss Primrose was not sporting a new fashion in honor of Halloween, but was wearing her traditional dark suit and wire-rimmed spectacles.  Nigel, ever the efficient butler, had already prepared the tea service by the time Leonard and Elsie arrived.  Miss Primrose had already seated herself and had begun spreading a set of folders across a coffee table, a sure sign that a new mission was afoot.

"Apologies for the short notice," she began, "but events have been moving quite rapidly as of late, and required an immediate briefing."

Leonard had come to take such last-minute briefings in stride.  "So what's the dire threat this time?" he inquired casually.  "Demon worshipers?  Werewolves?  Restless spirits risen from the graves?  Or have those annoying Yanks come to play Trick-or-Treat in our yard and gotten a little too noisy?"

The last comment drew a sharp glare from Elsie by way of reprisal.

"Nothing of that sort," remarked Miss Primrose.  "Your target this evening is a rather flamboyant thief who has gotten a fair amount of publicity as of late."

"This 'Cheshire Cat' that I've been reading about in the papers?" guessed Elsie.  "The one who leaves the police with a calling card a few hours in advance of each crime?"

"The very same," confirmed Miss Primrose.  "Until recently, we had thought the criminal merely to be a highly talented thief, easily within the purview of the constabulary.  The latest intelligence, however, has caught our attention."

"Chief Constable Livingstone sent us a report this morning of the Cheshire Cat's latest theft.  He confirmed having spotted her leaving the scene.  Claimed that she 'disappeared from view,' in the literal sense of the word.  The Chief Constable is a man known for impeccable precision in his descriptions, so we do not believe this to be an exaggeration."

"What – this thief turned invisible before his eyes?" queried Leonard in fascination.

"Just so," answered Miss Primrose, as she reached to open another folder.  "Cross-checking with some of our other investigations, we found a disturbing bit of corroborating evidence.  Reports indicate that French industrialist Gerard Duvallier had been funding the development of a prototype invisibility suit – said suit being developed in the British branch of one of his corporations.  Coincidentally, this suit went missing just before the Cheshire Cat's string of high-profile thefts began."

Leonard's eyes narrowed in appreciation of the obvious connection.

"So – our mission is to bring in this Cheshire Cat, thus giving the boys in MI-6 a chance to play around with a new technological toy, as well as determine whether the 'disappearance' of the suit was chance, or deliberate?" he inquired.

"Quite," replied Miss Primrose.  "Though the importance extends further, hence the urgency.  The fact that the Cheshire Cat advertises her thefts before committing them undermines public confidence in Britain's law enforcement capabilities.  Her latest challenge is... quite a step above her previous ones."

Miss Primrose held a card out to Elsie.  It was embossed with a grinning cat's face, in pink and purple.  Curious, Elsie accepted the card and flipped it over.

Affectionate greetings to the analysts of MI-6:

Having grown bored with the London constabulary, I am in search of a more entertaining target.  Please inform the Unicorn that I shall come to steal her ivory horn at the Masquerade Ball in the Royal Opera House, at 11 PM this evening.

The Lion, of course, is most welcome to attend as well.

Courteously Yours,
The Cheshire Cat

*************************************

The Royal Opera House had always boasted a fantastic attendance for its Masquerade Ball for several decades running, and this evening was no exception.  It contained a grand ballroom, normally used for receptions after the opening night of certain performances, and was easily adapted for the evening's festivities.  Great, gleaming chandeliers of glass illuminated the floors below, which were filled with colorfully-dressed guests.  Though no theme for the masquerade was ever imposed, the majority of the guests typically bedecked themselves as famous operatic characters.  This was only natural, for the chartered orchestra always provided the background music for the event, and would inevitably begin taking requests from guests who wished to sing an impromptu aria or chorus of their choosing.

Leonard and Elsie Fairfax had come in their capacity as the Lion and the Unicorn.  They had both considered the option of not attending the event in light of the Cheshire Cat's calling card... for all of three seconds.  Their attendance was expected, and bowing out of this party would have been a resounding blow to the public image of MI-6.  Such lofty reasons were purely secondary, however - neither was the sort to back down from a challenge.

While Elsie was still wearing her stunning ensemble, Leonard had managed to improvise a dashing costume, courtesy of Niles' ingenuity.  Still wearing his beige trousers and airy white shirt, Leonard also now sported a red silk sash about his waist, an oversized pair of black boots, and a wide-brimmed hat with a brilliant red plume.  To any who inquired of his costume, he easily replied that he had come as the fairy-tale character, Puss-In-Boots.

The evening progressed with a growing excitement rippling through the attendees.  Not only had MI-Six received a calling card with the Cheshire Cat's challenge, but so had the London Constabulary, and a variety of other public figures.  Word of the challenge leaked all too easily amongst the guests, and Leonard and Elsie became the center of attention.

As the hour of eleven o' clock drew near, Leonard flashed a roguish grin as he approached the orchestra with a specific request.  The hubbub of the crowd dropped to a series of low murmurs, as the assembled guests either wondered what the leonine avenger would propose, or marveled that they never knew he could sing.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen!" he called out, his voice easily projecting to the far reaches of the room without need for a microphone.  "I would be much obliged if all the men would care to join me in a rousing chorus of Gilbert & Sullivan's 'With Catlike Tread'!"

The request drew a roar of laughter, to be followed by enthusiastic applause.  Like many of Gilbert & Sullivan's works, it was a song that turned a concept neatly on its head.  The lyrics of the song depicted a group of pirates, stealthily making their way to attempt a theft.  The music and singing, however, were meant to be performed at a powerful fortissimo, punctuated by loud stamping of the feet.

Leonard caught Elsie's eye and gave her a knowing wink.  Let's see if we figured our prey correctly, he thought silently to himself.  The trumpets of the orchestra then began the tune with a mighty fanfare...

With catlike tread,
STAMP!
Upon our prey we steal!
STAMP!
In silence dread,
STAMP!
Our cautious way we feel!
STAMP!
No sound at all!
STAMP!
We never speak a word!
STAMP!
A fly's footfall would be distinctly heard!

Such was the volume of the raucous, enthusiastic singing, that the tolling of the eleventh hour went unheard by all.  For the moment, all eyes were on Leonard, and the entire crowd was distracted from any thought of the Cheshire Cat.

Or rather, nearly the entire crowd was distracted from any thought of the Cheshire Cat.  It took all of Elsie's self-control to keep her gaze on her brother as she felt a slight lessening of weight from the forehead of her mask.  She bit back a grin, concentrating on the song until it proceeded to its rousing conclusion.

Even after the song's conclusion, it was several moments until the enthusiastic applause died down enough for the nearest bystanders to notice that the Unicorn's horn had gone missing.  A wave of dismay swiftly worked its way through the crowd.

As if on cue, one of the great glass windows to the ballroom was flung outwards, allowing a chill breeze to sweep in.  Light glinted in the window's open frame, coalescing into a female form, clad in a suit of shimmering, pink and purple fabric interwoven in a pattern of diamonds.  The thief bowed theatrically, and prepared to leap from the window and into the night.

Leonard flashed another grin – this time, one of a predator.  Reaching into his sash, he produced a remote control with a button, which he pressed with a theatrical flourish of his own.

The ivory horn in the thief's hand exploded in a blast of plaster, and powder.  The Cheshire Cat gave a surprised yelp, and her costume swiftly reflected a familiar glimmer of light as it began to fade from view.  This time, however, the disappearance was incomplete, as the chalky residue still faintly traced an outline of the thief as she leapt from the window.

A wide smile on his face, Leonard gave a partial bow across the room to Elsie, gesturing towards the open window with an outstretched palm.  His sister, in turn, produced another ivory horn, previously concealed beneath her flowing gown, and attached it to her mask.  A flash of brilliant light flared around the Unicorn as she teleported out of the ballroom, in pursuit of the thief.

A few seconds later, a brief flash of silvery light could be seen from outside the window, accompanied by a zapping noise that just managed to carry over the confused exclamations of the guests.  It was followed by a strangled yelp.

Before the attendees had the time to press around the open window, there was a final flare of brilliant light that erupted next to where Leonard was standing.  The crowd's collective gaze was arrested by the sudden reappearance of Elsie next to her brother, firmly gripping the limp, unconscious body of the Cheshire Cat.

Leonard graciously ceded the floor to Elsie, accepting guardianship of the Cheshire Cat while Elsie stepped up to a microphone to address the guests.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," she announced, "This concludes our performance for this evening.  We hope that you enjoy the rest of the Masquerade, and have a Happy Halloween!"

Thunderous applause resounded through the ballroom as Leonard and Elsie escorted their prisoner out of the Royal Opera House, and into the custody of a waiting squadron of MI-6 officers, accompanied by Miss Primrose.

"Your gambit seems to have played out splendidly," she remarked, favoring them with a small smile.

"Well, it was clear that we were dealing with a trickster at heart," responded Elsie, as she reached up to tousle Leonard's mane.  Leonard, in turn, draped a massive arm over Elsie's shoulder to draw her into a brotherly hug.

"And any brother and sister that grow up playing pranks on each other ought to know what every trickster wants," added Leonard.  "Namely, an audience.  That chorus number was a perfect distraction to steal something, but unfortunately for her, it outshone her own performance.  She had to wait until it ended to make her triumphant exit.  Which was just the moment we were waiting for."

This won another small smile of approval from Miss Primrose.  "Bravo, Lion and Unicorn.  I trust your encore performances will prove just as entertaining."

[Uncle Yuan]

Ooooo - always a thrill to read another Lion and Unicorn story!   :thumbup:

[Premonitioner]

Nice (and only) entry, sir viking. Looks like ya won again, no? ^_^

[Glitch Girl]

Indeed he has.  Congrats Viking, the one and only entry, but still worthy of a prize.  I'll be sending that off as soon as I get home tonight. 

Ah well, I guess there's always next time.  Until then, happy writing!

[Viking]

Sigh... I really wish there had been more entries.  I guess schedules were just really hectic all around.

For my part, I wasn't exaggerating when I said that this was a difficult challenge for me.  I spent the better part of a week trying to dream up an appropriate trickster character that could thematically fit the characters I knew how to write.  And then another two weeks figuring out how to structure the plot.

The thing about tricksters, is that they don't have the same simple motivations that most stock adversaries have.  And well-written tricksters kinda need to be pulled off with artistic flair and/or humor.

I knew from the start that I wanted to write another Lion and Unicorn story, so I set my mind to thinking about characters from English Literature.  I toyed with the idea of basing something off of Puck, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, but I just didn't have the inspiration to do justice to Puck's level of frivolousness.  Plus, I couldn't think of why a Puck-like character would be creating mischief in England, or how he would have gotten there in the first place.

The Cheshire Cat worked as a concept, however, and the overlapping stylistic elements then fell into place.  Memories of Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland were triggered.  The thought of a garishly colored pink-and-purple character that manages to turn invisible, all while having a huge grin, fit the trickster concept.  Invisibility, of course, suggests thievery as a natural outlet.  And, in order to better play up the trickster element, I had the trickster leave calling cards telegraphing the upcoming crimes.  Daring the authorities to play a cat-and-mouse game, as it were.

I regret not having the opportunity to do more with the Cheshire Cat in this story.  Originally, I was tinkering with having a longer story, in which the Lion and Unicorn failed to catch the thief in their first encounter.  (Which would have involved the high-profile crime of stealing a bit of jewelry from the Queen of England.)  Unfortunately, my thoughts on how to write such a story were moving much too slowly to meet the deadline, so I came up with this abbreviated version, which also seems to work.

At any rate - I would still love to get feedback and constructive criticism on my latest story.  Please let me know your thoughts on what worked, what didn't, and what could have benefited from more detail.