Chrissy Rubyflame was beyond excited. This was her very first Halloween celebration in her new school of Ravenwood in Wizard City. She had heard so many stories of how wonderful and delightfully scary it was and she could not wait to see what goodies her teachers and friends would be handing out to all the costumed wizards. Everyone she had spoken to was pretty good at keeping secrets as to whether she had to worry about any tricks being sent her way. She hoped, in the back of her mind, that it was all part of the fun of scaring the new kids but just in case she planned on having her wand at the ready in a handy inner pocket of her costume.
The magical school bell chimed 8pm and Chrissy scurried to her dorm to get ready. Having Trick or Treat begin at 9pm guaranteed the perfect amount of darkness to the scary night skies that had been conjured over Wizard City. She was really excited to get to her dorm room and get into her costume. Her choice of costume stemmed from her desire to select something that no one would ever expect of her. She figured that the furthest thing from a fire wizard is an ice wizard and to make it fun she decided to dress up as Professor Greyrose. It took a LOT of running around fetching things for Gloria Krendell before she was satisfied but it was well worth it. The costume she made her was JUST like the ice teacher’s. She considered conjuring a spell to make her hair grey but after seeing some disasters on other first year students that had tried such advanced magic, she opted to get advice from her teacher, Professor Falmea. Her fellow ginger haired teacher told her not to worry about it and that the juxtaposition of an ice costume and her fiery red hair was delightful. School pride would not be lost in her costume as she decided to use her cauldron with the Fire School logo on it as her goodie collector. The bell tolled 9 just as she finished her preparations. She adjusted her Pince-Nez and headed out of the dorm into the cold night of Ravenwood.
They had all been told that their first stop must be inside Bartleby so she headed towards the great tree. Chrissy greeted the ancient soul and wished him a happy Halloween. He rumbled a return greeting and his bark door slid open for her. She stepped inside to a transformed interior.
Decorations and streamers were everywhere and right if front of the Spiral Door was a huge caldron, that was magically heated as Bartleby would never tolerate a real fire in his sanctum. She approached the smoking concoction and read a note that every student was to enjoy one serving.
The swirling green liquid did NOT look appetizing at all but she trusted the great tree and obeyed his sign. The drink was just the right temperature with a delightful pistachio flavor. Chrissy immediately felt warm throughout her body and fully invigorated. She suspected that this was not just refreshment but a potion to protect all the Trick or Treaters from any harm from the night’s chill. There was a table full of gingerbread cupcakes with orange icing and they had Peppermint or Cinnamon Bark Treants stuck in the top of them. They were absolutely delicious.
Chrissy decided to start her adventure with her familiar school and with a comfortable confidence she stepped into the Fire School door. She was instantly startled almost out of her shoes when a phoenix dove from the rafters straight at her! It exploded into harmless confetti that she brushed from her dress as she listened to the delighted laughter of her teacher.
Professor Falmea greeted her and handed her a flaming phoenix pop that smelled and tasted just like a cinnamon bun. The flames didn’t hurt a bit and only tickled her nose as she sampled her treat. She waved a thank you to her mischievious teacher and slipped outside towards the ice school.
She had her doubts that she might offend the sweet ice professor but her fears were ungrounded. Once she got over her fright at dodging a Frost Giant that evaporated into a refreshing breeze just before the hammer connected she heard the ringing giggles of Professor Greyrose. Lydia darted around her on her fast moving wings as she inspected her costume and announced with a laugh that she had nailed it. Chrissy could not stop grinning at the ice professor’s delight. Professor Greyrose dropped several candy Snow Angels into her caldron sent her off with a cheerful “Happy Halloween my dear”. Chrissy thanked her and slipped outside and opened one for a sample. It was the smoothest white chocolate she had ever tasted and had a delightful cool, minty flavoring.
With a newfound air of experience she slowly opened the Storm School’s door, ready for anything. Nothing happened at all. Professor Balestrom greeted her and motioned her towards his table of crackling goodies. Just before she reached the table, with her attention fully focused on the tiny lightning bolts she was suddenly completely drenched by an instantaneous tempest that sprang from under the table. Chrissy stood there sputtering and shaking water from her hat as the maniacally cackling storm teacher waved his wand and all the water evaporated with a pop. She couldn’t help but chuckle at his cleverness and nodded to him, “Well played Sir, very well played.” “Thank you young Christina, you were an excellent sport. Please help yourself to my Thunderous Cotton Candy.” Chrissy again studied the clever lightning bolts dancing over the top of the candy and sampled a taste and was surprised to feel the candy crackle and explode in her mouth much like the Pop Rocks she had enjoyed back home.
A light hearted Chrissy skipped out of the Storm School and with a cheery wave at Bartleby she headed for the Life School. She liked Professor Woo and was excited to see what she had in store for the revelers. She stepped into the classroom and was instantly engulfed by giggle fairies that showered her with Pixie Dust and Chrissy could barely walk as she was laughing so hard. She received a warm hug from Professor Woo and thanked her for the handful of Unicorn Candies the Life teacher dropped into her caldron. Still snickering she excitedly unwrapped one and was rewarded with a chocolate that melted in her mouth with an explosion of flavor that made her feel healthy enough to even tackle the next school with confidence. The Myth School.
She took a deep breath and fully dreading what she knew was coming, she stepped into the classroom
and sure enough the Humongofrog was right there, in the act of barfing all over her. Ewwwwwwww! She heard a wicked sounding snicker and dripping with the frog’s last meal, she greeted Professor Drake. It took all her self control to remain as polite as he always insisted on and with a bored wave of his wand he reversed the spell. “You expected anything less?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. ” No Sir” she carefully answered and she was startled to see a slight smile form on his face. He dropped some bizarre looking candies into her caldron and dismissed her with a wave. She knew she was wise to wait until she got outside to look at them for she started giggling uncontrollably. Leave it to Professor Drake to have a candy made that looked just like him. What made it hysterical was that it was made in the image of a MUCH younger man. He actually had an Afro hairstyle. Chrissy opened one for a taste and sure enough it was bittersweet dark chocolate. She smiled. Good thing she adored dark chocolate.
She skipped back along the path and gave Bartleby a cheery wave as he opened his door so she could get to the spiral gate. She used her key to get to Krokotopia then took the ship to the Balance School. She hopped down the ladder to visit Alhazred. Halfway down she encountered a problem. A sudden sandstorm whooshed up and she was trapped in the center of it. The sandstorm started moving all around the room. Chrissy was laughing and said “I feel like Dorothy Gale right now.” The sandstorm trembled as if it were laughing at her joke and then it very carefully deposited her right beside the gentle Professor Alhazred. “I am so glad you enjoyed your ride.” he chuckled. “You seem to always take the unexpected and make it something fun. Well done young Christina.” Chrissy smiled at his praise and thanked him. “I expect you are here to celebrate Trick or Treat?” he said with a toothy grin. “Indeed I am.” she returned with her own sweet smile. “Trick or Treat!” The Balance Professor tossed a handful of candies into her caldron and wished her a wonderful Halloween. “Thank you SO much Professor Alhazred.” she said with a wave and clambered back up the ladder. Once up top she inspected her latest haul and was delighted to see candy Hydras. She opened one and nibbled just a bit and found out that one head was strawberry flavored, one was peppermint and the last was grape flavored. “I just love magic” Chrissy whispered as she used her teleportation spell to shortcut to her dorm room. She looked around with a contented smile and slipped through the door to continue in the Halloween fun.
Chrissy scurried back through Ravenwood and with an automatic yet sincere wave at Bartleby she entered the tunnel to The Commons. Jack Hallow saw her exit the tunnel and waved her over with a fiery grin. “Welcome young Christina. How is your Trick or Treating going?” “It’s been really fun” Chrissy replied, “Surprising but fun.” “Well I have a little something for you to remember me by” he said as he shook some packages out of his sleeve and into her caldron. “Thank you she giggled as she admired the smiling Jack o’ Lanterns in the package.
Chrissy dropped the candy pumpkins back into her caldron and jogged around the pond to one of her favorite friends in The Spiral, Prospector Zeke. He always gave the best hugs and did not disappoint her with his bear hugging hello. Zeke had a special fondness for Christina and her practical jokes and even when he pretended to be angry over her scaring him. He could not keep the twinkle out of his eye when it came to her pranks for it just made him remember his younger days when his shenanigans were even worse than hers, although he would never let that little tidbit slip. “I have a special surprise for you Little Pyromancer.” Zeke reached into his backpack and pulled out a rolled parchment. “Some of my little buddies have formed a band and they will be performing here for the Christmas Ball. Here is one of their posters for your dorm room.” “Ohhh thank you Mister Zeke” Chrissy cooed as she unrolled and admired the poster that would soon adorn a spot of honor in her dorm room. She carefully rolled it up and stashed it in her caldron. With another bone crushing Zeke hug she happily headed across the bridge towards Unicorn Way to talk to her beloved dueling instructor.
Chrissy summoned Wildfire, her Crystal Unicorn mount to gallop to Diego as she knew it would delight him to see her love for the magical creature that personified his noble race. Wildfire adored the dueling master and gave a mighty leap to gracefully land in front of him and she very gently touched horn tips with Diego. He smiled and gave Wildfire some well appreciated scritches around the base of her horn and slipped her a sugar cube. “What brings you here on a fine Halloween evening my powerful protégé?” Chrissy smiled at his innocent look. “Trick or Treat” she sang and waited to see what he would do. “First show me a trick” he said and handed his sword towards her. She smiled and dismounted, took the sword with a bow and flawlessly performed every sword tossing lesson he had taught her and ended it with a graceful salute to her fencing Master. Diego applauded and declared “Such fine swordsmanship deserves a special Halloween sword” He reached behind his back and with a flourish he presented her with a lovely and delicate sugar sword. “Oh thank you Sir, it is too lovely to eat.” Diego smiled at her gratefulness and said “I agree it is a work of art but it was conjured for your enjoyment. A feast to the eyes as well as the tongue. Please savor every part of it.” “Yes Sir!” she replied and gave the sword a tentative lick. It tasted sweeter than honey and as delicate as a rose petal. She carefully placed it in her packed caldron and gave a low dancers bow with a flourish of her flowered hat to Diego and swung up on Wildfire who reared dramatically and cantered back towards The Rainbow Bridge and the Death School hidden behind the waterfall.
As much as many students seemed t
o shy away from the Necromancer arts, they didn’t seem to bother Chrissy. One of the best reasons was Dworgyn. He was such a loveable soul. His dedication to the school was legendary and she knew that in spite of his appearance, he had a heart of pure gold. She dismounted and stepped through the waterfall and took the tunnel to the Death School. The windows were cheerfully lit and she went into the door without hesitation. As soon as the door clicked shut the lights snapped out and huge red eyes blinked at her from the corner of the room. She heard a low moan and the eyes started advancing on her. Chrissy was delightfully scared and gave a credible squeal as she pretended to be terrified. The red eyes suddenly split and slid towards the floor. The lights came on and there was Dworgyn, covered in a black cape with a red lantern in each hand. “Ohh did I really scare you?” he sputtered through his giggling. “Oh I thought I was bound for the underworld for sure!” she gasped. Dworgyn cackled and looked at her with concern. “You weren’t REALLY that terrified, were you?” “Oh no” she quipped,” I was only scared enough to make it delightfully fun.” “Well said Young Christina” Dworgyn laughed. “You have indeed earned your treat.” He reached into his caldron and pulled out a lovely sugar skull necklace and placed it around her neck. “Each one has a different flavoring so you will enjoy them all equally.” “They are truly beautiful and I thank you from the bottom of my terrified heart” Chrissy said with a grin. Dworgyn smiled and gave her a tender hug and asked her not to tell anyone what was waiting for them at the Death School. “My lips are sealed” she promised and slipped out the door and through the waterfall and turned towards Gamma’s Chamber.
Gamma’s Chamber was one of the most magical places for Chrissy and she always quietly slipped in with a sense of reverence as she slowly approached the rotating, levitated 3D map of The Spiral. Gamma appreciated her awe and always waited until she had satisfied her sense of wonder before hooting a greeting. Chrissy always had the best talks with Gamma learned so many wonderful things from him that were not in any teacher’s syllabus. “I have a special gift prepared for you Young Chrissy.” Chrissy always loved it that Gamma used her nickname like a fond term of endearment. “I crafted this just for you and I expect to see you make it’s match before you graduate.” Her curiosity fully piqued she was fairly bursting with excitement as she watched Gamma slowly yet very carefully pull something shiny from under his wing. Chrissy gasped with wonder. Gamma proudly presented her with a gorgeous glass egg with a miniature model of The Spiral gently spinning inside of it. It was nestled in a soft nest to shield and stabilize it. Chrissy’s eyes sparkled with wonder as she carefully accepted her priceless gift. “I cannot begin to ever thank you enough Gamma!” she gushed. Gamma was thoroughly pleased with her reaction and to him, nothing was worth more. “You are quite welcome. Enjoy it as you dream your wonderful dreams.” Chrissy VERY carefully nestled the egg in the center of her caldron to protect it and blew Gamma a grateful kiss as she joyously walked to the Headmaster’s door.
The Headmaster’s office was such a fascinating place for Chrissy. It was always packed with the most amazing things and books on the most wonderful subjects. She loved her Headmaster and trusted his wisdom without reservation. He looked up from the trunk he was digging through. “Ahh, I wondered when I would be seeing my favorite student this fine Halloween Evening.” Chrissy blushed under his praise and said “Happy Halloween Sir. Trick or Treat” she said with a wry smile. He gave a knowing grin and said I have a very special treat for you young Christina. Your studies have been going so well that I think you deserve a field trip. A field trip of your dreams.” Chrissy wondered where in The Spiral he could be referring to. “He raised an eyebrow and said, “You have shown wisdom beyond your years and I think it is time you trusted your magical instincts and let your heart lead you.” He lifted an ornate box from the bottom of the chest and handed it to her. Chrissy marveled at the intricate carvings and slowly lifted the lid. Inside was a gorgeous golden key with a spiral symbol in the head. There were no world runes carved into it to tell her what Spiral door this opened and she looked up with a question in her eyes. Headmaster Ambrose smiled at her noticing the missing runes. “Not much gets by you young Christina.” he said with a chuckle. That key will only work once and it will open any World Door in The Spiral. You may go wherever your heart desires in the whole of The Spiral to further your adventures and learning. Choose well and have a glorious time.” He smiled and gave her an engulfing, fatherly hug. With a tear in her eye, she slipped out of his office and clutching her treasures she headed for her dorm room.
Chrissy came through the tunnel and gave one last goodnight wave to Bartleby and with a wondrous grin still plastered on her face, she slipped into her dorm room. She set her caldron down on her desk and took out Zeke’s poster and hung it in the best place on the wall. She cleared the books from her standing pedestal and polished it clean and then with great reverence, placed the glass Spiral egg with it’s nest in the center of the stand. She then cast a protection spell over it so that nothing could crash into it. She changed into her jammies and slipped happily into her comfy bed and used her wand to extinguish the lights. “This was the best Halloween EVER!” she whispered as she watched the beautiful spiral rotate until she drifted off into Wizard101 dreamland with the sweetest smile lingering on her face.
