ENTRY 1
All Souls’ Day, October 1st
10.33am. Finally! Neewollah Town, here I come! I had been wanting to visit their famous Jack-O-Funfest. It is one of the largest, most extravagant, and hyped-up for in the states. It has tons of activities such as Hellrider bike race, pumpkin-sledging and a haunted roller coaster ride which passes through the Wicked Valley of the East. I’m such a sucker for spooky things. Lemme just stick in a poster here.
3.33pm. Driving pass a nearly deserted toll, gushes of wind blew.
Source: https://freesound.org/s/417019/
A sudden chill went down my spine as goose bumps dotted across my skin. In my mind, I ecstatically thought, it’s gonna be fun here.
Further driving through the town, there is a welcoming banner stretched across the road which said:
“Welcome to the otherworld, where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.”
As I drove past the neighbourhood, there seems to be no one in sight. That’s weird. Isn’t this the time of the year where people should be hustling and bustling around or kids going around?
Despite the fact that the town was void of people, there were spooky decorations adorning each cottage. Coffins. Skeletons. Reapers. Pumpkins. Candles. All the sinister stuff you can name, I bet you can find them here.
*****
6.33pm. Driving mindlessly around the town, the sun had gone to take a nap. Whereas the moon and stars started to party. I was exhausted and famished after exploring the town. I started heading towards my lodging for the night.
7.33pm. Before going into my motel, I observed the door was scratched and dented with chipped brown varnish, it had a brass coloured lock and doorknob dulled with age and spiderwebs. It was like a gateway to hell. As I approached the front desk, the receptionist greeted in a deep voice and said: “well hello there”… and as he turned I saw
My first instinct was …
8.33pm I had settled down in my motel room and I must say the ambience was super on point. Love it, even the vibe that the receptionist gave off was A+.
Anyway, I talked to the receptionist during check-in earlier on to ask him regarding the unusually empty and quiet town since the Jack-O-Funfest was supposed to be an event many people raved about. He said people usually only flocked to the event space thirty minutes before the start of the festival. How weird, I thought people love to queue hours prior to the start of an event in hope that they’ll be the first in line. They can then have the time to queue again if they want to experience any attractions once more.
Oh well, I shall take his words for it now. I believed he had probably been around this area for a pretty long while. Perhaps I should take a short nap right now so that I would have more energy later for some fun.
9.33pm I’m really excited for the Funfest later on, oh man especially when I hear the clock is ticking. Like it’s telling me that I’m closer and closer to the event. NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE MY EXCITEMENT RIGHT NOW. I don’t think I can sleep anymore. Maybe I should start to prepare myself right now, some spooky-looking makeup, the witch costume which I had bought MONTHS AGO for this. This is going to be fun. HAHA.
I’m just a little sad that my friends are not interested in such things. I would have so so so so so much more fun with more people going together, you know, the more the merrier. On the brighter side, I might just meet new friends who love this kind of spooky thing, just like how I do.
10.33pm Only half an hour to the actual event! ooh I can’t wait! Just a few more touch up to my make up and I’ll be ready to go. Since it starts at 23pm, I’ll have to hurry before the queue starts snaking.
11pm I am finally at the event!!! I can’t believe this. The people are finally starting to flood in. Look at the amount of people! And all the spooky-fun games! Oh man, I wish I had brought my camcorder with me to record all this beauty. I guess I’ll have to document all these in my journal instead. But either way, Neewollah Town is soo awesome. It really lives up to its name of being the best place to be at this time of the year.
Anyway, I have to write this down before I forget. The receptionist called me earlier before I left for the event. He said there was an important parcel waiting for me at the counter and I had to go get it. I told him I was rushing for the event and would get it later but he insisted he could deliver it to my room. I wonder what’s in the parcel that’s so urgent. How did anyone find out my address anyway? I did tell my friends about the Jack O funfest but I surely didn’t tell anyone which motel I was staying in. I don’t know. Something feels fishy about the receptionist, and the motel (even though it has a perfect ambience suitable for the occasion) Oh well, I should’ve known better when I first entered that “gateway to hell” motel.
Then again, maybe I’m just being too paranoid. All the spook and scare has gotten me into a coward. I guess I’ll only know what’s in the parcel when I get back.
For now, it’s time to have fun!!!
My first instinct was to make a run for the Spook-o-Bar. I heard that their eyeball cocktails are a MUST TRY!!
The cocktails were not cheap, it cost me 33 Neepolahs for 2 cups. But sure was it worth the money.
After those 2 cups, I wanted to to try out the game booths. I didn’t know where to start, there were so many activities to choose from. Ohhhh, the chop-a-hand looks really fun! Up close, the hand looks spookily real. The goal of the game was to chop as many hands that were dangling from the ceiling as possible. If I hit the maximum number, I would earn 4 stamps!!
I really wanted to exchange for a new chainsaw at the prize booth.
Man, there were so many other games. There were also Coffin Breath-where we must hold our breath for as long as possible while lying in a coffin, Neew0 Buffet- out eat your opponent in one minute (eating earthworms), Blood Pool- finding 3 medallions in a pool full of cows blood.
Of course, at every carnival, there has to be my absolute favourite – the haunted house. I love love haunted houses, they give me the absolute creeps. I remember the time I went to a haunted island of dolls, boy was it fun.
Fun times man, fun times……
But before I could go into the haunted house, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head and before I could process what was happening, I blacked out.
Groggily I opened up my eyes, head throbbing from the pain… I took in my surroundings, I was at a first aid station of the funfest being treated for my head. Ouch… what happened? I thought to myself. Was the eyeball cocktail too much for me to handle?
These thoughts were interrupted when I heard a nurse came in. Wide opened eyes, straight face, she said to me in an ominous tone: “You may leave now, if not you can never leave”.
As I headed back to my motel room, I stopped by the reception to receive my mysterious parcel. Hands trembling, brows furrowing, lips smiling, the receptionist passed a black metal box covered in cobwebs to me. That is suspicious…My sixth sense told me something was wrong since we left the first aid area, I brushed it off as it may be one of the personas that Neewollah townspeople have.
Excitedly, I opened up the box and saw that there is an identical looking mini puppet of myself. From the proportion of my body to each strand of hair, the minute details were perfectly encapsulated by this mini-me. The only difference was she has buttoned black eyes whereas I have blue.
I placed this mini-me beside my bed and went to sleep. Being exhausted from the whole ordeal, I quickly drifted off to sleep.
******
3.33am. I woke up and realised I was…
-continued-
I was stuck, I could not move at all. The only thing I could do with my body now was to blink my eyes.
At this point, something really seemed very fishy. I felt like my body no longer belonged to my own. I tried to move my fingers, my toes, nothing could move. As I was preoccupied with my unmovable body parts, I noticed something even more amiss…
“BOO!” A familiar face suddenly appeared right in front of me and gave me a scare. As of now, I should address that person as my counterpart for identification sake.
I wanted to ask who she was but I could not talk. Before anything else, my counterpart replied,” I am you. And now, you are me. Ha ha ha ha. I can hear every single word that you want to say despite the fact that you are unable to talk now.” Suddenly, I came to this realisation that I was in a very very bad situation.
Before I saw my counterpart, I noticed that the bed that I was lying on was too big for myself. It all became crystal clear to me when she appeared and said those words.
What I could not comprehend was how the switch in our bodies occurred. What actually happened? Where could I start investigating from? Could it be the sharp pain I felt? Or could it be the nurse…?
” Stop wasting your brain power away. You’ll never find out anyway. How are you going to find it when you cannot even move? You are going to be stuck in that body forever. Mua ha ha ha ha!” My counterpart replied and walked towards the door.
As she exited the room, I observed something behind her head…
There were strings attached to her head, one to each ear. Even on her limbs, there was a pair of similar strings. Although she looked exactly the same as me, she was after all a puppet that had to be controlled by someone/something. The thought of not being able to move for perhaps the rest of my life and letting someone else take over my identity did scare me but realising that she was a puppet made things much comforting. All I needed to do was to find out the culprit who pulled these strings.
The first thought that came to my mind was, why me? Of all people in Neewollah Town, why was I the chosen one? Wait, or am I really the only one? Amidst all these doubts, I knew one thing that was certain was that I had to find a way to get out of this bed first. Of course, without my counterpart knowing.
“I am you. And now, you are me.” There had to be something connecting both of us together. For her to be able to see through me. I just had to break that affinity. I thought long and hard, then it occurred to me.
Everything was the same, from the way she dressed to the way she looked. But only the eyes – her eyes were button and black, mine blue. That means she can’t see anything at all. My existence, through my blue eyes, was how she got to see the world. She can only move around when I am awake too.
If our eyes were the key to everything, I have to find a way to put her to sleep, then cut off the strings that were controlling her. Without someone to control her, I would be able to move freely too.
It dawned on me that this was what the nurse was referring to. She was already warning me to leave before things got out of hand. She must know something. The Neewollah Town that I once thought of is no longer the same. It must be hiding a secret. I have to go to sleep. When my counterpart falls asleep too, that is when I will cut off her strings secretly and find back the nurse, ask her what all this is about. I have to get out of this town no matter what.
I closed my eyes. I thought long and hard about how to cut the strings off despite me not being able to move. It hit me. My counterpart can only move when she receives commands and only when my eyes are open. This means that my eyes acted as the receiver. If my eyes are closed, there is no way the mastermind controlling my counterpart can control her anymore.
Maybe… Maybe I could take over controlling my counterpart when my eyes are closed. I don’t know if it will work but this is my only chance. I just needed to concentrate hard enough.
I imagined myself standing up and finding my way back to the room. Within minutes, I heard the door knob rustling and the door creek open. “Its working!” I continued to imagine myself looking through my bag and taking out my pencil case. I slowly unzipped my pencil case and took out my scissors. I was excited at the thought of my plan being one step closer to success. With the scissors in hand, I imagined the strings behind my back and snipped them. Almost instantly, I felt really drowsy and I feel asleep.
When I open my eyes again, I find myself live size again and of course, able to move. I hurriedly ran towards my bag and found my counterpart lying on the floor again. To prevent myself from turning back into a doll, I dug for my lighter and was ready to burn it. At that exact moment, I could hear that someone was trying to open my door. I dropped the doll and hurriedly hid in a corner.
Two figures stepped in and picked up the doll. “She’s not here.” The first figure said. “Bring this doll back, the boss has other plans.” the other one replied.
After they left, I came out of hiding and being the stupid person I was, I decided to follow them, alone. I crept outside my room quietly and followed then through a series of hallways until I saw them enter a red door. Waiting for a few minutes, I saw them step out again and leave the premises. It was my cue to investigate this matter.
I walked towards the red door and entered it. Once inside, I closed the door and turned around. My eyes widen in fear. No way was this real..
A cabinet full of dolls…. So I was not the only victim. But why? What was his aim of doing all these? As I was still shocked by the new discovery, I heard footsteps.
“Well well well, look who do we have here, a lost sheep.”………..
It was the familiar voice of the receptionist! I knew something was fishy about him.
“Welcome to the otherworld – Halloween Town, where nightmarish creatures reign supreme!” He cackled as he stepped closer to me. I was trapped between him and the doll display, frightened of the unknown.
With a snap of his fingers, darkness invaded my eyes, it seems I was dozed to sleep. I was held captive in a room. I frantically turned my head in search of something sharp. But all I could see was the button eyes of the dolls staring back at me intently and the grand piano across the room.
“Creek…” The door was somehow left open.
A light of hope shines through like a beam so bright that I couldn’t open my eyes. And there was a chance to escape. I want to escape. I want to flee. But I couldn’t leave them behind. The Dolls. I hear their voices calling me out desperately, trying to reach out for my help.
When I look back at the dolls, I could vaguely hear music playing…. Den den den den, den den den den… Creepy Horror Song (Music Box, Piano & Simphony) „Lorelei’s Lullaby”
It was a familiar track that I used to play every day. Something inside triggered me, I walked towards the piano and started playing the song as though it was the only solution to the problem.
My fingers naturally danced across the keys, gliding through the harmony, reminiscing of my memories. I poured my soul into the song, drowning myself in the melody. As soon as the allegro of the song begins, my fingers start to play faster and faster. SNAP. SNAP. SNAP. The piano strings were being pulled out one by one as the song reaches the end. The breaking of the piano strings was symbolic as if it was cutting off invisible strings that were holding the puppet dolls in captive.
When the song ended. There were screams of joy, the souls trapped in the dolls were freed. The receptionist frantically rushed into the room only to be met with his death.
The sun rose and everything went back to normal. Or so I thought…