Fantasy & Magic: Stories & Contest Entries

Maze

"Gary, you're up next." Rance smirked as he shoved a paper bull's tail into Gary's hand and turned him towards a life size poster of a bull.

"Don't be a spoilsport." Stella squeezed Gary's arm. She was dressed as the witch she claimed to be, in bits and pieces of a witch costume that covered the minimum. She was totally the hottest girl he'd ever seen in his 16 years.

He thrilled at her touch and shrugged while she tied the blindfold on. Rance pushed him in the direction of the poster, and he waved the tail around and pinned it.

"Good one," Rance said. He and Stella looked at each other and Rance nodded slightly.

Gary took the blindfold off. His pin was close to the tail marker, but another was a tad closer. "This one is closer."

"Don't worry, there's lots of prizes," said Rance, a too-hearty grin on his handsome face. The last partygoer stuck a tail on the bull. Gary won third place. Rance handed him a wiffleball set with a bright red plastic bat.

"Let's get some punch." He whispered, "Special punch."

Stella clung to Gary's arm. He felt her soft warmth against his side. He wondered why she'd asked him to take her to Rance's Halloween party. He knew it was a one-off after she and Rance argued. They'd reconciled, but Rance insisted Gary come to the party with Stella. "I can trust you with my girl for one night, Gary," Rance said, punching him hard in the arm "Besides," Rance said, "My dad had me ask his boss's daughter, Ugly Berry, and I can't stand her, or stand her up. You know." Gary nodded.

Rance had been a surprising star on the Junior Varsity team, more touchdowns than any other high school player in the state. This year, a sophomore on Varsity, he was a star. College scouts noticed him. Stella told Gary she'd gotten a $500 gift card and a gold neck chain from scouts as gifts when they learned she was his girlfriend.

He looked Rance over. He wore some sort of ancient Greek one-shouldered chiton, belted, and just covering his bottom. His muscles were visible. Six-inch curving horns sprouted from his headband.

Gary took a cup of red punch spiked with vodka from Rance and sat on the floor by Berry, Rance's official date. A kid strummed a guitar, and sang, in a pleasant tenor voice, sad songs of people who died or lost lovers.

He took the tiniest sip of his drink. He felt the warmth from the vodka and set the cup down. He didn't like hard liquor.

Stella touched his hand, stroking her hard nails along his arm. He shivered. What does she want? He wondered.

"Finish your drink. And get me another," she said, kissing him lightly. He twitched. Rance wouldn't like that. She must have been able to read minds in addition to her witchy skills. She said, "Rance is in the kitchen, getting sandwiches. No one can see us in this corner. Besides, we have an agreement. Fun with others is OK." She kissed him again, sliding her tongue in his mouth. He kissed her back.

I'm dreaming, he thought, or maybe this is a nightmare. He stood up, took her cup and went to the refreshments. He poured his drink in a planter and refilled it with plain punch. He got a cup for Stella. Rance showed up and added vodka. A lot more in Gary's cup.

"Thanks, Rance." Gary was suddenly alert. Something was going to happen, but what? He piled sandwiches and snacks on a plate and returned to Stella. She ran her red, red lipstick over her lips, smacked them on a napkin, and checked her look in her cell camera. She patted the floor beside her, and Gary sat down. Berry was next to Gary and Rance sat on the other side of her. He pulled Berry closer. The girl slipped her arm out of his grasp and took the cup he handed her.

Berry, short for Beryl, went to the Catholic girl's school. She was short, stocky, and plain, but alert, and, he thought, clever, from the little contact they'd had that evening. She wore a bag-of-jellybeans costume, small, inflated balloons in a large plastic bag over her torso. It did very little for her, although the small candy bowl hat was appealing.