Identity V | Fictober 2019

An Invitation (Prologue)

With an invitation card held between your thumb and pointer finger, you made your way through a dense forest; Eyes cast downward to the Jack-o'-lantern lit dirt path you followed.

Why were you following a path like this? You ask.

The answer is simple. A few days ago, in the early hours of the afternoon, a mysterious black cat appeared at your window with an even more mysterious black and purple striped letter in its mouth. Drawn on the flap of the letter were two red glaring eyes.

"Well, hello there. What's a darling like you doing on my windowsill?" Gently, you pull open your window so as to not frighten the cat. Knowing it got your attention, the black cat dropped the letter and leaped off the windowsill, running off to who knows where. "Wait!"

A sigh left your lips. Why would a cat listen to you? You averted your attention down to the letter it dropped and picked it up. Written at the bottom left of the letter was your name, signed in gold ink. Feeling curiosity grab hold of you, you opened the letter and pulled out an invitation card and a letter.

We cordially invite you to celebrate A Special Halloween Dance!

Date: 31st October XXXX

The penmanship on the invitation card was elegant. Whoever wrote this invitation used the same gold ink.

We look forward to your participation. On the outskirts of the town, follow the dirt path illuminated by Jack-o'-lanterns and you will find your way to the Dance.

The invitee wrote the directions to the Dance on the note. You eyed the contents of the letter with skepticism. Did anyone else receive this invite? You still had time before the date of the dance. Might as well do some investigating.

Making your way to your table, you grabbed your essentials. A notepad, a pencil, your wallet, and your keys. Those were all you needed before you set out of your apartment and towards the town square where you get most of your information from. "Ah, wait." Just as you set a foot outside, you retracted and headed back to your table to grab the letter. You can't forget this!

The town you lived in was bustling as usual. Villagers bustled back and forth, bargaining with the shopkeepers, gossiping amongst themselves, or trying to rush back home. It was nearly impossible to stop someone and ask them about a Halloween Dance that's coming up. From the invitation you had received, the penmanship was remarkable and elegant, to which it can only mean a Noble of some sort had written it.

No way were you jeopardizing this Halloween Dance by discussing it with a random gossiper.

"You look to be in a bit of a tizzy. Another scoop, I reckon?"

An energetic voice shouted out at you as a firm hand grabbed a hold of your arm, pulling you out of the crowd and towards a less crowded sidewalk. Turning around, you faced a good friend of yours. Tracy!

"Tracy, I'm glad you're here." You said with a smile. Glancing around, you gestured for her to follow you to a more private part of town. She followed along with no fuss, though she looked curious. Why were you being so secretive?

When you knew no one was listening or watching both you and Tracy, you pulled out the letter from your pocket and showed it to her; A gasp left her lips. You quickly caught on to that and grabbed her by the shoulder while shaking the letter. "Did you receive this letter too? So, it's real?" You asked her as she nodded. Well, that was easy. You didn't need to go into any bars this time to search for your favorite informant.

A guffaw escaped Tracy as her body shook. "Hahaha! Being a journalist really made you a skeptic of everything, huh? The invitation's real!" She took your letter from your hand and opened it, pulling out the invitation. "No one would have this fine a penmanship to write a fake letter." She explained to you before handing it back to you. "The invitation is the reason I'm out here today. I'm going to find some materials that I can use to make my costume for the dance."

"But... What if it's some trap?" You expressed your concern as you tucked the letter back into your pocket. You can't just go to any party, even though it might be the biggest news you can write on this Halloween.

"Don't be such a downer~, live a little!" Tracy grabbed you by the shoulders and turned you back towards the busy shopping street. "Since I'm not going alone to this dance, we need to get you a costume too!" Letting out a sigh, you let her push you around town to gather the materials needed. Maybe she was right? You weren't going to the Dance alone as you had Tracy to accompany you. What could go wrong?