At Hells Gate: The Ritual

Everything was ready for the ritual. Boris checked his phone. it wasn't quite time yet. He rifled through his brown bag looking for his troll. The troll was elusive, and the sky was not yet bright enough to see into the bag clearly. Boris twisted the bag shut for fear of losing his troll altogether.

"Psst.... pssst! Boris!"

Boris jerked his head to the left towards a large bush. He could not see anyone there, and yet his name was hissed so very clearly by a familiar voice.

"Boris! Don't you hear me? Get in here!"

The voice hissed again. This time, Boris saw slitted yellow eyes blinking back at him from the bush.

"P-pe-penny? is that you?" Borris whispered, inching closer to the bush.

"Its me too- Bishop! Get in here!"

Two hands swiftly grabbed Borris and yanked him into the bush. Boris crashed in, his face smacked with branches and sharp leaves before landing on the hard dirt under the dome of shrubbery. He blinked through the tears stinging the scratches on his cheeks.

"OW!"

"SHHHHHH!"

Bishop covered Boris mouth with her tiny palm. Penny, Boris cat, began to purr and rub against Boris hands with her cheeks. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Boris saw Bishops stern face covered in dirt. This was most unusual, as the Bishops were very cleanly and proper people. They would never allow their children to get their hands dirty- and certainly never their faces!

Bishop slowly removed her hand from over Boris mouth and brushed her palm on a dirty brown cloak. She reached down and picked up Penny, who did not protest but stopped purring immediately. Bishop looked very serious. The amount of power and demanding demeanor her presence came with was very startling for a girl of such small stature. Though she was at least 8, she looked like a gangly and fragile 4 year old. Her fine wispy curly white hair danced about like dry dandelion fuzz in the breeze. Despite her size and stature, Bishop carried herself like a small lawyer at her best... and a conniving politician at her worst.

"Boris, we have to move quickly. Please listen to me very... very carefully. This is important."

Boris wiped his tears on the sleeve of his hoodie. He crouched next to Bishop.

"Are you- are you crying?!"

"N-n-no... my face stings is all."

Bishop took a deep breathe, " Boris, listen. I know you helped them get everything ready for the ritual.. but they forget to tell you just what would happen when the harvest moon has risen. I didn't even know until tonight exactly what the were planning!"

Boris looked at Bishop in confusion. "W-wh-what do you m-m-mean? Once the H-har-arvest moon is full, the ch-ch-chant will commence, and priest-tess will jump from the golden sw-swi-swing at the height of the b-bar in order to jump into the as-as-astral plane... to bri-b-bring back Pen-pen-penelope."

"No, no Boris, that is just what they told you. They left out the part about sacrifice. A supernatural sacrifice that will indeed bring Penelope back... will also open a gateway to hell beneath the iron dome." Bishop gripped Penny tightly, looking nervous. "My sister is not just jumping from the golden swing like last year."

"That's d-d-daft!" Boris sputtered. He couldn't believe what Bishop was telling him. Would the twins lie?

"I know what you are thinking Boris, truly. When have I ever steered you wrong?" Bishop dropped penny to her feet and shook Boris by his shoulders. "I am telling you because... because.. I care about your well being."

Penny began to purr and lean against Boris ankle. Boris looked at Penny. The only one who had stuck by his side since Penelope disappeared was Bishop. When he discovered Penny as a stray and his parents wouldn't allow her in the house, he knew he could count on Bishop to help him feed her and care for her in the tree-house.

"I know its a lot..." Bishop began slowly, ".. but please Boris... listen to me. I was suspicious when the twins started being nice to you a few months ago. I know you thought they were being nice and had turned a new leaf... but I never trusted them after the way they bullied you at school... or the way they'd mock me at home for hanging out with you."

Boris winced. He had never truly forgotten the way the twins had treated him at school. When they began going to middle school he really thought it had changed them, made them nicer somehow. even his mum had noticed, encouraging him to think of this as a blessing. She had said that being at the bottom of the food chain at a new school had probably made them see the error of their ways... It had been hard to forgive the swirlies, stolen lunches, name calling, shoving, the public humiliation over his stuttering... But he had trusted his mum. The twins had seemingly changed... Brought him sweets after school. Walked him and Bishop back to his house. Offered to watch Penny when Bishop was sick and his parents were taking him on Christmas vacation. They had even stopped other kids from making fun of his stutter. They had become... friends? Well, at least friendly.

Bishops face looked grim. She stared at Boris so intently that it unnerved him. He sighed, looking to the ground. "w-what else?" he whispered.

"Priestess... remember how she claimed to fail last year? I did some digging because I have never known the twins to fail- or to even apologize. She claimed to not go high enough and to have failed us, but I have found that she knew about this missing piece last year. She knew, and so did Priest. They aren't trying to save Penelope, they are trying to bring her back to finish their initial ritual!"

Bishop moved her face so close to Boris that their foreheads almost touched.

"They found Penelope in a different form on this plane. They are going to use this ritual to bring her back to her original form on this plane, and in doing so... they will be sacrificing her chance to be a normal child again so they can unlock a gate to hell. She will be stuck between planes in both forms... like a half ghost. They don't care about bringing her back."

Boris shook his head. "How? wh-why?"

Bishop picked up Penny. "They are trying to summon something... someone... from that gate. Having it open is the first step- and they only failed because Penelope got in the way during the first ritual... when we all just thought it was a fun game."

Boris remembered that fateful night.

Three years ago on Halloween, his best friend and neighbor Penelope King had disappeared. All of the kids had been invited to the playground built by the Bishops. The invitation had actually been to all of the families in the neighborhood to the largest Halloween party ever held at Helix Hall, the old Victorian home owned by the Kings (Penelope's parents) that sat across town by Juniper Forest. The Bishop family had purchased the community center down the street from Helix Hall and completely demolished the center and built the most beautiful playground any of the kids had ever seen. The playground had been christened by the mayor that morning on local tv, and the Bishops invited the kids to enjoy the playground while the adults and teens partied the night away at Helix Hall.

When the twins had an idea for a game they could play annually at the playground, no one questioned the game but joined in the fun. They gathered candles and their bundles of sweets and toys, sang strange songs led by the twins, and then took turns jumping from the golden swing.

Last year, when it came to Priestess turn on the swing, Penelope had just jumped off. She had run towards Bishop and & Boris who were sitting atop the dome. Boris could see her face shining in the golden light of the harvest moon... Suddenly, there had been a loud bang- The earth shook sending Boris and Bishop tumbling down the dome. When they stood up, kids were running down the road towards Helix Hall, and everyone in Helix Hall was running towards the playground. Penelope had disappeared in all the commotion. Her parents had formed search parties and looked everywhere for her. The whole town had searched high and low for her, but she had disappeared without a trace.

"Hey," Bishop said softly, "I know this is hard to hear. Penelope was your best friend... and this mess the twins have created is the pique of their chaotic evil." Bishop looked nervously towards the playground. "But we can stop them.... at least for tonight."

"but... how?" Boris sighed. "If wh-what you are s-s-saying is tr-true... " his eyes grew wide.

"Yes. I know where she is. In fact I have her." Bishop looked down at Penny, whose purring had not yet stopped. The raggedy stray stared at Bishop with her good eye, her crooked and half bare tail twitching to and fro. Her purring grew louder in Boris mind. it seemed to reverberate throughout his bones.

"NO!" he gasped.

"Yes..." Bishop replied. "Penny is Penelope... if we can just keep her away from the ritual... she'll be safe until we can figure this out."

Boris stared at Penny with his mouth agape. Could this really be his best friend? Had she been trying to tell him this all along?! Penny stopped purring to meow at Boris. Bishop was right!

"Wh-at... wh-what do we d-d-do?"

Bishop had devised a plan. She told Boris that Priestess jump had to happen at the height of the harvest moon. If they could keep Penny away from the twins until then, Penelope would be safe for at least another year... or until they found a way to reverse the state of her soul. Bishop would hide in the bush with Penny- er, Penelope, and keep her safe. Boris needed to be the distraction, but only for 20 seconds. Bishop had hoped he had brought his troll, and could utilize the troll to distract the kids on the playground. Everyone knew that trolls were all the rage this year, they had been handed out at almost every house along with typical candies one receives on Halloween. Boris troll however, was very special. Boris troll, had a green gem on his belly, yellow & green hair. However, what set the troll apart was not his hair or belly gem, but the fact that he was very much alive.

Boris loosened the grip on his bag of sweets and rustled around inside for his troll. After being bit a few times on the finger, Bishop helped coax the troll out. The troll seemed to like the sound of Bishop's voice and was much more civilized in her presence.

"Alright troll!" Bishop announced, "You have one job. Help Boris distract the playground. That is all we need you to do. I promise you a week of smarties if you will comply?" It was unclear if the troll understood Bishop, but he allowed her to gently place him inside the pocket of Boris hoodie. 

Boris snuck out of the shrubbery to walk towards the playground. Other kids were starting to arrive. Some had brought purple and black balloons with Penelope’s name across them. The battery-operated candles that the twins had asked Boris to line up along the pathways to the playground were twinkling, but the park lamps around the playground created a less spooky atmosphere. There were decorations, party bags, and candied apples hanging from the sides of the slides. Boris had helped Priest hang them there. Boris paused by the buckets set near the line for the swings. They were filled to the brim with water and apples, awaiting the nights festivities. He stared at his reflection in the water, wondering if he would truly be able to save Penelope. He wondered if the twins had intended for Penelope to be transformed that night… or if they had just decided to use her situation to their advantage.

A cold hand brushed over Boris own. He jumped back, before realizing it was Priestess, dressed in a long black sparkly party dress. Priestess laughed at Boris. “A bit jumpy here aren’t you?” Her voice dripped with a sweetness like that of honey. “You did a great job tonight Boris. Everything looks-”

“Satisfactory.” Priest interrupted. He was still wearing his steampunk inspired costume from earlier in the night. He nodded at them both before snatching an apple from the bucket and quickly biting into it. The juice dribbled down Priest’s chin and dripped back into the bucket. “You know, Priestess, I have yet to see our sister.”

“She’s probably around here somewhere.” Priestess waved her hand towards the crowds of kids filling the playground. Some were dancing, some climbed the slides, and others had begun lining up for the golden swing. 

“Have you seen her Boris?” asked Priest. His stare, similar to Bishops, was quite unnerving. Boris shifted his weight from foot to foot. “N-no, I ha-haven’t s-s-seen her since we all w-went trick-”

“I get it Boris.” said Priest. He tapped Boris on the head with his long spindly fingers. “She can be-”

“Elusive!” quipped Priestess. She grabbed her twin by the arm. “Let's get ready for the ritual... It is almost time for the singing to begin anyway.”

Boris watched the twins disappear among the crowd. As the twins began singing, the voice of the others slowly started to join them. The songs were of harvest and autumn, then the monster mash, then that one boyband song that everybody’s parents knew really well. Eventually, Priestess yelled “Swing Chant!”

The remaining kids began to line up as the crowd began to sing:

“Swing Chant, Swing Chant!

Ascend the golden swing!

Ascend the golden swing my friend-

Ascend the golden swing!

Swing chant, Swing Chant!

Swing high before you jump-

Land on both feet!

Don’t land upon your rump!

Swing Chant, Swing Chant!

Ascend the golden swing!

Ascend the golden swing my friend-

Ascend the golden swing!

Swing Chant, Swing Chant!

Look down before you fly!

Its Halloween night-

The Harvest Moon is high!”

Boris moved towards the back of the line. Priestess fell into step right behind him. The moon grew larger and higher as Boris got closer to the swing. It was nearly centered in the sky at its highest point!

It was Boris turn at the swing. He paused at the swing and reached for his troll… But it was gone! He patted all of his pockets, frantically trying to find that mischievous little troll.

“Boris dear, it is your turn to ascend the swing.” Priestess said behind him. She spoke sweetly but sounded strained, as if she spoke through gritted teeth.

“I-I kn-kn-know but,” Boris stammered

“Get on with it Boris!” she hissed.

Suddenly, Boris had an idea. He turned around and then stood on the swing. The other children stopped singing. A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd. Boris cleared his throat.

“I-I miss my fr-friend p-p-p-penelope. I kn-know many of y-y-you d-d-do too.”

“That’s so very nice Boris,” Priestess said loudly. She was growing agitated and seemed angry. “We do miss her. But if you don’t hurry, you will miss your moment to ascend the golden swing.”

A movement towards the back of the crowd caught Boris eye. He saw Bishop! She was smacking Priest who was holding none other than Penny… He had Penelope! With a swift twist of his body he began running up the line towards the swing.

“That's enough time. It is my turn now Boris!” Priestess grabbed the swing. “Get off. I’m asking nicely.”

Boris was paralyzed with fear as he watched Bishop run after Priest, but Priest was much taller and ran much faster.

Priestess shoved Boris off the swing. “Swing Chant!” she yelled. The kids began the Swing Chant again, as Boris lay in the dirt. He rolled out of the way just as Priest shoved the cat into his twins lap. He shoved Priestess high in the swing as she clung to the hissing and struggling stray with one hand, and the swing with the other. Boris heard Priestess and Priest singing a different song from the Swing Chant, with words from a language he had never heard.

Bishop reached Boris with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry B-” A loud bang cut Bishop off. They looked to the sky to see Priestess jumping off the swing throwing the cat high into the air. It was as if time slowed down. Shockwave after shockwave seemed to go through the air, knocking other children to the ground. The earth shook violently. Suddenly time caught up with them again- the cat hung in the air as if suspended by a string. She began to glow a bright blue light. A loud cracking sound shifted the children's focus. The earth beneath the dome was giving way, loud moans and unearthly screams erupted through the gaping hole, along with deep orange flames.

The crowd began to stampede out of the park. Boris helped Bishop to her feet. He looked to the sky but there was no more light, no more cat. No more Penny… Penelope.

“BORIS!” Bishop screamed. He looked towards where she pointed. Giant red claws and black tentacles began rising out of the pit beneath the dome. He gripped Bishops hand tightly. To his surprise, another hand gripped his free one. Bishop and Boris stared, wide eyed. It was Penelope.

“Please,” she pleaded with them. “Follow me! I can lead you to safety.” Boris looked at Bishop who nodded vigorously. They fled the playground, following Penelope into Juniper Forest.