Halloween Creativity Challenge Responses: Dan Antion, GP Cox, and Teagan

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

CGI from Teagan

Welcome back, everyone.  Unless I’m mistaken, this is the last recap of responses to my Halloween Creativity Challenge.   

His persistence paid off and G.P. Cox wrote a fun poem using the prompts for his first and last initials.  I really got a kick out of it. Since he put it in a comment, I’m sharing the poem here.

I wore my Batman costume; on Halloween, the night of gloom,
I passed a Haunted House; with only one light in an attic room,
It was a Jack-O-Lantern glowing in the night;
Myth has it a Plumber owned the place, and died many years ago of fright.
Job of the spirit, I can not make a case; for no plumber’s crack could be seen
When it bent over to set the lantern down to moon me.

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Image collage by Dan Antion

Dan Antion went all-out for this challenge.  He worked hard on a story, and also made a terrific image collage for it. Click the link for his post, Wicked Wedding.

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Heavily altered CGI by Teagan

My own response to the prompt “Bad Moon, Archaeologist, Pirate” was derailed several times.  I had done a lot of work on a short story, long enough that I intended to publish  it on Amazon.  Then when one of my “Scoobies” got sick I just couldn’t do it, and even now I don’t have the energy or focus to finish it.  Next, I tried to plan a different story a few different ways with various existing characters, but nothing worked for me.  Finally, I used the “T” prompts from my table in a “Three Random Things” style.  I came up with the foolish little vignette below.  I also re-worked (again) the computer generated image I made, removing that second woman from the original. (The CGI refused to give me just two people… I had my way, thanks to PhotoShop.)  

The Archaeologist & the Pirate

CGI from Teagan

High above me, winds parted the clouds allowing lunar light to sparkle on the nearby ocean.  A gust sent a fine spray to brush against my skin.

Leaving my tent, I let my gaze travel toward the dig.  My team of archeologists had unearthed the remains of a longboat — the kind that could have belonged to some long-ago pirate sloop.  Although the museum’s “experts” were certain it had no such glamorous history.  Parts of the hull and gunwale of the longboat were exposed like the ribs of a skeleton.  In the moonlight, they seemed to glow.

Farther inland, a bonfire crackled, and the night was filled with the chatter of merriment.  My colleagues had combined that success with a Halloween party, making haphazard costumes from whatever they could find.

Moving unnoticed, I made my wraith-like way down to the beach.  I didn’t want to join the festivities.  Though not precisely excluded, I knew my presence wasn’t wanted.  Whether I didn’t fit in, or was simply disliked, it was hard to say.  I supposed it was both.

Let them have their party.  I’d rather relax here anyway, I thought.

I sighed.  Even that sandy stretch didn’t offer enough solitude.  The sounds of songs like Thriller and The Monster Mash disturbed the otherworldly beauty of the night.  I couldn’t escape from the nearness of those who didn’t want me.

I gazed up at the sky.  Mother Nature painted the full moon blood red.  I gave a shiver at her handiwork.

Preoccupied by my thoughts, I was slow to become aware of the sloshing that came from the ocean.  It was slightly different from the sound of the waves lapping the shore.  I was startled to see a man walking out of the gentle waves.

“Now that’s a bad moon,” he remarked in a strangely accented voice, and motioned to the scarlet orb in the heavens.

How did he get down here without me noticing? I wondered, assuming he was a coworker.  But clearly, he did.

CGI from Teagan

My eyes traveled from the low waves to his tall cuffed boots.  He wore a long coat and a faded red headscarf with an aged leather tricorn hat.  Dark liner circled his eyes, and he had a mustache and goatee.

“I’ve got to hand it to you,” I began.  “That’s a great pirate costume.  How did you manage to find it.  No one planned the party.”

His eyes widened to a befuddled expression.  Tilting his head to one side, he studied me carefully.

“Costume?” he muttered incredulously, and those dark eyes narrowed dangerously for an instant.

Abruptly his tone changed, and he doffed his hat, bowing grandly.  I jumped backward at the unexpected and broad movements.

“Captain Jack Swann, at your service M’lady,” he stated, and his expression became quizzical.

“Shouldn’t that be Jack Sparrow?” I asked with no small amount of snark.

“No.  The idiots got my name wrong,” he muttered flatly, giving my clothes a curious glance before continuing.

“Why aren’t you up there with those ack-ruffians dancing around the bonfire?” he asked and then his eyes narrowed again.  “Ah.  You know you won’t get the credit you deserve,” he said motioning uphill to the skeleton of the boat.  “Fact is, you won’t get any at all.  Can’t say as I blame you for avoiding them.”

Nodding gravely, he paced a circle around the spot where I stood, eyeing me.  Lips pursed, he put a hand to his chin as if considering every detail.  A jumble of muffled noises came from his mouth, from “meh” to “hmm,” interspersed with an occasional wriggle of his eyebrows and a yummy-sound, and back to “meh.”

He looked like a man inspecting a horse before buying it.  If he put up his hand to check my teeth, I was ready to bite it off.  I didn’t appreciate being assessed that way.  My feet shifted so I could walk away.

Abruptly he turned, causing his long coat to flare.  He leapt back in front of me, looking baffled once more.

“Tell me,” he demanded.  “Why are you digging up the longboat instead of the treasure?”

“Treasure?” I asked, surprised.  “Everyone knows that’s just a legend.  A dozen different experts have proved that there couldn’t be any treasure here.  It’s just a big rowboat.  It didn’t belong to a larger ship.  The pirate ship never got anywhere near this cove.”

The man who called himself Captain Jack Swann drew back incredulously.  One eyebrow went up while the other plunged down sharply.

“No treasure?  No ship!” he scoffed.  “Then how do you think I got here?”

“You can’t seriously expect me to believe—” I started.

“Alright.  I admit the treasure was plundered about 200 years ago,” he muttered sulkily.

Expression changing again with his mercurial attitude, he held up one finger as if something had just occurred to him.

“Come with me for adventure!” he exclaimed and theatrically waved the hand that held his hat.

CGI from Teagan

“What?” I replied with a chuckle, trying my best to be patient with a harmless stranger who had likely had a little too much to drink, but then a different thought came to me.

He’s mocking me.  The others sent him down here to flirt or something, to make me believe he’s interested and then make a fool of me.

Sticking out his chin, he eyed me shrewdly.  I could almost believe he read the thought that had just crossed my mind.

“Harmless!” he choked out the word so softly that I wasn’t sure I heard correctly.

A dangerous light same to his eyes and I drew back.  Then his evaluation shifted from me toward the bonfire and the hubbub of the party.

“They’ve misused you all along, haven’t they?  Taken credit and advanced to greater fortune, been called ‘expert,’ while you were left with drudgery.  I imagine they played cruel tricks before as well,” he muttered.  “Why would you stay with those buffoons?  I give you my word, I’ve no chicanery in mind.”

I made some kind of inarticulate mumble.  At that point, I didn’t know what to think, let alone what to say.

“You dream of buried treasure.  Not for the riches but for the excitement of finding it, for the beauty of the jewels.  Of long-ago doings and faraway places!  I can show them to you.  Come with me…  Return here whenever you want.  Stay with me as long — or as briefly as you please.”

I stood in mute disbelief.

His mouth curled into a derisive line.  He shrugged as though he had expected as much.  Then, in a swirl of moonlight, he disappeared.

My eyes widened in astonishment as I vainly tried to comprehend what had just happened.  Shocked, I turned in a circle, and then turned again.  My feet tangled with each other and I toppled to the sand.  Scrambling to get back on my feet, I dusted off my clothes.

The pirate had to have been some kind of projection.  I was sure there must be snickering onlookers hiding somewhere.  They were bound to erupt into guffaws of ridicule at any moment.

However, I found no one.  Up at the bonfire, the music and cavorting continued as though nothing had happened.

A moment later, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.  I whirled to face him.

“What if I sweeten the pot, as they say?” he started.  “In addition to my extraordinarily generous offer, every Halloween night you can make the same decision again.”

I inhaled sharply when he reappeared.  I couldn’t seem to exhale.

Moonbeams swirled around his tall boots.  He held out his hand and the gentle lights spread, flickering from his fingertips.

“Come with me or not.  Return whenever you want.  Another adventure, long or short, every year.  What say you to that, M’lady?”

Slowly, I extended my hand, fingertips brushing his.  The lights sparked against my fingers, causing a tingling sensation that traveled up my arm.

His hand flexed, as if asking permission before he fixed a firm hold on mine.  I finally exhaled.

Soft lights glimmered all around us, dancing and spinning until they blotted out the skeletal ribs of the longboat and the clamor of the party.

A moment later the moon’s light glittered on the footprints that remained where we had stood.

Unsplash

The end.

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By the way, don’t miss Teri Polen‘s Bad Moon Rising horror and paranormal book festival.  She features a different author interview and book each day of October.  You’ll find favorite authors and some new ones too.  Roberta Eaton Cheadle is also doing a Halloween Book Festival, with reviews of suitable books she has read.

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Don’t miss my Halloween novella,
A Peril in the Bayou.

Universal Purchase Links

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0CKGRJS8F

Paperback: relinks.me/B0CKHFYMLJ 

A Medium’s Peril full series link: relinks.me/B0CG2SXX24

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I’m happy to say that Daphne-cat is back to normal.  Thanks for all your kind words and good thoughts.  Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump!  Hugs.

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This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

64 thoughts on “Halloween Creativity Challenge Responses: Dan Antion, GP Cox, and Teagan”

  3. GP’s poem made me laugh, and I enjoyed your story and Dan’s too, Teagan. I can’t believe how prolific you are and how you can whip off a great tale. I have a soft spot for pirate tales and this is a doozy. Happy Halloween!

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  4. I enjoyed your story, Teagan, although I’ll admit the thought of encountering Johnny Depp in pirate garb channeling Keith Richards was truly horrifying at first. I hope our protagonist has a lovely adventure with Jack. (I just love this line: “I couldn’t escape from the nearness of those who didn’t want me.”)

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  9. Fun poem, GP 🙂 Perfect for the challenge. I really enjoyed Dan’s story too. Your great short story had such beautiful imagery, and I’m a big fan of Captain Jack. Glad he cleared up his name 😉 Loved this challenge! So glad for healthy kitties too. Huge hugs xo

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    1. Thanks so much for this lovely comment, Denise. I appreciate your feedback about the imagery. All the responses (particularly yours) to the challenge have been fabulous. Purrs from the two pumpkin-ish colored Scoobies. Hugs coming back to you on batwings. 😀

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  14. Hi Teagan, GP Cox’s contribution is excellent. Your piece is very entertaining. Jack Sparrow was a huge favourite of Gregory’s when he was small and I must have watched those movies with him 100 times. I really enjoyed Jack and Davy Jones and his crew in those movies.

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    1. Thanks very much, Robbie. Yes, those movies seemed so unique on many levels, to me at least. I don’t know if I saw all of them, but I did see at least a couple. I loved all of Captain Jack’s wild expressions. I’m the farthest thing from a romantic, but somehow, that was the only story I had. Big hugs.

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  15. GP’s poem was a delightful bit of whimsy to start the day, Teagan, and thanks for the shout out to my story.

    M’Lady seems to be the perfect way to address you. You had me going every which way in my mind as I tried to get ahead of your story. I should know better. Finally, I accepted that I needed to follow along and enjoy. Captain Jack Swann seems quite the charmer, I don’t doubt you’ll join him on an adventure on a future Halloween. This was the perfect story for an introvert, such as myself, to get lost in.

    Thanks again for hosting the challenge. I understand the effort involved, and the fun. I hoped you enjoyed it as much as we did.

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    1. You are too kind, Dan — I blush. ^^’ “Follow along” was apt, because I just couldn’t write anything until I gave myself permission to simply follow my 3 things. Ha! I can imagine that it was difficult to get ahead of the story — since I’m such a non-romantic, that was the last direction I expected myself to go. Thanks again for all the work you did on your great story and image. Big hugs.

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    1. Thanks, Tim. They were fun. But the CGI software seems to have a real thing about pirates. No matter what else I added to my prompt, it made it all into pirates. A woman archaeologist or a 2023 woman and a pirate — everyone was dressed as a pirate. No matter what setting I stated, the word “pirate” gave it a pirate setting. I finally gave up and just told it “pirate.” LOL
      We got a sprinkle of rain today. I hope things are good up in your neck of the woods. Hugs.

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