Gruesome Beasts

Chapter 1: The Scabby Rat

The Scabby Rat was no where near as genial or inviting as it's name gave it credit for - in fact it was a lot worse. Grease coated the table tops and troll drool carpeted what was left of the floorboards. Suspicious looking stains decorated the wallpaper, which was beginning to peel and hang off the walls like dry skin.

The whole bar stunk. It smelt worse than: gone off milk, a surfeit of extremely pungent skunks, and an Olympic styled swimming pool full of ogre sweat - all mixed together. The worst kind of cocktail.

Behind the counter was a magnificent collection of bloodshot eyeballs: all displayed in old pickled-onion jars, the left over juice still included of course. Additionally on the shelf was a tub-ware container overflowing with nail clippings and a bottle containing a syrupy, black liquid ...Faerie blood perhaps?

The Tavern although vile was nowhere near as gruesome as it's inhabitants. Trolls lay passed out on the floor - a string of saliva hanging out each of their wheezing mouths.

Ghouls hung like bats from the ceiling, swaying back and fro. Gremlins sat, hunched over, chugging pints of beer.

The Faeries darted across the room, pulling on the Gremlins' abnormally large ears, prodding the bellies of snoozing trolls and giggling at the Ghouls' somber song.

A pack of Krackles lurked in the pub corner, muttering between themselves.

Meanwhile a group of greedy Goblins sat gathered around a table ladened with gold, rubbing their talons in glee.

Every now and then the bartender: a drunken creature with several heads - would randomly hurl an empty bottle of whisky across the room, possibly wishing to shut-up the chanting Ghouls, or maybe hoping to hit a troublesome Faerie, or perhaps the gaggle of Goblins had gotten into an argument again?

Anyway The Scabby Rat was no place for a lady that's for sure. So when one did step through the door: all became silent. The Ghouls stopped singing - if indeed you can call their shrill squeals a song. Gremlins' crooked mouths hung wide open, A few of them dropped their glasses in shock. The hooded Krackles all stood up in unison, knocking their chairs to the floor. Even the Goblins' looked up from their gambling to stare at the figure. One Faerie was so fixated on the newcomer that she accidentally forget to switch on autopilot and crashed into a wall.

All was silent. Except of course for the snoring of the Trolls, who were still fast asleep.

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Hi there, this is my second short story opening. I hope you like it. :)

Please go check out my other story: The Time Keeper. (Only if you want to of course.)

- KP