patakimagi

The city of Hillwood was alive with activity. The hustle and bustle was at its peak during rush hour; people were returning home from work, children were returning home from school, and everyone seemed to be wrapped up in their own personal affairs. Which is why no one seemed to pay any attention to the lanky, curly-haired teenager in an oversized sweater, walking dutifully with an egg-shaped item clutched in her hands. The item began to glow just as the teenager got a glimpse of a bespectacled Asian girl turning the corner down a less travelled sidewalk. She followed the girl, making sure to keep her distance so it wasn't so obvious that sh

The green Packard parked in front of the Sunset Arms. Grandpa exited the vehicle and entered the building, several grocery bags in tow. "Pookie, I'm home!" he said as he came through the door. "I went to the store to pick up some supplies - boy, are these bags heavy!" "I'll help you with those bags, Grandpa," Oskar Kokoshka leapt from his spot on the sofa in the living room and went to Grandpa's side, but Grandpa kicked a leg at him to keep him at bay. "The heck you will, ya chiselin' freeloader!" threatened Grandpa. "And don't let me catch you laying a hand on these Yahoo! Sodas. I bought these specifically for the Shortman! Where is Arno

What was real anymore? What was reality? Is this a dream? Or am I living in a nightmare? Phoebe…I'm so sorry…I couldn't save you…please forgive me… Helga woke up in her own bed. She was in her room, tucked into the covers. The pillow underneath her head was slightly damp; she had been crying in her sleep. Although it was nighttime, the pallor glow of the moon seeped into her room at an almost blinding intensity. There, sitting at her window, looking out onto the city below, was Gloria, still in her Puella Magi garb. She had been keeping watch while Helga slumbered. "This can't be real…" Helga said, her voice ho

It was getting dark. Ruth trudged dutifully down the deserted sidewalk, a girl with a mission, with a purpose. She spent several hours mulling over Arnold's words, turning them over in her head, and eventually they did stick. He was right. She had been a coward. But no more. She had tired of hiding in the closet. And she was certain her parents were worried sick about her. She cut through an alley, her eagerness to reunite with home growing with every passing step. Besides, Ruth thought, hopefully, perhaps the others had forgotten their grudge over me. If they really wanted to, they would've found me already. After all, they DID have magi

Helga opened her eyes to a scene of chaos. Somehow she found herself standing in the middle of witch's labyrinth… but how did she get here? It didn't matter. What mattered to her was that she find Phoebe and get the heck out. "Phoebe!" Helga's voice took on a weird consistency when she yelled; it was as though she were screaming in a vacuum and an echo chamber at the same time. She surveyed her surroundings. She was standing on a hard, flat surface…concrete?...no, metal…a desk? She was standing on a giant desk, not unlike the one she sat in front of in school. In fact, the entire labyrinth greatly resembled a large-scaled

Ruth was napping on Arnold's couch, but was abruptly woken up when he entered the room frantically. "Arnold, what is it?" Arnold threw his backpack on the bed and was already almost halfway out the door again when he noticed Ruth. "I can't stay. Grandpa said he got a call from Gerald's parents; he's in the hospital. "What? Well, what happened?" "They're not sure. They think he was mugged, someone stabbed him on his way home. I'll see you later." "Wait!" "What?" Ruth sat up on the couch. To her, the whole scenario sounded slightly off. "Maybe you shouldn't go…" "Why not?" "Because…they might follow you…" "They? Who's 'they'?"

"Phoebe…Phoebe, wake up…" Helga gently nudged Phoebe, who was slumbering in her bed. Phoebe looked as though she was having a fitful sleep, and initially refused to awake. "Come on, Phoebe…" Helga whispered, nudging her again. "You have to get up. Gloria…" This time Phoebe's shot open. There she saw Helga in front of her, but also, standing against her bedroom wall, she saw Gloria and Lila, standing in silence. "It's time," said Gloria, gravely. Phoebe stood alone in the witch's labyrinth, a literal maze of long winding corridors. She knelt against a corner, panting heavily, fencing blade in hand, and waited. Wait

Simone walked down the corridor of P.S. 118 red-faced and ashamed, leaving a scant trail of lime-green gelatin in her wake. As the other students pointed and laughed, Simone was on the warpath, ignoring the attention she received from gawkers and turning the corner pridefully, trying in vain to hold onto any lingering shreds of dignity. It had been a week of bad luck for her friends. First Connie had her shoes glued to the floor, then Maria found herself the victim of an exploding toilet in the girl’s washroom, and finally Cookie mysteriously had her favourite candy swapped for a pack of hot tamale-laced gumdrops. So in a way, Simone

The Choco-Ness monster roared, spewing chocolate sludge in its wake. They were in a witch's labyrinth, a vast sea of chocolate closed in by chocolate waterfalls. Dry land in this twisted arena was hard to come by, so Gloria traversed the air on her bed of sheep, with Phoebe as a passenger. Lila did the same, though she was travelling the air on a giant red leaf. Meanwhile, Helga was sitting on a giant raft comprised of marshmallows and graham crackers, watching from the sidelines. "You can do it, Phoebe!" yelled Helga. "Okay, Phoebe," instructed Gloria. "You know what to do. Just stick to the plan." Phoebe nodded, and as Gloria controlle

Simone was unfazed by the newcomer. "Can I help you?" "Yeah," replied Lila coolly. "You can start by getting your friend and kindly returning where you came from." "This doesn't concern you." "I beg to differ." "And you are…?" "Someone who could cause you a lot of problems if you don't do as I say." "Is that so?" there was a slight edge in her voice, a bit of confrontation, as Simone took a step forward. Lila raised the scythe as a warning. "You can take me out, but your friend will have to tackle with two of us. Face it, you're outnumbered." Simone's lips twitched ever so slightly. "I prefer to call it a stalemate." She turned