WIS #3.3: An Evil Goddess, a Formerly Evil Ghost, and a Cursed One

Hooray, the WISes are back! For all you new people who don't know what a WIS is, it is a Weekly Illustrated Story (well, it's certainly not so weekly anymore, but I DON'T WANT TO CHANGE THE NAME OKAY), in other words, short stories accompanied by illustrations drawn by yours truly on Paint. The WISes were originally intended to be separate, unconnected stories, but WIS#1 inspired a sequel to be made out of WIS#2, and WIS #2 inspired a sequel out of WIS#3. I'm probably not going to make WIS#4 a sequel to this WIS, but we'll see. Maybe I will and maybe I won't. I most likely won't, though, since I have a good idea for a WIS that I want to write soon!
To catch up on the previous WISes, click the links to the right under "Weekly Illustrated Stories." They look like this:

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Priya and Maddie dashed off to catch up with the others, who were headed to the boat at Datwun Lake. "OHCRAPOHCRAPOHCRAP," yelped Maddie. "I hope we don't end up being to late--" They reached Anita's boat before Maddie could finish her sentence.
"Hey, um, Science, Feathers, Zella, Amarantha. Can we talk?" asked Priya.
"In private?" added Maddie.
"Why am I not invited?" asked Scott, not sounding threatening but rather just confused.
"Um..." stammered Maddie.
"...Well, don't worry! We're not trying to keep it private from you, if that's what you're wondering. We're trying to keep this private from someone else, but we don't want that person to suspect anything, so we need you and Ellie and Hannah to stay on this boat. We'll tell you everything later!" said Priya.
"Yeah, what she said!" said Maddie.
"Oh. Okay," said Scott, "As long as you're not lying..."
"D-don't be ridiculous!" said Priya.
The original six went some ways away from the river before beginning their private conversation.
"This place seems secluded enough. So, what is this really important thing you needed to tell us about?" asked Science Nerdess.
"Yeah, what is it?" asked Feathers, worried. "Is it bad? It sure seemed like it was something bad, since you guys looked really concerned."
"I-it's pretty bad," said Priya, sadly.
"Well, spill already! It's best we know now, rather than later," said Amarantha, nodding sagely.
"It's about Annie and Anita...we can't trust them," said Maddie.
"What did they do?" gasped Feathers.
"Do? Well, they didn't do anything..." said Maddie. The phoenix's look of shock turned into one of confusion. "Well, if they didn't do anything, then how do you know we can't trust them?" asked Feathers.
Priya pulled out the book of names and flipped to the page that said "Annie" (as well as a whole lot of other names). "See? It's the Chosen Mortal Name of Anilokalmosia!" she said.
"...So?" asked Amarantha.
"'So?' What do you mean, 'So?' That's bad, that's very bad! It means the girl named Annie can--no, will become evil, and then there's no changing her back to good!" said Priya. "She'll be a seductress, just like the evil goddess, and with not an ounce of good in her soul!"
"But...there's still a chance that she is still good now," mused Zella. "I mean, she's but a child. And what little I know about Theology [Author's note: There is only one religion in this land, and it's called Theology. I'm not sure whether the land is on Earth or not.] dictates that, in order for a person Cursed with the CMN (or a derivative) of an evil goddess to become evil, something has to happen to him or her to motivate him or her to turn to the dark side. Children as young as our Annie can't have experienced something so traumatic."
"But we can't take a chance!" said Priya.
"But we also can't be mean to a poor young girl whose only crime was to be born an 'Annie!'" said Zella.
"Her parents must have done something terrible, though, to have a child named Annie! Maybe they're Anilokalmosia's slaves! Maybe this Annie is already corrupted by her evil parents and is only seeking to take advantage of our generosity! Maybe--"
Science Nerdess interrupted Priya. "Yes, yes, okay. But enough about your speculations on Annie. What about Anita? I'm sorry, I'm not very educated when it comes to religion. Dragons don't have time for that stuff. The gods just leave us to our own devices, so we don't have to know too much about religious rituals and names, since they don't name us, anyhow. As long as we're good, the gods don't intervene. And they (usually) make sure the evil ones among us are punished."
"It's the same for us phoenixes, too," said Feathers.
"Scott never taught Theology to his children around me," said Amarantha. "That is, if he taught it at all."
"Okay, then. The name 'Anita' is a derivative of the CMN--that's 'Chosen Mortal Name'--of the goddess Annie. Her parents must not have done something as bad as our Annie's parents must have, but it still must have been pretty bad. Anitas are more easily lead into the wrong path, but they can stop being evil if they have enough willpower," said Priya.
"But are they able to relapse into evil just as easily as they went into it?" asked Science Nerdess.
"No, they resist evil as well as any other person," said Priya.
"Oh. So there's still a chance that she could be good, then," said Feathers.
"Yeah, but--we shouldn't chance it. Please, guys," said Priya.
"I don't see any other way to get to Annie's lair," said Feathers. "Besides, we shouldn't just not trust Anita because of her name! Geez, you're being really paranoid! And that coming from me, probably the most paranoid person ever, really says something."
Priya sighed. "I...guess you have a point," she said. "About the getting to Annie's lair part, I mean."
"So, let's go then!" said Amarantha.
"But wait!" said Zella. "I think we should get Annie off the boat. There's a big chance that she could already be evil, and we don't exactly need her on the boat or anything. She might sabotage our mission!"
"I guess," said Feathers. "And Anita knows about the mission and she sounded very sincere when she said that she wanted to help. I suppose she could be trying to sabotage our mission, too, but we won't get anywhere without a few risks and a boat that she has!"
"Right. So first, we get rid of Annie. And next, we go to Anilokalmosia's lair! Done and done!" said Zella. "Let's go."
The group walked off, relieved that their quandary was solved. But little did they know that someone else had been listening in on their little private conversation.

Scott and Ellie were later told what was discussed, and then Science Nerdess told Annie, "I'm sorry, Annie, but we don't know how many people this boat can hold, so we'll row across and everyone will get off, and then I'll row back to get you, okay?"

Annie looked up with watery eyes. "You mean...you're gonna leave me all alone here? I thought...I thought I could go back to my mommy..." Large tears fell down her cheeks. Science couldn't bear to look, but at the same time, she couldn't look away. Annie's eyes were almost hypnotic. "W-well...um..." Science was at a loss for words.

"Oh...um...well, I guess we could take you..." sighed Feathers. Everyone agreed, much to Priya's alarm. "But guys!" she whispered. "We can't..." Then she looked at Annie's sobbing face and relented. "Fine. We can take her," she said.

They all rowed across the river. No one said anything, and everyone was anxious to get to the lair. Suddenly, Annie said, softly, "You wanted me to not come because you were afraid, right?" 

Everyone was silent, not wanting to answer that question (and Anita and Hannah didn't really know what was going on). "You think I'm bad, right? Because my name is Annie?" Silence. "Because all Annies are bad?" 

"N-no, it's nothing like that..." said Feathers.

Annie shook her head. "No, you all think that. But you all are...absolutely right." And she gave a demonic grin. Suddenly, dark storm clouds emerged in the sky and surrounded Annie, as she floated higher and higher. And then, she turned into none other than...ANILOKALMOSIA! "Oh...I kind of forgot about the fact that if someone named Annie is a little girl with glasses and some musical instrument, then it is very likely that she is Anilokalmosia, since that's her favorite mortal-looking form..." muttered Priya.

"Ya THINK?" said Scott.

"I know what you are trying to do," boomed the goddess Annie, "BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE SUCCESSFUL!"

(So, I finally got around to using the picture from the preview of WIS #3. YAY!)

Annie stirred up a bigger storm, and lightning struck at the ocean. "YOU'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Then she made a flute appear and played a note on it. The shores of the lake suddenly filled with people who were in zombie-like stances. "SLAVES!" boomed Annie. "YOU MUSTN'T LET THESE FOOLS REACH LAND!" Then she disappeared, leaving our heroes stranded in the middle of Datwun Lake, with a storm raging over their heads.

"Holy...holy crap..." gasped Feathers. "Oh, Priya, I'm so sorry for calling you paranoid!"

"Oh no! We can't have this at all! Annie knows everything!" sobbed Ellie.
"Well, now we know that we can't risk anything," said Priya. She looked at Anita, and Anita twitched uncomfortably. "Which means, we can't trust her, either!" she said.
"But...but...why would I break your trust?!" exclaimed Anita. "I already told you, I'd have to be an idiot to mess with you guys! Sure, I'm Cursed, but--"
"Yeah, we can't," said Science Nerdess, ignoring Anita. "So, here's what we'll do: Priya and Maddie can ride either me, Amarantha, or Feathers, and we'll all fly to the island--the storm seems to have subsided now--and Scott will stay here with Anita. Wow, that was a fast storm." The clouds had cleared up, and it was sunny again.
"What? Are you saying that you still don't trust me?!" asked Scott.
"No, but we need someone on the boat to watch this...this criminal-to-be (if she isn't a criminal already)," said Feathers. "Let's go, guys." And they flew off.
"So, uh...anything ya wanna talk about...?" asked Scott.
"This crap always happens," grumbled Anita.
"Huh?" asked Scott.
"You know, the whole deal with my name and all. Just because of some shit my parents did. Why the hell do I have to be Cursed? They're the ones who made the fucking [and now this post is officially rated PG-13!] mistake...why should I be punished?" Anita sighed. "No one trusts me. I've always been a good-for-nothing...and I always will be, in everyone's eyes."

"Seriously! I know good from bad, and even before I became evil, I--"

"Wait...you're saying that you actually are evil?" gasped Scott. "Geez, did you fail Villain 101 or something? You had a great sympathy act going for you there, but then you blew it and said you were actually evil! Take it from me, a retired bad guy--"

"No, no, no! I'm not evil anymore! I just gave up and succumbed to my 'destiny' when I was 13...my best friend had already turned evil, everyone was treating me like a criminal, and I was getting visions of the goddess Annie persuading me to turn to the dark side..."

"Yeesh, that's a lot of pressure!"

"Yeah, the friggin' Cursed punishment system just makes more people bad! The gods, though, don't realize it." Anita sighed. "It's just frustrating. At least I'm not evil anymore, and I don't have to worry about my cruddy 'destiny'...but I do have to worry about other judgemental people." She paused. "Wait, what did you mean by saying that you were a 'retired bad guy'?"

Now it was Scott's turn to sigh. "I was greedy. Really, really greedy. I killed off people when my coffin-making business slowed, and tried to stop Science Nerdess and Feathers and Zella from curing people with their little clinic. I got knighted by the king so that I could slay Science."

"But they trust you. Why?"

"Oh, believe me, they didn't at first. In fact, I came back to exact revenge, and they tried to get rid of me by making my own wife get rid of me...it's a long story."

Anita shrugged. "We've got all day. I mean, I'm not going anywhere." She laughed bitterly.

Scott explained everything that happened in the previous WISes, and you all know what happened then, so we'll just skip that part.
Meanwhile, Science Nerdess, Feathers, Amarantha, Priya, Maddie, Ellie, and Hannah had landed on the island. The slaves had dispersed, seeing that they couldn't block people who were already on the island from going onto the island, and the group walked through a peaceful neighborhood. "Where would a key be?" asked Ellie.
"Undew the sofa?" suggested Hannah.
"No, no, sweetheart, not our keys...the key to Scadoosh's cage," said Ellie.
"Oh," said Hannah.
"Where does Annie live?" asked Science.
"At that creepy looking house-mansion thing with all the hypnotized people blocking the entrance?" suggested Amarantha.
"Ha! That's got to be it!" said Maddie. "Anilokalmosia can hypnotize people with her flute, and those people look like people who have been hypnotized by her."
"Let's go then!" said Feathers. And the group walked towards the mansion. Feathers almost rang the doorbell, but then stopped herself. "How do we get inside?" asked Feathers. "Sorry, I'm no good at the whole 'busting into stranger's houses' thing. I am a phoenix who lives in a land that hasn't progressed since the medieval times. I think if I did bust into a house, people would try to capture me just to see if they can get good luck."
"Haven't you watched any movies? We bust in through the window!" said Priya.
"Um, what part of 'I live in a land that hasn't progressed since the Medieval Times' don't you understand?" asked Feathers.
"Oh...I, uh, forgot about that part," said Priya.
"Besides, aren't we supposed to be secretive? A window breaking is pretty loud," said Amarantha.
"But...I want a cool entrance!" whined Priya.
"Sorry, Priya, but we're going to have to sneak in," said Science Nerdess. Amarantha nudged the window pane with her horn. "Whoa, it's loose!" she exclaimed.
"SHHHH!" said everyone else.
"Oops...sorry," said Amarantha. "But, the window's loose. Should I open it?"
"Of course," said Feathers.
Amarantha wiggled the window with her horn, and Zella pulled it off. Everyone crawled into the window and walked into a living room with threadbare furniture and cobwebs everywhere. "Huh. Looks like no one's home..." said Amarantha.
"...Or has been for a long time," said Zella, anxiously. "Where is Annie?"
"A portal! Where's a portal? Or an elevator, at least?" asked Priya. "There's got to be a portal in this home to her lair." Everyone looked around, and as Science Nerdess turned, her unwieldy tail knocked into a bookcase, which slid open to reveal an elevator.

"That must be the elevator that leads to Annie's lair!" gasped Priya. Hannah giggled. "I wanna push the button!" she shrieked, and she...pushed the button, obviously, before anyone could stop her. (Not that anyone wanted to.) The elevator opened, and the group walked inside. The elevator was surprisingly roomy enough that the whole group could fit comfortably in their natural sizes. There were only two buttons: One that said "Ground Floor" and another that said "Lair." Amarantha pushed the button that said "Lair," and the elevator whooshed up.

***

"I think that cloud looks like...a dinosaur with a hammer," said a bored Anita.

"That cloud looks like a coffin!" said Scott.

"And that cloud looks like a car."

"Ooh, that cloud looks like another coffin!"

"And that cloud is a flying elephant."

"And that cloud is also a coffin!"

"...Scott. Those clouds don't look anything like coffins!"

"They do to me!"

Anita laughed. "Gosh, you see coffins everywhere, don't you?"

Scott shrugged. "Hey, I'm--er, was--a coffin maker. What more do you expect?"

"You've got a point," said Anita, as she turned to look out at the lake. Then, she saw a figure sail closer and closer until she could see that the figure was a rather chubby, dark-skinned, curly-haired girl who was fishing.

(Ack, she actually looks like another, curlier and longer haired version of Anita with square-ish glasses! Ugh...I'm not good at varying facial structures, especially on Paint.)

"So, why are you fishing then?" asked Anita. The girl turned and looked surprised. "Oh! I didn't notice you there," she said. "I'm fishing because it seemed like fun, and my dad forced me, too. Of course, he didn't come with me...and now I'm stuck doing this stupid sport that's so primitive! Why fish when you can get perfectly good fish at the market?!" She suddenly interrupted herself. "Ack, where are my manners? Lost with my patience, I bet. Heh. Anyway, my name's Jessica. What's yours?"

Scott said, "I'm Scott! The coffin maker!"

"Ex-coffin maker," reminded Anita.

"Don't be ludicrous, dear Anita!" said Scott. "I'm still a coffin maker in spirit!"

"You're a coffin maker? Cool!" said Jessica. "How about you?" she asked Anita. Anita stared at her, suspiciously. "Is your name really Jessica?"

"Yeah...why?"

"Well, you have the CMN of a good goddess, and people with CMNs of good goddesses aren't usually so snarky about their parents...and people like that. And they don't complain. They're practically angels."

"Damn...you're good!" said Jessica. 

"Heh, thanks," said Anita. "So, what's your name, really?"

"I never said I was lying about my name," said Jessica. Anita and Scott looked at Jessica, perplexed. Jessica leaned forward and whispered, "I'm the Goddess of Wisdom. Don't believe me? Here's my business card."

"Why in heck do gods have business cards?" asked Scott.

Jessica shrugged. "It comes with the job. Oh, and it's legit, too. Just ask it a question and it will say the answer."

"Um, okay," said Anita. "What's my name?"

"Anita," said the card. "Derivative of the Chosen Mortal Name of--"

"Yes, yes, I know that!" said Anita. "I don't need to hear it!"

"Heh. The card does tend to give too much info a lot of the time," said Jessica.

"So you really are Jesiackazysofiarti!" said Scott.

"SHHH! Not so loud!" said Jessica. "I don't want other gods knowing I'm here."

"What, you can't interact with lowly ghosts who have sinned and Cursed people?" asked Scott.

"No, it's just that the gods have this stupid rule in their rulebook that says that gods can't interact with mortals for casual conversation," said Jessica. "It's really stupid. Sometimes, I want to escape my godly responsibilities and just act like a mortal!"

"Wait...gods have rules?" asked Scott.

"Yup," sighed Jessica. "I didn't make 'em. They were made eons before I was born! And I'm pretty old."

"Do gods get...punished?" asked Anita.

"Naw, just shunned for a bit, excluded from Godly Meetings, stuff like that," said Jessica. "Though I suppose it wouldn't make much of a difference if I was excluded from the meetings...no one listens to me, anyhow."

"But you're the Goddess of Wisdom!" said Anita. "Why wouldn't they listen to you?"

"They're a lot of old farts, the lot of them," shrugged Jessica. "I'm too young, apparently--why are you guys looking at me as if I've said something blasphemous?"

"It's weird that you talk about your...colleagues?...that way," said Scott.

"Meh. This mortal incarnation is so different from my godly form that no one would pay attention to me talking, anyhow," shrugged Jessica. "That's why I'm using this incarnation, by the way." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just bitter. I suggested for the ten millionth time for the gods to trash the whole Blessed-Cursed reward-punishment system--because, seriously, parents who are good only have their children rewarded and bad parents only have their children punished through the system--but they're all like, 'It's tradition! We can't get rid of it! You're young, Jessica. You don't understand.' But I'm, like, fifteen million years old--no, that's not an exaggeration--and I think I know unfairness when I see it!"

"I, for one, completely agree with you," said Anita. "Wow, I thought no gods thought to get rid of the system! My faith in you guys is restored!"

"But...they're good gods! They're supposed to be good and fair!" said Scott.

"Oh, they try their hardest," said Jessica. "But they aren't perfect. They screw up. And they're real pigheaded. I swear, sometimes it seems like the only difference between them and the bad gods is that bad gods treat each other and mortals way worse!" She cleared her throat. "But that's enough about me. What about you guys?"

"Oh, nothing but the usual," sighed Anita. 

"Science Nerdess, Feathers, Amarantha, Zella, and the others decided not to trust her after they found out that Priya was right about suspecting Annie. They figured she was right about Anita, too," said Scott.

"Ack, why are we gods only allowed to help people by giving cryptic hints?!" sighed Jessica. 

"Oh, speaking of cryptic hints, what did you mean when you said we'd get help from an unexpected place?" asked Scott.

"Oh! Well, that's easy enough to explain. I meant--" Jessica was interrupted by a rustle in the bushes. A brown haired woman darted away. Jessica became uneasy. She whispered, "Um...I can't say. Ya know, rulebook and all. I'm already risking a lot just by talking to you guys. I think that girl that just rushed out was a certain goddess...Hopefully, she and the rest of the gods will be none the wiser."

"Who made those rules, anyway?" asked Anita.

"I wonder what the others are up to..." thought Scott, aloud.

"I have a feeling they'll be just fine," said Jessica. Then she added, ominously, "For now."

***

The elevator halted. "We're...here?" asked Amarantha. "That was fast."

Priya shuddered. "I'm not looking forward to seeing her lair," she said. "I've heard it's absolutely creepy!"

"Well, Annie is evil," said Science Nerdess.

"What the...it's not ugly at all!" gasped Maddie, seeing the lair after the elevator doors opened. "It's...it's beautiful!" Everyone turned and gaped at the soft, pink cloud floor and the rainbow sky and the chocolate water fountains and the pretty pink bunnies that leapt about. "A-are we in the right place?" asked Feathers.

"It's possible that the button labeled 'Lair' lead us to the wrong lair..." suggested Science. "This place looks too much like...like heaven!" 

"I wouldn't put that past a goddess of deception..." Zella started, but then interrupted herself. "Goddess of Deception! Of course!"

"What are you talking about, Zella?" asked Feathers.

"Oh! I think I know!" said Ellie. "Annie is the Goddess of Deception...so maybe the heavenly look of her lair is a deception?"

"Exactly!" said Zella. 

"Do you know any spells that dispel illusions, Zella?" asked Priya.

"Do I?" said Zella. "I know plenty!" She then took out her wand and chanted, "Let what is false be gone and let what is true be revealed, while letting no acid rain fall and no apples be peeled!"

"'Let...no apples be peeled'? The hell?" said Amarantha.

"It's not the strangest spell in existence, believe it or not," said Zella.

"Now that's what I thought Annie's lair would look like!" said Feathers.

"Oh, no! The bunnies awe aww big, mean monstews!" cried Hannah.

"Ew! A river of blood!" said Maddie.

Suddenly, the group heard an angry, booming voice. "FOOLS! What do you think you're doing in my lair?"

Everyone looked up to see Anilokalmosia sauntering up towards them. She snapped her fingers and the flames died down, and then she beckoned her rabbit-monster...thing over while she sat down away from the blood river.

"S-so what if we are?" stuttered Amarantha.

"All I'm saying is that it's totally fruitless," said Annie. "You have all the right intentions, I'm sure, but it'll never work. Just...trust...me..." Her voice became slower and sweeter, and the group found themselves relaxing. "You should--all go--back--since--it's--useless--try-ing to--res-cue--"

"WAIT! SHE'S TRYING TO HYPNOTIZE US!" yelled Priya, snapping everyone out of their daze.

"Holy smokes, batman! You're right!" gasped Feathers. 

"Who's Batman?" asked Amarantha.

"I...don't know, I just heard the phrase 'Holy smokes, Batman' used before, so I decided to use it," said Feathers.

"You guys don't know who Batman is?" gasped Priya. "How do you not know--"

"SILENCE!" boomed Annie. "Why you're all talking about a fictional man who goes around at night dressed as a bat is beyond me. BUT ANYWAY. Yes, I was trying to hypnotize you...damn your theology classes. If only we didn't have mandatory schooling...then I can rule the world! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Heyyy...the deal was that we would rule the world together!" said a voice.

Everyone turned to see a scowling muscular woman in blood-spattered armor with arrows and guns.

"Of course we'll rule the world together, Jen...that's what I meant!" said Annie.

"Oh? Then why did you say I rather than we?" asked the very angry Jennifer.

"Slip of the tongue," said Annie. "I apologize. But we won't get to rule anything if these insolent mortals get the key to Scadoosh's cave!"

"Pfft. Why didn't you ask for me before? I'll show these little twerps who's boss around here." Jennifer cracked her knuckles, a vile, atrocious sound to Science's dragon ears. "ZOMBIE SLAVES! GATHER AROUND!"

"Why didn't I think of calling my slaves?" muttered Annie, as zombies surrounded our unfortunate heroes.

"But we're immortal!" said Amarantha. "You can't kill us!"

"Maybe I can't," said Jennifer. "But I can hurt you. ZOMBIE SLAVES! TRY TO KILL THEM!"

"Braiiiins..." said the zombie slaves.

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Goodness, at this rate, I'll be finished with college and not have this WIS finished! (I hope that's not the case...college and graduate school are a loooong eight years.) Anyway, I figured you all would want to see the progress of this WIS, so here it is!

Another note: I'm probably not going to be blogging again until December or January. It's not that I don't love you all, it's that I'm going through the arduous process of COLLEGE APPS and I will not have time at ALL. I've heard that the first semester of senior year is hell (even more so than junior year!) so there's no way I'm going to be able to blog! :(

See you in December! :)

WIS #3.2: Goddesses, the Land of Nowhere, and to Trust or Not to Trust?

And now I have brought myself to continue the last WIS!
(Sorry about the weird name, by the way. I just couldn't think of a better title.)
BUT BEFORE THAT! The Goddess of Wisdom, Sheilsophinacaneia, has had a name change because...I wanted her too. Her new name is Jesiackazysofiarti. (Isn't that a mouthful? Or ten?)
And all the goddesses have colloquial nicknames that the goddesses use to address each other. (Lower beings also use these nicknames, but never to address the goddesses.) The names (mostly) come from their real names. The parts of their names that contain their nicknames (or something close to their nicknames) are italicized.
Scadoosh = Scadoosh, because it's not that hard or tiring to say. But goddesses like to get creative. So she's called Bruce, Alaura, or Lola.
Jesiackazysofiarti = Jessica or Sophia
Anilokalmosia = Annie
Jenisifiodincneiwa = Jennifer or Jenny
Marryahlagumpideya (she's a new goddess) = Maria or Mary
Crisstareenaywebdermotti (also a new goddess) = Christina or Christi or Christine
Now that that's settled, happy reading!
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"I can't believe we actually helped punish you for something you didn't do, Scott!" exclaimed Priya when she found out about what the group had learned about Scott from Scott and Scadoosh.
"It's not your fault. It's that girl who I thought was my very sweet daughter..." fumed Scott.
"Don't worry, Scott! We'll find Emily and make her pay! And we'll free Scadoosh, too!" promised Feathers.
"I sure hope we know where we're going..." mumbled Zella. The group looked at where they were. But it definitely was not the island below Annie's lair, which was where the old map said they were.

"Um, you're in the middle of Nowhere, to be precise," said a strange voice.

"Well, we can see that," said Maddie, "but where? And who are you?"

"I just told you where. You're in the land of Nowhere. Nothing happens here. What I'd like to know is what all of you are doing down here?"

"We're, um..." "Uh..." "I think..." "Why do you want to know anyway?" Everyone tried to answer at once, but no one was sure whether to say where they were really going. "I'm just curious, that's all! No need to get all worried or anything. If you don't want to talk about something, you don't have to! By the way, that looks like a really old map..." noted the girl, the owner of the voice.

"Oh, that's the map that the Gwate Goddess of White Magic Scadoosh gave us! We'we going to Aniwokaw...Annie's home to twy and get the keys to set the the goddess fwee!" explained Hannah, before anyone could stop her.

"Oh, I see. But what are you guys doing here? Annie's lair is to the east of here," said the girl. "And Scadoosh is imprisoned? That's...bad," said the girl, surprised.

"Why are you so calm?" asked Feathers.

"The only way to solve this problem is to be calm," replied the girl, coolly. "You ended up in this place because you panicked." She took the map. "You probably got lost because you were so worried about getting to the lair on time. But, honestly, time hasn't got much to do with your rate of success anyway. It doesn't matter when you get to the lair; you've got to get there."

"What do you mean, 'it's wrong'? And how would you know where the lair is, anyway?" asked Feathers.

"Well, I've been invited there by Annie because she wanted to lure me over to the dark side. Intelligence can be used for evil...Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself! Where are my manners?! Anyway, I'm Jessica, the Goddess of Intelligence."

"JESIACKAZYSOFIARTI?" exclaimed everyone, as they bowed.

"Oh, there's no need for that," said the goddess. "Just call me Jessica. It's easier."

"Are you going to help us?" asked Maddie.

"Oh, I'd love to, but I can't. But I can tell you one thing. You will get help from a person you wouldn't expect help from. Sorry I can't help anymore than that. There's so much stuff to do, including another Good Goddess Convention, where we ponder about what to do about poor Bruce. I think I should just be allowed to help you guys, but I've got to attend another pointless meeting." She sighed. "So, yeah. I've got to go, now! And I'll correct this old map for you." She waved her hand, and sparkles flew onto the paper. "There. It's all fixed. So, bye!"

"BYE!" everyone exclaimed, as Jessica disappeared with a flash of light.

"Why do all the goddesses get such cool exits?" complained Priya. "I wish we could have cool exits." 

Amarantha agreed. "I, for one, would love to be able to disappear like the Cheshire Cat, except my cool new horn would be the last to disappear. Having the grin be the last to disappear would be just creepy."

"I wonder what Jessica meant by 'You will get help from a person you wouldn't expect help from,'" mused Ellie.

"Maybe she's referring to Scott?" suggested Feathers.

"ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT I'M UNEXPECTED HELP?" boomed Scott. "I am upset at this revelation."

"Exactly! Why would she tell us about Scott's help? We know that already. That's not new information," said Science Nerdess.

"Meh...we'll find out later, I guess. Now let's go!" said Priya, and the group valiantly trekked [I like that word. Though I have no idea if I'm using it right.] on to find Anilokalmosia's lair.

Soon, the group found that they were running out of supplies, namely food. They stopped by a port city to restock. "According to the revised map," noted Science Nerdess, "we have to get to the middle of Datwun Lake to get to the island of Anilokalmosia."

"What a very specific name," snorted Scott. "'That One Lake'? Any lake could be called that!"

"Not 'That One Lake,' Scott. Datwun Lake. D-A-T-W-U-N. Datwun," explained Science Nerdess.

"The two are too close for my liking," said Scott. "It could be a respelling for all I know."

"Well, now we've got to get some boat...and someone to steer it. Do any of you people know how to steer boats?" asked Feathers. Everyone said "no" in some way. "Let's get food first," suggested Zella, and the group headed to the General Store of the port city (disguising first, of course). While the others went off in search of supplies, Priya and Feathers stayed behind. "So, what do you want to do?" asked Priya.

"I dunno. Hey, let's check out those books over there--" Feathers was interrupted by a yell.

"AAAAUUUGHH!"

Priya and Feathers looked to see the source of the noise.

Priya helped the girl put the books back on the bookshelf. "Thank you!" said the girl, smiling. "I don't know how it happened. I was just pulling out books and then WHAM! All of these books were on top of me! Gosh, I'm such a klutz."

"Haha, so am I," said Priya. "So, do you like to read?"

"Do I?! I love reading!" said the girl.

"What's your name, by the way?" asked Priya. "I'm Priya."

"Hi Priya," she replied. "I'm...my name is..." She hesitated, then added in a whisper, "Anita." Priya wasn't sure why the girl was whispering her name or why she hesitated before saying it. Maybe that was a fake name, thought Priya, suspiciously. But that didn't matter. She just needed something to call the girl by, and "Anita" would just have to do. But there was something about the name that didn't feel quite right...

"So, what are you getting?" asked Anita.

"Huh?"

"You know, from the store?"

"Oh! Right." Priya grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I was kind of lost in my own thoughts."

Anita laughed. "It's fine."

"My friends and I are getting supplies for our, uh, journey."

"A journey? How fun! Where to?"

"Um..." Priya paused. "To a friend's relative's place. It's on an island in Datwun Lake."

"Gee, that relative must be really brave! Or maybe one of Annie's slaves--but I hope that's not true!" said Anita.

"Yeah, my friend has, uh, been trying to get her to move out, you see, but she doesn't listen. That's why we're all going together...yeah. Yeah, that's it." 

Anita looked at her suspiciously. "You know, you suck at lying."

(That was my attempt at a "Well, crap" face. It failed.)

"Hi, there," said Anita to Feathers. Talking animals were quite common on the island and pretty much everywhere in the planet, so Feathers didn't shock Anita. "Hi, I'm Feathers!" said Feathers.

"Nice to meet you!" grinned Anita. She then turned to Priya and said, "So, can you tell me the real reason now?"

"Okay, fine. The thing is...we have to free Scadoosh from a prison that Anilokalmosia made with the help of Jenisifidincneiwa..."

"Oh, wow! Dangit, why didn't you tell that the first time? What time did this happen?"

"Um...in the...morning? Why?"

"Don't you know that if a god or goddess cannot go to his or her lair within four hours, he or she loses his or her powers and becomes mortal?"

"Oh, yeah! Gosh, I forgot! Gah...it's been so long since I've taken a theology class...oh, darn these budget cuts!" 

"...I thought they were still teaching theology? At least, they still are at my school."

"Well, um..." Priya lowered her voice. "I'm an elf from Renardiyet, and--"

"Oh, I see what you mean. I've heard the budget cuts are pretty bad. But what are we waiting around here for? Don't you have to get to Annie's lair?"

"The problem is we don't have a boat or anything!"

"I have a boat...I guess I could row you there."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for? We've got a goddess to save!"

The rest of the group gathered together as Priya introduced Anita to everyone. "She has a boat that can take us to Annie's lair!"

"That's great!" said Science Nerdess. "Let's go, then!"

"Whoa, hooold up a sec," said Scott. "How do we know we can trust her? My own daughter wasn't worthy of my trust; how can we be sure she is?"
"You're forgetting who she'd be messing with if she was to break our trust," said Zella, menacingly.

"Seriously. She's dealing with phoenixes (yours truly), witches, dragons, unicorns, and elves...she'd be a fool if she wanted to mess with us!" said Feathers.

"Whoa, so you guys are magical creatures?" gasped Anita. "Heh, I wasn't going to mess with you guys anyway, but that would give me much less incentive to try and trick you!"

"Well put," said Amarantha.

As the group strolled out, Zella saw a young, forlorn, bespectacled elementary school girl holding a clarinet case. 

"What's the matter, little girl?" asked Zella. "You look sad."

"W-well," blubbered the girl, "My mommy didn't come to pick me up a-and it's been two hours...and n-now I'm sc-scared!"

"Aw, don't worry, we'll take you home!" said Amarantha. "Where do you live?"

"There," said the girl, pointing one chubby finger to the island of Anilokalmosia's lair. "I don't understand why people live there," whispered Priya. "Are you sure we can trust a girl whose parents are probably Anilokalmosia's slaves?"

Ignoring Priya, Zella asked, "And what's your name?"

"I'm Annie," said the girl. "But can you really take me home?"

"Sure! Why not?" said Science Nerdess. As the group walked on toward Anita's boat, Maddie stayed behind and told Priya to do the same. "What happened?" asked Priya.

Maddie took out a book of names. "There's something really weird about the name 'Annie' that just makes me worried. Gods, if only I could remember theology class..."

"What does theology class have to--"

"Oh gods, I was right! Listen here," said Maddie as she read aloud, "Annie: The Chosen Mortal Name of the Goddess of Seduction, Deceit, and Hypnotism. Persons cursed with this name are doomed to a life of evil."

"Aw, fudge nuts! I forgot all about the curses!" said Priya. "How did I forget that people can be cursed or blessed depending on whether they are named the CMN or a derivative [math, yay!] of the CMN of a god or goddess?!"

"I think we'd better warn the others," said Maddie.

"Wait, can I see that book?"

"Um, sure," said Maddie, handing the book over to Priya. Priya flipped through and suddenly said, "Oh, crap! Maddie, look what I found!" 

Maddie looked at what Priya was pointing at and gasped.

Anita: A derivative of the Chosen Mortal Name of Anilokalmosia, the Goddess of Seduction, Deceit, and Hypnotism. Persons cursed with this name are doomed to become evil at some point in their lives, but they can become good again with much effort.

"Crud," said Maddie. "We've really got to warn the others!"

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Oh no! Will Maddie and Priya warn the others in time? Or will something terrible happen first? Stay tuned, and please, do comment!

WIS #3 PART ONE: A Coffin Maker's Tale

Hello all! Yeah, I couldn't think of a good title for this one, hence the weird title that ended up being the title. I think it was because of the heat. I didn't need a fan before because the summer weather was awesome! But now[at the time I thought up the title], the weather decided to turn up the heat. IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY MONTH, DANGIT! I SHOULD GET SOME NICE WEATHER...BUT NOOOO. IT'S SO UNFAIR!
*cough* Speaking of unfair things, I have to memorize all the presidents and I'll get tested on them on the first day of school! Having tests on the first day of school is an unspeakable crime (or it should be)! And--I'm done being querulous. Sorry about that. *grins sheepishly*
Now, onto what's going on now, in September, as opposed to August when I wrote the other paragraphs of the intro: School has started. It has started. And I am a junior. A JUNIOR!!! I am anticipating a lot of work and a lot of stress this year. Heck, it's only been two days into the school year and I'm feeling the stress (sort of)! I am worried about this year because of my AP classes, AP US History most of all (if A's start at 85%, the class has to be hard; why else would the requirement for an A be so low?! Plus, I think I failed the President's Test...) and...well, it's junior year!!! Junior year is stressful! So, why am I saying all of this? Um, to be honest, I don't really know...Oh, right! I'm going to be updating less often than usual (or what was supposed to be usual). I'll try to update once a week, but I really don't know if I can.
And, oh gosh, it's been FOREVER since I last updated. So, to get something posted, I'll post a part of my WIS. YES, IT'S TAKEN ME THIS LONG TO DO SO LITTLE! SOWWY! So, onto the next WIS (er, part of one, anyway)!
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"We have been deceived."
Science Nerdess, Feathers, Amarantha, Zella, Ellie, Emily, and Hannah looked up at the source of the voice. It was the great goddess Scadoosh, the goddess of white magic who had rewarded them for helping Ellie by allowing her to exact her revenge on her alleged murderer (emphasis on "alleged"), Scott.
"What do you mean?" asked Amarantha.
"In my avid support of Ellie and her daughters, I have failed to do what is most important in evaluating a crime: asking the accused for their story! It is most terrible that I have accused Scott of doing a crime he may not have committed!"
"But he did kill her!" exclaimed Emily.
"I was stabbed in the back of my neck," mused Ellie.
"But how can we hear Scott's story?!" asked Feathers. "He's gone, now."
"That's simple enough," said a familiar voice.
"SCOTT?" gasped the cave inhabitants.
"Yes, it's me. Uh, should I start telling my side of the situation now?" he asked Scadoosh. She nodded. "Just go ahead," she said.
"Okay, here goes..."
...
Rewind to three years ago.
Scott was suffering financially. Not enough people were dying, and since he was a coffin maker, this hurt his business. He was relatively well off, but he wanted more. Money was his second love. He would have married it, too, if his first love hadn't entered his life. More on that later.

(The green rectangle on Scott's shirt is a dollar bill. It could be a one dollar bill or a hundred dollar bill--who knows?)

Ever since Scott was a little boy, he had realized the power of money. With money he could buy toys, games, books, DVDs, video games, popularity, votes, and overall power. He could run for president and have an advantage if he could buy more advertisements to sway the ingenuous public. All throughout elementary school, he had learned that "Sharing is caring" and "Love makes the world go 'round." Ha! Stuff and nonsense. Sure, sharing was okay, but he didn't benefit from it, so why bother? And wasn't sharing Communism? And Communism is bad! So, sharing is bad! And love making the world go 'round was just wishful thinking by poor people. 

Money continued being his primary love in his life...until he met Ellie. It wasn't a tale of "love at first sight" (that type of love Scott found superficial) but rather "love through multiple meetings." The "meetings" were classes at high school. (Everyone was only high school educated in the kingdom.) She had ended up being his lab partner in science class. At first, he had been annoyed by her good-ness, but later he loved it. She didn't love him back, though.

(The dark and black and thick arrow stabbing Scott shows that Ellie's words stabbed Scott's heart.)

But Scott refused to give up.  And finally they got married. But he knew Ellie didn't love him...but he still loved her. And money. But mostly Ellie.

Soon, they had one lovely daughter and another on the way. One day, Emily stayed at home because she was sick and Ellie sat and read a book on the couch. Scott was making coffins outside. Suddenly, he heard strange noises upstairs.

Scott quickly rushed upstairs to comfort his ailing daughter. (He did have fatherly instincts.) But when he reached her room, she was silent. I guess she's okay, thought Scott. So he went downstairs. But what he saw shocked him beyond belief...

(Ellie is sitting on the couch, being stabbed BY HER OWN DAUGHTER. Yikes!)

Scott tried to stop her, but it was too late. When Emily saw him, she fled, and Ellie had already died. Scott's feeling of shock soon wore off and was replaced by anger. He wanted revenge. 

Scott prepared soup for Emily, but mixed in a, eherm, special ingredient. "Rat poison. It kills rats, so it should work on Emily," snorted Scott. Then he fed her the soup, and Emily died.
Scott gave Ellie a decent burial. He made the best coffin he had ever made, and he didn't charge her parents anything, though they did pay him for making such an ornate coffin, even though he had politely refused. After the burial of Ellie (and the cremation of Emily), everything seemed to have returned to normal. But Scott had changed into a bitter man.
...
Back to the present.
"That's...terrible!" gasped Science Nerdess. "How could Emily do such a thing?"
"I know!" exclaimed Amarantha. "That...there aren't words to describe this...event!" Everyone spoke at once, except Ellie, Hannah and Emily.
"Mom, you don't...believe him, do you? How could I ever do such a thing?" said Emily, laughing nervously.
"I don't know, Emily, I just don't know..." sighed Ellie. "Was this story validated, Goddess Scadoosh?"
"Yes, it was, by the Great Goddess of Wisdom, Sheilsophinacaneia. She's the one who noted that I never considered Scott's story, and, after hearing his story, confirmed that it was true."
Everyone stared at Emily, and Emily started to get nervous. "Well...well...um..." Then, she turned to Ellie. "But, Mom, I--"
"You have lost the right to call me that anymore!" snapped Ellie.
Then Emily lost it. "Okay, fine! You've won this battle; I admit it! I killed my mother! But it was to get rid of my father, and we all know he's evil! So, if he got pinned for murdering his wife, he'd be thrown in jail and--aw, forget it. You guys wouldn't understand."
"You're right. We don't," said Feathers.
"But you'll lose in the long run!" And, with that, Emily threw a pouch at Scadoosh, and the pouch turned into a cage that the Great Goddess could not get out of. Everyone gasped.
"You never did anything to my father!" yelled Emily, accusingly. "So, I have given my loyalty to someone else now!"
"Anilokalmosia?!" gasped Scadoosh, reading off of a cage bar. "The Goddess of Seduction and Evil Music?"
"Yes! At least she'll do something about my father!" And Emily disappeared.
"We have to help you!" exclaimed Feathers. "Where does Anilo stay, anyway?"
"Hang on, there...this cage is made of metal. But Anilo isn't in charge of metal, at least according to the religious books," said Zella.
"Jenisifiodincneiwa! The goddess of war and death! But if Anilo and Jenisify are allying, then..." Scadoosh trailed off, but everyone knew what she was suggesting.
"We have to do something," said Science Nerdess. "Do you know where Anilo might be?"
"Well, I have a slightly outdated map," said Scadoosh, handing a yellowed map. "Gods and goddesses aren't allowed to really keep tabs on where other gods and goddesses are at, but this map should give a general idea of where Anilo lives..."
"We'll take that," said Ellie. "And thank you, Scadoosh, for supporting us. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to repay you!"
"Oh, you don't have to--" Scadoosh was interrupted by Hannah. "Yes, we do! You did so much fow us, Gweat Goddess!"
Scadoosh smiled. "You're adorable, Hannah, you know that? So, if you guys really want to do this, you should be off about now, I think!"
And so the group set off. They encountered Maddie and Priya, the elves from Renadiyet, and told them everything. The elf-children agreed to join them on their mission to rescue a goddess and punish Emily for not only killing her mother, but also incriminating her father.
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So, what do you guys think? Stay tuned for the next part!

Weekly Illustrated Story #1: The Intelligent Dragon and the Greedy Knight

Every fairy tale involving knights, dragons, and princesses depicts knights as chivalrous and noble and dragons as mindless man-eating machines, and it always ends with the knight slaying the dragon and rescuing the princess. But that wasn't always the case. Sometimes, the noble knights didn't win. But, more importantly, not all dragons were evil, and not all knights were good. Sometimes, a knight was just in the business for the fame and glory, and they confronted dragons who were only being nice to everyone around them. Those greedy knights did win sometimes, unfortunately, but other times, the dragon won. These instances either were forgotten or, if the knight won, were twisted to praise the knight and vilify the dragon. Here is one of those tales that was simply forgotten with time:

Once upon a time, there was a very kind dragon named Scintelinineyinoruwa Newoaldroskadni the Third, called Science Nerdess for short, because she was outstanding at science. That nickname wasn't short enough for some people (read: dragons, phoenixes, elves and other mythological beings), so she was sometimes called "Science", "Nerdess", "Science Nerd" and, by mean dragons (or phoenixes, or elves...), "The Nerd", with a sneer and followed by a snicker. These mean people were very few, though.

Science Nerdess helped everyone, including humans. She would play with the nearby town's children (she loved kids), helped the sick and the elderly, and used her science skills to serve as the local doctor. And all this was for free! She got her own food, which consisted of chicken, fish, and rarely sheep, if they were given to her as a gift. She never ate humans. When she was trying to stop a thief, she had accidentally bitten him. He tasted DISGUSTING. She'd heard that humans in general tasted really bad. She wondered where humans got the idea that dragons craved human meat. Perhaps they just wished they tasted that good.

She woke up one day to the cries of "HELP! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP!!!" Science Nerdess flew outside her cave and saw a bird stuck in a tree. The bird saw her, too, and panicked.

(Yes, I know I suck at drawing dragons. The wing looks funny.)

Science Nerdess then saved the bird and said, "You're free now. You can go!" The bird sighed and looked at Science Nerdess, lachrymosely (SAT word! KA-BAM!). "I have no family. And I don't have a home."

"You can live with me!" exclaimed Science Nerdess. "My cave isn't great, but it protects me from the elements."

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" exclaimed the bird, as she darted into the cave. "Oh, where are my manners?! I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Feathers. What's your name?"

"I'm Science Nerdess."

"That's an...interesting name..."

"Oh, it's just my nickname! My real name is super long."

"That's the case with my name, too!"

Suddenly, Science Nerdess noticed a problem. "When I'm sleeping, I may squish you..."

"Oh, right! I think I ought to reveal my true form." Feathers then disappeared behind smoke and reappeared as a phoenix!

"Whoa..." exclaimed Science Nerdess. "That was so cool! Now I won't squish you in my sleep!"

"Hooray!" yelled Feathers. "I feel so powerless as a tiny bird. In this form, I wouldn't get stuck in any tree!"

"You'd probably crush it, instead!" giggled Science Nerdess.

"Hey! You would, too!" complained Feathers.

"We're the Tree Crushers!"

"It's not good to crush trees, though."

"That's true. So for the sake of all trees, let's not sit on them!"

"YAY FOR TREES!"

"TREES ARE EPICALLY AWESOME!"

"...How."

"THEY JUST ARE."

"OKAY."

"I don't like it when people cut them down, though."

"Me, neither."

"CHOCOLATE!"

"WHERE?!"

Meanwhile, far away from the cave but in the same town, there lived a coffin maker (see what I did there???) named Scott. No one liked Scott very much. Coffin makers are to be avoided, after all, since they deal with dead people. What a horrid job for anyone to choose to do! Scott's business was lucrative, though, because people in this kingdom lived like medieval people, so they were unhygienic. But this time of prosperity for Scott was soon to end. 

That night, just as Science Nerdess was going to sleep in her cave, she heard a scuffling of feet. Feathers whispered, "Is someone in here?" 

"I don't know...but I heard scuffling of feet!" whispered Science Nerdess. Suddenly, she heard someone exclaim, "Witch hunts? PUH-LEASE. Those  are so 1693!"

Science Nerdess lit a torch to see. And she saw...

A witch! The witch said, surprised, "Oh! I didn't realize there were residents in this cave. I just really need to hide from stupid townsfolk who think all witches are bad. I'm not bad! I could never hurt anyone!"

"That's great!" exclaimed Science Nerdess. "I'm Science Nerdess. And I am okay with you living here, as long as it's okay with Feathers."

"I'm perfectly fine with that!" said Feathers. "This cave is big enough to house 100 people!"

"Thank you!" exclaimed the witch. "My name is Zella."

And now, thanks to the addition of Feathers and Zella, the nearby town prospered. Feathers healed people's wounds, and Zella cast a spell that eradicated death due to disease or old age from the whole town, and all were happy.

Except for Scott.

Thanks to Zella's spell and Science Nerdess's and Feather's medical clinic, there were no more dead people. No more dead people meant no more coffins were needed, and because no more coffins were needed, Scott the coffin maker lost business. He was sad. But more importantly, he was enraged. He wanted money. So he called the most boring servant of his over.

(By the way, that thing on Scott's shirt under "I love" [yes, that red thing is a heart] is a coffin.)

Now, Norm's family would have to pay for his coffin, and because Scott was the only coffin maker in town, they would have to buy from him. He claimed that Norm died by falling off a cliff, and he charged the family a lot, and included a "convenience fee" of $100. This money satisfied him for a while. But later, he wanted more money, so he killed off all his servants and gave false excuses for their deaths. 

But after that, no more people died. And he had no servants, anymore! So he went to City Hall and asked the mayor what was going on. The mayor said, "The dragon Science Nerdess and the phoenix Feathers have helped our townspeople by healing their wounds and running a health clinic, and the wonderful witch Zella put a spell on us that eliminates death by disease or old age!"

Scott was even angrier. How dare they rob him of his business! He then decided to see the king, but it was a long way away from his house, so he rode his talking horse named Amarantha. When he reached the king's castle, he lied to the king, "There are an evil dragon, phoenix, and witch who are threatening the townsfolk of Towncity!"

The king was shocked. "Oh no! Could you slay the dragon, capture the phoenix to be sold to a zoo, and imprison the witch? I will knight you, and you will get rewards!"

Scott grinned. Everything was working according to his plan. "Of course, your majesty!"

"I hereby dub you Sir Scott," declared the king. And Scott was off on his talking horse named Amarantha.

Amarantha had heard everything that Scott said to the king and knew they were dirty lies. "Master Scott, why did you lie to the king? The dragon, the phoenix, and the witch did nothing but good for the town!"

"They didn't do good for everyone, though. They made my lose money!" exclaimed Scott.
"You are so selfish! I am ashamed that you are my master!" Then Amarantha threw Scott off and galloped toward Science Nerdess's cave.

When she arrived at the cave, Science Nerdess and Feathers were playing tic-tac-toe, and Zella was looking over her book of spells. Amarantha said, "Hey, guys! I have to warn you of something important! Something bad!"

This caught everyone's attention. "What's the matter?" asked Science Nerdess.

"What happened?" asked Feathers.

"My master, Scott, does not like how you've eliminated death from disease or old age because it's causing him to lose business! He is a coffin maker, after all. So he's gotten permission from the king--by lying to him, of course--to kill you"--Amarantha pointed at Science Nerdess--"to imprison you"--she pointed at Zella--"and capture you"--she pointed at Feathers--"to be sold to a zoo!"

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Science Nerdess.

"I agree!" said Feathers. "Why can't he just get another job?"

"I don't know," said Amarantha.

"Darn witch-hunts," muttered Zella.

"You guys have to do something!" exclaimed Amarantha. Science Nerdess thought about the situation. What could she do? There was a knight crazed with greed after her...how could she win? She had to protect her friends and herself! Plus the knight would bring death back to the town, and she couldn't have that! She'd have to fight. She hated that, but it was the only way.

Scott arrived, out of breath. And then, the fight began.

 

(Okay I don't really know what Feathers is doing in the first picture. Striking an epic pose? Perhaps. And the background is gray because they're in a CAVE!)

(That grayish thing under Science Nerdess's tail is Scott. And Feathers has a bottle of Phoenix Tears.)

The battle remained a draw, and Science Nerdess was unsure of what to do. Zella tried casting spells, but Scott yanked her wand out of her hands. Plus, Scott's shield deflected dragon fire. Feathers spontaneously combusted, like how phoenixes do. That fire burned Scott's arm armor...and his arm. It also burned a little bit of his hat, which upset him greatly. Amarantha bit Scott's arm. Suddenly, Science Nerdess had an idea. She scrambled into her science lab and experimented with chemicals. She then came out with a bag of gold.

"Aha! I knew you were hiding gold somewhere!" exclaimed Scott. "But I still have yet to slay you!" He grabbed the gold.

"Science, where did you get the gold from? And why did you get it?" asked Feathers. "This will arouse more suspicion--" She was cut off by the sound of an explosion. Pieces of Scott flew everywhere. "That 'gold bag' was a bomb," explained Science Nerdess.

"Looks like he won't have a decent burial," said Zella. Amarantha sighed. "Are you sad that he won't get a decent burial?" asked Zella.

"No, no, I couldn't care less about that," said Amarantha. "I just...don't have a home anymore."

"You can live with us!" said Science Nerdess. "If that's okay with Zella and Feathers." Zella and Feathers gave their consent, and they all lived happily ever after.

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Thank you, Feathers, Zella, Amarantha, and Scott for being in my story!
So, what did you guys think? I know Scott is a bit one-dimensional, but that's how many fairy tales treat their villains anyway, I think...
Any ideas for my next WIS? I really don't have any ideas for it right now!