Love it, just need to tie my ADHD ass down first to read it all
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You’re cold, slightly damp from the mist, and fully regretting your decision to come here. You pull your coat around you more tightly, but it’s no use. The late night air, cold and unyielding, seems to sap every shred of heat from your body. Resisting the urge to check the time, you keep your eyes locked on the frozen steel glinting in front of you.
It seems ridiculous, now, that you signed up for this of your own free will. But, several hours ago, basking in the warmth of the fire and the good cheer of your friends, it felt like the obvious choice. Three hours in the old forest behind your hometown, in the middle of the night, for one hundred dollars an hour. Bonus cash if you could find the railway. For old times’ sake.
Growing up, it was made very clear by all the grownups that children were never to go into the forest, certainly not without an adult and absolutely not at night. Of course, as a kid, nothing could have made the forest more enticing, and very quickly you and the other kids developed a keen fascination with them. They became the center of childhood rituals; during sleepovers, you and your friends would take turns making up stories of the horrors that lurked deep within the woods, each more wicked than the last. Finally, when you could no longer keep your eyes open, you would bury deep into your blankets, shivering in delight and terror at what must surely wait just across the tree line.
As you grew older, the allure of the forest only grew stronger. The truly brave would go sneaking into the woods at night, and the rest of you would wait, breathless, to see how long they would last. Most couldn’t bear more than ten minutes or so, and they would come streaking back towards you, face pale but triumphant.
The record holder had been a kid two grades ahead of you. You had all sat waiting just out of reach of the trees, at first awed, then worried by his long absence. He’d been gone for almost an hour before he stumbled out into the clearing. You had a thousand questions for him, but the dazed, distant look on his face made you fall silent.
“Tracks,” he whispered. “Train tracks. In the woods.”
The rest of you sat deathly still, waiting for him to elaborate, but he said nothing else. Wordlessly, you and the rest of the kids walked him back home.
There were no more nighttime expeditions after that. The grownups had realized what you’d been up to, and the very next day had begun to raise a high steel fence around the tree line. Years passed. Though the forest was still talked about in hushed whispers, its now inaccessible mystique was slowly being set aside for other childhood wonders. Now, as an adult, you rarely ever think about it. Only on evenings like these, surrounded by your childhood friends, do you reminisce together about the fun you’d had.
You’re too old, now, for ghost stories, but not too old to be goaded into doing stupid things for the hell of it, especially when there’s money on the line. When one of your friends had dared you, half-jokingly, to spend the night looking for the phantom train tracks deep within the woods, you agreed almost immediately. Surely now as an adult you had nothing to fear, and besides, that extra spending money would certainly come in handy.
Now you find yourself huddled up against one of the pines, staring miserably at the crumbling rail. Surprisingly, you were able to find it without much trouble, just a half hour’s walk from the edge of the woods. You’d snapped a few pictures as proof before settling down to wait out the rest of your sentence. The thrill of your success had quickly turned to boredom, and with no reception, all you can do now is count the minutes as they pass. Boredom turns to discomfort as the biting cold surrounds you, and after a while you begin to worry that maybe, just maybe, your thin autumn coat isn’t enough to last the night. But it’s not cold enough for hypothermia – right? It’s not like you’ll freeze to death. Probably.
You shift uncomfortably on your bed of pine needles. Are there bears in these woods? You don’t remember seeing any as a kid, but you do remember hearing the haunting shriek of mountain lions. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe you should turn back.
You’re so caught up in your reverie that you don’t hear the distant whistle, or the rhythmic chugging that creeps ever closer. You don’t even notice the billowing steam, mistaking it for a wayward cloud of mist. Only when the it comes to a stop in front of you with a soft hiss do you come to your senses, realizing that you’re no longer alone.
In front of you stands a towering locomotive, pitch black and silent. It’s nothing like the sleek modern trains you’re used to – it seems older even than the oldest building in town. As you gape at it, you hear metal grind against metal, and the door of the first cart shudders open. A warm but eerie light shines out, beckoning you in.
STEP INSIDE
STAY PUT
It's spooky season!
A few of you may remember my questionable attempt at a Halloween train last year, back when I was still pretty new to the site. Unfortunately for you, I have learned absolutely nothing this past year and fully intend to terrorize you once again with my incessant yapping. The Ghost Train is back!
Right now there are five carts, with a total of ten more set to be added later in the month. These first carts are all level two, while subsequent carts will need up to level four. The train will run from now til October 31st, so no need to rush - you'll have plenty of time to enter at your leisure. I tried only to pick games that a) are relatively well liked and b) don't have a lot of region locks (if any). A few of them are personal favorites, so I hope you find at least a couple that strike your fancy.
Of course, I couldn't put on an event with incorporating the best fall tradition of all. Half the fun of Halloween is trick or treating!
I've left a few tasty pumpkin cookies 🎃 scattered across the site. Some of them are TREATS - they'll lead you straight to an extra giveaway. But be careful! Some of them are TRICKS, and you'll have to put in some work to earn your link. Most extra giveaways will be level 0 with a select few being level 1, so even if you're not ready to take on the Ghost Train just yet, you'll still be able to join in on the fun.
I hope you enjoy the event, and good luck!
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