Cadaver Island by Pro Se Press

his huge teeth. Alexander giggled, stepped
closer to the stallion, and wrapped his arms around his
neck.
    Dr. Stine plucked small
logs and tree branches from the ground and gathered them in his
arms. He strolled toward the pit and dropped the timber on top of
the wild boar’s bones. He snapped his fingers at Razor, who stopped
gnawing on a bone and rose to his feet. The dog trotted toward the
pit, wagged his tail, and glanced up at Dr. Stine.
    “ Set them ablaze, Razor, we
need a campfire,” Dr. Stine said.
    Razor jumped up and down,
exhaled three, loud barks, and opened his mouth wide. Hot flames
erupted from the back of his throat and engulfed the pieces of
wood. Gray smoke rose from the timber and filled the air. Tree
branches and brittle logs cracked and popped as the fire spread
throughout the pit. Dr. Stine smiled and patted Razor on his
head.
    Alexander and Angelique
approached the pit and sat Indian style on the ground. Razor hopped
in Angelique’s lap and placed his chin on his front, outstretched
paws. Shadow’s wide eyes stared at the fire with amazement. Dr.
Stine leaned against the trunk of a cypress tree and scratched his
white beard. On the western horizon, the bloated disc of the sun
plunged toward the horizon. Rays of sunlight slanted through the
overlapping limbs and dangling moss of the swamp’s trees. Fireflies
glowed in the shadows.
    “ I want to tell you about
Sir Xavier Thames. There’s a reason why he wants to destroy me. And
it’s also why he’s so determined to conquer the City of Thyme,” Dr.
Stine said.
    “ I’m eager to find out why
he is so… cruel ,” Angelique said. She bit her
fingernails.
    “ Maybe it will explain why
he sent Reverend Stark to my town,” Alexander said.
    “ It’ll explain everything.
Listen to me and don’t fall asleep. This is a campfire story you’ll
remember for the rest of your lives,” Dr. Stine said. Then he
stared at the orange and red sky. The sun plunged behind the peaks
of Mount Zahn. Dr. Stine folded his arms across his chest, exhaled
a deep sigh, and told them about when…
     
    ***
     
    … he was eleven years old.
His parents allowed him to join his classmates at summer camp,
where the disciples of a wizard, Saxines, taught them magic spells
and how to survive in the wilderness. On the first day of camp,
Saxines randomly selected three students to follow him to a nearby
waterfall. Dr. Stine, who was known as Laurent, joined Xavier
Thames and Reginald Bosc as they followed Saxines through the dense
forest. After a long hike, they heard a loud, crashing sound.
Saxines, who was a tall, lanky wizard with a long, gray hair and a
matching beard, plucked green stowaways from his white robe. Then
he beckoned for the children to follow him around the bulk of a
stone boulder. Saxines held his hands in front of the children so
they wouldn’t walk off the edge of a steep cliff. On the other side
of a ravine, the Blanton River plunged over the high cliffs. A
rainbow formed a vibrant arch above the waterfall. A cool mist
caused moisture to form on their faces. Beneath them, a deep pool
of water filled a rocky alcove, which bordered the eastern section
of the Blanton River. Saxines pointed at the waterfall and laughed.
“I want you to walk across the ravine, soak your feet in the
waterfall, and come back to me. But don’t look down! You wouldn’t
want to fall!”
    “ That’s impossible! We
can’t walk on air!” Xavier said. His lips trembled.
    “ You shouldn’t be so
negative. If you believe in yourself, it will happen,” Saxines
said.
    Reginald Bosc, the future
king of Thyme, stepped to the edge of the cliff and closed his
eyes. He clenched his fists and grinded his teeth. Urine burst from
the tip of his penis and soaked his beige pants. Circles of
perspiration spread from the underarms of his white shirt. His left
hand wiped brown bangs away from his wide eyes. He inhaled a deep
breath of air, held it in his lungs, and initiated his first