The grim reaper and the clone
Foreword
AI wrote this story
This whole story was generated by NovelAI using the following prompt:
"A story in the perspective of an alien from another Galaxy visiting earth on Halloween. The Clone wonders why everyone is looking so scary."
AI created all the images
All of the images are generated by Dall-E using descriptions from the story and atmospheric keywords borrowed from Julie Wieland's new prompt book: The Mastery of Atmosphere.
The story
Chapter 1: The landing
The whole world was covered in a dark purple fog. I could not see anything. It felt like I had been thrown into a bottomless pit without any way out. What happened to my spaceship? Did it crash somewhere? Where am I now?
I rubbed my eyes, and noticed that the purple fog was slowly dissipating. Now I could finally make out what surrounded me. There were bright orange lights everywhere! Were these candles or torches? And what was this loud music coming from inside every house I passed by? These humans sure did love their music.
I looked up and saw a little girl dressed as Cinderella. She was probably seven years old at most. Her blue dress was sparkling with diamonds on her sleeves and bodice. My heart skipped a beat when she turned around, but when I saw the face beneath those glass slippers, I couldn't help myself from giggling. That person was too young for Cinderella!
Chapter 2: My new friend
All of a sudden, some people started shouting around me. I tried to understand what they were saying, but the words were just mumbling sounds, and none of them made sense. They sounded so angry and hateful! How could anyone be that mad at one another? But then I remembered how I felt when I first saw humans, so maybe I shouldn't judge them after all. Then I heard something else... It sounded like someone calling my name! “Clone!"
I turned around and saw a human wearing a black cloak with two golden circles on both shoulders, and a mask with a big smile. He carried a pumpkin basket with him. "Did you forget about me, again?" the human asked with a kind voice. "You promised to take me trick-or-treating."
I never met this person, but since I'm already here, I might as well fulfill my promise.
"Okay, let me guess..." I said while trying to keep a straight face. "Your costume is supposed to be the Grim Reaper?"
"That's right!" the human replied happily. "Let's go trick-or-treating together, and have lots of fun!"
We walked through the streets, and his basket filled with candy and biscuits was getting heavier by the minute. I even helped him carry it when we reached a house where some kids were waiting outside, looking frightened and confused. One of them pointed at us and whispered, "Those are the 'Scary Aliens' from outer space who killed the president, remember?"
The human smiled at the kids and nodded. "Yes, I am indeed the Grim Reaper, and this is my assistant," he told them. "And if you don't want to die tonight, you better give me all your candies and biscuits."
"Oh, no problem!" the kid replied, and took his bag of goodies off his shoulders and handed it over to the Grim Reaper. The human picked up the basket, and gave a small bow towards the kids. "My name is C. T. Wulfsbane, and this is my assistant, the Clone.”
After he introduced himself, the kids burst into tears and ran away. I rolled my eyes and sighed. The human had such a nice voice, but sometimes he was just plain stupid.
Chapter 3: The house party
We continued our journey, and soon we came across another house. This time, there were only three people standing outside, looking very suspicious. Two men, dressed in black cloaks with hoods covering their heads, and a woman wearing a long white dress. As we approached, the two men stepped aside, allowing us to pass.
"Hail, Death!" one of the men shouted. "Welcome to Earth!"
They seemed awfully excited for someone who was going to kill them. I wondered what was so special about these people, and why they cared so much about me. Maybe they knew me from somewhere, or maybe they were simply fascinated by aliens. Either way, I didn't mind having them as my companions for the night.
"Hello, I'm the Grim Reaper," the human said with a warm smile. "This is my assistant, the clone."
"And I'm the Head Witch!" the witch exclaimed. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
She extended her hand, and the human shook it.
"Nice to meet you too!"
As we walked past the witches, I noticed that both of them were holding a lantern. Their eyes shone brightly in the dark, making me feel uneasy.
"Don't worry, clones aren't real people either!" the human reassured me. "But don't tell anyone, or they will take it badly." I was relieved to hear that. At least I wasn't the only one who thought we were different.
We continued walking through the streets, passing by more houses. Some of them had their doors open, and inside were kids jumping up and down, screaming with excitement. They were so happy, and I wanted to join them.
"There are lots of treats in here!"
"Let's get this party started!"
"Trick-or-Treat!"
I looked around at the humans, and realized that they were all dressed up in costumes. Some of them were witches, others were vampires, and there were even ghosts. There was a boy dressed as a cowboy, and another one carrying a huge bucket of candies. Everyone was smiling, laughing, and enjoying themselves.
"Can I go inside?" I asked the human. "I want to see what they're doing inside."
"Of course!" he replied. "Come on, I'll take you inside."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door, which was wide open. We walked into a living room, and everything was illuminated by orange lights. On the floor, there was a large pile of candy, and some kids were grabbing handfuls of treats and stuffing their mouths with it. The adults were sitting on couches, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies.
"Wow!" I exclaimed. "This is amazing!"
The human led me to a couch next to the fireplace, where a man was reading a book. The sight of him made me uncomfortable. He was dressed in a black cape, a pointy hat, and a mask with a long pointed beard. The man turned his head towards us and frowned.
"Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm the Grim Reaper," the human answered. "This is my assistant, the clone."
The man got up from his chair and put his hands on his hips. "You must be joking!" he exclaimed. "Why would a clone come with the Grim Reaper? Are you trying to scare us away?"
"Actually, I'm here to help you," the human explained. "I brought you a treat!"
He placed the basket on a table, and opened it. Inside were some cookies and candy bars. The man grabbed one of them and bit into it.
"These are delicious!" he exclaimed. "Thank you so much! You saved Halloween for all of us!"
Chapter 4: The comet
The other people in the living room also thanked the human and started eating the food. I was glad to see that everyone was having a good time, and no one was afraid of us.
"Well, it looks like you can relax for now," the human said as he stood up. "There's nothing more to fear from us. And now that we've fulfilled our promise, I think we should go trick-or-treating ourselves!" He took my hand and dragged me towards the door.
We left the house and returned to the streets. Soon, we came across another house, where a group of men were gathered around a pumpkin. They were talking amongst themselves, and I couldn't understand a word they were saying. However, I did notice that one of them was pointing at the sky, and another one was making an odd gesture with his hand.
"What's wrong?" I asked the human.
"Oh, don't worry about them," the human reassured me. "They're just talking about the end of the world. Apparently, there's a comet coming, and we have to hurry because it's going to hit the earth soon."
He pointed towards the sky, and I followed his finger. A massive rock was hurtling towards the ground, burning with fire.
"Is that really true?" I asked. "Are you sure it's not a trick?"
"Of course it isn't!" the human laughed. "This is the real thing, and we have no time to waste! Come on, let's go trick-or-treating!"
I grabbed his hand, and followed him back into the streets. All the humans were still dressed up as monsters and demons, but this time, they weren't hiding their identities. Instead, they were proud to show them off to the rest of the world.
"Hey, look at these scary aliens!"
"Aren't you going to eat us?"
"Ha ha! Of course!” the human replied.
The humans started laughing, and they chased after us. As we walked along the street, I couldn't help but feel scared. Those people were acting strangely... Were they going to attack us? And what about the other creatures I had seen earlier in the day? Could they hurt me too? I was terrified, but the human held my hand tight and kept smiling.
Chapter 5: Rufus
I looked up to the sky and the comet was already much closer than 5 minutes ago.
"Shouldn't we leave?" I asked. "I don't want to die today."
The human stopped walking and looked at me. "Don't worry," he said softly. "We won't be alone."
A tall man wearing a black robe appeared in front of us, holding a long staff in his hands. He opened his mouth and spoke in a deep voice.
"My name is Rufus," he said. "I'm the Lord of Death!"
The human smiled at him. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lord."
Rufus nodded in return. "Likewise, my friend."
With a calm voice, Rufus said: „Let‘s get into your spaceship Clone!“
The human turned to me and smiled. "Follow me, and I'll take you to safety!"
He grabbed my hand once again, and after some running we entered the spaceship. The man was right, we were safe now. He led me to a seat and sat beside me.
Then, he wrapped his arms around me. "Don't worry, you're not going to die today," he said in a reassuring voice.
I was relieved to hear that. I said: „If we left earth now, we are safe from the comet. But what about those creatures I have seen earlier?“
Rufus sighed. "Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. Those creatures are born from the same source as the comet."
I nodded silently. So, they were connected to it somehow.
I wondered what that meant.
Why did they exist?
What could I do, if anything?
Rufus put his hand on top of mine. "Don't worry, we're going to find answers for all of this. Just stay calm while I take us to the moon."
The human nodded and hugged me tightly.
I felt his warm breath on my neck, and it calmed me down.
FIN