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That ghastly owl gives chase down the long corridor as he wails his merry, macabre melody, chaos erupting from every floor, ceiling, and pit in his wake. He truly is enjoying it all. The little goat makes haste as fast as her poor, tired hooves will allow her to. All this, just for some gem? Is it worth it to lose one's very life over a little piece of mortal material possession? Is it worth being maimed, stabbed, beaten, electrocuted, burned, or anything else for that matter? The owl seems to think so. The goat does not.
Crawling narrowly through the battle, gasping for breath, the goat decides that enough is enough of these games. She plants her hooves in place and stops dead in her tracks, no pun intended. This confounds the owl, who stops his silly song. The goat turns on her heel to address him.
"That's it! Here! I don't care about the stupid gem anymore!"
She slams the gem down at the owl's feet. It rolls to equilibrium before him. He squints at the goat in suspicion.
"Lost the will to live? Not afraid to die anymore? Hoot! Such a shame! I was having so much fun, too!"
The cocky bird stares at his talons with an aura of superiority as the goat scowls up at him.
"I told you! I'm not here for your dumb party! But if the gem means so much to you that you'd be willing to kill me for it, here! Take it! It's not even worth the trouble!"
The bird looks down at his black feet, the tiny gem glistening. He picks it up. He'd abandoned genuine interest in such petty things eons ago.
"Oh, pish posh! It was never about the silly gem!"
He shrugs, tossing the gem over his shoulder, and the sound of glass shattering can be heard a second later.
"I just wanted another guest for my party... but not a living one. Yuck!"
He sticks his orange tongue out in disgust. The goat looks around, utterly dumbfounded by this claim. There isn't another being in sight save for whatever apparitions conjured by the horrendous host himself that had since disapparated once the chase had been halted.
"What party?!"
The bird shakes his head in utter disbelief.
"Oh! Can you not see the spirits all around you waiting for you to shed that pesky mortal body and join in the eternal fun? Is being tethered to the physical realm only to die at any moment not simply the worst fate imaginable? Hoot! Hoot!"
He folds his long wings in detest, peering down at the goat with his hypnotic eyes and a sideways smirk on his beak. The goat protests.
"No! I love my life!"
The owl coils his long neck around the goat, perplexed by this behavior. His curiosity is piqued as he inquires further of Billie.
"Hmm, so you enjoy your life? The pain? The misery? Hoot! The sickness and despair that come with mortality? My dear, sweet friend, if you thought my plight to kill you was nothing more than a mere act of malice, why, I do believe you have me mistaken."
He chuckles.
"To be a ghost, to live forever, free of pain, free of all suffering! That is what it means to truly live! I cannot die... That was a fate that fell upon me a long time ago... And I've been happy ever since! Oh, dear friend, if only you would embrace death with open arms! It is a blessing!"
Barnaby dances with glee around the goat, and this frustrates her even more.
"Yeah? Well, I don't want your blessing!"
Billie stomps her hoof, and the owl recoils slightly. It is then that all joy leaves his eyes. He faces away from the goat.
"Oh."
Barnaby laments. With the snap of his finger, the distorted mirage of the room fades away, and the mansion returns to its normal state. The front door flies open, bidding Billie to leave. She gazes out the front door toward freedom and then back to the sullen owl.
"I was just hoping someone... anyone... would join my party. But... I guess you're too busy."
He sighs.
"I just thought you would want to be my friend."
The bird sniffs, an orange tear running down his eye. The goat scowls at the ground, looking away somewhat in shame. She massages her long ears as she approaches the owl.
"I like parties... but I also like my life. Being alive is a gift. Its finite nature is what makes it so special. I'm sorry I yelled at you and that I tried to steal your gem. You probably don't get visitors very often. Do you?"
Billie looks up at the ghostly bird as he turns to face her once again.
"I guess I am just a bad old ghost! Hoot! Hoot!"
He tries to rise from his melancholy stance and lighten his mood.
"I'm sorry I tried to kill you. I guess I got a little carried away. It never occurred to me that one could enjoy being alive."
The goat approaches him, taking his large wing in her hoof.
"I'd like to be your friend."
He looks down at her hoof, then into her eyes with a somewhat confused look.
"I gotta go for now, but I'll come back someday. We could have a party, and I could even introduce you to my friends."
Barnaby becomes elated; his massive orange eyes are more "alive" than they'd been in centuries.
"You would?! Hoot!"
She gives him an ultimatum, raising one finger to him.
"Yes. Under one condition."
The owl grasps her on her shoulders, staring into her eyes, pleadingly.
"Name it!"
He says in desperation, his whimsical voice cracking.
"You respect my life and the lives of my friends. No killing."
He smiles widely in what appears to be acceptance of these terms.
"Done!"
Barnaby lifts the tiny goat into the air and smothers her with a hug.
"Oh! Thank you, sweet friend! Hoot! I'll never forget this!"
He releases his embrace, and the goat treads out into the dark cemetery once again. She waves a tiny wave at him with a smile, and him back at her. The door shuts and locks between them as if by some mysterious force. As she walks away, she wonders if the owl genuinely trusts her to keep her promise, or if she's gone too long, he'll assume she abandoned him. She shakes her head in refute. Billie knows for sure she'd never abandon a friend. Her little fox, Oscar, walks up to her, tilting his head with a small "yip". She looks down at him with a firm expression of determination.
"I won't forget him, Oscar."
She turns to the mansion.
"I won't forget about you. I promise."