Monster Mash

Khush: "Don't worry, dad. I've got a plan for this."

Father: "Really? What's the plan?"

Khush: "We just need to get to the store without running into any monsters."

Father: "That sounds risky and dumb."

Khush: "Let me explain. Since all the houses are connected, we can move from one rooftop to another. If we spot a monster, we can avoid and attack it easily."

Father: "That's a good plan. Christine, can you go ahead and check it out?"

We made our way to the rooftops, hopping from one to the next. After about 10-12 houses, we were almost at the end of the street, but dad was getting tired.

Khush: "We're almost there, dad. Just a few more houses, and we'll be right in front of the shop."

Father: "Okay, let's keep going. I can do it."

Khush: "Should we rest here for 10 minutes?"

Father: "No, I'm fine. Let's—"

Before dad could finish, we heard a loud roar and screams we couldn't understand. Then, a fly landed on my nose, signaling danger. I felt my heart race as fear gripped me, and I knew we had to act fast.

Khush: "Dad, there are monsters nearby. Claim thi-"

Before Khush can finish his statement, a spear lands only a couple of feet from him.

Khush: "Where the hell did that come from?"

Khush looks down from the roof to see many goblins getting ready to throw more spears at them and some goblins trying to break down the main iron door.

He ducks while screaming and pulls his father down to duck as well.

Khush: "Father, duck!"

Father: "What the hell is happening?"

Khush: "Father, don't panic. Just claim the house. We will be fine."

As he finishes saying that, 10-15 more spears land on the roof, some narrowly missing them. Then the main iron gate breaks, and goblins start attacking the main door.

Khush: "Father, we are not fine. Claim the house already."

Father: "I am doing just that. It takes a minute."

Then they hear the main wooden door breaking, with monsters making their way in.

Khush: "Father, faster!"

Father: "Almost done, and done."

Then the security window appears, saying:

"Property claim successful. Intruder alert. 17 intruders in the house.

Press 'attack' to deal with them."

Father, with a determined look, presses the 'attack' button, and the command is successful.

The intruders are being annihilated. Suddenly, two turrets appear inside and outside the house, relentlessly attacking all of the monsters. The monsters try to fight back but soon start running, unable to withstand the assault. Only two of them manage to escape.

After the bloodbath, father and I cautiously make our way downstairs, collecting all of the crystal shards left behind.

We gather 37 small orange crystal shards and one medium one.

Feeling a mix of relief and exhaustion, we close both of the broken doors and put the property in lockdown mode, hoping to find some peace after the intense encounter.

After the intense encounter, we took some time to rest. As I settled down, a fly landed on my right ear, reminding me to open the notebook.

I opened the notebook and asked Christine controlling the fly, to narrate what had happened. The fly landed on the pre-written words, creating a sentence that read, "Sorry, got distracted, didn't see monsters."

Khush, astonished, exclaimed, "How did you miss 40 monsters? Next time, please pay attention."

The fly then landed on the word "sorry" and spelled out, "I will be careful next time."

Understanding the fly's message, Khush reassured, "It's okay, we are going to rest here for 10-15 minutes. You can take a rest until then if you want."

The fly landed on "OK," seemingly acknowledging the plan.

Khush then turned her attention to our father, asking if he was all right and offering to rub his back. Despite his initial denial, he eventually admitted, "I am fin- bluegh."

Reflecting on the surreal experience, I realized how peculiar it was that I couldn't feel anything beyond a sense of pity, despite witnessing such otherworldly horrors. It was as if my emotions had been numbed by the events, leaving me with an overwhelming feeling of emptiness.