The Curse of the Skeleton King | Teen Ink

The Curse of the Skeleton King

January 9, 2020
By ryantheamazin59, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
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ryantheamazin59, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
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Author's note:

My name is Ryan 

    I am a high school student looking to get published and recognized. My piece is a short science fiction novel under 1500 words. I would love to use your publication service becuase I have done research on it and feel it is the best fit for my short story. Please take me into consideration when publicating your next piece.

 

    Jack has grown up with the idea that the Skeleton army is his only rival. The Skeleton Army is his only true enemy. Throughout the Kingdom of Aztalan Jack, is the son of the great King Midas the third. But today in the kingdom was not like any other day for Jack. Ever since he woke up this morning something has been setting Jack off. He walks outside and everyone yells.

“Hello Jack!”

Jack always receives high praise from the Kingdom. But that is not what was setting him off. Something was afoot and Jack could feel it. Sooner or later the alarm rang and he hears his dad shout

“The Skeleton King sent a scouting team. Everyone get into position. ”

Jack like always doesn't listen to his dad and runs up the stairs to help look where the scouting team is. 

“Jack what are you doing up here? You are supposed to be down in the bunkers staying safe.” King Midus mutters.

“I could not stay down there. I want to fight.” Jack proclaims.

“You need to hide. I don't know what I would do if you were hurt.” Midas states.

“Dad, you know me by now. Give me a sword and let me take them on.” Jack insists.

“I don't think that would be in your best interest son. Life is not about taking your hand on the hilt and slashing those skeletons.” King Midas states.

“You know what Jack. Your 16 and I am gonna trust you to take this on. Take my best men with you and you lead the team. Time for you to become a King” King Midas proclaimed. 

“You will not be disappointed.” Jack said.

So Jack set foot on a mission with King Midas’s best men in his army to go out and show the Skeleton King that the Kingdom of Aztalan means business.  Some time passes and they stop to eat food. They stop in the dread forest and Jack feels something touching him. 

“Stop playing tricks on me Curt!” Jack states.

“That was not me.” Curt proclaims.

“Then who was it huh?” Jack questions.

“It was the ghost of the dread forest.” Curt proclaims.

“Oh stop with that foolishness. We all know that the ghost of the dread forest is not real.” Jack explains.

“Oh It is very real Jack. More real than you could possibly imagine. My brother died from a ghost.” Curt states.

“I will believe it when I see it.” Jack states

They were off. No signs of ghosts Jack turns and walks through the dread forest but he gets an eerie feeling on his back. This time he sees a light orb float around his face and he gets scared. Jack draws his sword.

“Show yourself and state why you haunt me.” Jack mutters.

“I told you it was real Jack.” Curt proclaims.

“Like I said I would not believe you till I see it and guess what. I saw it.” Jack states.

“Oh wow it's haunting you and not us phew.” Curt sighs.

“Lets just find the scouting team and kill every last one of them.” Jack states.

Again the crew was off ready to fight anyone that came into their  path. Jack did not hear from the ghost for a while after that incident. They traveled for a while without incident until they spotted the skeleton scouting team.

“HOO RAH!” The skeleton scout leader screamed. Then in unison the rest of the members screamed.

“HOO RAH!”

This was their battle cry. The cry did not frighten everyone besides Jack. This was the first real time he has actually seen a Skeleton. Every other time they were in his story books as a child or as a dummy when he trained. Nevertheless Jack had quickly overcame this fear of his and drew his sword. The skeleton scouting team stood no chance to the experienced men of King Midas. With every slash and blow they took it got worse and worse for them. Sooner or later they sounded the retreat and ran off into the woods.

“What a swift victory for Jack.” Curt states. “Was that your first victory?”

“Why yes it was my good friend!” Jack proclaims.

They sounded the victory alarm to let the Great King Midas know as to their victory. Jack and his crew marched on back through the dread forest. Jack has not experienced any ghostly hauntings recently although he did feel a slight tingle on the back of his neck. In his head he thinks it's just the excitement getting to him but of course who could possibly know what it means. So Jack hears an alarm coming from the Kingdom and they rush to get home only to find the guards in a deep sorrow.

“What is the matter?” Jack mutters.

“Jack I feel you should go see your father immediately.” The guard states.

“Why I demand to know what's the matter.” Jack says.

“It cannot come from me my good sir.” The guard takes a deep sigh and mutters “It has to come from your father.”

“Alright I will see him this instant.” Jack states.

Jack rushes into the Kingdom and finds his father holding his mother and the men around him with roses of white. All were crying.

“I don't get it. What has happened to Ma?” Jack cries out.

Slowly King Midas turns to Jack and with his acing breath mutters out four words that haunts Jack.“It was a witch.”

Witches are evil and against the kingdom. They haunt people who walk the dread forest and they decided to target Jack.

“Preposterous, I demand to know a serious explanation. What happened to Ma!” Jack screams.

“Now you need to calm down son.  These are hard times for all of us.” King Midas states.

“I believe it's the Skeleton King. I will get him for this just you wait dad. He will not stand a chance against me.” Jack proclaims.

With those last words that Jack had said He set a foot to go forth and fight the Skeleton King. It was not only an hour ago he was on his first ever trip to kill a skeleton scouting crew and now he is out to kill the king. Everyone did not believe him but with the distraught of the Kings wife dying they were not gonna stop him. He and the same crew head out and plan a sneak attack on the King. Curtis is gonna sound the horn of battle while Jack waits in the trees on top right next to the hightower where the king lays asleep. As soon as the time is right Jack will strike the king and the army will fall. 

“I cannot believe we are going through with this.” Curt yells to Jack.

“Well believe it because today is the day the Skeleton Army falls.”

Jack gets into position and with the sound of the battle horn he jumps on the king and slashes his throat with a blow of 1000 war horses. Ash and bones is all that was left of the skeleton king. The crew make the hike back to the Kingdom to tell of the great news to try and lift the spirits of the people and it works. The people take all of Jacks praise and elect him to be the new King of Aztalan replacing his now missing father. We go to the ceremony where King Jack will be knighted to become King.

“I, by the power invested in me and the Kingdom of Aztalan. Hereby dub you King of Aztalan.” High Priest Michael states. Michael then knights King Jack with the power of the Kingdom. With a kingdom at his feet and his parents missing King Jack is lost and confused. Jack feels a rage of power dwell over him. He does not know how to explain it but he has to make drastic change to the Kingdom to please this voice in his head.

“As King my first rule of the land is to banish outside water. You are to only drink water from our taps and if you do it's an automatic execution.” Jack yells. “As well all crimes under the Kingdom are punishable by hanging or execution.”

The kingdom is in distraught. They cannot believe how power hungry their new king is. The town votes to execute Jack and they do so by forcing him to the guillotine and chopping his head clean off. Jack Powers is dead, King Midas is missing and his wife is now deceased by a witch. Everything is not over.

Now that Jack is dead he has gone to the afterlife. Jack was a mightful and powerful being but as the saying goes in Aztalan revenge is fueled by fate. The kingdom needs balance and for that to happen they need a Skeleton King and a King or Queen of Aztalan. King Jack Midas will come back as the Skeleton King.



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