Scene 1: The Party Begins

[Setting: Elliot and Claire’s apartment, transformed into a charmingly chaotic Halloween party. The living room is strung with cobweb decorations, orange and purple fairy lights, and a disturbingly lifelike skeleton lounging on the couch. Claire, dressed as a gothic fairy, flits between guests, while Elliot, in an unenthusiastic cowboy costume, leans against the wall holding a cup of cider.]

Guests filter in—Elliot’s coworkers, Claire’s friends, and, as the evening progresses, an increasing number of odd and inexplicable visitors. The goat, inexplicably dressed as a pirate, is munching on the corner of the snack table. The pizza guy, wearing his uniform with a cardboard “mask” resembling a slice of pepperoni pizza, nods politely to anyone who meets his gaze.

Then, one by one, the gods appear.

Felicity, God of Happy Accidents, enters first, in a silver masquerade mask and a flowing cape, effortlessly making her entrance feel both dramatic and completely unplanned.

Coincidence, God of Coincidences, follows, dressed as a magician, complete with a top hat and a wand. He smirks as if every person at the party is part of a trick only he knows.

Sable, God of Irony, arrives last, in a perfectly tailored suit, holding an umbrella with a skeletal handle. He surveys the room like a predator sizing up prey.

The room’s energy shifts subtly, as if the cosmic balance itself is adjusting to accommodate the unlikely assembly.

Scene 2: The Narration Begins

Elliot sidles up to Claire, watching the gods congregate near the snack table.

Elliot: “Are we just… pretending this is normal?”

Claire (smiling): “It’s Halloween. What’s normal?”

Felicity: “Precisely, darling.” (She appears beside them, her cape billowing despite the lack of wind.) “Normality is the greatest illusion of all. Speaking of illusions...”

Coincidence (appearing on the other side of Elliot, tipping his hat): “...Shall we tell them a story?”

The lights flicker dramatically as GOC begins.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Coincidence: “Once upon a time, in a world much like this one, there lived a man who believed he was in control.”

Felicity: “Oh, he tried, bless him. Schedules, spreadsheets, contingency plans—”

Coincidence: “—and, of course, umbrellas.”

The pair gesture dramatically toward Sable, who raises an unimpressed eyebrow but says nothing. The party quiets as the story unfolds.

Sprawling Narrative: The Illusion of Control

Felicity: “Let’s call him Victor. Victor liked to think he was prepared for anything. Rain? He had the finest umbrella money could buy. Traffic? He left the house early. Life? He had a five-year plan.”

Coincidence: “But the universe, you see, is not so easily managed. One day, Victor found himself in a storm. Not just any storm—a tempest of such absurdity that it could only have been orchestrated by divine hands.”

The narrative spins into surreal imagery: Victor battling a rainstorm with an umbrella that turns inside out, slipping on a rogue pineapple, and accidentally wandering into a costume contest where he is crowned “King of Chaos.”

Felicity (grinning): “The moral, of course, is that control is the real illusion. Plans crumble, umbrellas break, and pineapples roll. The only certainty is uncertainty.”

Elliot (muttering): “That sounds… oddly familiar.”

Sable (sipping a drink, deadpan): “What an imaginative tale. Completely unrelated to anyone present, I’m sure.”

Scene 3: The Bathroom Incident

As the story concludes, laughter and chatter resume. Elliot excuses himself to get another drink, only to freeze mid-step as a peculiar sound echoes from the bathroom: a toilet flushing.

Elliot (calling out): “Uh… Claire? Did someone go into the bathroom?”

Before she can answer, the bathroom door creaks open. Tripod—the three-legged rabbit—hops out, his ears twitching. He pauses in the hallway, blinks at Elliot, and then hops away as if nothing is amiss.

Elliot (pointing): “Did… did that rabbit just flush the toilet?”

Claire (blinking): “I don’t—was that even Tripod?”

The rabbit thumps a hind leg, as if annoyed by their lack of faith, before disappearing into the kitchen.

Felicity (appearing at Elliot’s side, smirking): “Implying that the rabbit did something remarkable is your first mistake, darling. The second is assuming it was an accident.”

Elliot: “So you’re saying—”

Felicity (cutting him off): “Oh no, sweetie, I’m not implying anything. That’s someone else’s department.”

Scene 4: A Subtle Revelation

As the party winds down, the gods gather near the door. Tripod hops onto a chair, surveying the scene with an air of silent authority.

Sable gives the rabbit a slow, deliberate nod.

Elliot (whispering to Claire): “I think we’re missing something. Something big.”

Claire (glancing at Tripod, then back at Elliot): “Yeah. But I’m not sure I want to know what it is.”

Coincidence (calling out): “Well, this has been delightful! Happy Halloween, everyone! And remember: nothing is ever as it seems. Except when it is. But you’ll never know which is which.”

The goat bleats loudly, as if in agreement.

Epilogue: The Rabbit’s Implications

As the last guest leaves, Elliot and Claire begin cleaning up.

Elliot (eyeing the bathroom): “I still can’t get over the rabbit thing.”

Claire: “Don’t think about it too hard. That’s how they get you.”

From the corner of the room, Tripod thumps once, as though to say: Exactly.

[End Scene]

[retcon:1]