BOX OF HORRORS

Once, there was a girl. Her name was Pandora.



Now. I know what you’re thinking. “I’ve heard this story before!” Well you’re wrong.

This Pandora was a strange girl. Nothing much ever happened to her, and she often found herself wishing that her life was less boring. But you know what they say- Be careful what you wish for.

One day, Pandora had a few of her friends over to spend the night. This was not an unusual occurrence, of course. But there was something different about this night. Here is where you should understand something about Pandora and her friends: They were dark souls. Not in the sense of being evil, no. These girls were essentially good at heart, but in mind, they were intrigued by darkness. They had often pretended to dabble in dark magic, completely oblivious to the powers that they touched.

Pandora lived with her grandmother, a kindly but ancient old woman. She was a collector of artifacts, and her attic was full of old things- most of them would have fetched a pretty penny from a museum. Instead, they sat around her house, gathering dust, unlooked at except by the old woman, her granddaughter, and the young girl’s friends. One artifact however, sat in a position of glory. Unreachable behind glass, and standing proudly above the fireplace mantle, was a strange box.



The box was silver, covered in delicate engravings and polished until it shone. But the light it gave off was strange. It almost wasn’t a light at all, but a strange darkness. So of course it caught the attention of Pandora and her friends. They often sat in the living room when Pandora’s grandmother was gone, discussing what it was, what was inside it, and what made it so special to deserve the place of honor on the mantle. This night was another such night. The four girls lounged about on the furniture, four sets of eyes locked on the silver box. We may never know what drew Pandora’s eyes to the key on the hook by the door, or what told her that it was the key that unlocked the glass cabinet containing the box. But she stood and retrieved the key- one she had never seen and she assumed had never left her grandmother’s possession before- and unlocked the cabinet, pulling the box from its shelf with shaking hands. The girls were speechless, simply staring at the box now out in the open for the first time in their memories.

“Open it.”

It was Pandora’s best friend that had spoken, prompting Pandora to do exactly what she had been longing to do for years. And after hours of arguing, she did. Her slim fingers fumbled with the unfamiliar latch for a moment before flipping it open.



Here is the part of the story that may seem the most familiar. I’m sure you’ve heard the myth- curious girl opens a box that she’s been forbidden to open, never ends well. Right? Right.

When Pandora opened the box, she released all the evils it contained and the world was changed forever. Vampires, demons, faeries, elves, ogres, and werecreatures flooded the earth and took over, the most powerful- vampires- quickly assuming the throne to rule the world. In mere seconds the small planet of earth became a dark and deadly place. The majority of the humans were enslaved, along with many of the lesser creatures of the box. Magic was predominant among the world’s population. Pandora managed to close the box before everything escaped. But the only thing that remained was hope. Hope, however, was a small comfort to her, for the vampire queen - the beautiful and deadly Queen Annabella - wasted no time at all in capturing Pandora and condemning her to the dungeons forever.

The world has existed like this for years now. But deep in the hearts of some, a rebellion is stirring. The lesser creatures have been beaten down for far too long, and begin to seek revenge on the vampire queen.

The question is simple: Whose side will you take now that