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English
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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-04
Words:
1,078
Chapters:
1/1
Kudos:
24
Hits:
2,513

Miss Teen of Mount Pleasant Valley

Summary:

A Horror tale. Tiffany Hargrove wins a teen beauty contest of the town in which she and her parents recently moved. But it's like no other contest she's ever experienced.

Work Text:

Tiffany Hargrove admired her reflection in the mirror she kept on the inside door of her school locker. Her skin was perfectly clear. She was having a good hair day. Every lock of her long golden tresses behaved as she wanted. She wore the latest fashion from head to toe.

She and her parents had moved to the town of Mount Pleasant Valley almost a year ago. She had just turned fifteen. At first she was very angry at having to move from their old town and leave behind all of her friends. But within a month she had made new friends and found she liked Mount Pleasant Valley. It was a beautiful town with clean streets. The homeowners took pride in keeping their homes and yards looking attractive. The residents of this town were friendly, helpful and nice.

Her sixteenth birthday was only a week away. She had entered the Miss Teen of Mount Pleasant Valley contest. The winner of the contest would be announced on the very day of her sixteenth birthday. Tiffany could hardly wait. She loved being the center of attention, and she was determined to win.

She smiled once more at her reflection. The bell rang. She reluctantly closed the door to her locker and headed to class.

The morning of the contest she nervously got up early. She showered, shampooed and took extra time for the finishing touches in grooming and dressing herself.

Her worries were for nothing. She was bursting with happiness when her name was announced as Miss Teen of Mount Pleasant Valley. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks and she hoped her tear-proof mascara was holding up. The mayor presented her with the silver tiara, pink satin sash and huge bouquet of red roses.

Tiffany proudly wore her pink sash and tiara and carried her rose bouquet.

"And now, Miss Teen of Mount Pleasant Valley, it is time for your to perform your one and only duty," said the mayor smiling at her.

Tiffany was a little puzzled. Duty? This was the first time she heard of any duty being required.

It's probably just some nominal little thing, she thought.

"Yes, Mayor," said Tiffany in a cheerful voice. "I will be happy to do my duty."

"We're all so very glad to hear that, my dear. My son will accompany you to where you will perform your duty. We will follow closely behind."

The mayor's son Michael was eighteen years old. He was tall, handsome and athletic. All of the high school girls in Mount Pleasant Valley dreamed of being with him.

Tiffany could not help but feel just a little bit proud. She noticed the other girls looking at her with envy as Michael smiled and escorted her off of the stage.

He's like a prince, thought Tiffany. She imagined Michael wearing a royal crown and dressed as a prince from a fairy tale.

He walked her to a limousine. The chauffeur opened the door for them and they got inside.

The ride began. Tiffany noticed they were going uphill. The windows of the limousine was darkened so she could not see where they were going.

"Where am I being taken?" she asked.

"You'll see," said Michael. "It's a surprise, so you'll need to wear this blindfold."

"You're joking, right?" asked Tiffany. "A blindfold?"

"I'm not joking. And look. It's such a pretty pink blindfold that matches your sash."

"Oh, very well," said Tiffany. "I'll go along with it." She let Michael tie the blindfold around her eyes.

"We'll be there soon," said Michael. " Would you like something to drink? We have sparking cider."

He didn't wait for her to answer. He went ahead and poured her a glass and handed it to her. She thanked him as she took it and sipped from her glass.

Twenty minutes later they reached their destination.

Tiffany was feeling dizzy and disoriented. She had trouble getting out of the limousine, but the chauffeur and Michael together were able to carefully help her out of the car.

Michael held her steady and helped her walk to a spot marked to where she was to stand.

"It feels so hot here," said Tiffany. "Where are we?"

"We are at the top of the mountain where you will now perform your one and only duty, Miss Teen of Mount Pleasant Valley," said Michael. "My father the mayor will now take over and assist you with the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" asked Tiffany in a groggy voice. Why did she feel so woozy?

She could hear many voices speaking at once. She could not make out what they were saying. Had the entire town followed them up to this top of this mountain?

"May I remove this blindfold now?" asked Tiffany.

"Yes," said the mayor. "I'll do that for you."

He untied the knot and removed the pink blindfold. Tiffany blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light.

She looked around and saw why it was so hot. She was standing on the edge of a huge opening at the top of the mountain. Hot bubbling magma filled the huge crater below.

The mayor unrolled an ancient scroll and began reading aloud from it.

Tiffany could not understand what the mayor was saying. It was a language totally foreign to her. She glanced around. Michael and the other townspeople looked at her and the mayor and were very solemn and quiet.

Then the mayor rolled up the scroll and motioned to his son.

Michael came over to Tiffany, bowed, gently took her right hand and kissed it gently. She stared at him and smiled as she noticed everyone looking. Her wish had come true, for she was indeed the center of attention. The entire population of town was here with all eyes upon her.

Then Michael surprised her by shoving her down into the volcano opening.

Tiffany screamed as she fell and perished into the red hot lava.

And so Mount Pleasant Valley received its annual sacrifice and would spare the people living there from another volcanic eruption.

Michael, the mayor and the townspeople got into their cars and headed down the mountain to go about their lives.

"Until next year," said the mayor to his son.

"Yes, Dad," said Michael. He wondered if he would make it back home in time to catch the basketball game on television.

THE END