Tiny Stripz: #240: Sacrifice (Part One)

$[Snoring coming from a spooky, spidery room.] \n Fred: ZZZzZZzZz \n [Fred is lying down on a messy bed with candy wrappers.] \n Fred: zZZzZZZZ \n [A spectral blue hand taps Fred.] \n Off-screen: Hey. \n [Fred sits up, rubbing his eyes.] \n Fred: Zxqsm? \n [Fred stares up at a ghost with a bun in her hair.] \n [Same scene.] \n Fred: AAAAAAAAAAAAA \n [Same scene.] \n Fred: AAAAAAAAAAA \n [Same scene.] \n Ghost: Stop it. \n [Ghost looks around. Fred comes to terms with the ghost.] \n Ghost: I thought you'd take better care of the house... \n Fred: Great-Aunt Beatrice? How did...why... \n [Full-body view of Beatrice.] \n Beatrice: Someone summoned me back to the mortal world. I don't know who... \n [She points out the window. A beam of magic energy points toward the orchard near Fred's house. Margonsfield's skyline is visible in the background.] \n Beatrice: Somewhere in that direction. \n [Fred walks by a spooky tree. Beatrice is hovering spookily, the beam still coming from her hand. The spooky moon illuminates the landscape.] \n [Change of perspective. The beam points to Max, who is meditating and hovering, with the sigils of the magical elements: Time, Life, Persimmons, Pi, Energy, surrounding him.] \n Fred: Max?! \n Max: Hey. \n [Same scene, different perspective.] \n Beatrice: Why did you summon me? \n Max: It's just a magical exercise. A soul exchange between the mortals and afterlife every Halloween before the next midnight is sufficient for me to keep my powers. \n [Zoom in on Beatrice and Fred.] \n Beatrice: Oh, ok. \n Fred: Exchange? \n [The sigils disintegrate. Max draws a dagger.] \n Max: That's right. \n SFX: SHIIING \n [The dagger embeds itself in the tree right beside Fred.] \n SFX: WHUNK$