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Talk Radio - Marianne's Story Web

Keypals - Keypals - Keypals - Keypals - Keypals -
... For big kids and small kids.

Come and make friends with our keypals from all over the world! Check out our Keypals List Page  If you would like to add your name and email address to this list then please go to the Keypals Form  If you have a kids homepage include the URL in the Keypals fill-out form and I will link your kids homepage with mine.
 

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Are you planning to have a live chat with your Keypals? Need to know the time anywhere in the world?...and info about a country...then go to Time Zones of the World and Kid's Web-Geography

How Far is it? will tell you the distance and location on the map of your keypals from where you live.

This will be our new online magazine to display stories by kids who love writing and reading.
When the first issue is be published it will announce the winners of a writing contest -
The Kids Stories Contest will be open to kids of all ages. Do not send your stories yet. Futher details will be available within a few months.

" I like happy stories, adventure stories, spy stories, animal stories, and even sometimes sad stories... but best of all I like scary short stories that give me goosebumps.
 

If you also like scary stories - the kind of stories that you tell around a campfire on a cool summer's night,
            then you should read this..."
 
 

     Zaroff's Revenge
 

by Marianne Lubenskyi

In the moonlit courtyard, the hounds were asleep. Zaroff's ghost rose slowly from the mangled remains of his body... In the bedroom of the luxurious chateau, Rainsford slept peacefully. He had no idea of what horrors fate held for him...

At the crack of dawn, Rainsford awoke refreshed and rested. The chateau was filled with a peaceful, even eerie silence. He made his way down the huge staircase to the dining room, where he ate a hearty breakfast. After having eaten, he decided to explore the chateau. Torch in hand, he opened the door leading to the cellar. There he found only sacks of grain and bottles of Zaroff's expensive wine. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a faint moaning sound, a cry of suffering was heard. Rainsford was startled. He drew the revolver that saved his life in the duel against Zaroff and got ready to defend himself against "The Something" that lurked in the shadows. The moaning sound grew fainter and fainter, until it became inaudible, leaving Rainsford baffled. Being a brave fellow, he advanced towards the direction from where the moaning sound had come. Then he stopped, for in his path was a large, dusty crate. Rainsford opened the top and stared into blackness. If he stared hard enough, he could make out the outline of a rotted wooden staircase. Carefully, he placed his right foot on the first step. A faint creaking noise broke the silence. As he descended the steps at the slowest, most vigilant pace possible, he detected a mysterious presence nearby. A stale breeze of air brushed past him from the air vent and blew out his torch. Rainsford groped in his pockets for the a match. Then, without any warning, he felt a mighty shove from behind, as if two lifeless hands had found their mark on his back. Rainsford tripped, hit his head on the wall and went falling ... falling until he crumpled onto a cold spot on the floor. As his life's blood spurted from his wound, Rainsford heard a distant, hearty chuckle, filled with mockery. Then all went black. Rainsford awoke some time later, in tolerable pain. He passed his hand over the lump on his head. Surprisingly, he faintly remembered what had happened to him. He started to stand up, but he felt weak from his loss of blood. At his feet was a piece of wood. He lit it with a match and he looked around. He appeared to be in a sort of secret room, with four stone walls and no windows. Seeing that this room held nothing of importance for him, he started back up the wooden steps, but something caught his eye. On the floor, beside the dried pool of his own blood was written in white chalk, "The time will come for my revenge". It was signed, "Zaroff." Rainsford bolted up the stairs, out of the crate and out of the wine cellar. He could still remember the feel of those two cold and lifeless hands touching his back. The thought of it made him shudder in disgust.

 Rainsford decided to retire to his room early. After he thoroughly cleaned and dressed his wound, he entered his bedroom and bolted the door. He climbed in bed and was about to blow out the candle when it blew out itself... He fell into a deep sleep. Much later, Rainsford was awakened by the sound of the old grandfathers clock chiming twelve. The moonlight cast eerie shadows on the bedroom walls. Unable to sleep, he tiptoed downstairs for a midnight snack. Out of the icebox came the fixings for a sandwich. He cut two slices of bread, added the tomatoes, lettuce, ham and so on. He dipped the spreading knife in mustard and was about to spread when a rustling sound made him drop the knife. It clattered loudly to the floor. The rustling sound stopped abruptly, as if "The Something" responsible was startled by the sudden noise. The sound seemed to come from within the stove. Rainsford, the brave fool that he was, started towards the oven door but before he could lay a finger on the handle,the oven door burst open. A strong breeze, almost like the one that had blown out his candle in the wine cellar drifted out. The smell of chalk was unmistakable. This reminded him of the white chalk that had somehow spelled the words, "The time will come for my revenge." and which was signed, "Zaroff." Suddenly a thought occured to him. Why had it not crossed his mind before? The chateau must be haunted he first thought but abruptly shook that thought from his head. Suddenly, out of the blue came a maniacal laugh. It echoed through the immense chateau. Slowly, a faint figure of a man appeared in the shadows; it was that of General Zaroff. Zaroff started to speak. "Hello Rainford. You thought that you had gotten rid of me, eh? Well, General Zaroff is not easily beaten. You are going to die and suffer, just as I have done.", he threatened. Rainsford opened his lips to utter a cry, but only a whisper was heard. Zaroff went on, "Maybe I should explain to you why you must die. You see, I was once a brave young man like yourself but one day as I was sailing a tidal wave completely crushed my yacht. I was the only survivor. I swam to shore and came upon this chateau. Had I known what evils lurked within its walls, I would have thought myself better off to have been drowned at sea. And you will too, my dear fellow, for the fate that awaits you is more bitter than death. The inhabitant of this Island welcomed me in and invited me to stay for as long as I pleased. He was a very trange man. Then one night, he killed me, with the very same knife that you see here." He pulled the foot long machette out of its sheath and the sharp blade glistened. Rainsford gasped, and seeing the knife, instinctively attempted to run away but his feet remained cemented to the floor, as if by some unseen force. Zaroff continued to speak. "He planned to sacrifice me to let the evil powers inside his body infest mine. Only then he would be free of The Curse. He arrived to this island the same way as you and I, and many men before him.When you arrived on this island I was no longer alive although I looked and acted perfectly normal. The chain goes on forever, so the evil shall stay alive!"
"But why must I take your place?", demanded Rainsford. "You had your choice of all the sailors that arrived on this island. Why did you not choose one of them?", he continued.
"The answer is simple." replied Zaroff. "Not just anyone can take my place. He must first pass a test to prove his worth. In your case it was the hunt, which you passed well. You shall be the next to carry on the torch. And may your soul rest in peace when you pass it on!" With these words, he raised his machette, ready to stab at Rainsford who was quicker. He dashed out of the pantry in his stocking feet, expertly dodging the knife that was thrust at him. With Zaroff hot on his trail, he climbed the staircase and enteed the bedroom. He was cornered. The only route of escape would bring him out the window to a one-hundred foot drop to the courtyard below, where the hounds awaited. They would certainly tear him to pieces, as they had done with Zaroff. Zaroff floated to where Rainsford stood. Again he lunged at Rainsford. He reacted, but not fast enough. Blood spurted from his lips as the knife's blade entered his throat. He took two steps backwards and fell out of the window. His body came into contact with the spongy earth and many cracking noises were heard, as if all the bones in his body were breaking. Rainsford was lucky to feel no more pain. He was dead. Zaroff's ghost watched as the famished hounds tore mercilessly at Rainsford's flesh. Zaroff gave a contented sigh and faded away

In the moonlight courtyard, the hounds were asleep. Rainsford's ghost rose slowly from the mangled remains of his body In the small yacht, heading towards Ship Trap island, the young man slept peacefully. He had no idea of what horrors fate held for him...

Please send your appreciated comments:     Email: [email protected]

Here are some quotes my Mom has written:
Quotable "quotes"

 Marianne's Multimedia ...

Whale Watch Collection :
     A growing collection of information, images, sounds and videos
          from our family whale watching trips.
      **The current feature on this page is the North Altlantic Right Whale.

 "SUSHI":
         Here is a French kids cartoon strip I made a few years ago

I am making a new page with different pictures , movies and sound files which I have made ...
It won't be finish for a will...but you can see what I have so far...Just click Here

"Give me some email
to catch in my web"

        ... "Hey kids, come back again real soon. Big changes are ahead for this kids homepage!"