Sunset Falls is a small town with its western edge brushing the Bermuda Triangle. That same end is also shrouded in a constant fog, and every night, something strange comes out of it. Usually, it’s a nuisance. Sunset has had everything from a T-Rex to an army of invading zombies come out of there. One night, they were swamped by a plague of rats, and they were stuck with them until the next night, when the Pied Piper walked out of the mist, playing the eeriest and most beautiful tune you’d ever care to hear. He led the rats out of town, just as you’d expect, disappearing inside the Triangle. You never know who or what is going to walk out of that fog, but one thing is certain: the Arabian was rare.

Just like everything else that comes out of the Triangle, the Arabian walked into the west end of town just as the sun was setting. When he walked out of the mist, he was looking around and gently rubbing an oversized ring that he wore on his right hand. It had a large topaz in the middle of a ring of small rubies, and it was all set in gold. His turban was black with a large oval shaped ruby in the middle. His pants, shirt, wristbands, and boots were all black, trimmed in red, and closefitting. It was like he was straight out of Aladdin. A scene this calm was very rare. It didn’t last.

After he had looked around him, the Arabian threw both fists into the air and yelled, “Long live the Imagined Nation!”

As he yelled, a reddish-orange energy seeped out of his ring. It wound around him once, widening as it went, and growing up as it widened. As it reached about fifteen feet over his head, it began to take on features. The top of a head appeared, then shoulders, then back muscles, then arms. As it continued to grow, uncurling from its fetal position like the bloom of some fiery flower, it threw it’s hands in the air, just as the Arabian had done, rolled its head back to see the sky, and in a voice like the wrath of God, repeated, “Long live the Imagined Nation!”

As it shouted, a bluish-white lightning rolled around its body, popping and crackling its way up the entire length of the creature, and finally jumping from its fingertips. As the lightning lit the sky, a rumbling thunder shook the sleepy town, and grew louder and louder, as dark black clouds rolled in from the Triangle. All anyone could think was, “God, I hope he’s on his third wish.”

The residents of the Falls have a saying: “Sunset’s not the only thing that falls around here,” because you don’t live there without seeing some property damage. When the jinni appeared, people started hitting the streets. You’d think that it would have people terrified, but the people of the Falls are a pretty jaded bunch. They’ve practically seen anything you could think of. Most people just stood in the street outside of their apartment buildings to watch. The atmosphere was kind of like a block party in a hurricane.

As people started asking what the Imagined Nation was, they saw their answer. Everyone in the street parted to the sidewalks, because out of the perpetual shroud of fog came every creature you can imagine, marching down Main Street.

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Story and characters owned by Chris Bishop, copyright 1997, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.