🕯️ THE NIGHTLY STORYTELLER CHRONICLES The Tacos from Beyond: A Scarab Awakens

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Filed under: Lore Expansions, Unexpected Allies, Talking Food


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“I used to dream in shadows. Now the shadows answer back.”

I came home tonight with too many thoughts and not enough strength to organize them. There was a time I would relish the solitude—the quiet creak of my stairs, the comforting scent of old pages stacked in curling piles.

But lately, the silence feels like it’s watching me. Breathing down my neck. Waiting.

I stood by the window, fingers grazing the scarab-shaped necklace. I should’ve destroyed it weeks ago—before it started glowing again, pulsing like a rogue heartbeat I never agreed to carry. This ancient artifact, found in a moment of reckless curiosity, hummed with a power I barely understood.

I needed clarity. I needed quiet.

Instead… I got a flashbang.


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⚡ Enter: A Light Too Bright and a Scent Suspiciously Like Salsa

A sudden, blinding explosion of golden light burst from the corner of the room—where the chalky sigils still lingered. I stumbled back, shielding my eyes, the afterimage burning into my vision.

When it dimmed, I wasn’t alone.

Standing before me—wide-eyed and wildly, hilariously out of place—were two anthropomorphic tacos. 🌮🌮

Yes. Tacos.

One was clad in red-plated shell armor, exuding theatrical knightly honor. The other wore a cape of melted cheese, and boots that reeked faintly of cumin… and undeniable heroism.

They stared at me.

I stared back.

Then, the cheesy one threw a packet of taco seasoning to the ground like it was a smoke bomb. It burst, harmlessly, in a puff of spice and pure confusion.

> “Fear not, strange narrator!” shouted the knightly one, striking a pose. “I am Sir Shells-a-Lot!”



> “And I,” boomed the other, his cape fluttering slightly, “am Cheddar the Brave!”



“…Of course you are,” I whispered, blinking twice. I was finally losing it.


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🌪️ Taco Therapy, Unexpectedly

For a beat, I wondered if this was the moment I officially snapped. I asked the universe for a sign—any shred of normalcy.

Instead, I got two magical tacos talking about “feeling the pull of the portal” and “coming to aid a storyteller in need.”

Sir Shells-a-Lot stepped forward, his tone unsettlingly sincere.

> “You’re unraveling.”



“Pardon?”

> “You feel lost. Purpose unmoored. Your friend vanished. The scarab pulses. Your dreams speak in riddles.”



Cheddar nodded solemnly, somehow managing to sit cross-legged.

> “Also, you've been drinking way too much protein. That messes with dimensional balance.”



As absurd as it was… they weren’t wrong.


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🧠 The Wisdom of Wiser Shells

I told them about Rhett—how he vanished into the fog. How I was left with cryptic coordinates but no courage to follow them. I admitted I hadn’t slept through a single night since.

Sir Shells-a-Lot placed a plated hand on my shoulder.

> “You want to be the kind of man who finds his friend. The kind who controls the necklace… not the other way around.”



Cheddar the Brave added,

> “Friendship is a two-lane road. Or two tortillas in the same foil wrap. You can’t carry both unless you’re balanced.”



The scarab—listening, perhaps—burned hot against my chest.


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🔥 The Moment It Shifted

I confessed: I’d given up. I told them I didn’t think I could do it. That maybe Rhett was gone for good. That I never should’ve touched the damn thing.

Sir Shells-a-Lot crossed his arms.

> “Cowards speak like that.”



Cheddar’s cheesy eyes narrowed.

> “The ones who change things—change fate—don’t do it by waiting.”



My hands were trembling as I reached for the scarab.

It throbbed like a heartbeat caught in a panic. Its soft hum became a piercing scream. My vision blurred. I thought I’d collapse.

And then—
Silence.

The glow faded. The humming stopped.

It was just a scarab again. Cool. Quiet. Mine.


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🌀 A Portal Opens

“I think it’s time,” I said.

The tacos stood at attention.

> “Time for what?” Cheddar asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.



“To follow the trail. To find my bike. To face whatever’s next.”

The scarab pulsed once—just once—and shot a beam of gold light toward the ceiling.
The air shimmered. Twisted. Parted.

A small, golden portal opened behind them.

> “That’s our ride,” Cheddar said.



> “Tell no one what happened here,” Shells-a-Lot added.



“Who would believe me?” I muttered, cracking a smile.

They both saluted, stepped into the light, and vanished.

The portal snapped shut.


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🚲 What Comes Next

I stood alone again. But not lost.

The scarab was silent in my palm. The house, finally, felt still—not haunted. Not hungry.

I made my way to the basement and found the old bike.
Dusty. Rusted. But still mine.

Waiting.

Tomorrow, I ride.


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🧭 Continue the Journey...

To see where the Storyteller goes next—
and what happens when he follows the scarab’s call—
read the next chapter:
👉 THE NIGHTLY STORYTELLER CHRONICLES: Monster Squad (1987)


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🩸 Stick around. Subscribe. Share.

And if you dare… drop a comment and tell me your favorite oddball sidekick, dream mentor, or the weirdest advice you’ve ever taken seriously.
We’re just getting started—and things are about to get dark.

📍 thenightlystoryteller.blogspot.com


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