Camila's new nightmare

**Camila's New Nightmare** is a fanon episode of The Owl House.

## Synopsis

Camila watches a horror movie about a monster with a perpetual smile. Sooner later, she starts having a nightmare about the monster and suddenly, cracks a perpetual smile on her face.

## Plot

Several nights following the events of "King's Tide", Camila was engrossed in a chilling horror film titled, "A Perpetual Smile." The narrative centered around Professor Ivy Riddle, a character tormented by a phantom that feasted upon traumatic experiences. As Riddle spiraled into a nightmarish whirlpool of revived past terrors and bone-chilling hallucinations, she inadvertently passed the curse of a timeless artifact onto an unwary ally, resulting in tragic consequences.

As she watched the movie, Camila goes to bed. In her sleep, the haunting image of the monster from the film slips into her subconscious. As she dreams, her heart pounding, the film's grotesque antagonist, a phantom with an eternally locked, sinister smile, begins to plague her. The creature would parade in the backdrop of her every dream, its eyes glowing ominously, and its smile widening the deeper her fear grew. Over time, the boundary between her dream world and reality starts to blur. Strange incidents start occurring that she can't distinguish whether are real or part of her nightmares. One day, after a particularly horrifying nightmare, Camila wakes up and finds her face locked into a perpetual, seemingly impossible smile, much like the monster in the movie. The mirror reveals her new, frightening reflection, and the once comforting corners of her home start to feel claustrophobic, eerie. Panic sets in. She tries to wash it off, to move her facial muscles, but to no avail. The terror she feels is amplified by the incongruity of the broad grin plastered on her face. Her heart races as she seeks help, from family, friends, and even medical professionals, but nobody understands her predicament.

This mystery begins to take a toll on her life. With her perennial smile, her job as a serious news anchor becomes impossible, relationships are strained, and her mental health deteriorates. The once outgoing, vivacious Camila is now isolated and desperate. Her only solace is the internet where she starts a blog about her affliction, hoping to find someone who can help. She names the blog "Smile of Terror." It is here that she connects with an eccentric ex-academic, Professor Maddox, who had been studying the phenomenon of horror movies affecting reality after a former student reported a similar occurrence. Camila and Professor Maddox delve deeper into the history of "A Perpetual Smile" and its creator. Maddox believes that the movie might have been inspired by an ancient curse related to the timeless artifact depicted in the film. With this new perspective, Camila must face her fear, revisit her haunting dreams, and break the curse before it completely consumes her life.

That's when she makes the decision to reach out to Darcy. Despite Darcy's initial hesitance—believing the Human Realm was supposed to be devoid of magic—she eventually yields to Camila's earnest requests. Darcy asserts that she will need three specific items to execute the ritual: three fragrantly scented candles, a drop of blood from a direct relative of the movie's creator, and a printed picture capturing her perpetual smile. Once Camila acquires these items, she commences the ritual with an invocation in the arcane language of Enochian: "Ğ̶ͅo̵̼̒h̵͕͋û̷ͅs̷̞̎ ̴͓͊L̸̫̔u̷̡͠c̸̘͝i̸̼̅f̵̍ͅt̶̺̀i̵͉̔å̸͙s̴̞̈́ ̸̡̿Ị̸̉a̵̝̍d̵̬͝,̵̈́͜ ̷̖̽Ĝ̸̟ő̴̡h̶̩̀ ̷̹͌O̴̧̐i̷̦̓,̴̲͊ ̵̲̂Z̵̃ͅo̷̢̾m̴̮̾d̸̼̚ ̴̱̓B̶̲̈́a̴̟̎b̵̡̏a̵̤̎ĺ̷̫o̴̱͂ǹ̸ͅd̶͓̑.̴̮́"

In the cold, omnipresent gloom, the curse morphed into an abhorrent beast of epic proportions. It emerged from a swirling vortex of choking smoke and searing flames, its lunatic grin echoing a dread that chilled the bones. Darcy, under the watchful gloaming, materialized a lifeless puppy from the ether, a morbid offering for the diabolical monstrosity.

"Descend into the churning chaos, the curse," she demanded, her voice a frozen whisper cutting through the eerie silence.

The creature's once gleeful grimace crumbled, replaced by an expression of unsuspected shock. An unyielding torrent of raw energy and electric fury blasted throughout the stark chamber. The air crackled with a biting intensity until it reached an unbearable crescendo, only to cave in on itself with an almighty implosion. The monstrous beast, along with the enveloping darkness, disappeared, leaving only the echo of Darcy's words and the chilling memory of a nightmare that once was.

Later, Willow applies "Witchtox", a facial muscle-relaxing toxin, and sports a perpetual smile. Seeing this, Darcy facepalms and declares, "We must eliminate that product."

## Characters

* Camila Noceda
* Luz Noceda
* Willow Park
* Gus Porter
* Amity Blight
* Vee
* Hunter
* Flapjack
* Clover
* Emmiline Bailey Marcostimo
* Darcy

## Trivia

* Camila's perpetual smile is caused by a type of muscle relaxing face cream called Witchtox.
	+ In the end of the episode, Willow ends up having a perpetual smile after trying the Witchtox.
* This episode takes place after King's Tide.