AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello dear readers! I am really looking forward to writing this new story but before I begin, I'd like to say a few things first…
I joined FanFiction almost a year ago and in that time, I have written quite a few stories for "Inside Out." That movie had a profound impact on my life and I have become exceptionally fond of one of the characters (those of you who have checked my profile before, know which character I am referring to and I even have his image as my profile picture :)
But as much as I love the movie "Inside Out" I have been interested in trying to write for some other movies for a while now. Then a few weeks ago, I stumbled across "The Nightmare Before Christmas" by chance and I rediscovered just how much I love this movie all over again! I actually remember watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" when I was younger and I am still intrigued by the characters and songs just as much now as I was back then. So you could say that this movie has always been quite special to me!
I still think it is Tim Burton's finest work and the thing that really moved me about it was how all those monsters (with the exception of Oogie Boogie of course!) meant well by everyone, but they were really misunderstood. Sometimes even when we try to do something for others with the best of intentions, it doesn't always turn out the way we envisioned and in that sense, I think that many of us can relate to Jack Skellington at least now and then in our lives…
Anyway, I ended up re-watching the movie 3 times in the space of two weeks and I immediately started thinking that it would be fun to try writing some FanFiction for it! I believe this movie has endless potential when it comes to story ideas and I hope at least some of you enjoy my first attempt at writing a "Nightmare Before Christmas" Fanfic :)
I have a few other ideas I am seriously considering writing for this movie and depending on how this one is received, I'll see whether they'll come to fruition or not. For now, I really hope that I won't end up like the title of this story…a one hit wonder!
One more thing before I get started…
I like to create my own cover images for my stories whenever I get the opportunity by using various props and themes that reflect the content of the story or the movie. In this case, my mom also happens to be a big fan of this movie so she agreed to wear the Halloween mask and pose for this image!
That's all for now guys! I hope you enjoy the story :)
Svinorita.
Chapter 1 – Supernatural Delight.
It was a cold, gloomy morning in Halloween Town. A thick shroud of fog covered the ground and obscured everything so that only the tops of the tallest buildings in town were barely visible through the haze. The sun was struggling to penetrate through the clouds overhead and melt the ghostly layer of frost coating the ground and lifeless trees, further adding to the eerie atmosphere of the place.
In other words, it was shaping up to be another dark and beautiful day in Halloween Town!
Up in his observatory, Dr. Finkelstein was gazing out his bedroom window at the cold murk outside and silently wishing that he was residing somewhere a little warmer. In fact the old scientist woke up with the same longing every day of his life because in Halloween Town, every morning was pretty much just like today and it made the arthritis in his joints almost unbearable!
And as if that wasn't bad enough, that wretched woman, his "Precious Jewel" was taking her sweet time in bringing him his pain-relief medicine lately!
Dr. Finkelstein grumbled under his breath in frustration as he turned his wheelchair away from the window and called her name for the fourth time this morning. He stared at the heavy metallic door with mounting irritation as he waited for a response from Jewel, only to be met once again with the sound of ominous silence and the painful creaking of his arthritic joints…
XXX
Meanwhile Jewel was still in her room, busily preparing some medicine for her "tormentor." She had just finished scraping some slug slime off her windowsill and added it into her cauldron along with some machine oil and a multitude of other spine-chilling ingredients.
Jewel hummed to herself as she stirred the mixture with a long wooden spoon. She picked up a small bottle of WD-40 and glanced at the label on the back briefly before shrugging her shoulders and pouring a generous amount of the liquid into the mixture.
"It's worth a try. Maybe those squeaky old joints won't squeak as much after this!" Jewel thought to herself with a sly smile.
For the past month now, Jewel had been deliberately ignoring Dr. Finkelstein when he called for her to bring him his medicine or something to eat. She had learned that if she ignored him for long enough, the old fool would work himself into such a tiring state of bother, that he would end up falling asleep shortly afterwards.
And that gave Jewel more time to plan how she intended to escape from his nasty clutches! After all, if his previous creation; that useless ragdoll named Sally managed to escape and find her happily ever after, Jewel felt that she was just as entitled to be free and become the master of her own destiny!
Sure, she had willingly obeyed her creator's every whim and demand at first. But over time as her sense of identity and individuality developed, Jewel found herself growing increasingly tired of being Dr. Finkelstein's personal slave!
After all, Dr. "Fickle Stain" had given her half of his own brain when he had created her! And the greatest irony of it all was that the old fool never even realized that he had given her the smarter half…
As a result, Jewel gradually convinced herself that she was born to rule! In her mind, she deserved to be a queen, not a servant! She didn't need Dr. Finkelstein anymore, in fact she never did! He was the one who needed her to take care of him, since his disability meant that he couldn't do much without her assistance.
He was nothing more than a burden to her! So Jewel began secretly plotting against her creator and after many months, she believed that she had come up with the perfect plan to rid herself of that needy old man once and for all…
"And perhaps I can permanently knock the stuffing out of Sally and get rid of Jack Skellington while I'm at it!" Jewel mused as she finished preparing Dr. Finkelstein's medicine with a sinister smile.
She remembered hearing about Jack's adventures in Christmas Town last year during one of the town hall meetings and it gave her an idea.
What if she could lure the Pumpkin King back to the holiday doors in the woods and trap him in one of the other holiday worlds for good?
"Christmas Town would do just fine!" Jewel decided with a wicked chuckle. "Since Jack liked it there so much the first time, maybe he should stay there permanently! I bet Sandy Claws could use another helper! Yes! I'll make sure Jack goes to Christmas Town again and then I'll lock the door behind him and throw away the key!"
What a treat that would be! With Jack Skellington out of the way, Jewel pictured herself as the new ruler of Halloween Town. She would become the queen and then everyone would bow to her and obey her for a change!
Jewel let out an evil laugh as she picked up her makeup mirror and admired her reflection. "Once I'm queen of this town, I'll make that fat double-faced Mayor my personal servant! He looks dumb enough to manipulate without too much trouble! Then it will be time for me to put my feet up and give the orders while someone else tends to my every want and desire!"
Jewel felt she had almost everything she needed to start putting her plan into motion. There was only one thing missing. She still needed to find a way to resurrect a certain monster from the dead…
Just then, she heard Dr. Finkelstein's irritating voice through the door as he called out to her again. "My Precious Jewel! Is my medicine ready yet?!"
Jewel struggled to keep the frustration out of her voice and responded as sweetly as she could, "Coming right up Master!"
There was a moment's pause, before Dr. Finkelstein started ranting angrily. "Well it's about time, you ungrateful woman! I've been in pain here for hours! After all I've done for you! You're just another disappointment like that wretched Sally!"
Jewel sighed as she poured the mixture she had prepared into a bowl and placed it on a tray before heading out her room.
"Just you wait…you're in for one nasty shock old man!" She thought to herself smugly as she entered Dr. Finkelstein's room and went about tending to his needs. "I promise you that you'll be in a lot more pain very soon…"
But Jewel kept her wicked thoughts to herself as she put on a sweet smile and served her master as loyally as always.
XXX
Meanwhile on the other side of town, Jack Skellington was getting ready to start his day. The king of Halloween Town gave a hearty yawn and stretched his skeletal arms over his head as he walked up to his bedroom window. After taking a moment to admire the gloomy view, he opened his window wide and stood with his eyes closed as he allowed the cold morning chill to wash over his bones.
All of a sudden, Jack thought he heard the sound of soft footsteps coming from behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around just as Sally wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him lovingly.
The Pumpkin King smiled fondly at his beloved and kissed her hand lightly. "Good morning my love." He whispered softly.
Sally smiled back at him before glancing out the window and replying in a sleepy voice, "It sure is a beautiful morning, isn't it darling?"
Jack sighed glumly and turned away from the window. "Actually, it's just another typical, boring morning like it is every day in this town!"
Jack's voice became laced with frustration as he exclaimed, "It's always the same thing day after day! I feel like this town is going nowhere…"
"Oh Jack my darling!" Sally was taken aback by the Pumpkin King's unexpected outburst. She took a deep breath and ventured hesitantly, "What's wrong? You sound so gloomy…"
Sally trailed off as Jack turned around and gazed at her with unmistakable sorrow in his deep black eye sockets. "Don't you see Sally? This town only becomes truly alive for one night every year; on Halloween! We all get a brief chance to leave this world and scare humans during Halloween before it's all over for another year!"
Jack made a bony fist with one hand and dropped his gaze to the floor. "It's just that this town feels like a one hit wonder to me…"
Sally remained silent as the weight of Jack's words settled over her. She desperately wanted to reassure him, but she didn't know what she could say to make him feel better…
Suddenly she heard Jack chuckling softly, like he was remembering a fond memory and Sally glanced over at him curiously.
The Pumpkin King was shaking his head absently. There was a seemingly distant look in his eye sockets as he said, "When I visited Christmas Town last year, there was so much going on! It was wonderful! There was music and color everywhere Sally! There were these odd little people wearing strange looking hats and outfits, and some of them were making slow-men out of that white stuff on the ground…"
Sally placed a hand gently on Jack's bony shoulder. Her voice was full of sympathy and understanding as she reminded him, "But Jack dear, don't forget that Christmas is only once a year too!"
"I know that my love!" Jack said with exasperation.
He turned around and gripped her hands firmly, but not tightly enough to cause her any discomfort as he emphasized, "It's just that everyone seems to have such fond memories of Christmas time! People talk about it for days afterwards. They exchange stories about the presents they received, the songs they sang and the food they ate!"
Jack sighed and released Sally's hands from his bony grip. He shook his head and stated grimly, "Meanwhile, what do we get?! Humans scream when they catch sight of us and they always villainize us in the stories they tell their children! Sometimes when their kids go trick-or-treating, many of them end up eating too much candy and get stomach aches while the next day, angry parents all over the world curse Halloween because of it!"
Sally slowly took the Pumpkin King's bony fingers in her soft hands. Then she spoke in a gentle voice as she tried to reassure him. "Oh my darling Jack! I wish you could see this town through my eyes! Ever since I became your wife, every day feels like a note in a wonderful symphony. To me, this town is a supernatural delight…"
Sally looked down shyly before adding in a whisper, "And you are the most delightful part of it all!"
Jack smiled at her fondly. He squeezed her hand gently with his skeletal fingers and exclaimed, "Oh my sweet, beautiful Sally! What would I do without you?!"
Suddenly a thoughtful expression appeared on Jack's face. "As a matter of fact, what can I do for you right now…?" He offered eagerly.
Sally gave him a hopeful smile and stroked his arm lovingly. "Well, how about we go for a nice walk through town together? We could stop by at Mrs. Vampire's house along the way. I finished repairing her favorite cloak last night after her children accidentally ripped it during one of their games and now I need to take it back to her."
Jack ran his bony fingers through Sally's long reddish-brown hair affectionately. "Sure, I'd be delighted to accompany you my love." He agreed happily.
He helped Sally gather the cloak and fold it neatly into a box. Then the Pumpkin King summoned his loyal ghost dog; Zero to his side before following Sally out into the chilly morning air.
As Jack and Sally were passing by Dr. Finkelstein's home a short time later, they were unaware that Jewel was watching them from her window.
"That's right. You two should enjoy the few days you have left in this world…" She thought to herself with a sinister smile.
"Because pretty soon I am going to send you both to oblivion where you belong and then this town will be mine!"
To Be Continued…