AN: This is my first story so bear with me.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about The Nightmare before Christmas, Tim Burton does!
Zero's Tale
Zero was not always a ghost dog. He was born in the real world and died there.
He was born a spring puppy. His mother was kind and gentle, always looking out for him and his sisters. On the second month of his life a family came to their home. He ran out to greet the newcomers, but his two sisters lingered in the door way of their house. The boy in the family picked up Zero then looked at his parents. "This is the one I want," he said happily as Zero licked his face. They took Zero home with them, to their house in the city. The boy set Zero down on the lawn in back of their house. "This is where you'll live now, Zero." Zero barked happily.
Years passed and Zero was happy with his new family. He and the boy would play in the yard whenever they could and go on long walks when there was time. Zero was always happiest when he was playing with the boy.
It was Halloween, and everybody was excited, especially the boy. This year his best friend was holding a party at his house. The boy, who had always loved Halloween, was thrilled. They had spent the last month planning it. A little after six the boy left for his friend's house to help him get ready. Zero stood with his paws on the window-sill watching him leave, whining softly. He stepped down and slipped out his doggy door into the back yard.
A little after nine Zero heard the boy talking to his friends as they Trick-or-Treated after the party. Zero wanting to be with them, slipped out of the backyard through a loose board in the fence and ran towards the boy's voice. They were crossing the street at the corner. Zero saw them and ran down the street towards them just as a car turned the corner. All too quick the car was upon Zero. It hit him squarely in the chest and sent him flying. The car screeched to a stop, and the driver's door opened and a man stepped out and ran Zero's side. The boy and his friends came over also to see what the commotion was about. When the boy saw Zero's still form he hurried to his dog's side, trying not to cry.
They rushed Zero to the vet's office but it was too late to save Zero. They buried Zero in the pet cemetery on a hilltop overlooking the entire area. "Zero would have loved the view," the boy told his parents when they asked him why he had chosen the spot.
When Zero awoke he looked around, trying to find the boy, but what he saw was not his town. Nervous, he looked around to find himself in a cemetery. He whined softly and ran toward the town. Half-way there he realized he couldn't feel the earth beneath his paws. He whined, now fully scared, when he saw he floated in the air, his legs gone. He continued towards the town because he still had to find the boy.
After searching everywhere for the boy and not finding him anywhere, he met a tall skeleton man dressed in a pinstripe suit. Zero whined softly. The skeleton knelt down next to Zero and petted his head. "Hey there," he looked at Zero's collar, for his name. "So you're names Zero." Zero barked happily at the man. "Follow me," he said. "You can stay with me." Zero barked again and followed the man. After many months of living with the man the people called 'Jack', Zero decided to stay with him. He had come to the conclusion that he could never return to the boy. Zero became Jack's dog after that, and soon they were the best of companions.
The rest of the tale you know as it is told in the Nightmare before Christmas.