Another Kind of Nightmare
Kenneth's Lament
A very tall dark hooded figure with his head hung and hands clasped behind his back walked silently on the side of a wet road in a small neighborhood. It was the dead of night with only a few dull street lamps to light the way of eager trick or treaters that muddled the narrow streets; it was once again Halloween. The night should have brought joy to the "man" for he was none other than Kenneth Skellington who was a 6 foot 7 tall skeleton that happened to be the Pumpkin Prince of Halloween Town. Alas, Kenneth was increasingly filled with despair every passing Halloween for he had no desire to fill out the role of his father, the terrifying Pumpkin King.
The cloaked skeleton let out a long sigh as he continued to walk down the little winding street, keeping to the shadows so no human could clearly see him. 'He'll never understand' he thought, 'For I am more interested in learning about this world rather than mindless scaring'. In fact, that is exactly why Kenneth continued to venture to the human world every Halloween night for he was only allowed a visit on this one occasion. His explorations made him feel joyous and whole, or at least helped fill a reoccurring emptiness within him. This natural curiosity about him was much like that of his dad, but instead, Kenneth had a zest for the human world rather than the holidays. He was unsure if his attentive mother could tell the true reason of why he was so eager to escape to the human world, but he knew for a fact that his father was completely oblivious to the truth. 'He always thinks that I'm keen to try new scaring techniques', he thought glumly to himself as he rounded a corner, 'Of course, he would be disgusted if he knew I only come here to explore and to contemplate.'
Kenneth always felt like he was betraying everyone who loved him by sneaking off every Halloween night for the "wrong" reasons, but despite his terrible guilt, he simply could not stay away. Tonight however, was an especially low night for Kenneth because next year he would be twenty, and he would be forced to accept the crown and select a Pumpkin Queen. 'Ugh, the very thought of having to select one of those grotesque creatures in Halloween Town to be my wife. The idea is repulsive! I have no desire for any of them and I'll have to be king of a Holiday that doesn't even spark my interest' he reluctantly thought as he walked into the cul-de-sac of the tiny neighborhood. When he looked up and saw the change in scenery he thought, 'I better hide so I can fully watch the humans and not be bothered' and discreetly hid behind some nearby trees.
There, he could see everything. He saw the small brick, old-time houses that surrounded the cul-de-sac aside from a rather large white one with flashing lights and faint music emanating from it. 'It must be a Halloween party', he thought nonchalantly. He saw all the little boys and girls dressed up in all sorts of Halloween attire and running from house to house with huge smiles and large bags of candy. There were laughs and screams while most children still collected candy, and others counted their hoards on the side walk or scared their friends. There would be the occasional parent following his or her children around while they gathered their sweets, and holding the kids' hands as they crossed the street.
'This world is so endearing and happy' Kenneth thought enviously, 'Oh how I only dream of observing this world every day to unlock its secrets and wish to stay here for the rest of my days rather than in the dreariness of Halloween Town! I would be perfectly content if I did nothing else but learn about this unique planet.' Just then, the faint music coming from the large white house shut off, and teenagers began to let out of the abode. 'I don't need anything else', Kenneth continued to think not noticing the change in scenery, 'In fact, I don't want anything else! Not the crown, not the praise of being a Skellington, and especially not the company of some girl who will only slow down my explorations and restrict my aspirations!' Suddenly, a melodic laugh cut clearly through the noise of the crowd and snapped Kenneth Skellington right out of his thoughts and into reality.