It was a nice day in Halloween Town. The sun, that is so fittingly shaped as a Jack-o-lantern, was peeking through the gray clouds littering the sky. The temperature was a brisk sixty degrees, perfect fall weather. The monsters and creatures that populate the town of Halloween bustled about their daily lives, stopping to chat with friends and neighbors about the up and coming Halloween; "Only a few more weeks! Time sure flies, huh?"
Such a nice day, indeed.
"Dang it Lock! Give me my hat back, you idiot!"
A nice day, for anyone who wasn't within fifty feet of the little tree house in the cemetery.
"Lock, are you deaf? I SAID to give me my hat back!", cried Shock, the little witch girl.
"Haha, only AFTER I've drowned it in the lake! Hahaha!", replied the little devil boy, Lock.
"Ha! Do it, do it! That'll show her to steal MY candy stash!", supplied Barrel, the young ghoul boy in the skeleton outfit.
"You'd better not!"
"Oh yeah I will, just watch me!"
"Hahahaha, pass the hat to me, I'll do it!"
"You stay out of this, moron!"
In the tree house in the cemetery, this is a daily routine. Yelling and fighting is the norm. The three children, Lock, Shock and Barrel, essentially roam wild, free to do whatever they wish. There is no parental guidance whatsoever.
The damage and mayhem doesn't just stay within the confines of their little tree house, however. The townspeople are subjects to their childish pranks. From contaminating the town fountain with Deadly Nightshade, to filling up a bucket to the brim with Jelly Brains and spiders and, with the pull of a string, unleashing its contents upon the Mayor's head during a speech, the exasperated citizens have seen it all.
Though, not as much as the young devil girl in black, sitting on the couch in the little manic tree house.
"Lock... really. You should give Shock her hat back...", pleaded the girl; Aim, her name is.
"And who are YOU to make me? Hahaha!", is her reply from the boy himself.
'Your older sister'. The thought goes unsaid; she would only end up his target if she were to say any more. Not that she isn't already. In fact, she's their favorite target. She gets the worst of their pranks, much more frequently, despite her being Lock's sister.
'When did things become like this?', Aim wondered. When they were younger - she eight and they four - life had been so easy. At the age of four, the Trickster Trio were mischievous, but nowhere near as bas as now. They did most of what they were told, and were fairly well mannered. Aim was happy to care for them, as a parent would, despite being so young herself.
Then Oggie Boogie - The Boogey Man - showed up.
Things changed. Their attitudes worsened. Their pranks doubled, then tripled, they became defiant, and lost all respect for any and all elders. Even after Oggie was gone, nothing changed.
As their guardian, so to speak, she got the worst of it all. As time went on, her happy attitude was replaced with one of sadness. She no longer felt joy in caring for them, and instead felt fear just being around them, never really knowing what they'd do next.
Some have asked her why she stays. Lock, Shock and Barrel have the means to care for themselves, no one daring to trespass, too afraid of the little monsters. They take advantage of you, some have said. Indeed, she does seem more like a maid than a watchful sister, doing all chores, cooking all meals (that are usually forgotten in favor of junk food and candy), and leaving her to take responsibility for their actions.
She doesn't know the answer to the question; why she stays. She's terrified of them and abused by them, but she cannot bring herself to leave.
She feels that, as long as she can still leave the house sometimes, then she'll be fine. Time to just walk around town and converse with the people who treat her like an equal, albeit a younger equal, instead of a slave.
She likes to talk to the Skellington family the most. Jack, her Pumpkin King, acts as a sort of fatherly figure to her, giving her advice and guidance, not to mention courage. Sally, the doting mother she is, makes her Jelly Brain sandwitches, her favorite. All of the Skellington children: Judy, Jared, Amy, Wednesday, Lucy, and so many others, treat her so kindly. She loves to talk to them and play games with them, something that does not happen in her little tree house. Zero, the lovable pup. She likes to just hold him and pet him, and play fetch with any stick (or bone) she can find.
The Skellington family... such a wonderful family they are! So loving, so caring, so friendly, so...
So...
She now knows the answer to that lingering question. Why she cannot leave them.
She can't...
Because they are her family.
And family means the world to her.
She decides, then and there, at the young age of twelve, that, no matter what, through the pranks, through the insults, through the work...
As long as they are family, she will stay.
It's enough to bring a sad smile to her face.
She dreams of their little family actually acting like a family should.
The fight for the hat continues on.
In that little tree house in the cemetery.