Prologue
Song of the Rats
After Lock, Shock and Barrel overheard that Jack was leaving Halloween Town, the trio were ready to get to work on reviving their master: Oogie Boogie. Upon arriving at their tree house, the three quickly gathered the remains of Oogie and Lock and Barrel began to make some traps for insects. Shock, however, came across a problem.
"Hey, you dolts! We forgot two things."
"And what might that be?" Scowled Lock.
Shock, the brains of the group, took her broom and wacked their so-called leader on the head.
"One: We don't know how to sew properly. Two: Even if we did sew him up, how can make sure he won't be just a sack?"
Seeing the predicament that they were in, Lock and Barrel, who had overheard, began to think along with Shock.
After a few days of thinking, Barrel came up with an idea.
"Y-you know…there is one person I know about that can do both."
His cohorts turned to him, as if he had grown a second head.
"What do you mean? Who?" Lock demanded.
Barrel walked over and whispered a name in the devil-costume-wearing boy's ear. Upon hearing the name, Lock whispered it to Shock, who, in shock (no pun intended); hit Barrel on the head with her broom.
"Are you crazy! If we bring her back, who knows if she will help and not eat us!"
"But…she knows how to bring back Oogie. A-and who knows, maybe she'll spare us." Barrel argued.
The trio argued greatly about the situation until they had come to an agreement. They decided to bring her back.
A day after they agreed, Lock, Shock, and Barrel made their way to the Hinterlands. They had explored every nook and cranny of the uncharted lands, especially after what had happened the year before.
Once they had reached the Grove of the Holiday Doors, Barrel spoke.
"A-are you sure her door is around here?"
"What are you? Stupid? This is the area that the stories spoke of. Spread out and search." Shock told her playmates.
They followed her order and began to search the area for the legendary door. They searched and search for hours until the moon was high in the sky. By that time, the trio was exhausted.
"Smart idea, Barrel. Why would you suggest her when none of us don't even know where the door is? Is she even real?" Lock groaned at Barrel.
"But I'm telling you, it's true. My Dad told me long ago about her and what she did." Barrel spoke in defense.
As the boys argued, Shock gave a final look around of the area. When she heard Barrel mention his father, she was reminded of a riddle her mother told her about…her.
In a circle of trees
When the moon is high,
Look for the rats
And watch for button eyes
Shock remembered the riddle clearly. Her great-great grandmother was once her closest friend. Some once say that she was a part of her…web. Thankfully, that hadn't been proven. But Shock often wondered otherwise.
"Look to the rats, and watch for button eyes. What the heck does that mean?"
But before she could say anymore, Shock stopped walking as something solid made contact with the bottom of her foot. She looked down and moved her foot, seeing a black button, visible by the moonlight.
As she picked up the button, Shock noticed that there was something long on the other side. She turned the button to find a part that looked like a key on the flat side. It almost reminded her of a tack.
"What the heck is this?" She asked.
However, she heard something rustling from the bushes. Though a prank was always a delight, with the knowledge of her in her mind, Shock felt something…dark coming from the bushes. Quickly, she headed back to the tub and quieted her playmates.
"Shh. Quiet."
Hearing the rustling sound, the boys obeyed. Like their friend, fear began to well within them as they heard the noises. They had to cover their mouths when hundreds of blood-red beady eyes stared out at them, the owners of said eyes speaking a chant as small silhouettes began to circle the moonlight in the center of the Grove of the Holiday Trees.
We are small but we are many
We are many, we are small,
We were here before you rose
We will be here when you fall,
Lock, Shock, and Barrel began to huddle close as the chanting continued.
We have teeth and we have tails
We have tails and we have eyes,
We were here when you fell
You will be here when we rise,
The shadows then began to run faster and faster as the moon-bathed earth began to shake.
There will be a little tussle
You will topple from your throne,
We will nibble on the muscle
We will nibble on the bone,
Slowly, a single tree rose as the creatures finished the chant.
We have eyes and we have nerves-es
We have tails and we have teeth,
You'll all get what you deserve-es
When we rise from underneath,
With the last of the chant and the tree completely raised, the shadows dispersed and vanished into the night. Still shivering in fear, the trio of tricksters moved the tub closer to the tree. Unlike the holiday doors, the door on this tree didn't represent any holiday that they knew. Instead, it was a giant, black button with a doorknob in the center. Just under the knob was a keyhole.
"Th-this is it. I told you the door was real!" Barrel told his friends.
Still shaking over the unusual event, the three got out of the tub and looked at the door. Lock tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"Great. It's locked. Now what?"
But while the boys began to argue again, Shock examined the doorway and looked at the keyhole. Looking at the key in her hand, Shock wondered if the key was meant for this door.
Without a word, she placed the key into the keyhole and turned the key. A click shut the boys up, telling the three that it was unlocked. Opening the door quickly, Shock returned to the tub as it backed up from the door.
Silence faded as the sound of a gasping voice came from the opening. It grew louder and louder until very thin fingers grasped the edge of the door. The voice then rasped.
"I'm…free…"
Slowly, a feminine, spider-like silhouette emerged from the opening.
Identifying the figure, Shock spoke. "You're…her, aren't you?"
Taking notice of the three, the figure spoke.
"Ah…I recognize this place. It was my home long ago. You have freed me. But what is the reason you wanted to see me?"
Gulping, Lock told the shadow of their request. This intrigued the figure. How long she had wanted to get revenge of the town that had banished her to her web. Now, opportunity was knocking on her door. How could she refuse?
But…there was another matter she wanted to…take care of.
"I will help you and revive your master. But…I have a price."
The trio gulped at the thought of what the price might be. The figure then spoke.
"In my world, I have preyed on children for hundreds of years. Taking their love and lives to sustain my own. Our previous king had banished me here once he discovered my...business. He and Halloween Town must pay! I was furious, but I still had my second door. I had live on…until four years ago."
"So…what do you want?" Shock asked.
"Vengeance, my dear. That's what I want. Not only for the town that had abandoned me, but also for the one that had nearly killed me. The one who did this to my hand."
She then lifted up on of her arms to reveal that her hand was gone.
"And the name of the brat who did all of this to me is called…Coraline Jones."
The Song of the Rats is not mine, it belongs to the author of Coraline. I do not own Coraline, nor The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Read and Review, Please. NO flames allowed. :)