Today was one of those quiet days where you find yourself home alone; mind-numbing boredom slowly setting in like thick cement, while your television screen keeps flickering with re-runs and advertisements that spark absolutely no interest. Sadly, as fate would have it there's nothing good on so you're reduced to channel-surfing in hopes that something at least mildly interesting will catch your attention, but of course, you have no such luck. You silently pray for just about ANYTHING to happen as the sweet mental death of inescapable dullness embraces you, eyelids growing heavier by the minute when…
Knock-knock!
You nearly have a heart attack right there at the sudden sound coming from the other side of your front door. You take a few deep breaths, calming your nerves before curiosity entices you. The possibilities flutter around in your head before you suddenly find your hand on the doorknob.
You don't even remember getting up! Though you quickly brush that thought aside as just being distracted and turn the knob anyway, not even bothering to check through the peephole.
No one is there. Your porch is void of any signs of life, save for those coming from the street and neighborhood. Weird… Just as you are about to return to your exciting round of channel surfing, you notice something on the welcome mat. It's not really anything to be "over the moon" about, it was just a standard cardboard package. Nevertheless, you pick it up and you can feel that it's definitely not empty, but there isn't an address on it. You can't even find the name of a delivery service on it anywhere. Your mind tries to come up with a simple explanation for this when your eyes notice a single thing written on the front of the package.
To the reader…
Who is this "reader"? Your eyes take in the neat cursive that smells of fresh ink. Hands now carefully holding the mystery box, you mentally repeat that question over and over until another one bubbles up from the depths of your mind. You feel your eyes widen at the possibility…just maybe…could it be? Are you the reader?
A smile finally graces your lips, showing that you feel confident in your deduction as you skim over the front of the box again. This action only strengthens and ends any further doubt or judgment. This box was meant for you, for some odd reason, and you're going to find out why!
Your rear quickly reuniting with the couch, you breathe deeply in hopes of easing the roar of blood in your ears. Your clammy fingers fumble a few times before finally opening the box, textured paper crinkling softly as you pull it away to reveal…a book.
The book, as long as your forearm and as wide as the space between your thumb and pointer, sat on your lap within the rather common looking cardboard box. The book, however, was far from common. Actually, it was unlike anything you have ever seen before! The covers and binding were made of dark leather painted with strokes that made it look like it had been carved from a tree. The pages looked old and weathered when sandwiched between the two covers, but was actually smooth and creaseless. It surprised you a little when you looked closer and saw that it was an odd orange-tinted white - what a peculiar color for paper - and yet appropriate somehow.
You decide not to give it anymore thought and gently flip it back over to the front, which was just as interesting with. Its grooved surface framed the image of a single tree against a background of a peculiar looking forest where all the other trees were thin, almost skeletal, and a mix of grey and white. They drew your eyes back to that single tree right in the middle with its strong brown trunk and small pumpkins almost resting against it. But what really stood out was what was painted right in the very middle of that tree; a big orange jack-o-lantern grinning wickedly back at you. A rush of emotion – curiosity, excitement, fear – flowed into your blood and bones at the sight of it, and with eager fingers…you flip it open to the very first page.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
'T'was a long time ago, longer now than it seems
In a world one might call the Realm of Dreams
Tis a story of a place, if I may be so bold
That many believe to be fantasy, or so you've been told
Now, of one world in specific this story is spun
Here's hoping that it isn't a tale overdone!
But this is a rather important legend to discuss
Of a meeting with a person quite special to us!
Well, you see now, one being was from this world of frights, screams, and boos
And the other a human, why quite a bit like you!
For the story begins at a time way back
To a meeting between a little human girl
And our beloved Skeleton Jack…