Have you ever heard of the story of when the King of Halloween decided he had wanted to take over Christmas? It had happened almost ten years ago. I had been eight that year and when I had just been a child, I had witnessed him in the act. He had come into my house bearing a gruesome gift in skull wrapping paper. A small demented teddy bear with red button eyes and coarse black fur, with red and white stitching like a zombie laying inside of it. It had been the gift that had made me, myself today.

It showed me that even evil things could be gifts.

When Santa Claus had come to exchange it for a regular teddy bear, I had refused. I had already contained it in an old bird cage like a pet. Santa had just stared, tried to reason, but failed when I smacked him away. He told me to contact him if it didn't work out. I'll give you a new teddy bear, he said.

I still have that teddy bear today. He eats others teddy bears and purrs when I cuddle him. He's not a danger unless he hasn't been fed at the proper times.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, a few years ago on Halloween night at a local bash for teenagers, I met a boy who called himself Lock. He was tall, lean, and blue eyed with red haired and pasty white skin, blue lips... He had been dressed in a crisp, blood red suit. Hell, in all seriousness he had been the best looking guy at the bash and the girls vultured over him.

Yet... out of all of them, he had come up to me. The one who was dressed up like she normally was. After all, it was Halloween for myself everyday. I liked wearing weird get-ups. That year though I had decided to wear a dark red, velvet 'gothic' dress, and painted my face white and wore black lipstick.

Smiling coolly he had held out his hand, long spidery fingers awaiting for my own.

Let's dance, he said huskily.

And so I was ruined further. His body so close, his breath on my ear, his hands making everything tingle.... Ergh! I shouldn't even be telling you, the reader, this! It's so personal and happened so long ago. I haven't seen Lock in the past five years.

No, not after the incident in hisworld. No, not after I accidentally caused Oogie Boogie to come back while I found myself there. But how was I supposed to know that the voice in my head was evil? He had been so supportive and loving with that smooth voice... So silky smooth... And how was I supposed to know that he would trick me into making him live again? How was I supposed to know that the one 'person' that I had loved besides Lock would be the worst possible thing for the Halloween world? In the end though he had been destroyed, ripped to pieces again and banished to the fifth level of hell.

I came back to the human world, ashamed that I could let something so horrible happen to that world. Let that bane of their existence come back. I didn't come back alone though. A small, pale child with a shock of pure, blood red hair and bright green eyes came with me. Her name is Frankie Skellington (Lock had taken the Kings last name after he had been adopted by the skeleton) and she is the love of my life. The only connection I have back to the world I almost destroyed. The only one that will come crawling into bed to sedate my nightmares...

Like now, as I type this up, the little devil is in my lap watching me type. She says, 'Hewwo peoples!" and some other nonsensical things that I can't decipher yet. Heh, she's really a treat, you know?

Anyway, the reason I typing this up for you all is so that you know on what happens in my life after this. Ghosts, small demons, and other creatures of the night come to see me and my child. They seem to want to see that we will be alright. They talk to us, ask us simple questions and then leave. I suspect that it's Jack Skellington's, the Pumpkin King's, doing. Just making sure nothing bad will happen to us. But how can anything bad happen when I live near a cemetery?

Eep! Sorry to cut things short but my little girl needs something to munch on! The poor thing is nibbling at my arm! Ow! Evil, adorable thing.... Hehehe.

Caio!

- Colleen Cash.

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Grinning down at the child in her lap, Colleen scooped her up and twirling her around, brought the laughing red head to the kitchen. There, she set her down in her high chair and went to go get the half-breed some home-made stew.

"Frankie baby, you want some 'Snake and Spider' stew?," Colleen giggled as she brought over a bowl. Setting it down, she then let her daughter inspect it.

Frankie twirled the bowl, chubby fingers enjoying the heat and her little nose twitching as she sniffed at her food. She was cautious child and for certain foods she had to inspect it fully. It was a strange attribute for the four-and-a-half year old, but it just showed that she was intelligent. Dipping a finger in, she then brought it to her lips and tried the concoction that her mother had made. A large smile came to her then.

Approval.

Grabbing her spoon the child then began to eat it.

Colleen couldn't help but smile as she grabbed her own bowl. The older woman had learned long ago that her daughter was picky and this was a step in the right direction. 'Snake and Spider' stew consisted of small bits of various meats and vegetables and an actual spider. Colleen figured that it was good luck to put the spider in because so far she felt like it had kept her safe. The small arachnid was found before she gave out the food though. It was mandatory to find it and put it into a jar, then onto the window sill. Later during the day it was gone and the jar was licked clean of whatever it had been cooked in. She figured it was just one of her demonic protectors.

Oh, how wrong she was about that. How very, very wrong she was. Across the cemetery, a man that was pale as the moon, long, deep red hair and a crisp red suit sat watching with hawk-like eyes. When one of the witches had come to inform him that he had a spawn of his own he had gone searching for the only woman he had ever really been with. Lo-and-behold, he finds her in a cemetery during the Halloween several years after looking with a child that was an exact copy of himself.

Rubbing his temples he couldn't help but think of how stupid he had been. He had been so frightened and angry with her that he had told her to leave, that it would 'better if she just stayed in her own world from now on'. How utterly... Ergh, he should of known he would have a child! Sighing, he stood back up and opened the crypt he had used to get here. Looking back one more time, he then went down and went back to his home-world.

"So, how was she today?," a scratchy female voice asked. Dark, jet-black eyes flashed from the dark.

"Laughing and smiling, as per usual," the man replied as he passed the eyes.

"And the kid? I heard rumor she was beginning to act like you," a deeper voice asked. A skeletal face with a large grin peeked out from a corner.

Lock stopped then, blue lips turning into a smile that made the dark eyes flash again. "She does. Act's just like I did when I was that age. Inspects everything before she officially touches it."

Shock walked out then, long bushy hair bouncing as she skipped up to her brother. Barrel came out as well, belly shaking a bit as he bounded from the headstone he had been leaning on.

All three of them, in the course of thirteen years had changed quite a bit. Shock had officially learned on how to be a witch, Barrell was the top candy maker and Lock was an assistant to Jack. He was able to go to the Human World to get more ideas for Halloween each year. He would invade parties for adults and teenagers. See what was hot and what got peoples blood rushing and screaming. It was a good job and it paid well.

"Lock...," Shock's voice had a warning tone in it.

"I haven't tried to talk to her Shock," Lock snarled then. "I only watch from the graveyard."

The witch squinted at the taller man, her dark eyes assessing him. In all of the years she had known the man, she knew when he was lieing and when he was telling the truth. Right now, it was the truth. Shock then patted him on the shoulder.

"Good," she said, her voice lightening up. "Now I gotta get back to work. Mentor ain't a very nice witch when I leave a potion simmerin'."

Lock and Barrel then watched their life-long friend rush off. Barrel looked over at his friend. His blue eyes were a murky shade. Removing his mask, he then wrapped an arm around his shoulder and began to pull him towards their house that they all lived and shared.

Back in the Human World, Colleen was staring out of the window with a blank expression. She could of sworn she had a flash of red going into her favorite crypt in the cemetery...