Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas. If I did, I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams. And I would own Jack. Aw, now I want to own NBC. I envy you, Tim Burton!
Chapter One: A Most Improbable Dream
The town is quiet today, Jack thought.
He was right. The town of Halloween was silent, the usually crowded streets were vacant with not even a whisper to be reason for this eerie calm was unknown to the Pumpkin King, but the thought was hardly dominant in his thoughts, as a more pressing matter was running through his skull. Halloween was only a few short months away, and he still had so many scares to plan, so mant frights to perfect. This fact made the town's silence even more alarming, as the townspeople should have been out and about, readying for another Hallow's Eve.
Jack was so lost in thought, he almost didn't hear the doorbell ring, the ear-shattering wail only reaching his ears (or where his ears normally would be, if he had any) after it had been rung twice. He dashed to the door, his long, skeletal legs allowing him to reach it in just a few long strides. He opened the door to reveal-
"Sally!" Jack greeted the woman cheerfully, "How wonderful to see you!" The young rag doll was standing on the porch solemnly, but brightened a bit at these words.
"I haven't seen you in a while! Have you come to visit?" The skeleton asked hopefully. Sally shook her head.
"Doctor Finklestein wants to see you right away, Jack! It's one of his inventions. He says it's... revolutionary."
Jack frowned. "I thought you weren't living at the doctor's house anymore." Sally had recently moved to a house closer to the town square, as Doctor Finklestein had his new creation to care for him now. She had been enjoying her freedom immensely and spent most of her time roaming about the town, feeling like a prisoner cut loose from her chains.
"I'm not, but I happened to be there at the right time, and he said I was the perfect person to fetch you."
Jack was curious as to what could be so important. "Do you know anything about this invention?" The Pumpkin King asked.
"Not much. He says humans have dreamed of building one but have never come close." Sally thought for a moment, before adding, "You probably know more about humans than I do. Do you have any idea...?"
Jack sighed. "I'm an expert at scaring people, and scaring alone. I don't know of any sort of machine they would want so badly." He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "So we'll just have to go find out."
A/N: Hey, peoples! I got the idea for this story after watching NBC eighty-seven times this holiday season! Now to go watch it again... :D