The nightmare before Christmas: a fan's adventure
My POV:
It was the night before Halloween and all through the apartment. Not a creature was stirring. Not even my hamster. My costume was hung by the closet with care. In the hopes that Halloween night soon will be there.
Halloween town:
Everyone in town was having fun getting themselves ready for Halloween night. They were warming up their vocal chords so their screams would be scary enough for the night that everyone was looking forward to. The mummies were cleaning up their rags, the vampires were filing their teeth, the zombies were practicing their limping, and Sally was brushing her hair while Jack was polishing his hand bones with calcium, the Dr.'s latest invention. Because Jack and Sally learned about their love for each other, Sally moved in with Jack so they could live happy in each other's presence. Sally looked out the window and sighed.
Jack noticed and turned towards Sally.
"Sally are you okay?" he said.
Sally looked at Jack.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking of how happy this place is... because of you."
Jack walked towards Sally and put the tips of his fingers under her chin lifting her face to make her look into his eye sockets.
"The reason this place is happy is because you keep me happy. That's all I need."
He then moved her face to his and gave her a small peck on the lips. Sally wanted more than that so she put her stitched arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Jack moved his hands to her waist and pulled her closer. After a minute they both pulled off.
"Now, my pumpkin king, it's time for our Halloween countdown," Sally said blushing. Jack loved that; he thought it was adorable the way she was always blushing every time they kissed. She buttoned Jack's suit as he accommodated his original bow tie. As the two made their way downstairs, Zero, the ghost dog, was floating in front of them. He let out an excited bark.
As the three came out of the house, everyone was talking all at once excitedly. The mayor greeted them.
"Hello Jack! And hello there, dear Sally," the mayor said as he bowed at Sally "Ready for the countdown?"
"Well of course, Mr. Mayor!" Jack said. With Zero following them, everyone was heading at the main plaza where the countdown always took place. Out of the woods there was a menacing growl that Sally heard. She turned at the place where she thought the sound came from but quickly shrugged it off.
There were cheerful greetings everywhere Jack and Sally walked by. Children were screaming of joy and running around carefree, and grown ups were talking about their plans for their holiday. Jack gave a quick kiss to Sally before he walked at the front of the plaza and stood underneath the countdown machine.
"My dearest citizens," everyone fell silent as they gave their attention to their pumpkin king before he sang his speech.
Another year has passed by and we can't wait for this night full of frights. So I must tell you this, listen carefully because I'll only tell you a few times.
Let's make this night worth the wait for it only comes once a year. No more than that.
Children, scream like there is no tomorrow. Everyone, give as much chills as you can. We need to make this night memorable.
Let's make this night worth the wait for it only comes once a year. No more than that.
Find the scared, chase them until there's no path. But don't take it the wrong way because we also need a place to hide. So we can jump out and make them jump out of fear.
Let's make this night worth the wait for it only comes once a year. No more than that.
Now let's all make the countdown for the night full of frights. Remember what I told you because that's the last time I say it.
Let's make this night worth the wait for it only comes once a year. No more than that.
Everyone cheered at Jack's speech/song. Then they all looked up at the countdown machine.
The countdown machine was at its 20th second. Everyone counted them down.
20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-
But when the countdown machine reached 11, it stopped. Then all the candles and lights turned off but it was light enough to see fairly. Everyone talked with questions in their tones. Then they heard a scream followed by a vicious laugh.
My POV:
I woke up at 11:50 pm. My eyes lazily opened to darkness. I was so tired but after eating that popcorn and knowing the consequences that I ignored, I really had to use the bathroom. Too lazy to get off my bunk bed, I waited until my stomachache stopped so i could go back to sleep. But after two soda cans before going to bed, I really needed to use the bathroom. Popcorn wasn't my friend and sugary stuff before going to bed gave me nightmares if I don't get it out of my system.
F that, I thought. I got off my lazy butt and ran to the bathroom. Which is literally two or three footsteps away from the room that I share with my sister. Whenever I eat popcorn, buttered or not, I take long in the bathroom. That's why it was weird that when I came back, the clock still said 11:50.
That's something new. Or is it just me? I thought. I didn't care. I was so sleepy that I fell asleep right when my head hit the pillow.
Halloween town:
"Citizens, citizens," Jack said, "there's no need to panic. Maybe it's just a Halloween trick."
Out of nowhere, there was a struggling sound. Once again, the vicious laugh continued. Zero growled. Then the lights came back on. Everyone looked around attempting to find where the sounds came from. Jack had a bad feeling so he looked around for Sally to make sure she was alright. He walked to the place where she was standing before but she wasn't there. When it comes to tricks, he automatically thinks of Lock, Shock and Barrel. He looked around for them. When he saw them, he walked their direction.
"Alright you little pieces of trouble, what's going on?"
"Jack, we know what you are thinking but it isn't us," Shock said.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"We can't stop the moon," Barrel said.
"What?"
"The moon stopped when the countdown did," Lock said.
Jack looked up at the moon. It did stop. He didn't trust these kids but he knew they were telling the truth. He walked towards the bottom of the countdown machine. Even though the lights came back on, the countdown machine wasn't moving. He desperately looked for Sally.
The vicious laugh started again.
"Looking for this?" somebody out of the top of the countdown machine said. The voice matched the laugh. Jack looked up to find a transparent man figure. His feet weren't touching the ground. He was floating in mid-air. But underneath him was Sally. She was kneeling on the roof with a cloth covering her eyes and a separate cloth covering her mouth. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were tied as well.
When Jack saw his love in danger, he felt mixed emotions. Anger, sadness, madness, confusion and darkness.
"Sally!" he yelled, "Let her go. Who are you and what do you want?"
The ghost grinned.
"I am Doom. Oogie's avenger. Before you killed him, he created me with stolen souls from the players he held hostage of. As you suspect, the time has stopped because of me."
Doom grabbed some of Sally's hair locks and pulled them up. Sally couldn't get up so she had no choice but to stay still and feel the pain. Doom laughed at Sally's pain and at Jack's anger. Everyone gasped out in horror.
"When the new moon falls, Halloween will be no more. And your poor Sally will suffer the consequences. In each and every holiday I left some clues for you. Come by order and you will find me. If you run out of time, I will use Sally's soul to bring Oogie back and chaos will take over the holiday" Doom laughed.
"Jack," Sally whispered before she and Doom vanished.
"My Sally, oh my dear Sally." Jack sat down. He held his head by one hand and looked down.
"Jack," the mayor walked towards him, "I know what to do."
My POV:
Once again I woke up to a stomachache.
Damn this popcorn, I thought. I quickly got off my bed and ran to the bathroom. When I came back, I looked at the clock.
That's weird, it still says 11:50. I'm pretty sure I slept longer than that. Oh well, maybe the clock is broken or something. That makes sense.
I tried to fall back asleep but somehow I couldn't. I was still tired but I couldn't go back to sleep. There was something wrong, I knew that.
Halloween town:
"What?!" Jack said astonished.
"Yes. I'm afraid so," the mayor said.
"Anyone in Halloween town could know the holidays in order. Why a human?"
"Listen, Jack, I know it sounds horrible but we all lived in Halloween town for ages and there's no chance that anybody knows the holidays in order."
"There's no way a human could handle the situation."
"Jack, it might be the only way to save Sally."
Jack thought about this for a moment. If it was the only way, so be it. But how could a human handle Halloween town?
"Mr. Mayor, who would do such a quest like that?" he asked.
"Let's look in the cauldron and see," the mayor said.
After Doom and Sally disappeared, everyone was feeling down due to their holiday being ruined. Children no longer laughed. Everyone stood silent.
Jack stood up.
"My people," he said, "I, Jack Skellington, will bring back Halloween for us to celebrate. But please be patient for I promise that Halloween will be back. All I need is patience. I will track down Doom and keep him from bringing Oogie back and ruining Halloween. For now, just stay in your homes until everything is cleared up."
Everyone clapped. They were too sad to cheer. After they finished clapping, they all walked to their homes.
Jack and the mayor walked towards the cauldron.
"Alright, Jack, we need to make the right choice. It has to be somebody that loves Halloween more than any other holiday," the mayor said while looking down at the cauldron.
"Somebody who loves to be creeped out," Jack said.
"Somebody who is brave enough to handle this."
"Somebody who can control their dreams no matter what."
"And somebody who knows the holidays in order."
Jack looked down at the cauldron. The mist cleared to show a short girl. About the size of 5'1 and a little chubby. She wasn't sleeping. Her hair was black and wavy. She had freckles across her cheeks and her skin was naturally tan. Not dark or pale.
"Her?!" Jack said with a surprised tone.
"I'm as surprised as you, Jack, but there's no other choice. We have to save Halloween and Sally no matter what," the mayor said.
"I'm afraid so. But how can we keep her from being a danger to anybody?"
"Let's ask Dr. Finkelstein if he has any potions for that."
Together they walked to the only doctor's home. When they reached the lab, Jack knocked on the door.
Jewel, the doctor's latest creation, opened the door. She signaled them to come in. As Jack and the mayor walked in, they found the doctor facing the wall.
"What do you need," the doctor asked.
"We need a potion for a human to turn into one of us temporally," Jack said.
Dr. Finkelstein turned towards Jack.
"A human?"
"Yes."
"Well this is new." Doctor Finkelstein scratched his head.
"You think you can do it?"
"I'll try my best. But there's one question."
"Yes?"
"What do you need a human for?"
"To save Halloween...and Sally."
"I know what happened to Sally. But what I mean is why a human?"
"We were as surprised as you are. The reason we need a human is that nobody in halloween town knows the holidays in order."
"I see. Like I told you, I'll try my best."
"Great," Jack turned towards the mayor and put his fingers underneath his chin, "now how are we going to bring the girl into our town?"
"I think I have the solution," Dr. Finkelstein said. He turned his wheelchair towards an old cupboard. He wheeled himself at it. When he reached the cupboard, he opened it and found what he was looking for. An old, small machine. He put it on his lap and wheeled himself back to Jack and the mayor.
When Jack and the mayor saw the machine, they both looked at each other.
"Dr. Finkelstein, what is that?" the mayor asked.
"It's the place machine. The opposite of the time machine. This will bring you to a different area whenever you wish and it brings you back in 10 minutes. If you want to go somewhere you want, you have to know where it is. It can't bring you to a place you don't know. And one more thing: it only works once a day. Or is it twice a day, I don't know. I hadn't used that in a long time."
"Well I know where the earth is. Is that enough," Jack asked.
"Yes. You have to push this green button, hold it for a few seconds and let go. Then say where you want to go."
"Mr. Mayor, I want you to stay and watch over the citizens," Jack said.
"Consider it done."
Jack whistled for Zero to come. Zero flew trough the walls and stood by Jack's side.
"Another thing, Jack, take this watch. We will contact you when we have new information or when you have any problems."
Jack noded once. Dr. Finkelstein gave the place machine to Jack who willingly took it. He pushed the only green button there was. The machine shook and vibrated. Jack held the machine tightly.
"To earth," he said.
After the words were spoken, a beam of green light flashed making Jack and Zero disappear.
My POV:
It has been a long time and I still haven't gotten to sleep. So I decided to take my BMO blanket and glasses and watch some TV at the living room. But when I turned on the TV, all my favorite channels were frozen in place. It was as if time has stopped all together. I just thought that maybe the TV had something wrong with it. I decided to tell my dad tomorrow morning.
I thought of drawing something creepy like one of my favorite creepy youtube channel, salad fingers. So I did. The drawing was so creepy that I silently giggled careful not to wake up anybody. I looked at the kitchen clock and it said 11:50. Now I was getting creeped out not by the drawing, but at what was happening. Just so I won't get scared, I covered myself with my favorite blanket.
Jack Skellington:
Jack and Zero were traveling through the light. When they reached the earth, the light slowed down and placed them on the ground safely. After they landed on the ground, another light came and left a folded cloak with a paper with a message on top.
The earth is a harsh place. Keep this on until you reach your destination, it said.
Jack put on the cloak and put the hood on so nobody could see that he was a skeleton. The watch beeped. When Jack turned it on, the mayor's face showed up.
"Jack, I just learned that the girl lives in an apartment. And it's number is 65. And here..."
A flash of light appeared on front of Jack. Then it showed a picture of the girl with her scent.
"You got the picture," the mayor asked Jack.
"Yes."
"Good. I have to go. Good luck."
"Thanks."
The screen turned off. Jack put his hand down and looked at the photo. It was a school photo and she wasn't smiling. Jack raised an eye socket.
She doesn't even look like she doesn't get scared easily, he thought.
Jack showed the photo to Zero. Zero sniffed it and floated to the left with Jack behind him. Jack could see that nearly everyone in town was asleep. He looked at the moon for the first time. The moon had a tiny round shadow. He had to find the girl fast.
"Come on, Zero, we don't have enough time."
Zero floated faster. That made Jack run. Finally, they reached at a community full of apartments. There were four types of apartments surrounding them. But even if Zero wasn't alive, he had a stronger sense of scent. He looked at an apartment that had the number 65 in it and barked.
Jack looked at the door. Obviously the door was locked so he took off his hand and put it underneath it. He felt his hand crawl up the door and unlocked it.
My POV:
This is gonna be a long night, I thought. After a long drawing, I decided to have a cup of water. When I made my way to the kitchen, I heard some crawling. The I heard the door unlock.
I Knew that both my parents were still asleep and there was no way that they could've gone outside. I saw my sister sleeping when I stepped off my bed.
I didn't know what to do so I quickly ran to the couch and hid under my blanket. I knew that it was stupid but it just quickly came to my mind.
This can't be happening, I thought.
Jack Skellington:
He put his hand back on after it crawled out of the door. He sighed before he slowly opened the door a crack and got in. He looked around the tiny apartment. He saw a huge lump of blanket at the corner of the sofa and saw part of it rising and falling. Zero floated in and pointed his nose at the lump. Jack slowly walked towards the girl who was hiding under the blanket.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you. I need your help to save Halloween...and someone important," Jack said to the girl.
"Huh?" She said.
"I'm Jack Skellington. The pumpkin king."
The teen put the blanket off her face.
"Jack Skellington? The pumpkin king? Saving Halloween? What the heck is going on?! First, the time says and still says 11:50, the tv is frozen, and now this?"
"Look, I know this is strange but Halloween needs our help... And somebody that I know also needs our help."
She got off the couch and stood up to face Jack who was still wearing the cloak.
"I don't know if I believe you," she said as she crossed her arms.
Jack sighed. He pointed at Zero. When the teen looked at what he was pointing at, her mouth opened in shock. Jack then took off his cloak and let it fall on the ground. Proving that he was telling the truth.
"So you are Jack the pumpkin king," she said, "so that means that Halloween does need our help... but why me?"
"You can control your dreams. And Halloween town is a dreamland. You can fly whenever you want. And you can defeat your enemies by fighting them in your dreams. That's the most important thing."
"Wait, you said someone important needed our help. Is Sally in danger?"
Jack tried to hide his sorrow by looking at his feet. Zero whined.
"Yes."
The girl put her fingers to her lips.
"Let's go."
Jack looked at her. She had a determined expression on her face.
"Just in time. Come on, Zero."
Zero flew over to Jack's side.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Stand next to Zero. In a few seconds, there will be a light that will bring us back to Halloween town."
She walked and stood next to Zero. Two seconds later, the green light came back. It was fast but not too bright to wake anyone up.
My POV:
The green light was faster than I thought it was. I literally needed to blink once before we landed on Dr. Finkelstein's lab. Jack walked to Dr. Finkelstein with Zero behind him. I stood where I was.
"Dr, do you have what I need?"
"Definitely," the doctor looked at me and grinned, " young girl, what's your name?"
"Andrea," I said emotionless.
"Well, Andrea, come over here."
I walked to him without hesitation.
Dr. Finkelstein turned to a nearby table. He grabbed a testube with a neon yellow substance in it. He then turned back at me.
"You will have to drink that. This will temporarily turn you into one of us. And it will turn you into anything you want."
I thought of many things I wanted to be. A vampire, or a spider or... no, that thought made me shiver. Injections were my worst nightmare. Not to mention that it was my big, no HUGE, fear. I freak out even when I see one.
"So what do you want to be?"
I thought about it for a second.
"I want to be a wooden gothic doll."
"That'll do"
"Wait, how do you know it will work?"
He looked at another table. I knew I had to see what he was looking at. So I did. The table had a cage with mice in it. Or at least what they used to be. They were zombie mice. Suddenly, the Dr. snapped his fingers and they turned back to normal.
"So that means that whenever I need or want to turn back to normal, I just have to snap my fingers?"
"Yes, young girl."
I looked at the substance. It was literally moving. Like something was alive in there. But since I love challenges and creepy stuff, I took the testube, sighed, and drank it. I will never forget the taste and the texture. It was thick as a noodle but it was also swallowable. And it tasted like lime juice with salt. Extremely sour. More sour than the crybaby hard candies. I was surprised that both Jack and the doctor kept a straight face while I made the worst face pucker ever.
When I finished drinking the potion, I felt some tingling in my arms. Then it suddenly felt like both my arms fell asleep for hours. I looked at my arms when they were slowly turning to wood. I accidentally dropped the testube due to my shock. Then my legs felt the same way my arms did. Ugh I hate it when my legs fall asleep. I made a face at the feeling that was continuing in my legs. My whole body felt the same way. I collapsed to the ground with my left hand landing on one of the glass. To my surprise, it didn't hurt. Not at all. It was as if it wasn't there at all. I hysterically laughed so hard, it hurt due to the fact that I was actually turning into a wooden gothic doll.
My pajama pants were slowly being replaced by a gothic skirt. So did my pajama shirt which it turned into a gothic shirt with black diamond patterns. Now my face, gosh my face it felt like I just had to blink enough times for my eye to turn into buttons. Each eye had a different button in it. My tiny nose shrunk into a triangular patch. Then my mouth turned into a lipless mouth that I could smile until the corners of my mouth could touch my eyes. Then my teeth turned into shark ones. Wow.
Jack Skellington:
After a few more minutes, Andrea got up with her back facing Jack and the Doctor. When she turned around, she squinted.
"Where are my glasses?"
Jack walked behind Andrea and picked her glasses off the ground. He gave them to her.
"It seems that even though I have a new set of eyes, I still need my glasses," she said to Dr. Finkelstein as she put them on.
Dr. Finkelstein wheeled himself at Andrea.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel like something new... but something old at the same time. Overall, I feel normal. You know, like myself. As if I never changed."
"So that means that you still have your memory?"
"Yes."
"Great. Now take this," He said as he gave Andrea a silver sword. " I learned that there are many dangers out there. When you're ready to use it, put your hand up. Put your hand down when you finish using it."
Andrea put her hand down and the sword disappeared.
"Now go. Save Halloween."
Andrea nodded once before she looked at Jack. Jack had a brave face.
"Are you ready?" he asked her.
"Yes."