The Birth of the Boys Part 2
(Author's Notes: This part contains a lot of Baby Language! R = W; L = W; TH = D! Also, some things are said with slang, with an 'ah' at the end instead of an 'er.' Then there's the usual slang. If you get confused, just read it out loud. Read on and review!)
(January 14th 1838)
Jack was barely four when his parents found out the truth of what happened to his brother, Gregory. Even for his age, Jack was very smart, but he had also inherited his father's cluelessness and was confused about why he heard them fussing one morning in their room with the door closed and locked.
Jack, being the curious little bugger that he was, leaned against the door and listened.
His mother's voice reverberated through the door, "We can't lose him, Cedric! I've barely known him!"
Why were they panicking? Were they talking about Jack? The young skeleton didn't think so. His mother had known him for four years, so her claims of 'barely knowing him' couldn't be applied to Jack. He continued listening at the door.
Cedric tried to calm her, "I know, my dear, but maybe we can reason with Mr. Ravenon to–"
Faith snapped at him, "He's the Grim Reaper, Cedric! Do you really think he'll give our son's soul back for free!? He doesn't do anything unless it's for his own gain…"
Jack heard her sigh. "No matter how hard we try, the answer will always be 'no'. We won't ever see Greg again…"
Jack looked through the keyhole at his parents and saw their miserable expressions. He could see their pain just by looking at them; he could the sadness and longing in both of his parents' eyes, even in Cedric's, though they were only eye-sockets carved into his pumpkin head.
However, the light in the scarecrow's pumpkin head that was usually ablaze with happiness was out in despair. Jack couldn't allow this, and decided he would go to this Mr. Ravenon to retrieve his brother himself.
Going into his father's office, he began to search. Jumping onto his father's chair, he saw everything on his desk, including a huge map of Halloween Town and a letter.
Jack, who could barely read, began slowly deciphering the words on the page and finally concluded that the Grim Reaper, otherwise known as Abram Ravenon was in a Visitors Hut at the back of the town.
Jack hopped off the chair, ran out the door, and closed it softly just in time as his parents' bedroom door opened, still talking and unaware of what their older son was up to.
Jack ran through the town with the map in his skeletal hands. Several of the citizens watched and eventually, a witch stopped him.
"Where are you going, little prince?" Scary, the tall witch, asked.
Jack looked up at her and grinned, "I'm gonna see da Gwim Weaper! Don't tell Daddy!"
And with that, he sprinted ahead. Scary, on the other hand, contemplated if she should tell the king what his only son was doing or not. But when her littler and younger sister, Mary came up to her and asked her for help on her potion, Scary completely forgot about the young skeleton and his mission.
Jack hurried, not stopping for anything else until he reached the Visitors Hut the Grim Reaper was staying at. Jack was tall for his age, but he still wasn't able to ring the doorbell. So instead, he knocked three times.
The door opened and out walked a tall skeleton in grey-black robes that hit the ground and curved up. His face was hidden deep in his hood, but Jack could hear him muttering names and instructions into a black orb in his claw-like hands. The scythe he held in his other hand was enormous and looked very sharp.
The Grim Reaper looked around for his visitor, but saw no one and started to close the door, when Jack said bravely, "Down hewe, Mistah Weapah, sah!"
The cloaked figure looked down and stopped talking when he saw Jack. He stared blankly at Jack, green light in his hood focusing on the boy. But Jack only smiled, misunderstanding the possible danger.
"What do you want, boy?" The Grim Reaper asked in a loud, very deep, very scary voice.
Jack answered, "I've come to ask you for something. May I come in?"
The green eyes narrowed, but he moved aside. Jack walked in and looked around. Before he could get a good look, the Grim Reaper pushed him into another room with a table and two chairs.
"Sit." Mr. Ravenon said shortly in the same tone.
Jack obeyed and waited for the other skeleton to sit. When he did, Jack began.
"My name is Jack Skellington. I overheawd my mommy and daddy talking about a second son that they had. I wemembah them mentionin' his name was Gweg an' dat you have him, and I was wondewing if I could have his soul please."
The Grim Reaper chuckled, "So you're Cedric and Faith's son. Hmm, he mentioned something about that. But…"
He paused, and then said dangerously, "You have quite the nerve to come and face me. What powers do you have? What could you possibly have that would persuade me to give your brother's life back?"
Jack glared, "I had the coowage to face you. And I was smawt 'nough too."
The Grim Reaper laughed, "Courage, fine. But smarts, I don't think so. What you did was foolish, not smart."
"Nah, ah!" Jack managed to say, but was getting so worked up that he lost control of his temper, causing a flame aura to appear around him. This stunned the Grim Reaper enough to rethink his decision.
"Interesting…you have fire powers like your father, no doubt."
Jack looked at his hand and saw the aura. "Fiwe powers?"
The Grim Reaper nodded, "Yes, maybe you are worth my time…what is your age?"
Jack answered, "I'm fouw yeaws ol'."
He smiled as a plan formed in his skull. "Four years old and already you have flame powers. Brilliant! Alright, I'll make you a deal, young one. If you can defeat me in a game of chess, I'll let you leave with an agreement that your brother will be born in the next few months. In addition, your brother will become the next Grim Reaper after me, once I've trained him."
He paused, only resuming when Jack nodded, "If you lose, however, you will not get your brother and you will be the next in line to be Grim Reaper instead. Do you accept?"
Jack knew that he was set to be the Pumpkin King, and he chose to believe that destiny would not let him lose that.
He grasped the Grim Reaper's outstretched hand firmly, "I accept, but fiwst you gotta teach me how to play."
The Grim Reaper sighed, "Fine. Let's begin…"
Twenty minutes later, Cedric and Faith could be seen walking around the square, looking for their son. They had been looking since 11:45 that morning. Now, it was 12:05 and their lunch was getting cold and old. Where could Jack have gone?
The answer came as Scary walked up to them, grinning sheepishly, "Oh, if it isn't the Pumpkin King and his wife. I thought you'd be in more of a hurry since Jack went to see the Grim Reaper and all."
Seeing their horrified faces, she walked away quickly saying, "Oh, look at the time!"
Faith glared at Cedric, punching his arm, "I TOLD YOU!"
Cedric said nothing as he dashed toward the end of town.
Meanwhile, the chess game between Jack Skellington and the Grim Reaper was incredibly intense. Jack may have never played before, but he was very smart, already taking out many of Abram Ravenon's pieces. While Jack aimed to get checkmate, the Grim Reaper aimed to take all of Jack's pieces. Both of them had five pieces left.
Jack had a knight, a bishop, a rook, a pawn, and the king. The Grim Reaper had a bishop, two pawns, the queen, and the king.
As Jack set his knight and bishop to corner the king, the Grim Reaper took the younger skeleton's pawn.
"Having fun, young one?" The Grim Reaper asked; his arms relaxing comfortably behind his hooded head.
Jack smirked, "Oh yes, and I bewieve that's Teckmate."
The Grim Reaper sat up quickly and looked at the board. Sure enough, his king could not escape.
The front door burst open and Cedric and Faith stormed in. "JACK!"
Jack beamed and said as his mother and father lifted him out of the chair, "Good noows, we gots bwoder back!"
Cedric and Faith looked at each other and then at the Grim Reaper as he stood up and said, "On one condition…that he will become my apprentice when he returns from Nightmare University. For now, I will set everything up so that he will be born in a few months. Leave me now…"
TO BE CONTINUED