Yes, it's me again. Second chapter didn't take so long really for some reason. I think I should write something else more creative as this type of plot gets used a lot, doesn't it? However, my sister will kill me if I discontinue, so I updated. I really should get a better summary, should I? Not good at writing those. Oogie's lisp is getting on my nerves as I always forget about it now and have to go back and change everything and the only explanation I can think for him to have gotten rid of it is he simply got better at controlling that dammable snake tongue as he got older. So, I'm stuck with his lisp for a while. Serves me right.
And I guess I should put up a disclaimer, though it's obvious I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas. If I ever somehow got to make a movie, I could possibly name it Nightmare Afore Christmas and own that, but I might get sued. So I won't try.
On with the story.
In Which An Almost-Apology is Made
"Ssso it'th done now?" asked Oogie eagerly as he trailed behind the stumbling Sally. Jack was behind him, walking with his usual spider-like grace, not as fast or as happy for his new not-so-friend, but happy for him anyways.
"Of course it's done!" Dr. Finklestein snapped back, jerking his wheelchair over to the finished product Oogie had been looking forward to for a long time. Or it felt like a long time. True to the doctor's words, the sack thing had been finished the same day the request came to him, but anticipation dragged out the seconds to minutes and minutes to hours, but hours did not seem like days 'cause that would just be plain exaggerating. "Do you think I would just call you here for idle chatter? I hate you, remember?"
"Now, now, doctor…" Jack waved a long hand to calm everybody down. "Why don't you show us the fruit of your genius?"
"Oh really, it isn't much. Like I said, a simple job," croaked the scientist modestly, but his smile revealed that Jack's flattery was filling his ego again. He grabbed the coarse sacks that were so recently sown together and pulled it out with a flourish, as if about to show a crowd a wonderful new invention underneath, but this time, the cloth was what he was flourishing. Being so close to the ground, the brown material settled on the stone floor.
It really wasn't very impressive looking. Oogie stared at it critically and then stared at Finkelstein with all the air of a person raising a quizzical (and hypothetical) eyebrow. "It ain't much, alright." Jack nudged him (which was a big mistake since his elbow, for a few seconds, was actually inside Oogie and more bugs fell out) and walked up and held the thing that was supposed to hold Oogie together. With the skeleton's height, the thing easily dangled a few inches above the ground.
"You slip in through here," the doctor indicated the spot with a gloved finger, "and then I sew it up and your problem is solved. No falling apart. Even if you do relax your grip, the bugs can't go anywhere and you can still stay standing."
"Yeah, but what if I wanna get out of it again? Doethn't look like thomething I'd wanna ssstay in fer a long time."
"Squirm out of the mouth-hole or something. What do I care? Not my problem. Just go in so I can finish it and kick you out." Finkelstein waved impatiently at the bag thing, and The Boogieman sighed, realizing that this is what someone got for haste and slithered into the large hole. As he let his bugs fill all gaps, he realized grudgingly that it was much easier to move around arms now that he didn't actually have to form them. He moved the new appendages experimentally as the doctor sewed the back side up. He also noticed the man even got the eye and mouth-holes in the right places. It was actually a pretty nicely done job.
Instead of a compliment, Oogie said, "It'th tight."
"It has to be! If it wasn't, then when you get into one of those little…I dunno, bug puddle things, then the whole thing would start to sag!" Yes, sagging would look silly, Oogie realized.
"But it'll break when I grow," he retorted anyways.
"You grow?" asked Jack. Man, what an interesting friend he had! Or sort of had.
"Of courthe! I can gather even more bugsss if I wanted to, which would make me grow, and bugsss reprodusse all the time too."
"Y-you mean…" Sally would have giggled if she wasn't so scared of Oogie. "…You have eggs all over your…body…?"
Dr. Finkelstein did not miss a chance at poking fun at the boy he hated so. "Ha! If you can make eggs, then you're technically a girl!" He did not hesitate to laugh loudly and shamelessly and point at the rather humiliated Oogie. Alright, he definitely was going to exact revenge on the stupid short man.
"Um…but…" Sally didn't know whether to stop her father's mirth and make Oogie marginally happier by explaining that really, every living thing was sort of making eggs, what with cells inside them reproducing all the time, though they technically weren't eggs, but anyways, it didn't make Oogie a girl or anything and so on. But it was too late. Jack was slightly bewildered for what was probably the umpteenth time and made a pose not unlike the Thinker, only standing. "I really came to you with all intention of making friends with the assumption that you were a guy…"
"I am!" Oogie replied hotly, feeling very wounded by Jack's doubt even though he still didn't particularly consider him a friend.
"Yes, yes, well, I'd better not detain you because of…recent ah…inquiries about gender…your business is done now, so leave…ha…if you please." Finkelstein sneered. It made him look even uglier. His lips curled up over his teeth and revealed his gums, which were black. But Oogie wasn't going to just leave now, not after being treated like this. He was going to make a fuss, at least. Raise the roof. Or something.
"Oh no, not yet. I don't like the way thisss looksss either." The now clothed bug boy crossed his arms (oh, it felt so satisfying to do that) and glared down at the paralyzed man. "I pride myself on how ssscary I look. Creepy, at least. And bugsss in a sssack, in my book, doeth not. Make. Creepy." He had rather liked the effect with the separated words in their own sentences kind of thing. It sounded sinister and threatening. Kind of like a 'take that' quality, maybe. And it was a nice surprise when he leaned down in what he hoped was a threatening manner, his snake tongue poked out to hiss menacingly and almost nip the doctor in front of him.
"Well…I think it's creepy…" Sally piped up.
"See? No need to worry. It's creepy. Now off you go."
"It's only Thally! Ssshe's the type to be creeped out by anything!" Well, it was true that he did not know her well, but she seemed like the type. Always talking quietly and shaking every once in a while and those big eyes always looking worried…
"I think it's sorta creepy too," Jack piped up from where he was examining weird green substances in vials. He managed to sound polite and distracted at the same time.
"You're just thaying that," Oogie shot back as Dr. Finkelstein rolled over to jerk the beaker away from Jack's bony hands. "I don't like embarrassssing myssself, old man, so I don't want to-"
"…It's creepy with the way it seems your…skin is moving…your bugs keep moving around and it shows and worms and stuff keep moving around in your mouth when you open it and it's creepy…" Oogie looked down. And sure enough, his 'skin' was moving in accordance to the bugs, making it look like his 'flesh' was crawling. Or something like that. It was mildly satisfying, but now he had no other reason to complain. At least he felt he had some of his dignity back.
"Now will you leave?" asked Dr. Finkelstein. His large brow furrowed as he glared viciously at Oogie while setting the beaker filled with mysterious fluid down and pushing Jack away from his counters. "I'm very busy, you know."
"Yeah, yeah," Oogie said, and slithered his usual way towards the elevator.
Or at least, he tried to. Instead, he found himself getting closer to the stone floor much too quickly for comfort. And then his face met the stone. And then he said, "Ow."
Jack was at his side immediately. You had to help your almost-friends, after all. "Are you okay?" Sally had also teetered a little closer, but just stood back a bit, as if unsure what to do.
"Oh, what now?" Finkelstein did not have a generous amount of patience and with Oogie Boogie, his tolerance shrank remarkably. The scientist also rolled towards the lying sack and jerked to a stop besides Jack.
Oogie rolled over on his back and noticed for the first time something else. He didn't know how he never realized it before. "I have legsss," he said.
"Really, I hadn't noticed." The sarcasm was very harsh. Oogie could feel the remains of his dignity that he had gathered disintegrate into nothingness. "Did you think I wouldn't make legs? What kind of genius do you think I am?"
"Not a very obzervant one! I've never had legsss before! Jussst a base…thort of thing!" Honestly, Oogie himself was not sure how he had moved around. He had just found a way. The bugs just moved him where he wanted to go. It was a system that worked. And though he liked the thought of not having to fall apart every few hours, the movements of his bugs were limited now. He realized he couldn't flow like he used to, or grow taller or sink lower to the ground or anything. Now he had to worry about breaking seams and not sagging. He could probably let some bugs out only one at a time to do…whatever. Spying, maybe, at the most. "I've never actuallywalked!"
"Then learn. I've done my end, you have to do the rest on your own. Really, Sally learned basic movement almost immediately. She learned how to walk only a few hours after I breathed life into her." Sally involuntarily shuddered at the image that brought up.
"Well, excuuuuuse me for not being as thmart as sssome doll you just threw together," Oogie spat venomously, though this time no bugs shot out. If there was sarcastic wit to be thrown about, then he wasn't about to back down. "Who'd uv thunk; a genius thientist making a genius creation. Don't brag about her like ssshe's your actual daughter! All you had to do was put in those traits, take away and add things as you wished. She's really only a poorly sssewn-together rag doll! So, doctor, where'd ya dig her, oh, let me correct myself. Partsof her up?"
Dr. Finkelstein was shocked into silence, but not for long. His disdain had completely disappeared, though. "W-well," he stuttered, nervously scratching his head and staring at the floor of his lab. "…I…I didn't have to make her smart…" It was the wrong thing to say. Sally broke out of her own shock and ran down the stairs so quickly, it was a miracle something didn't just pull out of their seams. The short girl tried not to give in, but a short sob echoed as she threw herself down the long stairs, and eventually, out the large, forbidding, metal door.
And then Jack recovered. It was one of the first times Oogie ever saw him even remotely angry. "Oogie!" He cried reproachfully. The skeleton kid wanted to see if Sally was alright, so he tried to make the lecture quick. "That was extremely tasteless on your part." He stood up, still frowning down at the sack of bugs, and backed away. Dr. Finkelstein seemed to have just realized what had happened and snapped his beak shut and without a word, headed to the elevator. He opened the door and hammered the ceiling many times before disappearing below.
Oogie and Jack were alone now. "I hope you're happy with yourself."
Oogie was alone. He just lay there, listening to Jack's footsteps as he hurried off to find Sally. A thump as his head relaxed and fell back on the floor. A sigh.
He realized by now he had no way of getting up, but didn't bother calling back Jack for help. He wasn't the type to call for help anyways. It would be a long time before Oogie would even attempt to get up off the cold, unforgiving, stone.
Just a rag doll.
Sally wiped away her tears as she clumsily stumbled her way to the graveyard. It was still dark. Foreboding black clouds came from nowhere, possibly hailing a storm. It would be very suitable for the mood she felt right now.
Of course, Sally always knew she wasn't a real person, just somebody made from bits of flesh and scraps of cloth. She also knew Dr. Finkelstein had all intention of fitting her with only the most perfect attributes. Lovely round eyes that shone bright. Thin and well-shaped arms and legs. Cunning and intelligence. Finkelstein was proud of what was so far, his most successful experiment, and with good reason. The fates of the others ended in un-animation.
The ghosts peered out from their underground tombs as she staggered past, then just sank back down, uninterested.
Sally didn't like thinking about her origins too much. She always knew she was only something shaped like a girl stuffed with dead leaves. It really was a disturbing thought, really, to one day just be nothing, and then something. Who knows how many nights she had spent as a younger girl, turning over questions in her mind about where her being came from. What made up her personality and the way she thought of things. She did not want to think that she was only manufactured, that everything came from some jar of Finkelstein's. He was a great man. But he didn't understand how people thought of mad scientist's creations. Sometimes they were ran out of town with pitchforks and torches. Sally, of course, was not monstrous in any way, but she was too smart for her own good.
'Wow, that girl's so smart!'
'Of course she is. Finkelstein made her. Of course he'd make her smart.'
And there was the spiral hill. Nobody knew what it was made of. It was just a good place to hang out, have fun, and cry your heart out.
Sally mostly did the third thing on that list.
And then a white, skeletal hand patted her on the head. Sally looked up into the dark eye sockets of Jack. Then he withdrew his hand and plopped down next to her and just stared up ahead. As is normal with boys of his age, Jack had no idea what to do in these kind of situations. He was polite, but manners didn't help when somebody was crying like this, usually. So he found it suitable to just sit there while Sally shook and hiccupped and tried her best to stop the flow of tears.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "I overreacted." If it were any other situation, she would be bursting with excitement with the love of her life up 'til now right beside her, but this really wasn't the time.
Jack could only say, "Its fine. That was a fine response." After a few seconds thinking, he awkwardly patted her on the back.
"That was a goodresponse," Sally corrected after a few more hiccups. Although technically she couldn't since she was only filled with leaves and possibly a heart, she took deep, rattling breaths that sort of helped to calm her down. "'Fine response' doesn't sound right, though it is grammatically correct, nobody really says it like that anymore…"
"I see. I'll remember that for later."
"And Jack?"
"Hm?"
"I don't think you should be friends with Oogie."
"Well, I can see why you wouldn't like him, I mean, that was rude-"
"No, I didn't like him before then…he's scary."
"Well, that's a good thing."
"No, the bad kind of scary. He's cruel."
Jack didn't respond for a while. It was obvious even to him that Oogie Boogie wasn't a likable guy. "Well, then for the good of society, I'll change his ways," he said rather dramatically. The skeleton even stood up and rose a bony fist in the air. "It's very possible to do that, you know. A personality can change based on role models. I'll be a fine role-model to him. And then he'll be a good friend."
"Well…" Having read a lot of psychology books, Sally couldn't deny what Jack said with such enthusiasm. She couldn't think of another reason to convince him to stop his quest for a friend, which frustrated her and made her huff a little and set her head in her arms as if she was crying again. And with almost perfect timing, Oogie lumbered onto the scene and almost fell over on the awkward, stubby legs.
"I think I got it…" he muttered to himself before suddenly tripping into Jack's back. Jack rolled forward once and ended up on his back, legs dangling over the edge of the curve. As if the hill could tell, it straightened a little so his legs were level again with the rest of his long body.
Oogie got up quickly again and coughed, which made an unfortunate worm fly out. It immediately wriggled away into whatever material the curvy hill was made of. "Well well well," he started. He was saying it a little too loudly. "Fancy meeting all o' you here."
"This is a very large clearing and the hill is very tall," Jack pointed out from his position on his back. "You can see us from a fairly long distance away." That just made Oogie feel like an idiot.
"You didn't have to come to apologize to me, Oogie…" Sally whispered, which only made Oogie feel worse.
"Ha! Don't you know? The Boogeyman doethn't have to apologize. I came up here for a very different reason."
"And I suppose that reason is very secret and you cannot tell us what it is," Jack said politely, in the manner of one who is slightly sympathetic with another who had just provided a very weak excuse.
"Yes, that'sss it," Oogie quickly replied. Now satisfied that the whole problem was over with, he changed the subject. "Sheesh, you really didn't have to run away like that. Thothe were all directed to your old man, not you."
"….I know. But…I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It's a touchy subject with me…"
"Then you shouldda thaid it sooner," accused Oogie. "Then I wouldda known." It was very flawed logic. Not that anybody was going to point it out. "But, I guess now I know. At leatht now I won't make the wrong person cry. Next time, it'll be your old man 'stead of you." This was the closest to an apology as he was going to get, and it was still very far from a proper apology.
At least Sally realized it. The girl brushed away her chocolate brown hair away from her eyes and smiled a little at Oogie. He may be mean and cruel, but maybe Jack was right. She certainly hoped so. "Thank you," she said.
"Huh?" Oogie had no idea why she was thanking him. The Boogeyman wasn't supposed to be thanked anyways. That implied he did something nice. And The Boogeyman wasn't nice. So he was about to correct her (in a rude fashion, of course) when Jack stepped in. He finally got off of his back and implemented Plan 'For the Good of Society, Convert Oogie Boogie' by standing (and towering above a little) by him and clapping him hardly on the back. "Don't worry, friend! We forgive you!"
"Urk. You. Urk. Do?" The two urks were because of the rather hard pats on his back that threatened to force him back to the ground.
"Yes, of course I do. Because friends forgive. And we're friends. And it's the Good thing to do. The Good thing." Jack started laughing jovially, though it sounded fake, just like the way he was talking sounded fake. (You know those audio tapes of those "See Spot Run" books? And the sweet voices of airplane attendants as they politely tell you to buckle your seatbelts and force you to watch the safety videos that, chances are, you've already watched a hundred times already? You know the enthusiastic tone your dad uses when he replies to the questioning of the general "fun-ness" of a trip, "Sure, It'll be swell!"? That was the kind of fake tone we're talking about.)
"Ssstop talking like that. Oomph. You thound. Ack. Like those people that always sssay. Ugh. 'Have a nice day' in that irritating way. And you're patting me too hard."
"Sorry." Jack suddenly got busy with straightening his bat tie. He had no idea what to do now, since he was already satisfied with the part-apology and already tried teaching Oogie a short lesson in being a Good citizen.
"…I can take off my head. Want to see…?" Sally and Oogie eagerly replied 'yes' as they had nothing to say for the time being and the silence was awkward.
The three then had a long conversation about whatever popped into their head. The topics ranged from scary tricks to things they would do come Halloween to Dr. Finkelstein, complaints of (courtesy of Oogie) to Dr. Finkelstein, contradictions to the complaints of (courtesy of Sally and Jack). Sally felt completely better by the time she got up and walked back home, a little more soothed about the weird idea Jack had gotten into his skull. Oogie didn't seem that bad anymore. He did partly-apologize, so he must have realized his bad ways and was trying partly-hard to correct them. It was a start, anyways.
And she smiled happily at the thought of Jack comforting her. After years of watching and wondering whether to approach…he actually approached her instead. It gave her…confidence. Sally didn't trip once on the way home (she actually skipped a little when she thought nobody was looking and sang a little song about how wonderful it was to be alive…um…animated anyways), where she made a nice bowl of stew for Finkelstein, who first, when he finally came back, pestered her with questions about her well-being, then gulped his dinner down and slept in his chair. Sally gently set a small, gray blanket on the old man and went back down to the bottom floor to check on her stock. She made a note to get more Wormswort and went up to her own room to rest or whatever it is animated flesh and cloth does at night.
Oogie and Jack went their separate ways as well. The bag of bugs, to his own little hideaway in the dark forest: a large tree with branches that clawed in the night sky. Or, more specifically, a spacious area below the tree. It was rather plain for the time being. He only put up wood for the walls and the floor, a big black vat with water in it, and a small circular table. There was also a large, yellowed paper tacked to one part of the wall with several names on it, most of them crossed out. Oogie Boogie realized he'd have to learn how to hold a pencil now, because inside a sack, his bugs couldn't just wrap around it tightly. Eventually, even though the name was already on the list near the top, he managed to slowly write Dr. Finkelstein in big, messy letters. Then he retired on the floor, making a mental note to build a bed now that he couldn't just simply become a puddle of bugs anymore and sit there. Was it a good idea to get this bag? Oh well.
Jack was making his way to the Skellington's tower, but was stopped along the way by several townspeople who, though on the way home by now, still spared a few minutes for the beloved skeleton. He tried not to show that he was feeling smothered by now after all the years of the same ordeal over and over as he chatted with the Gate Reaper, told Harlequin that yes, the new suit he made was indeed delightfully horrible (in the good way), and finally found out the names of the two witches (they were Zeldaborn and Helgamine). When he finally got away from the Hanging Tree, the Mayor bustled up to him.
The Mayor was always a very simple man. He was shorter than Jack, though his tall black hat did stand a little bit higher. He was stout and conical in shape. He always saw things as black and white. Good and bad. It slightly fit him, as he only ever seemed to be delightfully overjoyed or woefully anxious, as depicted by his faces. As he scuttled towards Jack and righted his spider bolo tie, Jack could see that the kind Mayor was quite anxious right now.
"Jack! Jack!" He called, though there was no need to shout. He was very anxious indeed. The pale, frowning face peered up at him from below the crooked hat. The Mayor often told Jack how proud he made the town and repeated that he was destined for great things indeed, which may be why he came as a little overprotective of Halloween Town's shining star.
"Yes?" The suited skeleton stopped for about the fifth time and politely nodded at the Mayor to continue.
"Jack!" The conical man repeated once more. "Is what Dr. Finkelstein told me true?"
Jack frowned in confusion. "Can you please explain…?"
So, the Mayor took a deep breath and, still dismayed, related to him how the doctor had rolled up to him in quite a rage and asked if he had seen Sally and the Mayor replied jovially, no he had not and swung to his pale face and asked if something was wrong and the doctor replied there was and said how the little brat Oogie made trouble again and upset dear Sally which made the Mayor distressed don't you know because the Mayor always had to look out for the townspeople's well-being and he asked what Oogie, that little conniving monster (in the bad way, mind you) had done now and so Finkelstein complained how Jack came to him with the bugs in tow and the Mayor himself interrupted –
Deep breath.
Excuse me, Jack was with Oogie and Finkelstein nodded and continued how Jack wanted him to do something for Oogie but then he wasn't quite listening to the doctor because he was worried about why Jack was associated with the black sheep of the town.
"Please Jack, tell me you aren't actually interested in what he does…Do you know he once gagged and tied me up on a tree upside-down in the middle of the night? And I stayed up there for hours! I had such a headache afterwards! And that's not all! He tied me very high up. Good thing the rope didn't snap or my head would have definitely cracked!"
"Mayor, you don't have to worry about a thing," Jack assured him. "I came to him in hopes of finding a friend, I admit, and I found that he is a poor soul in desperate need of guidance. I believe that I can help him become a better Boogeyman."
"He's bad, through and through…" the Mayor mumbled, but managed to put up a fake smiling face up. "I'm glad that that's the only reason then. Everybody knows that we could do without his…antics. I wish you good luck, Jack."
The Mayor watched Halloween Town's beloved skeleton continue to his house, making sure that his rosy, smiling face was kept up even as the young boy tossed a coin to the street players nearby and stepped through the gates. As soon as Jack disappeared from view, the Mayor scuttled away and clicked to the pale, frowning face. He did not speak of the secret misgivings he had of the whole idea.
Oogie Boogie was a bad (in a bad way) kid. The Mayor felt in his gut that he would always be bad, through and through.
"But," he sighed out loud to himself as he got into his Mayor-mobile and slammed the door shut, "it's only a gut feeling…Jack can do it…he's a capable boy…" It was obvious by the face he put on that he didn't believe what he said one bit.
Chapter END!
Ha, the Mayor is lovable. I like Oogie Boogie more, for some reason, but the Mayor is...I dunno. Cool. Maybe I think so 'cause I've read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde recently. Speaking of which, I just found out that the Similar Hat Triplet's real name is (are?) Mr. Hyde. Silly me. I'm a horrible fan.
But anyways, he's so nice and round and I love his voice. I never heard of his voice actor, though, but he's awesome. So is Ken Page. I laughed my head off when I found out his role in All Dogs go to Heaven. I made my sister listen to that song, Let's Make Music Together, and I possible scarred her temporarily.
By the way, please review. Tell me that this is uninteresting, horrible, or unimaginative, but just review.
I'm going off now to listen to Let's Make Music Together.
