Behold! The last chapter in The Nightmare on Hallow's Eve: The Epilogue!!

Enjoy!

A day passed in Halloween Town and Jack had yet one more promise to keep to his word

A day passed in Halloween Town and Jack had yet one more promise to fulfill. He and Amelia went into the human world where it was still Halloween and spotted three boys who played pranks on nearly every house and little kid in the neighborhood.

"You ready?" the Pumpkin King asked the princess.

"Let's do it!" she said excitedly and walked right up to the boys while he stayed behind, lurking in the shadows.

"Hey Trevor, John, Cody." she had her hand fisted and on her mouth as she approached the thirteen year-old boys.

"What do you want crybaby?" Trevor spat as all three of them glared down at her, trying to look intimidating.

"I thought I saw something really creepy and scary nearby. Can you guys go see what it is?" she pleaded and even started to quiver as she spoke.

The three boys exchanged glances and thought the same thing, 'There's no way anything she'd be able to would ever get even with us.' So since they were so full of arrogance, they complied and followed behind her.

She led them down a path in the woods and when the houses could no longer be seen in the distance, she stopped but didn't turn around to face the bullies.

"Well, where is it?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, what's this big bad, scary thing you're afraid of?" John nearly laughed as he spoke.

She then turned around really slowly in an almost creepy sort of way and faced them. Her eyes were blank and her face emotionless, "Beware for Skellington Jack might catch you in the back and scream like a banshee."

The pre-teens looked to one another in total confusion.

"What are you babbling about?" John asked the odd girl as he crossed his arms.

All of a sudden, there was a shriek in the woods that seemed to surround them on all sides. It was a cry so frightful that the boys had even huddled together for safety.

"Amelia what on earth is going on!?" Cody shouted at the ten year-old.

Her emotionless face grew wicked and a sly grin graced her lips, "Beware of the Pumpkin King."

"Pumpkin King?" the three bullies asked in unison, their confusion returning.

Before they could get any kind of explanation, another screech was heard and the three boys saw a tall silhouette approach from behind the little girl. They stammered incoherently but Trevor managed to point in the direction of the spooky shadow.

A tall skeleton that wore a pinstripe suit with a bat bowtie came into view. A wicked smile was across his face as well as a haunting stare. He raised his arms and his fingers stretched out to look like claws. "I am the Pumpkin King!" he cried, letting out another fearful cackle.

The three boys screamed in terror and fled, though they tripped several times over tree roots in their frantic attempt to get away.

Once they were gone from view, Amelia clutched her stomach from laughing so hard at the comedic sight and even Jack joined in her amusement.

"Did you see the look on their faces!?" she said as she tried to suppress her giggles.

"They most certainly lived up to the phrase of being scared out of your pants." His chuckling also began to die down. After a moment or so, he spoke again, "Well come on now, let's go back home."

"Yes let's." she beamed up at the skeleton and tailed behind him as he walked off deeper into the woods toward the Holiday Doors.

Once a few moments had passed, Jack decided to break the silence by asking a question that had been on his mind for some time.

"Ami, there's one thing you haven't told me about yourself." he smiled as the little girl looked up to him. "You never told me your last name."

"Oh well," her eyes averted his to look at the road before them, "It was kind of embarrassing until recently."

He raised a would-be eyebrow at the strange comment.

"My name is Amelia Brave." She then looked back up to him.

"Ah, I see now," he chuckled lightly, "a frightened child with the last name of 'brave,' now that's ironic."

"Yeah," she laughed softly, "That's why I didn't say anything about it before because I was worried you'd laugh at me." Her eyes were downcast.

"I promise you this Ami," he stated, "I'll never laugh at anything you have to say to me that is really important to you." He beamed at the girl again.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly up at him, "that means a lot."

"Not a problem," he then returned his gaze to the road in front of them. "Amelia Brave," he said again, "that's a very nice name."

--

Another few days passed and it was finally time for Amelia Brave to leave and return to the human world for a while. True to his word yet again, The Pumpkin King escorted her to the trees with pictures on them that would lead her back to her real home.

"Thanks again for keeping your promise more than once." She smiled brightly at him.

"It's no problem at all Ami." He waved his hand to emphasize his words. "I'm just sorry that you have to leave so soon." A sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"It's alright Jack," she grasped his hand in hers, "I promise to come back. I just don't know when."

"Well be sure to let me know in one of your letters when you can." He said as his smile became a little warmer.

She gave him a curt nod and released her gentle grip on his bony hand. She turned to face the Pumpkin Door but then she heard a sudden barking. A ghostly dog with a bright jack-o-lantern nose zoomed in and came to a stop in front of the little girl, a sad expression on his usually happy face.

"It's ok Zero," she smiled at said spirit, "I'll come back to see you and Jack again. I'm sure going to miss you both." She patted the nearly transparent dog on the head. She turned and paused a moment before she ran up to Jack and embraced him in a crushing hug.

He had nearly been knocked off balance but was able to return the kind gesture. "I'll most certainly miss you too." Once they let go, he conjured a spell and a small carrying lamp that was already lit appeared in his hand. "I know that it'll probably be nighttime when you return so take this lamp and it will light your way."

Amelia graciously accepted the gift with a thank you and once again stood in front of the door. Her free hand brushed over her crown, as if trying to convince herself that it wasn't a dream. She looked up and placed her hand on the knob and gave her two friends once last fleeting glance and a smile before she opened the door. The familiar black wind came out, swirled around the small girl and carried her into the hollow trunk. Almost like a breath in the wind, she was gone.

Unlike when he sent her home before, Jack left with a smile on his face for he knew that she would keep to her word and come back some day.

--

On the other side of the Jack-O-Lantern door, she landed gracefully on the ground, unlike the many times when she would land on her rump either to or from Halloween Town. With her lamp in hand, she started down the path back home as Jack's gift illuminated the darkness. After she had been walking for a while, she stopped by a natural spring to rest. She sat down on a large rock and placed the lamp next to her. Her childish curiosity caused her look over into the small pool of water. As she gazed into its depths, her reflection disappeared and a blurry image of something else took its place. The foggy reflection began to clear up and she realized exactly just who she was looking at.

"Jack?" she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

It seemed as though the image did not hear her for there was no response, nor did it seem like he could even see her. He was just standing there and his eyes seemed to be lost in a world of his own of some sort. What she saw next greatly surprised her. A young woman walked up next to him and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder, which knocked him out of his daze. The woman wore in a floor length, royal blue dress with sleeves and was only a little more than a head shorter than him. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back and her eyes seemed to sparkle in the moon's light. Jack's expression told the small child, who watched the scene before her unfold, that he recognized her for a smile spread across his face.

"Who's that lady?" Amelia asked no one in particular for she knew neither could hear her.

Or so she thought, at that moment, the lady in question turned her head and stared right into the little girl's eyes. Jack turned his head in the direction the young woman was looking but he obviously didn't see what she saw. They started to talk to each other though the small sorceress could hear no words. The lady looked to Amelia again with a knowing smile upon her lips. She said something to the skeleton next to her and he responded. They turned around and walked away. To the still confused sorceress, it was the illusion of them walking deeper into the spring until they finally disappeared into the dark depths.

She raised her eyebrow as the peculiar scene ended, "What was that all about?" Her mind replayed the whole thing over and over until she finally reached her home.

After she had snuck in and tucked herself into bed, the whole ordeal seemed like nothing more than a dream. She apparently forgot about the lamp that she had set on her bedside table which had played an important role in the strange occurrence.

IMPORTANT: Last chapter I said that the sequel will be called The Nightmare Before Halloween, well I decided not to use that title. Instead, the sequel will now be called: The Nightmare of Amelia Brave

Catchy no?

Hope you enjoyed the whole story!! D