A/N: Inspiration Music:
/watch?v=tEKbGXodYys
The morning light that covered the twisted buildings of Halloween Town was gray and watery. On the western horizon, rolling thunder accompanied great black clouds, slowly making their way to the gothic township. A delightful sight to behold for the macabre citizens up early for the day – more than one would expect from a holiday inclined to darkness. The monsters of Halloween Town looked forward to a good thunderstorm like most mortals would for a bright sunny day, even if they also needed strong umbrellas and coats to withstand the winds and rain. It was the perfect weather to help cultivate the atmosphere needed for the next Halloween.
At least, it would be if the Pumpkin King didn't have his thoughts elsewhere.
The Mayor frowned at Jack, tapping his fingers on the blueprints before him. The skeleton had other papers to look over – a few lists and a timeline for the main night – but they laid loose in his bony hands. Jack gazed out the town hall's office window at the dark skies, but the soft smile on his face told the Mayor that his thoughts wasn't on Halloween. That kind of smile wasn't for the scares and thrills of the holiday, or even for the storm rolling in for the day. That smile, a smile that hasn't ever look quite right to the two-faced politician, was for another holiday. A much brighter holiday of snow, colorful lights, and good cheer.
The Mayor grimaced before forcing his head to spin around to his more cheerful visage. "Jack!" He said, scooping up the top blueprint and placing it in front of Jack. "For your arrival to the Human World, I was thinking a nice subtle fog with faint baying of hounds should do the trick. The witches are saying that we should go with a great storm, but I think that's far too melodramatic."
"Hmm?" Jack blinked and looked around at the Mayor. He glanced down at the blueprint. It showed Jack leading the way into the Human World on a skeletal horse, springing from underground with a cackling laugh, little arrows detailing the best path to scare any humans he came across. The Mayor thought imitating the Wild Hunt of old was a bit on-the-nose already, but the humans were becoming increasingly harder to scare, and Jack had thought a bit of old-school terror would be just the thing for that year's Halloween. Without the actual human hunting, of course.
Jack nodded in a vague manner, putting down the papers in his hands and picking up the blueprint. It was clear Jack wasn't really looking at it. "Yes, Mayor, fog's fine. Fog's horrible."
The Mayor didn't bother keeping his face happy. Normally, he'd be delighted that Jack agreed with him, but Jack being so distracted worried the Mayor. Everything needed to be in place for Halloween to work. A monster could have everything else be perfect – the creepiest face, the most terrifying shriek – but if they don't have the right atmosphere the scare would be at best only a jump scare, something the human would brush off and forget. At worst, the human wouldn't be scared at all. They might even laugh, which was the most humiliating thing a Halloween Town citizen could go through. Jack needed to pay attention, needed to have his mind on the plans before them, not on Christmas or anything else.
This wouldn't be so much of a problem, the Mayor thought to himself, if those three troublemakers hadn't delayed the planning for several weeks with their prank. Lock, Shock, and Barrel had gotten their hands on some of the leftover jack-o-lanterns the day after Halloween. Neither the Mayor nor Jack were sure exactly how the trio had done it, but the result had been several enchanted pumpkin creatures running amok through Halloween Town, causing unwanted mayhem wherever they go. They interrupted meetings and bothered the citizens in their day-to-day lives, appearing to cause trouble and disappearing before anyone can catch them. Much like the trick-or-treaters themselves.
It took Jack and a group of loyal citizens a full two weeks to find and round up the magicked pumpkins. Originally, Jack had insisted on trying to save all the creatures, as he had actually been impressed with the enchantment. He had even considered using them for the next Halloween, alarming the Mayor. But after several days of dealing with the things slipping out his clutches and harassing the townsfolk, Jack's goodwill towards the creatures – and towards Lock, Shock, and Barrel – had decidedly ran out. Now the pumpkins that hadn't been squashed were in a corral near the pumpkin patch. Jack had yet to decide what to do with them.
"We need to do something about those Boogie's Boys." The Mayor declared. "This latest stunt of theirs has set us back a month! They've been a complete menace lately, the worst they've been in years –"
"I know Mayor, I know." Jack had pulled himself out of his reverie at the Mayor's words. He frowned at the politician, tapping the side of his skull in thought. "I've already punished them, but I need to find a better way to make them understand the consequences of their actions."
"I don't think they ever will." The Mayor shook his head. "Those three haven't tried to improve themselves at all."
"Now, that's not true Mayor!" Jack argued. "They haven't done anything as terrible as what they've done under Oogie Boogie."
"That's not a very high standard, Jack."
"...That's true." Jack leaned forward, pressing the tips of his fingers together. "Perhaps if I could find a better use for their talents..."
"Jack, we are not using those pumpkin creatures for Halloween!"
"Of course not!" Jack picked up the abandoned papers and shuffled through them. He plucked out one of the lists. The skeleton made a face at its length and selected a considerably smaller one. "But if I can find something they can do, a productive outlet for their mischief, then we'd all be better off for it."
The Mayor didn't share Jack's optimism. "I don't know...you've tried that before, several times. They just use whatever job you give them to cause more trouble!"
Jack sighed heavily. "Don't I know it. I swear those three do it just to spite my trust."
Which is why you shouldn't trust them in the first place! The Mayor didn't say that out loud, of course, but he had to say something. He fiddled with his sleeve before he spoke, carefully choosing his words. "Jack...why do you keep trying to help them? They may not be as bad as they were when Oogie was around, but they haven't changed that much. It – it just seems pointless when those troublemakers aren't even trying to be better."
A strange expression flickered across Jack's skull. It wasn't quite a frown, but there was contemplative sadness within it, with something else that the Mayor couldn't quite decipher. Much like the soft smile the Mayor had spotted earlier, it wasn't something the official often saw on the Halloween monarch. But the Mayor didn't have time to figure out anything more, as the odd expression was gone as quickly as it came, and Jack was once again smiling. It was a strained smile, as was Jack's cheerful tone when he spoke next, both of which demanded no further argument.
"What else can I do? I refuse to banish them. No matter what some citizens would demand of us." Jack added, giving the Mayor a sharp look.
The politician looked away, rubbing the side of his face. So Jack had heard about the complaints. So far none of the dissatisfied citizens have been bold enough to tell the Pumpkin King to his face, but they had made their grievances quite clear to the Mayor. The two-faced man wondered if Jack had found out on his own, or if Sally had gotten wind of the discontent and told her husband about it. The Mayor decided the latter was more likely. Nothing got past Sally.
The skeleton shrugged. "Besides, Mayor, regardless of anything else, they're still children. Unlike that no account sack of bugs, they've got a chance to change. And they can't do that out in the Hinterlands."
The Mayor couldn't argue with that, yet he still frowned at Jack. "Well, if they're going to change, they better do it soon! They're getting on everyone's nerves."
"Mine very much included." Jack's face grew darker as he considered his words. "I do wonder though...what's spurring those three on? It's like you said, Mayor, Lock, Shock, and Barrel have been particularly bad these last few months. Why start up again now? Boredom, maybe? Seeking attention? Maybe trying to impress someone? No, at this point no one in town would ever – what is it Mayor?"
The politician had hoped Jack wouldn't notice his grimace. But now the skeleton was staring at him, an eyebrow ridge raised questioningly. The Mayor didn't want to say anything. He wasn't even sure that the thought that had flashed through his head had any merit, and the Mayor knew that saying it out loud would distract Jack from Halloween planning for the rest of the day. The Mayor waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, hoping that Jack wouldn't question him further.
"It's nothing, just a – a silly little thought, nothing important! How about we get back to work, we've got so much to catch up on –"
"Mayor, please." Jack insisted. "If there's anything that can help us with this problem, I need to hear it! We cannot have another delay like that again."
The Mayor knew he couldn't refuse to answer Jack. If there's one thing the Mayor learned about him after all these years, it was that he was a persistent skeleton man, especially when his curiosity was piqued. Another dismissal would just make Jack more determined to find out what the Mayor was thinking. The official knew avoiding the question would now be impossible.
"I – I saw those trick-or-treaters a couple of days before Halloween. They were in the pumpkin patch – now I know why, but at the time I didn't connect the two. B – but of course I was wary all the same, we both know how those three are. I was going to leave before they saw me, of course, but then I heard them talking to someone. Not in the cruel teasing way that they talk to victims, but in a way that sounds almost friendly – for them, at least. It was strange, I've never heard them talk to someone like that before –"
"Mayor," Jack said, impatience clear in the tone of his voice. "Who were they talking to?"
"It – it was Clive. They were talking to Clive."
Jack blinked, leaning back in his seat at the Mayor's words. "A – are you sure? Absolutely sure it was Clive?"
"Yes, I'm sure! Last I checked, there weren't many other skeleton children running around here!" The Mayor's eyes widened, covering his mouth with his hand, shocked and ashamed at his outburst. Thankfully Jack didn't seem angry at him for it, if the upturned corners of his mouth was anything to go by. The amused expression disappeared, replaced by a worried frown that could rival the Mayor's on a usual day. A look of fatherly concern.
"Well, do you know what they were talking about? What could Lock, Shock, and Barrel possibly have to say to Clive?"
"I – I – I'm not sure! I think Clive was asking them questions. How to be better at scaring or something like that? They were so quiet and I didn't want to get too close."
"Oh, no." Jack muttered to himself, placing his hand on his skull. He stood up and – as the Mayor had feared – began to gather up the papers on the desk. "Mayor, I am terribly, terribly sorry about this, but...I think I need to go talk to Sally. I will not be able to concentrate on planning until I do, and Halloween deserves better than my absentmindedness. But I promise, I'll look over these plans as soon as possible!"
Jack smiled at the Mayor apologetically. The skeleton straightened up, all the papers fitting into the crook of his arm with plenty of room for more. Those papers had filled both of the Mayor's arms when he brought them into the office. He didn't know how Jack would go through all of them by himself. The Mayor wrung his hands together, frowning up at the Pumpkin King as he jumped to his feet.
"I – I understand, b – but Jack, we only have three hun –"
"Three hundred thirty days before the next Halloween, I know." Jack frowned as he thought for a moment. "If it helps, I meant it when I said that your fog idea was better. Maybe you and the witches could get that figured out while I take care of this problem? Put some flourishing touches to the idea! Like...some will-o-the-wisps. To lure in humans!" Jack suggested, a smile reappearing on his face. "They're not as wary of them as they used to be, it'll be perfect!"
Despite the Mayor's anxiety, the eager tone of Jack's voice, paired with Jack encouraging his idea and adding to it, eased the elected official's nerves. It wasn't enough to spin his head back to his cheerful side, but the Mayor nodded in agreement. "Al – alright Jack. I'll get right on it!"
"I trust your judgment completely!" Jack walked past the politician and opened the office door. It creaked ominously, as all doors in Halloween Town did. Jack turned around, the concerned frown back on his skull. "Anyway, Mayor, I'll come find you no later than two o'clock no matter what. I know we need to get this planning done, but we can't do that if those three keep interrupting everything! We barely made it to Halloween this year."
With those regretful words, the Pumpkin King stepped out of the office. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the Mayor alone in the quiet office, with nothing but his thoughts to occupy him. The Mayor didn't care for that at all. Without Jack there to distract him, the politician noticed how humid the office air felt against his skin. He scurried to the window, flipping the lock back and pushing against the wood. Ice cold wind swept in, cooling the office to a proper chill for the season. The Mayor turned his head, spotting Jack rushing out across the town square. The skeleton gave the greetings of the townsfolk he passed by only the briefest of acknowledgment as he headed towards his home. If everything else wasn't an obvious testament to how distressed Jack was, Jack being so rude was a sure sign of it. He always gave the citizens the time of day, no matter how much it inconvenienced or annoyed himself.
The Mayor shook his head, a low whine escaping his throat. He couldn't criticize Jack for being so worried. The politician was a daily knot of anxiety, doubts, and barely suppressed panic over much smaller problems. He would be a hypocrite and a jerk if he did. Yet the Mayor couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut, nor the way his mind started to churn over the possibility of actually failing to get everything ready in time for Halloween. That thought made the Mayor shudder, and not in a good way.
It had never been easy to pull off a good Halloween, but no one in Halloween Town could deny that it had become harder to do in the past few years. Halloween was getting bigger and bigger in the Human World, yet the humans themselves were becoming less frightened by Halloween Town's efforts, for reasons neither Jack nor Dr. Finklestein had yet to pin down. It was a strange paradox that had everyone in town bewildered.
Jack couldn't get distracted now. They needed his leadership more than ever. Not for the first time, the Mayor cursed Boogie's Boys for their mischief. It was bad enough that they kept disrupting preparations and making a mess of everything, they just had to drag Jack's kid into their nonsense. The Mayor hoped they were just talking to Clive. He didn't want to imagine how Jack would react if his son had been involved with any of the trio's pranks.
The politician sighed, pulling the window close again and dragging his feet as he left the office. The silence of the meeting hall throbbed against the Mayor's ears as he walked down the aisle, his thoughts swirling around in his mind in an unpleasant cocktail of anxious worry. By the time he stepped through the front doors of the town hall, the sinking feeling in his gut had become unbearable, and the Mayor sank down onto the steps.
He looked up to the darkening sky, following the rapidly moving clouds with his eyes. Storms, particularly large and ferocious thunderstorms like the one heading towards Halloween Town, were considered good, almost lucky by the townsfolk. Just watching one usually helped calmed the Mayor (unless the storm was interfering with Halloween work, of course), but today the storm felt like a herald of terrible things to come. Not an enjoyable terrible like haunted graveyards or rabid rats or spiderweb-baked cookies, but an odious trepidation, like when he and the citizens watched Jack get shot down that Christmas Eve.
No, things couldn't be any worse than that, the Mayor thought.
Right?