Dream a Little Nightmare
By: Laney Sanchez
Synopsis: About five years later things are back to being as normal as things can be in Halloween town. Jack and Sally now have one child (courtesy of Dr. Finkelstein): Poe. While doing a routine scare on Halloween, something goes terribly wrong that could possibly tear Halloween Town apart forever. Now it is up to Jack, Sally and Poe to save the day.
Note: Just to let you know, Poe if we were to give Poe an age it would be about sixteen. There's a reason which will be explained later on. Also, in true TNBC fashion, there will be songs. If you see a * before a section it means it's a song. All songs are written by me, so if it's not the best I apologize. I'm not a songwriter =\
( \/ ) Chapter Two ( \/ )
o Enough Pretending o
The town hall was awake with cackles and eerie whispers. The dank, dark wood was alive with sound and activity. Monsters and ghouls began shuffling into the rickety wooden benches, eager for the ceremony to commence. Everyone was excited for Jack's plans for this Halloween.
Everyone except Poe. The Pumpkin King's son, himself.
He sighed as he watched his mother fix the pumpkin brooch at his neck. "There!" she said, standing back and smiling. Poe forced a weak smile then turned away. "Poe, what's wrong?" she asked, her pleasant look melting away to give birth to a look of worry and concern. He frowned, losing the faked smile. His "everything-is-okay" act never worked with his mother. Yet, it was useless to tell her what was on his mind, because no one would understand. Not even her. He was sure of it. Ideas like his just weren't natural to have.
"It's nothing..." he muttered brokenly. Sally frowned and moved closer to Poe. It was painfully obvious that his "nothing" was really bothering him. "It must be something. Please, tell me..."
"It's-" Poe began, only to be immediately interrupted.
"Sally, Poe! There you two are!"
Poe looked over to see his father, drawing closer. He turned his sullen face away almost immediately. He especially didn't want to have to explain his sad face to his father. Halloween meant so much to him. He just wished it meant the same to himself.
"Jack," Sally said with a smile. Jack was grinning as broadly as he could. "I'm really excited. This Halloween is going to be even better than the last!"
"Well..." Sally looked away a bit timidly. "Of course it will be if you've planned it..."
"Thank you!" Jack said warmly, taking her hands. Sally looked to his face and smiled genuinely. Jack's charm and determination never failed to amaze her.
"Ahhrmm..." Poe coughed. He hated these lovey-dovey moments between his parents. Jack looked over, along with Sally. "Poe! Are you all ready to give the speech with me?"
Poe forced the smile once again. "Er...of course...!" he lied with a nervous chuckle. He never really had been a social flower and speeches were certainly not his strong point.
Sally frowned yet again. She alone could tell her son wasn't being honest.
"Great!" Jack said, giving Poe a rather hard pat to the back. "With you by my side, we're going to be unstoppable!"
"And here he is! Our man Jack, King of the pumpkin patch!"
"That's my cue!" Jack said, straightening up, and heading for the stage. He gave Poe a reassuring thumbs up. Poe frowned again as his father left. Sally put her hand on his shoulder. "Poe, I really wish you'd tell me what's on your mind..."
Poe just looked away. "What does it matter?"
"It matters a lot, Poe..."
Poe said nothing. He desperately wanted to tell his mother of how he wished for something else. How, just for once he would like to experience life in the normal world, outside of Halloween. He wanted to tell her how the town anthem, "This is Halloween" made him want to scream in agony every time he heard it. However, he couldn't. All of it would sound ridiculous. Then chances were, she'd tell his father and then he'd NEVER hear the end of it.
"Poe?"
Then again, apart of his mind toyed with the idea that maybe, just maybe, she MIGHT understand. His mother, like himself, had never achieved the popularity with the town folk that his father had. So perhaps, she might know where he was coming from. He drew in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing..." he thought.
"It's just that apart of me, doesn't feel like -"
"Poe!"
Poe moaned, clearly annoyed. He'd had just about enough of being interrupted in one night.
Both Sally and Poe turned their heads to the stage where Jack stood waiting. Poe sighed. It really was useless. This had to be some sort of sign. Just when he was about to let one person know what was on his mind...
"Never mind..." he said rather quickly and turned towards his father on stage.
Sally felt her hand slide from his shoulder, and she stood helpless as he walked to his father on stage. Inside, she had a feeling that she knew what was plaguing Poe. It was the same restless feeling that had plagued his father five years ago. The same feeling that had caused Jack to kidnap the Christmas holiday for Halloween town. This brought a sad sort of smile to her face. He really was like Jack in a lot of ways.
Maybe too much so.
***
Everyone applauded as Poe stepped on stage. He had never really been popular with the townspeople like his father was, so it was easy for him to tell the applause was sort of forced. Some believed he wasn't really fit to be called "The Pumpkin Prince." He didn't really understand why. He supposed it was due to his shyer nature. For now, he was just the skeleton in his father's shadow.
"As I have explained, the plan is quite brilliant, you see. With Poe with me, we'll break scream and scare records! The very world will tremble and know the REAL meaning of Halloween!"
At this, the crowd broke into a round of ecstatic screams and hoots. Jack put his hand on his son's shoulder. Poe, for his part, just smiled and fed the crowd what they wanted. Jack smiled broadly. "Jack you have done it again!" The Mayor shouted. "Let's hear it for Jack Skellington! Halloween Town's very own Pumpkin King!"
The applause grew louder, and eventually died down into a loud, hideous version of the town anthem. Poe grit his teeth and finally turned away when Jack was speaking with the Mayor.
He'd had enough pretending for the night.
***
Poe walked up the steps to the high tower of his home. The night was still young, so therefore his father and his mother were still out with the over anxious crowds. Poe found that it was nicer to be alone.
He walked to the window and pushed it open softly. The moon glowed an unnatural yellow, as it did every night since he could remember. It was nothing new, it never was. That was what had been driving him crazy lately. He sighed, and shut the window, disgustedly.
He felt a small tug at the leg of his pants which forced him to look down. Poe smiled appreciatively. "Hi Zero..."
The small dog yipped in response and gave him a sort of smile. He had thought too soon. It was nice to be alone with Zero. Someone who appreciated him, son of Jack Skellington or not. Poe, returned the smile. "I wish I was as happy as you are Z..."
Zero cocked his head to the side as if trying to understand. His nose flickered for a brief moment, and this made Poe smile all the wider.
"Maybe you'll understand?" Poe asked, chuckling lightly as he pat the dog gently. "Well, at the very least you won't call me out of my skull..."
Zero yipped again and floated up to nuzzle Poe's bony hand.
*
"This feeling inside, is one I cannot describe, though it tears at me every day..." he gave Zero a mournful look.
"This feeling inside, it screams in my skull and it never seems to go away."
He walked slowly toward the fireplace and stared into the flames. "Though I've tried and I've tried, I get no answers, only questions. Where? When? ...and finally why?" he asked miserably.
"I wonder and I wonder, but still nothing comes and I'm left with the same empty feeling as before..." Poe said softly, looking up into the black mantle above the fireplace. "You'd think one such as I, who's been given so much, would smile and join in, but no...I can't!"
"I just can't let it go, to think that I may never know, well it drives me almost totally crazy! To think that there's something else beyond my grasp, something new, something bold, it makes my mind quite hazy. With my being, with my soul, there's a need to know!"
Poe frowned suddenly. "But my hope has fallen so low..."
Zero whimpered at his side. Poe moved down the mantle, until he came to a picture of himself with his father and mother.
"'Your life is here, your life is now' as anyone might say. 'You should be proud! Well, why not? After all you are the son of Jack, the Pumpkin King!'"
Poe ran a single bony finger along the picture. "But my heart can't accept what the obvious is and still I long for more. This feeling inside pulls at me and I know! There's more beyond what they all see..."
Poe moved away from the picture towards his bed, beginning to smile fiercely. "I will not let it go, not now, not ever, until I'm absolutely sure! I will find out how, I will find out why, and things will NEVER be as they were!"
Poe finally sank down into his bed, his smile fading. "With my being, with my soul, there's a need to know...but my hope has hope has fallen so low..."
Zero whimpered once more and curled up in Poe's lap. "So for now, here I sit. Here I sit and I sing. The restless son of Jack, the Pumpkin King..." Poe finished, hanging his head.
By: Laney Sanchez
Synopsis: About five years later things are back to being as normal as things can be in Halloween town. Jack and Sally now have one child (courtesy of Dr. Finkelstein): Poe. While doing a routine scare on Halloween, something goes terribly wrong that could possibly tear Halloween Town apart forever. Now it is up to Jack, Sally and Poe to save the day.
Note: Just to let you know, Poe if we were to give Poe an age it would be about sixteen. There's a reason which will be explained later on. Also, in true TNBC fashion, there will be songs. If you see a * before a section it means it's a song. All songs are written by me, so if it's not the best I apologize. I'm not a songwriter =\
( \/ ) Chapter Two ( \/ )
o Enough Pretending o
The town hall was awake with cackles and eerie whispers. The dank, dark wood was alive with sound and activity. Monsters and ghouls began shuffling into the rickety wooden benches, eager for the ceremony to commence. Everyone was excited for Jack's plans for this Halloween.
Everyone except Poe. The Pumpkin King's son, himself.
He sighed as he watched his mother fix the pumpkin brooch at his neck. "There!" she said, standing back and smiling. Poe forced a weak smile then turned away. "Poe, what's wrong?" she asked, her pleasant look melting away to give birth to a look of worry and concern. He frowned, losing the faked smile. His "everything-is-okay" act never worked with his mother. Yet, it was useless to tell her what was on his mind, because no one would understand. Not even her. He was sure of it. Ideas like his just weren't natural to have.
"It's nothing..." he muttered brokenly. Sally frowned and moved closer to Poe. It was painfully obvious that his "nothing" was really bothering him. "It must be something. Please, tell me..."
"It's-" Poe began, only to be immediately interrupted.
"Sally, Poe! There you two are!"
Poe looked over to see his father, drawing closer. He turned his sullen face away almost immediately. He especially didn't want to have to explain his sad face to his father. Halloween meant so much to him. He just wished it meant the same to himself.
"Jack," Sally said with a smile. Jack was grinning as broadly as he could. "I'm really excited. This Halloween is going to be even better than the last!"
"Well..." Sally looked away a bit timidly. "Of course it will be if you've planned it..."
"Thank you!" Jack said warmly, taking her hands. Sally looked to his face and smiled genuinely. Jack's charm and determination never failed to amaze her.
"Ahhrmm..." Poe coughed. He hated these lovey-dovey moments between his parents. Jack looked over, along with Sally. "Poe! Are you all ready to give the speech with me?"
Poe forced the smile once again. "Er...of course...!" he lied with a nervous chuckle. He never really had been a social flower and speeches were certainly not his strong point.
Sally frowned yet again. She alone could tell her son wasn't being honest.
"Great!" Jack said, giving Poe a rather hard pat to the back. "With you by my side, we're going to be unstoppable!"
"And here he is! Our man Jack, King of the pumpkin patch!"
"That's my cue!" Jack said, straightening up, and heading for the stage. He gave Poe a reassuring thumbs up. Poe frowned again as his father left. Sally put her hand on his shoulder. "Poe, I really wish you'd tell me what's on your mind..."
Poe just looked away. "What does it matter?"
"It matters a lot, Poe..."
Poe said nothing. He desperately wanted to tell his mother of how he wished for something else. How, just for once he would like to experience life in the normal world, outside of Halloween. He wanted to tell her how the town anthem, "This is Halloween" made him want to scream in agony every time he heard it. However, he couldn't. All of it would sound ridiculous. Then chances were, she'd tell his father and then he'd NEVER hear the end of it.
"Poe?"
Then again, apart of his mind toyed with the idea that maybe, just maybe, she MIGHT understand. His mother, like himself, had never achieved the popularity with the town folk that his father had. So perhaps, she might know where he was coming from. He drew in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing..." he thought.
"It's just that apart of me, doesn't feel like -"
"Poe!"
Poe moaned, clearly annoyed. He'd had just about enough of being interrupted in one night.
Both Sally and Poe turned their heads to the stage where Jack stood waiting. Poe sighed. It really was useless. This had to be some sort of sign. Just when he was about to let one person know what was on his mind...
"Never mind..." he said rather quickly and turned towards his father on stage.
Sally felt her hand slide from his shoulder, and she stood helpless as he walked to his father on stage. Inside, she had a feeling that she knew what was plaguing Poe. It was the same restless feeling that had plagued his father five years ago. The same feeling that had caused Jack to kidnap the Christmas holiday for Halloween town. This brought a sad sort of smile to her face. He really was like Jack in a lot of ways.
Maybe too much so.
***
Everyone applauded as Poe stepped on stage. He had never really been popular with the townspeople like his father was, so it was easy for him to tell the applause was sort of forced. Some believed he wasn't really fit to be called "The Pumpkin Prince." He didn't really understand why. He supposed it was due to his shyer nature. For now, he was just the skeleton in his father's shadow.
"As I have explained, the plan is quite brilliant, you see. With Poe with me, we'll break scream and scare records! The very world will tremble and know the REAL meaning of Halloween!"
At this, the crowd broke into a round of ecstatic screams and hoots. Jack put his hand on his son's shoulder. Poe, for his part, just smiled and fed the crowd what they wanted. Jack smiled broadly. "Jack you have done it again!" The Mayor shouted. "Let's hear it for Jack Skellington! Halloween Town's very own Pumpkin King!"
The applause grew louder, and eventually died down into a loud, hideous version of the town anthem. Poe grit his teeth and finally turned away when Jack was speaking with the Mayor.
He'd had enough pretending for the night.
***
Poe walked up the steps to the high tower of his home. The night was still young, so therefore his father and his mother were still out with the over anxious crowds. Poe found that it was nicer to be alone.
He walked to the window and pushed it open softly. The moon glowed an unnatural yellow, as it did every night since he could remember. It was nothing new, it never was. That was what had been driving him crazy lately. He sighed, and shut the window, disgustedly.
He felt a small tug at the leg of his pants which forced him to look down. Poe smiled appreciatively. "Hi Zero..."
The small dog yipped in response and gave him a sort of smile. He had thought too soon. It was nice to be alone with Zero. Someone who appreciated him, son of Jack Skellington or not. Poe, returned the smile. "I wish I was as happy as you are Z..."
Zero cocked his head to the side as if trying to understand. His nose flickered for a brief moment, and this made Poe smile all the wider.
"Maybe you'll understand?" Poe asked, chuckling lightly as he pat the dog gently. "Well, at the very least you won't call me out of my skull..."
Zero yipped again and floated up to nuzzle Poe's bony hand.
*
"This feeling inside, is one I cannot describe, though it tears at me every day..." he gave Zero a mournful look.
"This feeling inside, it screams in my skull and it never seems to go away."
He walked slowly toward the fireplace and stared into the flames. "Though I've tried and I've tried, I get no answers, only questions. Where? When? ...and finally why?" he asked miserably.
"I wonder and I wonder, but still nothing comes and I'm left with the same empty feeling as before..." Poe said softly, looking up into the black mantle above the fireplace. "You'd think one such as I, who's been given so much, would smile and join in, but no...I can't!"
"I just can't let it go, to think that I may never know, well it drives me almost totally crazy! To think that there's something else beyond my grasp, something new, something bold, it makes my mind quite hazy. With my being, with my soul, there's a need to know!"
Poe frowned suddenly. "But my hope has fallen so low..."
Zero whimpered at his side. Poe moved down the mantle, until he came to a picture of himself with his father and mother.
"'Your life is here, your life is now' as anyone might say. 'You should be proud! Well, why not? After all you are the son of Jack, the Pumpkin King!'"
Poe ran a single bony finger along the picture. "But my heart can't accept what the obvious is and still I long for more. This feeling inside pulls at me and I know! There's more beyond what they all see..."
Poe moved away from the picture towards his bed, beginning to smile fiercely. "I will not let it go, not now, not ever, until I'm absolutely sure! I will find out how, I will find out why, and things will NEVER be as they were!"
Poe finally sank down into his bed, his smile fading. "With my being, with my soul, there's a need to know...but my hope has hope has fallen so low..."
Zero whimpered once more and curled up in Poe's lap. "So for now, here I sit. Here I sit and I sing. The restless son of Jack, the Pumpkin King..." Poe finished, hanging his head.
