Spirited Away on Halloween 2
Coming along, isn't it? These new chapters take forever to type! Of course, the movie drags on FOREVER as well.
Sally lugged her way into the cellar through a small door, barely big enough to let her slip through. Inside, a lone man sat at a little desk, pounding a small rock into a bowl, crushing something. The walls were mountains and mountains of shelves, not a single spot of wall in sight. Along the floor, little pieces of coal threw themselves into an oven (or maybe it was a furnace?).
The man himself was very short and stumpy. Also, very triangular. His entire body roundend up to the point on top of his head. His face was facing the wrong way; it seemed cemented into a squinty eyed, smiling mask. He wore a ash gray uniform: tunic with the shoulders and stomach held back by a belt, and baggy pants. It didn't look good on him, though.
As he worked, he mumbled to himself. "Eh... Hirac's obsession obsession of keeping the place clean's gonna kill us one day. Herbal soaks, herbal soaks my-"
"Excuse me?" Sally broke the sullen mood of the place.
"Yeah?" the man turned around, and-
Sally screamed and fell back when she found out that he had another face! This face wasn't happy like the other one; it was a dead gray, with bulging eyes and lips. It held a very angry expression, which made Sally feel queasy.
"I-I-I-I-"
"SPEAK UP, human!" the man went back to his work. "I haven't got all day, you know!"
"Jacktoldmetocomeinhereandask for a job!" Sally took a breath.
"Jack told you to come here?" a twinge of worry stained the man's words.
"Yes, sir," Sally said. "Are you the mayor, by any chance?"
"Yea, I'm the Mayor," the man griped. "Slave to the boiler and servant of King Hirac. But anyway, I can't help you. I have no need for you smelly humans coming in here and messing things up."
"What?" Sally snapped.
"You heard me!" The Mayor growled. "You humans always mess things up. Besides, I have all the helps I need. Look closely at the coal."
Sally kneeled down to the floor to check the coal. At first, nothing was there, but then, little white things started appearing underneath them. The varied in size, ranging from the size of a baseball to the size of a quarter.
"Aw, how cute!" Sally crooned. "Little baby ghosts!"
"Just got a whole swarm in; new abortion clinic opened it Los Angeles," the Mayor said, making Sally feel like she was going to be sick. "So, I don't need you here. Go away!"
"But Jack said I needed to get a job here!" Sally screamed.
"Feh," The Mayor scooped his crushed herbs into a little funnel, and started work on another batch.
Sally sighed and watched the poor baby ghosts for a while. One ghost struggled with his piece of coal until it finally fell on top of him. He struggled to get out from underneath, but no other ghost would help it. Sally felt compelled to help the little baby ghost. She grabbed the coal and tugged on it... and tugged... and pulled. It was heavy!
Finally, she managed to lift it from the floor and into the air. She stood in confusion for a while while the other ghosts rushed past her.
"What do I do with this?" Sally asked.
"Finish what you started, human!"
Sally grudgingly followed The Mayor's orders, inching her way towards the furnace. She could feel that sweltering heat increasing with every step she took. As she made it closer to the furnace, flame started jumping out at her, not quite reaching her skin. She, with one finally breath, threw the chunk of coal into the furnace and hurriedly ran away.
"Very good job," the Mayor noticed. Other little ghosts cheered for her, and she modestly smiled.
"Um... thank you."
"Chow time!" the door Sally had come through opened, and a witch stepped through. The witch was as skinny as a toothpick with a large, oversized nose. Her gray hair was mangled and disheveled. Her gray skin was covered in warts. She wore a much baggier outift, which was held at the shoulder but not the stomach by a belt. It was more of a stormcloud gray. Her legs were thin and frail looking, with tiny feet. In her hand, she held a wooden basket filled with various types of food.
The baby ghosts dropped their coal in a corner and ran to the witch for food. She handed a plate to The Mayor.
"Where is your other plate?" the witch asked.
"Oh," The Mayor started shuffling through the drawers on his desk.
"I keep telling you to leave it out, Mayor."
"Sorry," the Mayor handed his old plate while the witch traded it for his new one. His face turned to the happy side, and he began to eat. "Popsy, there's a human here who wants a job."
"A HUMAN?!" Popsy jumped as Sally timidly waved. "YOU?! People are looking for you! You've caused a whole mess of trouble! Who do you think you are?"
Sally shivered. Why was everyone here so mean?"
The Mayor then surprised both Sally and Popsy. "She's my granddaughter."
"She's your granddaughter?" Popsy asked sarcastically.
"I have a grandfather?" Sally asked in shock.
"Take her to Hirac," the Mayor mumbled through a mouthful of food. "She's got the right stuff."
"No way!" Popsy protested. "I'm not gonna risk my life!"
The Mayor picked something off of his plate and gave it to Popsy. "What if I gave you this tasty roasted newt? Huh? It's good."
"GIMME THAT!" Popsy snatched the newt. "Come with me, human."
"Yes, uh, ma'am." Sally crawled after Popsy.
Popsy scattered the last remained contents of the basket (which were Red Hots) onto the ground, where the baby ghosts ate them immediately.
"Thank the Mayor," Popsy growled. "He's sticking his neck out for you. At least, he would, if he had a neck."
"Thank you, Mayor!" Sally rushed out of the room, stopping to rub her head (she'd hit in on the door frame), and away she went.
"Good luck, human!" the Mayor called after Sally had closed the door. He gulped down another mouthful of food. "Cute. Real cute."
*
Sally was accosted by a swarm of color and smells, and took a second to get adjusted to the change. She gasped in amazement and wonder.
It was a Japanese-style home, with elaborate guardrails and pastel flowers adorning the wallpaper. Sections of the floor were set apart by cubicle walls, and steam rose from some of the "rooms". More monsters bustled about, carrying buckets of water, brooms, food on silver platters, junk like that. Although the type of creature varied (a few werewolves, a lot of vampires, and some kind of giant bat), they all wore the same, tacky, gray uniforms that the Mayor and Popsy wore. The place reached high above their heads, reaching into the sky like a... like a skyscraper.
"Hirac lives on the top floor," Popsy explained. "We're gonna have to take a bunch of elevators, so stay close to me."
"Okay," Sally nodded.
"And don't say 'Okay'!" Popsy snapped. "Say 'Yes, ma'am'."
"Yes, ma'am," Sally corrected herself.
Popsy led Sally into an open elevator, pulled a lever on the side of the door, and braced herself as the thing led itself slowly upward. Sally watched the floors inch by the open doorway, holding her face dangerously close to the wall. She counted the floors. "One, two, three, four, fi- seven, eight, nine-"
"You wanna lose your nose?" Popsy cruely laughed.
"NO, MA'AM!" Sally jumped back a few feet. "Um... thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.."
As the elevator slowed to a stop, Popsy froze in her place. A large, fat monster stood in the way of them moving. It was gray, and resembled a potatoe sack. It was a basically a big stuffed star.
"Ah! OogieBoogie!" Popsy gasped.
"I'm goin' up, woman," Oogie Boogie ordered.
"Uh... sorry, sir, but this elevator doesn't go any higher," Popsy giggled nervously. "You'll have to take another one." Popsy grabbed Sally's wrist. "Come on, human."
Sally was rushed out of the elevator and over a bridge. Oogie Boogie followed them faithfully, swinging his hips exaggeratedly.
"He's following us," Sally whispered.
"Shut up," Popsy mumbled through her teeth. "Just don't look at him."
"Why not?" Sally whispered.
"Shut it!" Popsy growled.
Popsy pushed a button by an elevator door, and calmy waited for the arriving elevator. Oogie Boogie swaggered up to the doors, standing directly in front of them.
The doors opened, but not directly into the room.
"Alright, sirs, you're rooms are this way," a femine, young voice explained. A bunch of tall, skinny goblins slithered out of the elevator. Popsy pushed Sally behind her, so they wouldn't see her. Of course, that didn't work very well, because was only half Sally's height, but it worked well enough. Until...
"Hey, Popsy," the little femine voice evily squealed. Oogie Boogie pushed his way into the tiny elevator.
Popsy shoved Sally in alongside him, making her yelp in surprise. She was squeezed into the back, behind the evil star pillow they called the Boogi- Oh, he was the Boogie man!
"Wait is it, Shock?" Popsy snapped at the little girl in a witch's getup.
"That smell," Shock cooed. "That smell... it smells just like a human! Come on, where are you hiding it?!"
"Hiding what?" Popsy maintained her cool. Sally worked her way to the left side of the elevator, where Oogie's bulk didn't squish her into a pancake.
"Come, Popsy!" Shock half-yelled. "You know what I'm talkin' 'bout. You reek of the smell! You've got a human, and it smells tasty! Where is it?"
Popsy pulled the roasted newt out of her pocket. "Is this what you smell?"
Shock gasped in desperation, hungry, and joy. "A roasted... gimme!" Shock lept into the air, reaching childishly for the newt.
"If you wanna go up, pull the level down!" Popsy hollered over Shock's squeals.
Oogie nodded, and Sally frantically swiped for the lever. She reached it, pulled it down, and sighed in relief as the doors slammed shut.
With one huge burst of energy, Popsy shoved the newt into her mouth. Shock wailed in agony as Popsy munched.
Sally stood right next to the Oogie Boogie man, not daring to look at him. She felt overwhelmed... tiny...
The doors inched open, and Sally peered out. She asked herself, "Is this the top floor?"
"Nope," Oogie answered, making Sally jump. She pushed her way back inside the elevator and pulled the lever again. She went back to counting the floors. "55, 56, 57-"
"There are 70 floors," Oogie mumbled, scaring Sally yet again. Did he listen to everything she said?
Sally kept counting until they reached the 69th floor, where Oogie finally got off. Sally kept riding until she reached the top floor.
The hallway was mostly red, with ornate gold and green designs. At the end of the hallway was a set of golden doors with skull knockers. Sally tiptoed to the door, reaching out to the handle...
"Aren't you even going to knock!?" The door screamed! Sally cringed back. "You have got to be the rudest woman I've ever seen!"
"What?" Sally yelped.
The doors opened. Behind them was another set of golden doors, and they opened. And again, and again, and again.... 15 sets of doors, and more Sally couldn't see.
"Come in," a male voice called.
"Um...." Sally hesistated, stepping back.
"I said, 'Come In'."
Sally felt like the front part of her suit had been grabbed, and she was suddenly pulled over by a force unseen. She burst past the first fifteen doors, took a sharp turn, and fell into a seperate room. It was a large office, decorated with the same ornate designs as the hallway. Large paintings and jewels hung on the walls as artwork. A fireplace took the place of the wall to Sally's left.
"Koit."
Sally look up to see a little hand, like Thing from the Addams family, standing in front of her. Three little hands, actually, with little eyes resting between the knuckles.
"Koit," the first hand spoke.
"Koit."
"Koit koit."
"AH!" Sally jumped into a standing position.
"Hmmhmmhmmhmmhmm. How cute."
Sally looked to her right to see a... something sitting behind a desk. The figure had a wooden body with a jack-o-lantern head, a face neatly carved into the front. He wrote on a scrap a paper, keeping his eyes off of Sally. "Well, well, a little human," he spoke. "What do you need?"
"Are.... are you King Hirac? Sir?"
"Yes, I am." Hirac opened a eye and looked at the young human standing and the end of his office. "Hmmhmmhmm, you're shivering. How brave you are. Hmmmhmm. What do you need?"
"Um... I need a job, sir."
"I'm ssorry, little girl," Hirac lisped very slightly. In fact, it was more of a hiss. "I have no openingss. Pleasse find work ssomewhere elsse."
"Sir, I need a job here!" Sally hollered.
"Be quiet!" Hirac yelled back. He looked up, showing his rather frightening mouth and shifty eyes. He even had a little candle in his mouth that lighted his head. "I told you, I have no openingss! Now go, you're disstracting me from my work!"
Sally swallowed her pride and gathered her courage. "PLEASE, CAN'T YOU GIVE ME A JOB?!"
"DON'T SSTART THAT AGAIN!" the scarecrow stood up.
"PLEASE, I JUST WANNA WORK!"
Paper started flying off of the desk, and the light inside of his jack-o- lantern noggin started burning brighter. "DOOOON'T SSSAAAAAAAAY THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"
Hirac jumped from behind his desk, flying towards Sally. He landed in front of her, pratically boasting the fact that A( he was at least 4 feet taller than her, and B( he had three legs: two where they should be and one in the middle.
"Why in the WORLD do you think I sshould give you job?!" he screamed directly into her face, spitting fire past her cheeks. "Anyone can ssee you're a LAZY" (he jabbed her in the stomach with one of his huge fingers) "SPOILED" (jab) "CRYBABY" (jab jab) "And you have no mannerss!"
"I have manners!" Sally whimpered back.
"QUIET!" Hirac yelled. He slowly wormed his way behind Sally, speaking as he moved. "Thiss iss MY manssion we're talking about here! I don't need any humanss musssing it up! Now, leave! I have all the lazy bumss I need-" Hirac's eyes opened wide. He placed his hand on Sally's shoulder, and walked this hand up her neck until he was pratically choking her. "Or... I could give you my hardesst job, and work you until you breathe your very lasst breaaath."
BOOM!
There was a deafening bang that ensued from a nearby source. Hirac looked up from Sally's quivering shoulder.
"AAAAAIEEE-AAE-AAA!" a shrieking noise came from a neighboring room. A large, reptilian, black foot smashed through a wall. "AAAA-AAAE-YAAA! WAAAA!"
"Oh no! You woke up Dinny!" Hirac rushed into the room through the hole the foot had created. "Daddy'ss here, Dinny! Be a good baby!" Hirac peered out of the door. "Why are you sstill here!? I told you to leave!"
"Please, I just want a job!" Sally ordered.
"Fine, fine! Just be quiet! You're sscaring the baby!" Hirac grunted as the foot slammed into his head.
"AAEEII-AA!"
"Okay, okay, Daddy'ss here! Hussh now," Hirac ran into the room next door.
A piece of paper and a quill pen floated to Sally. She grabbed them dutifully. A few large print words caught here eye.
PLEASE SIGN NAME HERE
Sally placed the paper on the stone floor around the hearth and began writing her name. It was just Sally; because her parents were unknown, she had no last name.
"Are you done yet?" Hirac growled. He had just stepped out of the room, and had begun rearranging some things that had fallen over from "Dinny's" impact. The paper simply flew out from under Sally's quill and into Hirac's hands. "So, you're name is Ssally. How pretty."
He waved his hand over the paper, and Sally's name was replaced by a different name, in Hirac's handwriting. "Well, you're name belongss to me, now. From now on, your name iss Kerry. Do you undersstand, Kerry?"
"Whaddayamean, my name is Kerry?" Sally yelled.
"You called, sir?"
Sally nearly burst in delight as Jack stepped into the office.
"Jack, thiss girl hass been ssigned under contract. Pleasse sset her up in a ssuitable department," Hirac cooly commanded.
"Yes sir," Jack turned to Sally. "And, your name?"
"Sa-"
"Ah ah ah," Hirac waved his finger.
"Oh," Sally remembered. "My name is Kerry. For whatever reason."
"Alright, Kerry. Come with me." Jack turned around, expecting Sally to follow. She trotted out of the room, following him with a resolve.
*
Sally happily stood beside Jack, relieved that the worst part was over.
"Hey, Jack?" Sally went to ask a question.
"Don't talk to me," Jack commanded. "And address me as Master Skellington from now on."
Sally turned away. Hurt. And confused.
DONE!
Coming along, isn't it? These new chapters take forever to type! Of course, the movie drags on FOREVER as well.
Sally lugged her way into the cellar through a small door, barely big enough to let her slip through. Inside, a lone man sat at a little desk, pounding a small rock into a bowl, crushing something. The walls were mountains and mountains of shelves, not a single spot of wall in sight. Along the floor, little pieces of coal threw themselves into an oven (or maybe it was a furnace?).
The man himself was very short and stumpy. Also, very triangular. His entire body roundend up to the point on top of his head. His face was facing the wrong way; it seemed cemented into a squinty eyed, smiling mask. He wore a ash gray uniform: tunic with the shoulders and stomach held back by a belt, and baggy pants. It didn't look good on him, though.
As he worked, he mumbled to himself. "Eh... Hirac's obsession obsession of keeping the place clean's gonna kill us one day. Herbal soaks, herbal soaks my-"
"Excuse me?" Sally broke the sullen mood of the place.
"Yeah?" the man turned around, and-
Sally screamed and fell back when she found out that he had another face! This face wasn't happy like the other one; it was a dead gray, with bulging eyes and lips. It held a very angry expression, which made Sally feel queasy.
"I-I-I-I-"
"SPEAK UP, human!" the man went back to his work. "I haven't got all day, you know!"
"Jacktoldmetocomeinhereandask for a job!" Sally took a breath.
"Jack told you to come here?" a twinge of worry stained the man's words.
"Yes, sir," Sally said. "Are you the mayor, by any chance?"
"Yea, I'm the Mayor," the man griped. "Slave to the boiler and servant of King Hirac. But anyway, I can't help you. I have no need for you smelly humans coming in here and messing things up."
"What?" Sally snapped.
"You heard me!" The Mayor growled. "You humans always mess things up. Besides, I have all the helps I need. Look closely at the coal."
Sally kneeled down to the floor to check the coal. At first, nothing was there, but then, little white things started appearing underneath them. The varied in size, ranging from the size of a baseball to the size of a quarter.
"Aw, how cute!" Sally crooned. "Little baby ghosts!"
"Just got a whole swarm in; new abortion clinic opened it Los Angeles," the Mayor said, making Sally feel like she was going to be sick. "So, I don't need you here. Go away!"
"But Jack said I needed to get a job here!" Sally screamed.
"Feh," The Mayor scooped his crushed herbs into a little funnel, and started work on another batch.
Sally sighed and watched the poor baby ghosts for a while. One ghost struggled with his piece of coal until it finally fell on top of him. He struggled to get out from underneath, but no other ghost would help it. Sally felt compelled to help the little baby ghost. She grabbed the coal and tugged on it... and tugged... and pulled. It was heavy!
Finally, she managed to lift it from the floor and into the air. She stood in confusion for a while while the other ghosts rushed past her.
"What do I do with this?" Sally asked.
"Finish what you started, human!"
Sally grudgingly followed The Mayor's orders, inching her way towards the furnace. She could feel that sweltering heat increasing with every step she took. As she made it closer to the furnace, flame started jumping out at her, not quite reaching her skin. She, with one finally breath, threw the chunk of coal into the furnace and hurriedly ran away.
"Very good job," the Mayor noticed. Other little ghosts cheered for her, and she modestly smiled.
"Um... thank you."
"Chow time!" the door Sally had come through opened, and a witch stepped through. The witch was as skinny as a toothpick with a large, oversized nose. Her gray hair was mangled and disheveled. Her gray skin was covered in warts. She wore a much baggier outift, which was held at the shoulder but not the stomach by a belt. It was more of a stormcloud gray. Her legs were thin and frail looking, with tiny feet. In her hand, she held a wooden basket filled with various types of food.
The baby ghosts dropped their coal in a corner and ran to the witch for food. She handed a plate to The Mayor.
"Where is your other plate?" the witch asked.
"Oh," The Mayor started shuffling through the drawers on his desk.
"I keep telling you to leave it out, Mayor."
"Sorry," the Mayor handed his old plate while the witch traded it for his new one. His face turned to the happy side, and he began to eat. "Popsy, there's a human here who wants a job."
"A HUMAN?!" Popsy jumped as Sally timidly waved. "YOU?! People are looking for you! You've caused a whole mess of trouble! Who do you think you are?"
Sally shivered. Why was everyone here so mean?"
The Mayor then surprised both Sally and Popsy. "She's my granddaughter."
"She's your granddaughter?" Popsy asked sarcastically.
"I have a grandfather?" Sally asked in shock.
"Take her to Hirac," the Mayor mumbled through a mouthful of food. "She's got the right stuff."
"No way!" Popsy protested. "I'm not gonna risk my life!"
The Mayor picked something off of his plate and gave it to Popsy. "What if I gave you this tasty roasted newt? Huh? It's good."
"GIMME THAT!" Popsy snatched the newt. "Come with me, human."
"Yes, uh, ma'am." Sally crawled after Popsy.
Popsy scattered the last remained contents of the basket (which were Red Hots) onto the ground, where the baby ghosts ate them immediately.
"Thank the Mayor," Popsy growled. "He's sticking his neck out for you. At least, he would, if he had a neck."
"Thank you, Mayor!" Sally rushed out of the room, stopping to rub her head (she'd hit in on the door frame), and away she went.
"Good luck, human!" the Mayor called after Sally had closed the door. He gulped down another mouthful of food. "Cute. Real cute."
*
Sally was accosted by a swarm of color and smells, and took a second to get adjusted to the change. She gasped in amazement and wonder.
It was a Japanese-style home, with elaborate guardrails and pastel flowers adorning the wallpaper. Sections of the floor were set apart by cubicle walls, and steam rose from some of the "rooms". More monsters bustled about, carrying buckets of water, brooms, food on silver platters, junk like that. Although the type of creature varied (a few werewolves, a lot of vampires, and some kind of giant bat), they all wore the same, tacky, gray uniforms that the Mayor and Popsy wore. The place reached high above their heads, reaching into the sky like a... like a skyscraper.
"Hirac lives on the top floor," Popsy explained. "We're gonna have to take a bunch of elevators, so stay close to me."
"Okay," Sally nodded.
"And don't say 'Okay'!" Popsy snapped. "Say 'Yes, ma'am'."
"Yes, ma'am," Sally corrected herself.
Popsy led Sally into an open elevator, pulled a lever on the side of the door, and braced herself as the thing led itself slowly upward. Sally watched the floors inch by the open doorway, holding her face dangerously close to the wall. She counted the floors. "One, two, three, four, fi- seven, eight, nine-"
"You wanna lose your nose?" Popsy cruely laughed.
"NO, MA'AM!" Sally jumped back a few feet. "Um... thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.."
As the elevator slowed to a stop, Popsy froze in her place. A large, fat monster stood in the way of them moving. It was gray, and resembled a potatoe sack. It was a basically a big stuffed star.
"Ah! OogieBoogie!" Popsy gasped.
"I'm goin' up, woman," Oogie Boogie ordered.
"Uh... sorry, sir, but this elevator doesn't go any higher," Popsy giggled nervously. "You'll have to take another one." Popsy grabbed Sally's wrist. "Come on, human."
Sally was rushed out of the elevator and over a bridge. Oogie Boogie followed them faithfully, swinging his hips exaggeratedly.
"He's following us," Sally whispered.
"Shut up," Popsy mumbled through her teeth. "Just don't look at him."
"Why not?" Sally whispered.
"Shut it!" Popsy growled.
Popsy pushed a button by an elevator door, and calmy waited for the arriving elevator. Oogie Boogie swaggered up to the doors, standing directly in front of them.
The doors opened, but not directly into the room.
"Alright, sirs, you're rooms are this way," a femine, young voice explained. A bunch of tall, skinny goblins slithered out of the elevator. Popsy pushed Sally behind her, so they wouldn't see her. Of course, that didn't work very well, because was only half Sally's height, but it worked well enough. Until...
"Hey, Popsy," the little femine voice evily squealed. Oogie Boogie pushed his way into the tiny elevator.
Popsy shoved Sally in alongside him, making her yelp in surprise. She was squeezed into the back, behind the evil star pillow they called the Boogi- Oh, he was the Boogie man!
"Wait is it, Shock?" Popsy snapped at the little girl in a witch's getup.
"That smell," Shock cooed. "That smell... it smells just like a human! Come on, where are you hiding it?!"
"Hiding what?" Popsy maintained her cool. Sally worked her way to the left side of the elevator, where Oogie's bulk didn't squish her into a pancake.
"Come, Popsy!" Shock half-yelled. "You know what I'm talkin' 'bout. You reek of the smell! You've got a human, and it smells tasty! Where is it?"
Popsy pulled the roasted newt out of her pocket. "Is this what you smell?"
Shock gasped in desperation, hungry, and joy. "A roasted... gimme!" Shock lept into the air, reaching childishly for the newt.
"If you wanna go up, pull the level down!" Popsy hollered over Shock's squeals.
Oogie nodded, and Sally frantically swiped for the lever. She reached it, pulled it down, and sighed in relief as the doors slammed shut.
With one huge burst of energy, Popsy shoved the newt into her mouth. Shock wailed in agony as Popsy munched.
Sally stood right next to the Oogie Boogie man, not daring to look at him. She felt overwhelmed... tiny...
The doors inched open, and Sally peered out. She asked herself, "Is this the top floor?"
"Nope," Oogie answered, making Sally jump. She pushed her way back inside the elevator and pulled the lever again. She went back to counting the floors. "55, 56, 57-"
"There are 70 floors," Oogie mumbled, scaring Sally yet again. Did he listen to everything she said?
Sally kept counting until they reached the 69th floor, where Oogie finally got off. Sally kept riding until she reached the top floor.
The hallway was mostly red, with ornate gold and green designs. At the end of the hallway was a set of golden doors with skull knockers. Sally tiptoed to the door, reaching out to the handle...
"Aren't you even going to knock!?" The door screamed! Sally cringed back. "You have got to be the rudest woman I've ever seen!"
"What?" Sally yelped.
The doors opened. Behind them was another set of golden doors, and they opened. And again, and again, and again.... 15 sets of doors, and more Sally couldn't see.
"Come in," a male voice called.
"Um...." Sally hesistated, stepping back.
"I said, 'Come In'."
Sally felt like the front part of her suit had been grabbed, and she was suddenly pulled over by a force unseen. She burst past the first fifteen doors, took a sharp turn, and fell into a seperate room. It was a large office, decorated with the same ornate designs as the hallway. Large paintings and jewels hung on the walls as artwork. A fireplace took the place of the wall to Sally's left.
"Koit."
Sally look up to see a little hand, like Thing from the Addams family, standing in front of her. Three little hands, actually, with little eyes resting between the knuckles.
"Koit," the first hand spoke.
"Koit."
"Koit koit."
"AH!" Sally jumped into a standing position.
"Hmmhmmhmmhmmhmm. How cute."
Sally looked to her right to see a... something sitting behind a desk. The figure had a wooden body with a jack-o-lantern head, a face neatly carved into the front. He wrote on a scrap a paper, keeping his eyes off of Sally. "Well, well, a little human," he spoke. "What do you need?"
"Are.... are you King Hirac? Sir?"
"Yes, I am." Hirac opened a eye and looked at the young human standing and the end of his office. "Hmmhmmhmm, you're shivering. How brave you are. Hmmmhmm. What do you need?"
"Um... I need a job, sir."
"I'm ssorry, little girl," Hirac lisped very slightly. In fact, it was more of a hiss. "I have no openingss. Pleasse find work ssomewhere elsse."
"Sir, I need a job here!" Sally hollered.
"Be quiet!" Hirac yelled back. He looked up, showing his rather frightening mouth and shifty eyes. He even had a little candle in his mouth that lighted his head. "I told you, I have no openingss! Now go, you're disstracting me from my work!"
Sally swallowed her pride and gathered her courage. "PLEASE, CAN'T YOU GIVE ME A JOB?!"
"DON'T SSTART THAT AGAIN!" the scarecrow stood up.
"PLEASE, I JUST WANNA WORK!"
Paper started flying off of the desk, and the light inside of his jack-o- lantern noggin started burning brighter. "DOOOON'T SSSAAAAAAAAY THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"
Hirac jumped from behind his desk, flying towards Sally. He landed in front of her, pratically boasting the fact that A( he was at least 4 feet taller than her, and B( he had three legs: two where they should be and one in the middle.
"Why in the WORLD do you think I sshould give you job?!" he screamed directly into her face, spitting fire past her cheeks. "Anyone can ssee you're a LAZY" (he jabbed her in the stomach with one of his huge fingers) "SPOILED" (jab) "CRYBABY" (jab jab) "And you have no mannerss!"
"I have manners!" Sally whimpered back.
"QUIET!" Hirac yelled. He slowly wormed his way behind Sally, speaking as he moved. "Thiss iss MY manssion we're talking about here! I don't need any humanss musssing it up! Now, leave! I have all the lazy bumss I need-" Hirac's eyes opened wide. He placed his hand on Sally's shoulder, and walked this hand up her neck until he was pratically choking her. "Or... I could give you my hardesst job, and work you until you breathe your very lasst breaaath."
BOOM!
There was a deafening bang that ensued from a nearby source. Hirac looked up from Sally's quivering shoulder.
"AAAAAIEEE-AAE-AAA!" a shrieking noise came from a neighboring room. A large, reptilian, black foot smashed through a wall. "AAAA-AAAE-YAAA! WAAAA!"
"Oh no! You woke up Dinny!" Hirac rushed into the room through the hole the foot had created. "Daddy'ss here, Dinny! Be a good baby!" Hirac peered out of the door. "Why are you sstill here!? I told you to leave!"
"Please, I just want a job!" Sally ordered.
"Fine, fine! Just be quiet! You're sscaring the baby!" Hirac grunted as the foot slammed into his head.
"AAEEII-AA!"
"Okay, okay, Daddy'ss here! Hussh now," Hirac ran into the room next door.
A piece of paper and a quill pen floated to Sally. She grabbed them dutifully. A few large print words caught here eye.
PLEASE SIGN NAME HERE
Sally placed the paper on the stone floor around the hearth and began writing her name. It was just Sally; because her parents were unknown, she had no last name.
"Are you done yet?" Hirac growled. He had just stepped out of the room, and had begun rearranging some things that had fallen over from "Dinny's" impact. The paper simply flew out from under Sally's quill and into Hirac's hands. "So, you're name is Ssally. How pretty."
He waved his hand over the paper, and Sally's name was replaced by a different name, in Hirac's handwriting. "Well, you're name belongss to me, now. From now on, your name iss Kerry. Do you undersstand, Kerry?"
"Whaddayamean, my name is Kerry?" Sally yelled.
"You called, sir?"
Sally nearly burst in delight as Jack stepped into the office.
"Jack, thiss girl hass been ssigned under contract. Pleasse sset her up in a ssuitable department," Hirac cooly commanded.
"Yes sir," Jack turned to Sally. "And, your name?"
"Sa-"
"Ah ah ah," Hirac waved his finger.
"Oh," Sally remembered. "My name is Kerry. For whatever reason."
"Alright, Kerry. Come with me." Jack turned around, expecting Sally to follow. She trotted out of the room, following him with a resolve.
*
Sally happily stood beside Jack, relieved that the worst part was over.
"Hey, Jack?" Sally went to ask a question.
"Don't talk to me," Jack commanded. "And address me as Master Skellington from now on."
Sally turned away. Hurt. And confused.
DONE!