The town rooster crowed at sunrise. Like most Halloween folk,
Jack and Sally remained in their bed for a while after. There had
been a time when Jack rose with the sun and immediately leapt
into the day's business. Since his relationship with Sally, Jack
had learned to appreciate sleeping in. Since his sons were
born, Jack had learned to relish sleeping in whenever the luxury
presented itself.
A short while later the Skellingtons were up and about.
Jack cooked lizard eggs in his kitchen as Sally fed and dressed
the twins. They had the morning routine down to a science.
"Breakfast is ready!", Jack called up the twisting
staircase.
"We'll be right down dearest!", Sally replied.
Jack scraped some of the dark green eggs into his dog Zero's
dish. Zero was still upstairs somewhere. He usually floated
around the twins. It seemed to Jack that Zero had taken a real
protective interest in the tiny princes. The little ghost dog
had developed a fascination with them since their birth. "I'm
sure he understands that they are our babies.", Sally said when
Jack first noted the behavior. Sure enough as Sally came slowly
down the steps with a skeleton baby in each arm, Zero glided
silently behind her shoulder. Jack took his sons and placed
them in a small playpen. Nicholas sat happily with a stuffed
tarantula, Jack jr. busied himself some toy beetles. The royal couple began their breakfast.
Jack had barely sipped Sally's special black-berry coffee when
the door chime screamed. He made a face and headed to answer it,
stopping by the playpen to tickle the princes. They squealed
with joy and babbled soft non-sensicals between each other as he
walked away down to the foyer. Sally could hear the mayor's
voice as he followed Jack back up to the kitchen.

"Now Jack, I know how important your early mornings are to
you, but we have some real decisions to make today. I really
need your input so that we can get going on these plans and keep
on top of schedule for this Halloween. The witches for example
are hard at work on some terrifying nightmares. Now, in your
opinion which is a scarier dream: Getting your hand chopped
off with a chainsaw or getting your hand chopped off with a
hatchet? What do you think would really wake them up screaming?"
Jack scratched his skull and returned to his coffee. He looked
thoughtful.
"Well, a hatchet is faster. Chainsaws tend to drag a
little more, but...what do you think darling?"
Sally blinked.
"You're asking the wrong person dearest.", she said with a
smile. Jack laughed and ran a boney finger tip over the coarse
stitching at her wrist. The Mayor shifted his weight and looked
expectantly at Jack. Jack sipped at his coffee for another
moment before rising from the table. He walked to the playpen
and leaned down to pat his sons.

"Ah, I suppose I should head out and see what needs doing
today. Who shall I take? I had little Jack yesterday, so how
about if I relieve you of Nicky this morning, love?"
"That would be lovely Jack. Just let me get his things."
Sally stood and removed a small container and a bottle from the
ice-box.
"Some pumpkin pudding with maggots for him, and some apple
juice."
Jack took the items and tucked them into a small satchel. Then
he slipped a black fabric sling across his chest and scooped
Nicky up. He laid the infant securely inside, kissed Sally's
cheek, then turned to the mayor who was waiting rather
impatiently.
"All right then. Off we go.", said Jack. They headed out
of the mansion and into the square. All around them the
townsfolk were absorbed in their holiday business. Nicky had sat
up a little and was peering out of his baby sling with enormous,
round eye sockets. He babbled something and pointed a matchstick
sized finger. His attention was directed at an enormous orange
pumpkin that Mr.Corpse was weighing.
"Our pumpkins will be extra spectacular this year Jack!",
Mr.Corpse said as the mayor and king approached.
"Well, my son seems impressed!", Jack laughed. Nicky
continued to stare at the bright orange gourd. He murmured
whispers of baby awe.
"Good morning Prince Nicholas." said Mr.Corpse. "Are you
behaving yourself?"
The witches called out from across the square and Jack
strolled across to check their progress. He considered their
current dilemma.
"Hm, I really think hatchet is the way to go. It has a
certain elegance that the chainsaw just doesn't possess. Power
tools have a vulgarity I don't care for."
The witches agreed whole-heartedly and praised Jack for his
wisdom. He moved on towards the behemoth's workshop with the
Mayor still at his side. As they walked Nicky remained peaceful.
He gazed out at the world he and his brother would someday
inherit.
"Soooo... Are you caring for Nicholas all day today?", the
Mayor asked non-chalantly. He felt a little uncertain around
babies. They were rare, practically non-existent in
Halloweentown, save for Jack and Sally's sons. How was Jack
supposed to look fear-inspiring and horrific with that little
bundle attached to him? It just seemed inappropriate for a king
of terror. The Mayor knew he had to tread lightly. Jack was
fiercely protective of his little family.
"Well, I'll likely keep Nicholas with me until I go home
for lunch. Then I'll either leave him with Sally or if she wants
I'll switch with her and take little Jack for a while. We've
found that approach works the best. When they were newborns it
was better for them to stay with her all day, but now I
think it's only fair to trade off, you know?" The Mayor had
nothing to contribute, so he stammered for a moment thinking of
what next to say. As he was thinking, the vampires passed by.
They traveled under the shade of black parasols to shield them
from the morning sun. They greeted Jack and paused to chat.
"Aaah, Jack! You must come in this afternoon and see our
plans for the year! Such a delicious time we will have this
Halloween!"
"I'm just doing my progress checks right now, so I will be
sure to pay you a visit.", Jack beamed. "You always impress me
so much with your dedication to task." As with all the
townsfolk, compliments from Jack were treasured by the vampires.
They were delighted by his words. The tallest of them continued
to speak. The Mayor fidgeted, wanting to continue on with the
day's work. He liked having Jack's attention focused on his
priorities.
"And how is her majesty doing today? Will we be seeing
your wife this afternoon?", asked the tall vampire.
"Sally is at home at the moment. We are hoping to take a
walk through the cemetery tonight, but that all depends on
whether our little ones are supportive of the idea.", Jack
laughed. "Our anniversary is coming up. I haven't even made any
plans yet."
"You two should take a wonderful trip together!", said the
vampire. The Mayor jumped visibly at that suggestion, but no one
seemed to notice. The vampire went on. "Take a romantic
vacation Jack! Just a few days rest is all you'd need and she'd
be so surprised I'll bet!"
Jack was intrigued with the very thought, though it
certainly seemed far from possible. If nothing else, the little
monster now snoozing against his heart ruled out the
possibility. Unless....maybe.... He tried to postpone any
further thought of the matter until he had time to give it his
full attention, but as he said good day to the vampires and
continued on, his brain buzzed with possibility. The Mayor spoke
about the yearly budget, the agenda for the next meeting, the
slight shortage of spiders this year. Jack nodded and tried to
keep focused on work. He would have to have a talk with his wife
over lunch.