Sally Skellington sat on a velvet couch in the parlor.
Jack had left to find their sons. She waited at home in case they came
back, brushing worried tears from her cheeks.
Lock followed Jack jr. through the passageways, silent with awe. He had definitely made the right decision in becoming friends with the prince. Nicholas trudged behind his brother and Lock, a dark mood swelling within his bones. He wished he had just stayed in bed. The tunnels widened slightly. Jack jr. stopped and looked around.
"We're almost under the house now. See how everything's more dry and open here? I guess that's because we use these more."
Lock's yellow eyes glittered in the darkness. Like the twins, he was blessed with the gift of nocturnal sight. The devil child peeked around a stone pillar into a chamber. He gasped audibly.
"Whaaa?"
Jack jr. peered over Lock's shoulder. The room before them was piled with gold coins and antiquities.
"What's wrong?", the prince asked his friend. Lock looked incredulous.
"Nothing's wrong, but…geez, did you know this was here Jack?"
"Sure. It's been here.", Jack jr. said.
Lock scoffed. He walked further down the passage, investigating the chambers on either side with fascination. Jack jr. was proud to have shown his friend something so obviously interesting. Nicholas felt increasingly violated. This was his home. Their home. It was private. Now that Lock knew about it, couldn't he just come down whenever he felt like it? Then he and Jack jr. would play down here and make it their own. Nicholas strode to his brother.
"We need to get back to bed Jacky. Mom and Dad will be up soon. Get Lock out of here!" His scowled hard at his twin, desperate to impart the severity of the situation. Jack jr. pushed Nicholas away lightly.
"Stop bossing me Nicholas, I mean it!", said Jack jr.
"No!", Nicholas spat. He took a step closer to his brother.
Jack jr. closed the distance and snarled like their father had taught them. The sound made Lock's hair stand on end. He backed nervously toward the wall.
"I'm the boss Nicholas.", hissed Jack jr. His brother laughed humorlessly.
"Are not! Not at all!"
"I am too! I'm going to be the king, not you!"
"You're going to be a rotten king!", yelled Nicholas. He shoved his brother, pushing him back several steps. Jack jr. sprang forward in an instant, again inches away from his brother.
"You're jealous. Jealous because I'm going to be the king, and because you aren't scary. You're not scary at all Nicholas! All you have are weird headaches! Your visions don't even mean anything, so you don't even have what our mother has! Everybody knows that I'm the one who's going to be as good as dad!"
Nicholas felt the tiny flame within him explode as if it had been ignited by lamp-oil. He screamed like a banshee and leapt onto his brother, knocking him down. Lock couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wondered if he should run, get out of here before anything major happened. Then again, if anything major happened how could he risk missing it? Nicholas fought like a wild animal. Obviously he and his brother were an even physical match, but Jack jr. was caught so completely off guard he barely managed to defend himself at all. Nicholas had never lost his temper before. It hardly seemed possible.
"You're crazy Nicky! Leave me alone!", Jack jr. yelped. His jaw hurt from the one good blow Nicholas had delivered before his brother thought to dodge. Squirming from under his attacker, Jack jr. scrambled away. He jumped to his feet as Nicholas gave chase.
Lock called out as they disappeared down the dark hallway. He started after them, before hearing Nicholas screech:
"AH! WAIT JACKY! OUBLIETTE!! OUBLIETTE!!! REMEMBER?!"
There was another screech, followed by silence. Lock stood alone in the darkness. He took a couple more steps, then called again, but heard no reply from either of the princes.
Nicholas lay stretched on his chest, his arm reaching down into a pit of blackness. The oubliette. An old-fashioned feature of the passages, it was a dungeon of sorts open only through a hatch in its ceiling. Jack jr., in the haste to escape his brother, had fallen directly into said hatch. Nicholas managed to catch him by the hand. Now the heir to the Kingdom of horror hung precariously in his twin's grip. Nicholas tried to pull them both safely up, but could not. He was out of breath, nervous, and growing terrified. The vision. He had been holding his brother's cup hadn't he? Hadn't he thought he had a firm hold on it? It had slipped away and shattered. Nicholas gulped. His brother's thin fingers slipped slightly.
"I love you Jacky.", Nicholas whispered. Warm tears slid down his skull. They plopped onto his brother below. "I'm sorry."
"I love you too Nick. Hey…Nicky? Is this your vision? You were right.", Jack jr. said. Nicholas nodded, wishing he hadn't been right. Jack jr. looked up again.
"You didn't do this on purpose did you Nick?"
Nicholas started crying harder. His twin, despite his most uncertain predicament, did his best to provide comfort.
"I was just asking Nick. I know you didn't mean to do it. Don't cry."
"What happened?" said Lock. He crawled to Nicholas' side and stared down at his friend.
"Help! Help Nicky pull me up!", called Jack jr.. Lock took hold of his friend's arm. Lock and Nicholas slowly began pulling the prince to safety.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING DOWN HERE?!", boomed the King's voice. Lock and Nicholas both jumped in fright. They released the hand of the dangling prince. He plummeted into the oubliette with a frightened squeal.
Lock followed Jack jr. through the passageways, silent with awe. He had definitely made the right decision in becoming friends with the prince. Nicholas trudged behind his brother and Lock, a dark mood swelling within his bones. He wished he had just stayed in bed. The tunnels widened slightly. Jack jr. stopped and looked around.
"We're almost under the house now. See how everything's more dry and open here? I guess that's because we use these more."
Lock's yellow eyes glittered in the darkness. Like the twins, he was blessed with the gift of nocturnal sight. The devil child peeked around a stone pillar into a chamber. He gasped audibly.
"Whaaa?"
Jack jr. peered over Lock's shoulder. The room before them was piled with gold coins and antiquities.
"What's wrong?", the prince asked his friend. Lock looked incredulous.
"Nothing's wrong, but…geez, did you know this was here Jack?"
"Sure. It's been here.", Jack jr. said.
Lock scoffed. He walked further down the passage, investigating the chambers on either side with fascination. Jack jr. was proud to have shown his friend something so obviously interesting. Nicholas felt increasingly violated. This was his home. Their home. It was private. Now that Lock knew about it, couldn't he just come down whenever he felt like it? Then he and Jack jr. would play down here and make it their own. Nicholas strode to his brother.
"We need to get back to bed Jacky. Mom and Dad will be up soon. Get Lock out of here!" His scowled hard at his twin, desperate to impart the severity of the situation. Jack jr. pushed Nicholas away lightly.
"Stop bossing me Nicholas, I mean it!", said Jack jr.
"No!", Nicholas spat. He took a step closer to his brother.
Jack jr. closed the distance and snarled like their father had taught them. The sound made Lock's hair stand on end. He backed nervously toward the wall.
"I'm the boss Nicholas.", hissed Jack jr. His brother laughed humorlessly.
"Are not! Not at all!"
"I am too! I'm going to be the king, not you!"
"You're going to be a rotten king!", yelled Nicholas. He shoved his brother, pushing him back several steps. Jack jr. sprang forward in an instant, again inches away from his brother.
"You're jealous. Jealous because I'm going to be the king, and because you aren't scary. You're not scary at all Nicholas! All you have are weird headaches! Your visions don't even mean anything, so you don't even have what our mother has! Everybody knows that I'm the one who's going to be as good as dad!"
Nicholas felt the tiny flame within him explode as if it had been ignited by lamp-oil. He screamed like a banshee and leapt onto his brother, knocking him down. Lock couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wondered if he should run, get out of here before anything major happened. Then again, if anything major happened how could he risk missing it? Nicholas fought like a wild animal. Obviously he and his brother were an even physical match, but Jack jr. was caught so completely off guard he barely managed to defend himself at all. Nicholas had never lost his temper before. It hardly seemed possible.
"You're crazy Nicky! Leave me alone!", Jack jr. yelped. His jaw hurt from the one good blow Nicholas had delivered before his brother thought to dodge. Squirming from under his attacker, Jack jr. scrambled away. He jumped to his feet as Nicholas gave chase.
Lock called out as they disappeared down the dark hallway. He started after them, before hearing Nicholas screech:
"AH! WAIT JACKY! OUBLIETTE!! OUBLIETTE!!! REMEMBER?!"
There was another screech, followed by silence. Lock stood alone in the darkness. He took a couple more steps, then called again, but heard no reply from either of the princes.
Nicholas lay stretched on his chest, his arm reaching down into a pit of blackness. The oubliette. An old-fashioned feature of the passages, it was a dungeon of sorts open only through a hatch in its ceiling. Jack jr., in the haste to escape his brother, had fallen directly into said hatch. Nicholas managed to catch him by the hand. Now the heir to the Kingdom of horror hung precariously in his twin's grip. Nicholas tried to pull them both safely up, but could not. He was out of breath, nervous, and growing terrified. The vision. He had been holding his brother's cup hadn't he? Hadn't he thought he had a firm hold on it? It had slipped away and shattered. Nicholas gulped. His brother's thin fingers slipped slightly.
"I love you Jacky.", Nicholas whispered. Warm tears slid down his skull. They plopped onto his brother below. "I'm sorry."
"I love you too Nick. Hey…Nicky? Is this your vision? You were right.", Jack jr. said. Nicholas nodded, wishing he hadn't been right. Jack jr. looked up again.
"You didn't do this on purpose did you Nick?"
Nicholas started crying harder. His twin, despite his most uncertain predicament, did his best to provide comfort.
"I was just asking Nick. I know you didn't mean to do it. Don't cry."
"What happened?" said Lock. He crawled to Nicholas' side and stared down at his friend.
"Help! Help Nicky pull me up!", called Jack jr.. Lock took hold of his friend's arm. Lock and Nicholas slowly began pulling the prince to safety.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING DOWN HERE?!", boomed the King's voice. Lock and Nicholas both jumped in fright. They released the hand of the dangling prince. He plummeted into the oubliette with a frightened squeal.
