Amanda's POV
I really didn't want to talk to dorks right now. I mean, I really didn't want to talk to dorks. Stupid people piss me off, and you do not want to see me pissed off. Having established how much I despise idiots, you can imagine how happy I was to go talk to some weird insomniacs standing on a hill. And I was even "happier" when-
"Well, hello, friendly friends!" the boy said. I assumed this was Jack from 'Jack and Jill', judging by the well and the girl standing next to him. His face was twitching, and he looked like he was on something. "And how are you this terrifically fine night! Isn't it just wonderful to be alive and well and full of joy and laughter and ponies and butterflies and-"
Jill leaned over to him and whispered, "Jack, sweetie, you're doing it again."
"Am I? Oh, damn!" He smacked himself in the head.
"Freak," I mumbled, and received an elbow in the side from Carrie.
"Be nice!" she hissed. I rolled my eyes. To interrupt this awkward moment, Evie chimed in.
"I'm Evie!" she said cheerfully, "And this is Amanda, and this is Carrie."
Jack cleared his throat and looked over at Jill uncertainly. She urged him on.
"Uh, I'm Jack," he said, "And…and this is my girlfriend, Jill."
Jill waved to us.
"And…" Jack attempted to continue, "Uh, we're standing on a hill. Next to a well…And, uh, and we have a…a…"
"A pail," Jill reminded him, "Pail, sweetheart, we climbed the hill to the well to fetch a pail of water."
"Oh, right, right!" Jack said, "We're fetching a pail of water. Isn't that just dandy wonderful happy swell-"
"Jack!"
"Oh, I did it again, didn't I?" He seemed thoroughly upset with himself. Jill nodded sadly.
"He has a condition," she whispered to us.
"I'll say," I replied cynically. Luckily, Carrie didn't catch that.
"I tried, Jill!" Jack said, his eyes tearing up, "I really did!"
"I know you did, honey," Jill cooed, and patted him on the shoulder.
"It's just…just…PRETTY UNICORNS!" Jack blurted out, much to all of our surprise.
"Sorry," he mumbled. By this time, I was pretty bored.
"Okay, this is getting old," I said, "When does the good part come?"
"Good part?" everyone asked in unison. I smiled evilly.
"Yeeah, ya know, the good part of the poem."
Evie and Carrie caught on and grinned.
"Ooh," they said, "That part!"
Jack and Jill, however, were still confused.
"What good part?" Jack asked, "Does it involve baking sugar cookies?"
"Hm, not quite," I replied, and shoved them both down the hill. They sat in a daze at the foot of the hill and Jack looked like he was passed out.
"Jack!" Jill shrieked, "Ohmuhgawd! Jack! His head is bleeding! You fiend! Fiend, I say!"
She shook her fist at me, not like I cared. Evie and Carrie ignored her, too.
"That's four Jacks down," Carrie said, "There can't be too many Jacks left now."
Suddenly, a little boy walked up to us, occasionally dropping a few books that he was holding.
"Actually," he said matter-of-factly, "If my calculations are correct, there are over one hundred billion more Jacks left in the world that you have not met."
He walked off.
"That was weird," I said. Evie laughed.
"That was Jack Sammons," she told us, "He's like the smartest kid ever and he's only in sixth grade! He goes to my school."
"Okay," Carrie said, tallying it up on her fingers, "Including the smart kid, that's five Jacks. Any other Jacks you guys can think of?"
There was a moment of silence in which we were all thinking.
"Nope," I said, "I think that's-"
"Bleaargh!" A jack-in-the-box jumped out at us, attempting to act scary.
"That's what you get!" Jill yelled, laughing hysterically, "I hope it eats you!"
I kicked the toy down the hill and, miraculously, it landed square on Jill's head and knocked her out.
"Well, that was lucky," Carrie said.
"Uh-oh!" Evie said, and pointed at the horizon, "It's almost morning! We need to get back to Halloweentown and find Jack! Skellington, that is."
"Why does it matter if it's almost morning?" I asked. Evie shrugged.
"Well, we could probably stay here longer, but I'm getting bored."
And so it was decided. By the time we had walked back to our tub, it was already well into morning. About halfway across the ocean, we all started nodding off.
"Can't…fall asleep," Carrie mumbled, "Must…keep…watch…"
Before long, though, the three of us were out cold. After all, we had had one hell of a night.
hugs and kisses to you all, especially ladybirdbuzz!