Hey everyone! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I last updated this in 2015 and here we are in the first week of 2019. I humbly thank those who have stuck with this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Nightmare Before Christmas
Surprises
Shock's POV
"C'mon, Shock!" Barrel ordered as he ran alongside Lock in front of me.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!"
We ducked under ghouls and darted around them as we made our way through town. It was the day after Jack had explained the truth behind Oogie Boogie. Yes, we still intended to uphold our bargain with the sack-man, but we were to keep the information Jack told us in the backs of our minds. Oogie had no knowledge that we knew these truths, and the three of us were going to do our utmost best to keep it that way.
"Look! There's one!" cried Barrel as he pointed to a grasshopper hiding in the shadows of a crack in the gravel. The creature saw us looming over it and it scrambled to get its long-legged body into the crevice, but it was too late.
Lock snatched it in one quick swipe and tossed it into a small cage we found lying around, before hurrying away.
Now, you may be wondering why my friends and I were still for helping Oogie. Well, the three of us didn't exactly have any other plans of how to spend our days. Catching bugs was something we enjoyed doing back when we were alive, so it was a fun blast of nostalgia.
Lock, Barrel, and I finally made it to Oogie's place and to our surprise, he installed a cage with tall, dark bars that met a domed-shaped top, attached to a lever and pully.
We looked at each other before heading down to the device, which hung over the ditch we once climbed down. Our eyes hesitated on the cage.
"Lady's first." Lock said as he stepped aside and attempted a chivalrous bow.
I scrunched up my beak-like nose. "Oh, aren't you charming."
"Thank you." His blue lips pulled back in a smirk.
The two boys followed me into the cage and Barrel closed the door behind him. A moment later, the contraption jolted before lifting us into a rickety treehouse-like structure built into a branch sprouting from the old, crooked tree. Two planks parted as the cage rose through, then came to a halt once it was inside. We stepped out of the cage and took a look around. There was a small couch to our left and a pile of random junk, including a cauldron, to our right.
"Like your new mode of transport?" came a booming voice, and a moment later, Oogie stepped out of the shadows in the small room; his hands placed on his hips.
"Hi Mr. Oogie Boogie!" Barrel grinned as he waddled his way up to the sack-man. "Here!" His stubby arms lifted the cage over his head, "We caught you a snack!"
"Oh!" replied Oogie with a wide smile, "Why, aren't you guys the best henchmen a guy could have!"
My friends saw me clench my fists, remembering my outburst the last time he called us that, but I bit my tongue this time.
"N-no problem!" Lock replied, hoping there wasn't too long of a hesitation.
"And I have one more surprise for you." The burlap man winked and stepped aside to reveal a shoot sticking out of the wooden wall.
"Ooh!" cried Barrel as we approached it. "It's so cool! . . . What is it?" He asked, looking back at Oogie.
"Why, there's only one way to find out!" He loomed over us and swooped us up before shoving us individually down the gaping hole.
As we slid down the dark, cold, metal pipes we heard his booming laugh. Suddenly, we were airborne as the shoot's opposite end opened beneath us. We tried to grab hold of something but ultimately fell onto a hard, flat surface. Groaning from the hard impact, it took a few moments to gather our bearings. We were lying in Oogie's casino lair—Barrel resting on a table while Lock and I onto the floor.
"It's the quickest way to deliver your latest catch to me!" Oogie said as he now stood in the room with us.
"What the. . ." I scrunched up my face in confusion.
"How'd you get here so fast?" chirped Lock.
Oogie chuckled, his stubby arms folded over his large belly. "I lurk in the shadows! It's my job!"
"Creep." Barrel muttered under his breath, earning a look from Lock and I.
Oogie slowly leaned over, mere inches from our small tubby friend. "What was that?" He growled in the most intimidating way I have ever seen.
"Uh, I-I said neat!"
"Hmm. . ." Was the only reply he received.
"It's a very clever idea, Oogie!" I forced a smile, trying to save Barrel's sorry butt.
"That's Mr. Oogie Boogie to you!" He thundered as he suddenly shifted to now loom over me.
Lock and I huddled together in a trembling clump. "S-s-sorry, Mr. Oogie Boogie!"
He straightened up, "Hm, if I'm to keep you around here, I oughta teach you some manners!"
"Sorry, sir," Lock said, peering from behind me, "but manners never stuck well with us, not even on the mainland."
"Hmph," grumbled Oogie, wrinkling his already-creased face. "We'll see about that." He then turned and started to walk further into the shadows. "In the meantime, keep up your end of the bargain and fetch me more grub!" And with that, he disappeared.
The three of us looked at each other.
"Come on." I said as we all got to our feet and Barrel leapt down to our level. I let out a sigh. "Let's go do as the master says," I mocked.
"But uh, Shock? How do we get back, ya know. . . up there?" Barrel asked as he pointed a tiny finger up towards the shoot that dropped us.
I scrunched up my face. "We'll figure it out. Come on."
Once again, I thank everyone who has stuck with this story! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to finish this story, since I've put it off for so long. Here's hoping!