Through the fog he could see lights, dim in their brightness, steadily growing as he walked towards them. They were pinkprocks in the darkness of the fog, seeming to call out to him, guiding his steps. Maybe he had gotten closer to home than he thought, walking as he did. It soon became apparent to him that this was not the case, as he walked onward, the lights growing in their intensity.
He soon came to see that they were streetlights of a kind, similar in make to the ones back home, yet not nearly as large and twisted. They were almost as tall as he was, shining quite brightly as they pushed away the eerie fog, making his surroundings much easier to see. And he knew then that it was not his home he had come upon, but someplace quite different. Lively, might be the operative term here, the air reaching his nostrils not as decayed or decadent as it had been. Indeed, even the stones he walked upon felt more alive in a sense, inanimate though they were. A stirring began to settle into his frame then, a restlessness that made him want to prance about. Yet he did not, holding the impulse back until he had gotten a better view of this place.
Houses lined the cobblestone path, street lamps barely illuminating them in the dense fog. They were nothing special, simple structures made of wood, the path winding further down until it became completely enveloped by the fog. He decided to follow it, until he came upon a large open area, similar to the town square of his own home. At least he assumed that it's what it was; seeing as empty stall lined the space, a well of sorts directly in the center of town, along with a few more ornate buildings he could only guess at their purpose. Maybe they were similar to the Town Hall, where citizens could gather for meetings? He wasn't sure, his curiosity compelling him to investigate further, also noticing the way the path split before him. Before he could so however, his excellent hearing was able to pick up the muffled steps of someone coming closer. Just to be safe, the lanky skeleton hid behind one of the empty stalls, not wanting to be seen just yet. And he was smart to do so, as the creature that appeared before him was not a monster of any kind, but something else entirely. It was a creature he had seen many times, though usually only on the day the veil had pierced their world enough for even the weakest of his kind to enter.
A human being.
It made his marrow run cold, surprise making a chill run down his spine—but if it was of fear or excitement he could not tell. He simply watched them walk around the square, a torch in hand as they went about their business, muttering to themselves every so often before finally leaving. This fascinated him; how had he ended up here, of all places?
Somehow, through the magic of the forest, he had stumbled into the Human World. Just one of the other few reasons that place was seen as dangerous; it could get people lost in moments, and no one would know where they'd end up. But he was the Pumpkin King, major spirit of Halloween, and the one who controlled the very fabric of that world. If it had brought him here, then maybe it had done so purposefully. Had it sensed the melancholy in his heart, whisking him away from the place where he felt most trapped? He honestly could not say. He was simply glad to be gone from it all, even if for a moment. The leering stares of his citizens, the nagging Mayor, the expectations piled on him, year after year.
Even with it being September, close to the month in which the spirits came out in the Human World, he found he didn't care about the Hallows Eve preparations as much as he should. Why, they could do without their King for once. His burning curiosity about these humans compelled him to stay and observe them. When else would he get a chance to do so? Other than Hallows Eve of course, but that was in a much different capacity. When he usually came upon humans it was to spook them, terrifying them for his own delight. Here, they were simply going about their lives, oblivious to his presence. Here, he could watch them without a care in the world, indulging his curiosity about their lives and customs.
One could only learn so much from books, after all, and he had already perused the few the Town had to offer on the subject of humans. No, here...here he could maybe get to know the elusive species better, and not simply for scaring ideas! This was it; the chance he needed, he felt. It was decided then; he would stay, and observe as much as he could. What harm would it do? Maybe he could find something to rekindle the ember of passion that had left him. Until then, he would not be going back to Town anytime soon. He would find his inspiration, even if it killed him, and go back only when his work was completely done! Set on this path, the Pumpkin King grinned excitedly as he thought of how he could do so; time to get to work...
Unfortunately, observing the humans turned out to be more work than he was expecting. Days came and went, people going about their routines, and yet he felt nothing. No spark, no blast of inspiration that gave him energy. That was fine, he told himself. It would be too easy if he stumbled upon it right away. He wanted to work for it, and more time spent here meant less time spent back home. This was going to be a tiring endeavor; thankfully he had the willpower and patience for it. After a few more days of quiet observation, hiding the shadows and creeping in the night, he finally came upon something that piqued his curiosity. It was pure luck he stumbled upon them too, but luck that he wasn't going to let slip through his bony fingers.
It was sudden, during one of his regular stalks about the small village while looking for something to observe. He had come upon a simple housewife, her expression quite curious to him as he noticed the odd spring in her step as she made her way to the town square. Humans certainly had a lot to talk about; though most of it was dull nothings. Who did what and how the latest harvest was going on—he found it quite insightful at first—before it began to droll on as the days went by. He had heard some tales here and there of something going on in the village.
Yet he was not able to gather too much on said topic; most of the town seemed tight lipped or unwilling to divulge the information. Maybe this human would be the one to let it slip in her excitement. Following her, the skeleton silently berated himself as he crept along. Was this really the most interesting thing he had found? It's something, I suppose...He waited, until he began to hear the footsteps of another human come closer to the other. This most certainly seemed to be the primary spot of gossip in town, going by how many humans stopped here to chat.
He hid behind the shadow of a house, his excellent hearing able to pick up their conversation as if he was right next to them. For they were certainly chattering loudly enough, around the well as they were, gossiping to one another with hushed tones.
"But, did you not hear?"
He edged closer then, his curiosity compelling him to listen in. Certainly not much had been happening in the quaint village since he decided to stay. Which was nice; even he appreciated some peace and quiet now and again. Still, something inside him was restless, aching for adventure. So, he listened to the housewives gossip, even though eavesdropping wasn't exactly the most interesting or gentlemanly idea he'd had.
"Hear what?"
"One of the greater Lords came into our village a few days prior. Seems he is looking for a suitable wife; he seems smitten with the Keatings girl for some unfathomable reason, however."
"With her? That plain, borish thing? I don't see what she can offer him…"
"True. She's quiet, and not very much to look at. Why, I'm surprised our Lord even considered her!"
"Who are we to question what they do?"
Huh. Well, that was something, at least. Maybe he would go see these 'Keatings' then. Just to sate his curiosity. They simply had more going on for them than the rest of the town, it seemed, if they were the topic of such gossip. Then again, the mutterings of housewives usually amounted to little more than just chatter. Still, it would be more interesting than watching the baker at work, or waiting for the local delivery boy to bring news. Now he would just need to find out where the place was. Why he hadn't heard of it before was beyond him. Maybe he simply hadn't been watching the right people? It didn't help that most of the houses seemed to look exactly the same; boring, wooden structures that held no life in their craft—no looming structures like his own abode or the Doctor's twisting tower. Yet, looking at the sun rising above the sky, he had more than enough time to look. His mind set, a pang of excitement welling up in his rib cage, he carefully crept away from the humans, slinking into the shadows and beginning his search. Maybe now he would find it; the spark that gave him his inspiration!
