The heir arrives
The mayor sat behind his desk at the town hall frantically shifting through the mountain of scrolls before him. In two days jack would announce to each town resident in turn what their goals were for next years Halloween. But there was a problem. Jack hadn't been to see the mayor and discuss those goals with him. As a result, the poor man was struggling to decide on them by himself.
To help him, the mayor had unearthed the records for the past ten years, but now he had lost the one scroll he needed. He worriedly pulled the next pile across the desk towards him.
"Oh dear...oh spiders...where did I put it...aha!"
The mayor's usual happy grin spun round when he spied the scroll lying underneath last years pile. He pulled it out from the pile and began reading it. He looked up as a shadow fell across the scroll.
"Oh...no." he muttered just before he was buried underneath the stack of last years scrolls.
Sally stood at the bubbling cauldron, stirring the last of the worm wart into the stew, when the doorbell rang. She set the spoon down when she noticed a blonde head bobbing down the slope. As she watched, the Doctor's last creation appeared round the corner.
"Haven't you finished that yet you stupid girl?" she snarled. Sally remained silent, determined not to rise to the bait. The doorbell rang out again, cutting through the silence. The creations eyes flickered towards the door nervously.
"Get away girl. Take the Doctor his stew then go to your room. I do not wish to see you again today." Still silent, Sally obediently picked up her spoon and ladled some of the stew into a bowl and slowly began her ascent up the slope.
Leaving the bowl on the table outside the laboratory doors, for she was not allowed inside, Sally went back to her room. Pressing her ear to the door, she heard voices coming from the kitchen.
"The master won't wait no longer! Is it ready?"
"Yes! Well...almost..."
"What do you mean almost!"
"We're putting the finishing touches to it now! You can take it with you!"
The sound of the creations voice filled with fear was enough to make Sally smile. The conversation was cut short when the laboratory door swung open with a bang. Sally hear the whine of the Doctors chair as
he went past her room...but there was another noise. Footsteps. They were following the Doctor down the slope.
"But there wasn't anyone else in the lab...i would have known." Once again, Sally wished more than anything the Doctor had put a peephole in her door.
Sally jumped back when she heard the Doctor's voice so close to her door.
"Don't worry. Your master shall have his creation. It is finished." The footsteps carried on down the slope. Hurried whispers were exchanged downstairs and Sally pressed her ear to the door more eagerly. As the Doctor's chair started up the slope again, the front door closed with a bang.
"What have we done?" the creation started up the slope towards the lab.
"My dear we agreed not to talk about this."
"How can we not? After what we've just done?"
"Hush now. I will be in the library if you need me. Let Sally out of her room and order her to bring me more stew. It's gone cold." Sally heard the whine of the chair change direction briefly before stopping. "Oh and also, inform her I do not appreciate eavesdroppers."
The mayor toddled out of the gloomy town hall into the harsh glare of the noonday sun and turned the corner that lead to Jack's house. As usual, the town square was full of passers by and the mayor was stopped several times by residents wanting to wish him a horrid day. As the he reached Jack's gate, Sally came racing up.
"Mayor!"
"Oh hello Sally. Can't stop I'm afraid. Lots of work to do." With this, the mayor started to push open the gate.
"Please mayor! There's something you should know!" Sally lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think Jack's in trouble."
"My dear girl whatever are you on about?" the mayor paused as he noticed a loose thread unravelling from Sally's arm. "Sally...do you realise you're..."
"Yes yes yes, I know I am. But Mayor please."
Hurriedly, Sally explained about what she heard in the Doctor's lab and how she'd seen no sign of Jack for two nights now. As she confided her suspicions, the mayor's face spun round to his pasty, worried side.
"Oh my!" shrieked the mayor when Sally had finished. "Well we must call a town meeting immediately! Everyone must know!"
"Mayor I don't think that's a good idea." But it was to late. The mayor was already running through the square towards his hearse. Sighing, Sally leant against Jack's gate and looked up at his empty house.
"Jack. Where are you?"
It was at that moment that a large bang woke Jack up.
"Well, well, well. Looks who's decided to join us."
Jack recognised that voice and struggled to sit upright. Even though it was pitch black, Jack knew instantly where he was.
"Oogie."
"Ooh good guess."
"What do you want Oogie? I thought I had got rid of you."
A low evil cackle came from the corner on Jacks left.
"You did Jack. But I'm back. And I don't want much."
"That I find hard to believe. Show yourself Oogie. I've spent long enough living in the dark."
"As you wish."
The harsh lights of the Oogie Boogie casino flashed on in unison. The sudden rush of lights hit the back of Jack's sockets making him howl in pain.
"Oh I'm sorry. Too much too soon for you Jack?"
As the pain eased, Jack opened his eyes and saw Oogie standing before him.
"Well, doesn't this make a change?" Oogie reached forward and spun the wheel on which Jack was sitting, making him fly backwards, and landing with a thud on his back.
"Quit playing games. What do you want?"
Oogie leaned over Jack until his snake tongue was flickering in Jack's face.
"I want Halloween town Jack. And I'll do anything to get it. Unfortunately, while you're still around, that can't happen."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to do the best I can Jack. The best I can."
Oogie turned away from Jack and headed over to the pipe that hung from the ceiling.
"Lock!" Jack heard running footsteps overhead.
"Yes Oogie?"
"Did you get what I asked you to?"
"Yes sir!"
"Then send him down." Oogie turned away from the pipe and back to Jack.
"As I was saying, while you were still around Jack I wouldn't be able to get what I want. That's why I brought you here."
"You still won't be able to get it Oogie. When I'm gone, the Mayor's in charge." Oogie laughed.
"The mayor? If only you knew what he was doing. Now you're gone he doesn't know what to do. So he's following the Halloween Town Charter."
Jack's eyes widened in shock as he realised what would be happening. Years ago, when the town had been first founded by Jack's ancestor, a Town Charter was drawn up stating that if, at any time, there was no one to take the role as the Pumpkin King, the resident of Halloween Town would elect a new leader if a heir could not be found.
"They'd never elect you Oogie. Not after all the trouble you and you're henchmen have caused."
Oogie smiled a slow smile. "I never planned for them to." A door behind Oogie swung open.
Oogie stepped to one side and out of the doorway stepped a skeleton. As it got closer, Jack could see it was his mirror image.
"Jack, meet your heir."
A/N: hi everyone. Sorry I haven't updated for such a long time. I was really ill for most of last month and as a result I have had a mountain of college work to catch up on. But chapter seven is finally here! So please please please read, enjoy, then review! Go on...click that button!