BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am back! Exams' are over and I don't have to deal with reality...for probably the next two hours. ^ ^. In case you are asking, yes I will put songs in this story since song battles are a very serious thing in NBC.

The following song you will read...ITS NOT MINE! IT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!

The Song is called; The Willow Maid and its sung by katethegreat19 or Erutan music is her account. She is a talented woman and I loved her for so long. I thought her song would suit this story...*wink*wink*hint hint*...idk if you understood me by that. XD I also took the pleasure of making her guest star in my story as a tribute to her song. Safiya can't sing by herself lol

All credit of the song goes to her, katethegreat19/Erutan Music called The Willow Maid.

^^ Enjoy! R&R~!

On the eve of Halloween, Jack finally finished the preparations with the Mayor and chased out Oogie's boys before they did anymore damage. Finally his work was done for now until Halloween tomorrow. He wondered if Safiya ever delivered the painting from yesterday, or what if she didn't? But either way he decided he wanted to pay her a visit, he traveled through the graveyard and into the Hinterland forest. Everything was pretty quiet, all he could hear was the sound of his footsteps cracking dry autumn leaves on the ground and…singing?

He called to her as she listened, from a ring of toad stool red. Come with me my maiden, come from thy willow bed, she looked at him serenely and only shook her head.

He was looking around, there was no one following him or nearby that he could see. He tried to follow the sounds of sweet voices without getting lost himself and he ended up behind Safiya's house. No smoke was coming out of the chimney and none of the lights were on, she wasn't home.

Hear me now, a ray of light in the moon dance. Hear me now, I cannot leave this place.

He heard the singing louder from where he stood. He followed a small path which lead to a large willow tree with its large flowing branches showered it like a curtain. But he found who he was looking for, Safiya…her long orange train skirt gave away her position. She was sitting on a rock with a harp instrument in front of her, she was facing another woman. The woman had long wavy brown hair covered in dead flowers and petals but she wore an asymmetrical white dress with thin straps hanging from her shoulders. Jack never saw her before so she certainly wasn't from Halloween town. But she was the cause of the sweet singing Jack was hearing. Safiya played the harp to the note of her voice, and occasionally Safiya echoed her words to flow in a harmonic balance. Jack hid behind the tree, making sure he doesn't disturb them and listened.

A young man walked through the forest, with a flower and coat of green. His love had hair like fire, her eyes an emerald sheen. She wrapped herself in beauty, so young and so serene. He stood there under the willow, and he gave her the yellow bloom. 'Girl my heart you've captured, oh I would be your groom.' She said she'd wed him never, not near, nor far, nor soon.

'See me now, a ray of light in the moondance. See me now, I cannot leave this place. Hear me now, a strain of song in the forest. Don't ask me, to follow where you lead.'

A young man walked through the forest, with an axe sharp as a knife. I'll take the green-eyed fairy, and she shall be my wife. With her I'll raise my children, with her I'll live my life. The maiden wept when she heard him, when he said he'd set her free. He took his axe and used it, to bring down her ancient tree. 'Now your willow's fallen, now you belong to me.'

'See me now, a ray of light in the moondance. See me now, I cannot leave this place. Hear me now, a strain of song in the forest. Don't ask me, to follow where you lead.'

She followed him out the forest, and collapsed upon the earth. Her feet had walked but a distance, from the green land of her birth. She faded into a flower that would bloom for one bright eve. He could not take from the forest, what was never meant to leave.

Safiya strummed the last remaining notes and let the sound echo away from them until it was quiet again. The mysterious woman in front of her giggled as Safiya smiled. She got up and curtsied in front of the mysterious woman. The woman only bowed her head and turned around to face the willow tree. She only sat down between two large roots that looked really comfortable and leaned her head on the trunk, disappearing until she is no more. Everything was quiet yet again, Jack came out of his hiding place just when Safiya turned to return to her home, surprised to see Jack there.

"J-Jack, h-how long were..you there?" Safiya asked.

"Just long enough." Jack replied as he approached her. "That was splendid. I never knew you would sing like that."

"Thank you, Sally taught me how to sing a long time ago."

"Ah Sally, she does have a beautiful voice, she has taught you well. And if I may ask, who was that woman you were performing with?"

"Oh she is the forest spirit that rests here. I call her Katherine. She's a friend of mine."

"She seems lovely, I never met her before."

Safiya chuckled; "Katherine is an eternal earth spirit or you can say a nymph. She is the one that calms and gives life to the forest (Author: even though everything is pretty much dead XD). Every once a year, she awakens from her slumber and I sing with her to put her back to sleep. If she's awake for a certain amount of time, she starts to cry and the forest will begin to die."

"Hmmm." Jack placed a boney finger against his lips. "Interesting, I never knew a nymph lived in this forest. I always thought it would be a terrifying ghost to ward off trespassers. Well, I would certainly love to meet her one day. Perhaps she would like to join us on the Halloween festivities."

"Gotta wait until next year." Safiya joked but then a little yawn escaped and she quickly covered her mouth. She chuckled;"Well its getting pretty late. We should both be heading off to bed. Tomorrow is a big day." Safiya was about to head to her home but Jack stopped her.

"A lady shouldn't walk by herself this late at night." He grabbed her arm and crooked his arm so she can hook her arm with his. "I shall be your escort tonight." Safiya rolled her eyes and shook her head; Jack always had to be the gentleman type. It was kinda annoying, but she actually enjoyed it…sometimes. It made her curious if he was popular with the women when he was human, what woman wouldn't want a gentleman…when they are not overusing the term. They walked back to her house, at first it was hard to find the building but the clouds revealed the moon and it shone its white light on Safiya's home. He walked her to her porch and she let go of his arm.

"Home sweet home, thanks for walking me Jack."

"It's never a problem, Safiya."

"Oh um, before I forget."Safiya took off her hat and gazed inside it, she dug her arm inside then her head. Jack could hear stuff being moved around, books thumping together or the sounds of things being thrown on a wooden floor, shockingly he heard glass breaking. What did she have in her hat?! Better yet, how? He didn't dare to ask what was inside it, especially when a black cat just popped out of nowhere, it ran in between Jack's legs and it disappeared into the night.

"Ah here it is!" Safiya pulled back her head and her hand caught a wooden frame, the portrait that she painted of Jack on Spiral Hill. "I'm sorry about the delay but you weren't home when I came by to deliver it. And I didn't want to leave it on the doorstep." She handed it to him and he looked at it with a smile on his round skull.

"How awful! How dreadful! I love it." Jack complimented on it. "Just like a pumpkin king should appear." He threw his arm in exclaim and Safiya chuckled, shaking her head. Oh Jack. Oh silly Jack.

"Shall I see you tomorrow, Safiya?" He asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. I can't really scare people and I'm just as harmless as Sally most of the time."

"I do insist."Jack held the portrait in one hand but grabbed one of Safiya's hand with his other. "I never see you in our festivities and I do want you to have fun just like the rest of us. It's not really…anything new. But it still should be…as fun."

"Jack, I know you. You still want something new for Halloween, you can't fool me."

"Maybe if you came, it would be different for me."

Safiya blushed, dang namb it Jack! Safiya smiled and scoffed under her breath. "Ok, ok I'll come. Will that make you happy?"

"It might make my dead heart beat once again." Jack leaned in and pressed his boney lips to her cheek. Safiya froze, Jack paid no mind and smile. "I shall see you at the festivities tomorrow, Safiya. Have sweet nightmares!" And with that Jack stepped off her porch and left.

Safiya touched her cheek, right where Jack placed a kiss, she can still somehow feel it…To hell with my life!