I would like to thank NightmareFairy, Drifting Wolf, and Munkustrapthecat for your reviews of the story. Your feedback was much appreciated. Thanks!
I hope that all of you will continue to enjoy the story.
The following day Jack and Sally agreed to venture to the technology store together. Jack wanted Sally to accompany him so he could show her just how awesome the new invention truly was. Sally agreed to go because she was curious about this new miracle of communication.
They walked hand-in-hand to the store, waving to everyone they met on the street. The residents of Halloween town often mentioned how sweet they thought it was that after their fifteenth year married, Jack and Sally still had an immense love for one another. The Skellington couple could care less of the words spoken about them, glad to give their friends something exciting to talk about if it would help aid the opportunity for more romances to blossom.
The two stepped up in front of the shop in which Mayor revealed he bought his phone. Supposedly that store carried the newest technology which included the best cellular phones anyone in Halloweentown had to offer. Jack and Sally looked at each other, took a deep breath, and made their way through the glass doors.
The two were taken back in awe at the array of gadgets lining the walls. The plain household appliances Sally used on a daily basis were outshined by these new and improved models. In another aisle sat the advanced sewing machine Sally had her eye on of late. There was a whole section of the store dedicated to computers alone. Sally and Jack used their internet for e-mailing purposes alone, in which Jack's mailbox was always overflowing, mostly with letters from the Mayor. Sally's usually contained messages from Jewel, the doctor, and close friends, but often the townspeople asking her to get in touch with Jack for them.
Their attention drifted over to the aisles with the overhanging giant sign with a picture of a telephone painted on it. Sally smiled at Jack then the two of them walked side-by-side to said section of the store.
Sally was stunned at the display in front of her eyes. She felt like a child, wanting to touch and try every object that came into her view. Landline phones came in every color she could imagine. She especially loved the pastel blue and purple one. They telephones also came in various shapes, some with clocks attached to them. Still it was what was in the next aisle that they came for.
Jack and Sally both gasped at the array of cellphones, each one more interesting than the next. Like the regular phones, the cellulars had just as wide of a variety. Some came with special features, some of them pretty much useless, but still used to trap the victim into buying what they did not need.
"Um, Jack," Sally softly spoke through her throat. "What do we pick?"
"Good question," Jack replied not removing his sight from the phones.
"What do we need?" Sally asked upon regaining her senses.
"Something simple," Jack replied having noticed the high price range on some of the choices. "Something that can make calls."
They returned their attention to the numerous phones in their vision. They pondered of all the possibilities what they should choose.
"Hey, Jack!" a voice called from behind them. "Are you buying a cellphone?"
The Skellingtons turned to greet the tiny faces of the town's trick-or-treaters. Usually Jack did not have the patients neccessary to deal with them, but at the present moment even the obnoxious children did not lower his mood.
Jack nodded in reply to Lock's question.
"Are you getting one too?" Barrel asked Sally.
"No, I have no use for one," Sally replied.
"But what if there's an emergency and neither of you can get to a phone," Lock suggested.
Sally's eyes widened and she glanced over at Jack who instantly read her thoughts.
"That is a good point," Sally said emphasizing her thought.
Jack agreed. He turned to the children and asked, "How do the three of you know so much about cellphones anyway?"
"We each have one," Shock answered handing her phone to Jack.
He took hold of the girl's device and stared at it. It was much thicker than the Mayor's, a different brand, and her favorite shade of purple.
"Except me," Barrel spoke. "'Cause someone here threw mine against the wall and broke it."
"Well you shouldn't have left it on my side of the room," Lock argued.
"You didn't have to break it," Barrel retorted getting in Lock's face.
"I'm tired of you leaving all your crap on my side!"
Lock grabbed hold of his brother's shirt.
"You see what I have to put up with," Shock said to the adults.
"Is this a good phone, Shock?" Jack asked.
Shock nodded. "Mine can download ringtones and I can set it to a specific caller."
"That's nothing," Lock said as he released Barrel and pulled out his phone. It was blue with flames painted along the front. "Mine has more games than you can imagine."
"Well mine gave the time and had a cool background," Barrel said. "Until someone here broke it."
"You're getting a new one so shut up!" Lock snapped.
"But now I have to rerecord everyone's numbers," Barrel said sadly.
"But me and Shock were the only numbers you had."
"Nu-uh, I also had the Mayor's."
"What would you want with the Mayor's number?" Jack asked suspiciously as he handed Shock back her phone.
"That's our secret," Shock said with a sly smile upon receiving her phone.
The store clerk, a young apparition, approached the group with a large smile. The five greeted him at once.
"Can I help you find something?" he asked politely.
"Yes, we're looking for a cellphone," Jack answered.
"Two phones," Sally corrected.
Jack nodded. The clerk smiled and beckoned them to follow him down the aisle.
He made no effort to hide the excitement on his face that he personally was the one who won the chance to help the King of Halloween make a purchase. The moment he stepped in all seven employees jumped at the chance to be the one to assist him. Upon realizing that only one could offer assistance, the manager came up with the notion to draw lots and whoever had the longest straw would be the winner. The manager tried to cheat, but the clerk was too quick for his tricks and selected the straw the manager carelessly eyed throughout the duration of the process. No doubt the other employees were sending curses his way, some of them literally, and wishing the worst for their colleague. None of that mattered since he would be the one to receive the gratitude from the head boss at the end of the day.
"Now what are you looking for in a phone?" the clerk asked. "We have many selections."
"Just something to make calls," Jack answered.
"And tell the time," Sally added.
Barrel stuck out his tongue at his siblings with a smug look on his face. Lock frowned and punched his younger brother in the arm. Barrel was about to sock Lock back when Shock grabbed his arm.
"We're in public!" she snapped.
"So?" the two boys asked in unison.
Shock found no reason to contradict them. "Good point. Carry on."
Lock and Barrel continued their brawl.
"We have just what you're looking for," the clerk replied. He picked a phone off the shelf and allowed the king to observe it. "The plan for this one is also very good. Only forty a month for both…"
The three turned around to investigate the clatter behind them and discovered that Lock pushed Barrel into a shelf.
"Hey!" the clerk hissed. "You break it, you buy it."
The two boys stared up at the clerk's glare and gulped. The two of them moved three feet away from the merchandise to continue fighting.
"Sounds good to me," Jack said.
"Me too," Sally agreed.
Jack smiled at Sally then the both of them returned their focus to the clerk.
"We'll take them," Jack announced.
"Great," the clerk cheered. He picked up a second phone and handed the package to the Halloween queen.
The other employees watching the scene grumbled under their breaths at the youth's success.
The two of them walked up to the counter to buy their phones and sign up for their plans. They were now proud owners of their first cellular phones.
I'm not exactly sure of this movie's time period, but I think it was definately supposed to be set before the time the movie came out (judging by the clothes, telephones, cars, etc), so I would expect Jack and Sally to be astonished by something like a cellphone upon entering the new millenium. Anyway, I hope you liked the improvements to this chapter.