This is basically just the story i wrote before this, but it's from Jack's P.O.V...
I really think it's better than the first so far, so i hope you enjoy reading it. ^-^
One
A week until Halloween… sounds great, especially because I’m The Pumpkin King, right? Well, it used to be great. It used to be great about ten years ago when I was twelve. But the more the years passed without change, the more boring it became. I wanted change… something new. I was sick of the Halloween Town citizens praising me. I was sick of the fame… I was sick of my title as Pumpkin King.
So of course I was amazed when a girl… a human girl… changed my life. It started with small things, but grew to impact my whole life.
“Jack! JACK!” the mayor called (not really called, more like screamed). I ran to see what was wrong with him this time. Had the fountain stopped running? Had he misplaced his megaphone? Were the jack-o-lanterns gone? Whatever it was, it was going to be my job to take care of it.
“Mr. Mayor, what’s wr-“ I didn’t finish… there was no need to ask what had happened. It was right in front of my face… the mayor had ink all over his face and he was holding Lock by the tail.
“Lock, where are Shock and Barrel?” I asked irritably as I grabbed him from the mayor’s hands. The little devil boy grinned evilly and shook his head.
“Well, if you won’t tell me where the others are, then tell me what you’ve done,” I snapped. His grin widened as he replied, “Ink bomb… works every time.” Then he burst into hysterical laughter. I groaned and dropped him to the ground.
“Get back to your friends, you evil child,” I grumbled. He smiled innocently and scurried away, his pointed tail flicking the whole time.
“Thank you, Jack,” the mayor said, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome mayor,” I said as I walked away to help with the planning.
The week went by too quickly. It was almost as if in a matter of moments I was in my scarecrow costume tied to the Halloween Town sign, waiting for the perfect breeze to blow the sign and make it point towards Halloween Town.
I waited… and there it was. It was at about that time that I tuned out every year… I’d heard the song so many times I could sing it in my sleep.
Boys and girls of every age, wouldn’t you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see, this our town of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat, ‘till the neighbors gonna die of fright.
It’s our town, everybody scream!
In our town of Halloween
The ghosts would always start out the song. Then it was to the monster under the bed.
I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red
Then to the stairs.
I am the one hiding under your stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
And then to the vampires.
This is Halloween
Halloween, Halloween
Halloween, Halloween
In this town, we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song.
Then to the mayor, showing his happy face, indicating that he was in a good mood.
In this town, don’t we love it now?
Everyone’s waiting for the next surprise.
And into a dark ally.
Round the corner, man, hiding in the trash cans
Something’s waiting now to pounce and how you’ll scream!
This is Halloween, red and black, and slimy green
Aren’t you scared?
Well that’s just fine.
Say it once say it twice, take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
Everybody scream!
Everybody scream!
In our town of Halloween
I am the clown with the tear away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace
I am the who when you call “Who’s there?”
I am the wind blowing through your hair
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life’s no fun without a good scare
That’s our job, but we’re not mean
In our town of Halloween
In this town, don’t we love it now?
Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise
At about that time, the Behemoth was wheeling me into town square on a wooden horse. One of the citizens was to hand me a torch that I would shove into the mouth of the jack-o-lantern and catch myself on fire.
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
Scream like a banshee and make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween
Everybody scream!
Would ‘ya please make way for a very special guy?
Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch
I was then handed the torch and stood up, shoving it in the mouth of the jack-o-lantern and engulfing myself in flames. Then I started doing a complicated dance on the back of the wooden horse.
Everyone hail to the pumpkin king now
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween, Halloween
Halloween, Halloween
I finished my dance and jumped high in the air off the horse’s back, doing a front flip and landing in the fountain, putting myself out and quickly getting rid of the scarecrow costume. The words that came next were always a bit gargled, but I could still hear what the little boy corpse and mummy Cyclops said.
In this town, we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
Then I would rise from the fountain, smiling “happily and proudly” at my still singing and cheering fans.
La, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
Halloween, Halloween
La, la, la, la, la,
La, la, la
La, la, la
Wee!
“Great Halloween, everybody!” the mayor called out happily.
“I believe it was our most horrible yet,” I said, feeling obligated to do so, “Thank you, everyone!”
“No,” the mayor said, “Thanks to you, Jack! Without your brilliant leadership-“
“Not at all mayor!”
“You’re such a scream, Jack!” one of the vampire brothers said.
“You’re a witch’s fondest dream, Jack,” the taller of the witches said.
“You make walls fall, Jack!” the shorter one said as she grabbed my leg.
“Walls fall?” the taller one said, “You make the very mountains crack, Jack!” I smiled warmly at everyone, even thought I was waiting for the perfect moment to escape.
“Oh, Jack,” the undersea gal said as the crowd came closer to me, making me back up, “You make wounds ooze and flesh crawl.”
“Thank you,” I said, still backing up, “thank you, thank you… very much!”
“Hold it,” the mayor said, pulling everyone’s attention away from me,” We haven’t given out the prizes yet. Our first award goes to the vampires for most blood drained in a single evening.” While everyone was focused on the awards ceremony, I slipped away.
I went behind a wall a ways before stopping to make sure that no one was following me. When I looked, there was no one there, so I wiped sweat that had started beading on my forehead away and began walking for the graveyard.
I saw the band playing and tossed them a coin.
“Nice work,” the sax player said, “Bone Daddy.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I said flatly, “Just like last year. And the year before that… and the year before that.”
I had arrived at the gate. I stood looking at the spiral hill for a moment, and I thought I saw a small figure sitting on it, talking to someone. I opened the gates and walked into the graveyard, but when I looked at the spiral hill again, there was nothing there. I figured that I was just being paranoid.
I walked into the graveyard shaking my head and occasionally looking to the moon. I patted my thigh and my ghost dog, Zero, came out of his grave.
I rested my head in my hand and thought for a moment, then started to sing out my frustration (and no, I’m not gay. It really works).
There are few who deny at what I do I am the best, for my talents are renowned far and wide
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night, I excel without ever even trying
I wasn’t trying to sound cocky or anything, but it was all true. I was the master of fright. But it wasn’t what I wanted.
With the slightest little effort of my ghost-like charms, I have seen grown men give out a shriek
With a wave of my hand and a well-placed moan, I have swept the very bravest off their feet
I started making my way towards the spiral hill, my heart feeling pain with every step I took.
Yet year after year, it’s the same routine…
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams
And I, Jack, The Pumpkin King, have grown so tired of the same old thing…
I was on the spiral hill, standing in front of the full moon, singing (once again… I am not gay).
Oh somewhere deep, inside of these bones
An emptiness, began to grow
There’s something out there far from my home
A longing that I’ve never known…
I’m the master of fright
And a demon of light
And I’ll scare you right out of your pants
When I said ‘pants’, little ghosts rose out of the pumpkins at the base of the spiral hill, and I thought I heard a small yelp. Not like a dog’s yelp, but like something you do when you’re startled. I looked around, but there was nobody.
To a guy in Kentucky, I’m mister unlucky
And I’m known throughout England and France
And since I am dead, I can take off my head
To recite Shakespearian quotations
No animal or man, can scream like I can
With the fury of my recitations…
But who here, would ever understand
That The Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin
Would tire of his crown?
If they only understood… he’d give it all up
If he only could…
I started to walk down the other side of the spiral hill, letting it uncurl underneath my feet as I walked.
Oh there’s an empty place in my bones
That calls out for something unknown
The fame and praise come year after year
Does nothing for these empty tears…
I continued to walk, planning to take a long walk in the Hinterlands. I was almost to the tree line, when something bumped me in the back of the legs.
“Ah, crap,” I heard from below me. I turned around to see a girl in a black hooded cape lying at my feet.
“Whoa,” I said, “are you alright?” She took a moment to gather herself before looking at me (actually, I wasn’t sure if she was looking at me. I couldn’t see her face because of the hood).
She smacked her forehead as she replied, “I’m such a klutz, but yes… I’m alright.”
I didn’t recognize her voice, but she sounded pretty young… almost in her teens. I helped her to her feet.
“Thank you,” she said.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Uh… Kayla, sir,” she answered. I thought that it was cute how she called me ‘sir’.
“Oh, skip the formalities,” I said with a smile, “Just call me Jack.”
“Ok,” she said in a really small voice. Poor thing, I thought, she must be terrified.
“Well, Kayla. Where did you come from?” I asked.
“I’m- I’m not really sure,” she answered after a moment.
“That’s strange,” I said. I looked at the spiral hill, wondering if she was what I had been waiting for, wondering if she was the thing that would fill the emptiness that I felt.
“Jack,” she said suddenly, “what is the date? I think my watch is off.” I was stunned. Sure I was a bit tired of the same thing every year on Halloween, but surly she knew what Halloween was.
“Only the most important night of the year!” I exclaimed, “Halloween.”
She looked at me for a moment then stumbled backwards.
“It is?” she asked, “That means… oh my gosh.”
She started falling backwards, which meant she was fainting.
“Oh, shoot, not now!” I said.
“That jerk,” she muttered.
“What?!” I said. But it was too late. She was already out.
“What did I do?” I said. I looked around and for the first time saw a black duffel bag by the mouth of the Hinterlands. I looked at the unconscious Kayla before rushing over to retrieve it. I picked it up and it was surprisingly light. I walked over to where Kayla was, set the bag down, and opened it. There was a package with little yellow things in it that said ‘Twinkie’.
“What the heck is a Twinkie?” I asked myself, closing the bag. I had to think about what I was going to do about Kayla. I was just going to sit there with her until she woke up, but I noticed something weird about her hands. The skin wasn’t purple or blue or white. It was close to white, but it had a pinkish tent to it.
“What are you?” I asked myself. Was she a devil, like Lock, a witch? She couldn’t have been a goblin, for she was to tall and skinny. Zombie? No… couldn’t have been. She didn’t reek of rotting flesh. Skeleton, like me? No… she had skin. Maybe a werewolf… but I would know for sure. It was a full moon. I figured that the only way I was going to figure it out was to look at her face.
I leaned over her and gently pulled her hood off.
“Oh...my...goodness,” I said. The face I was looking at wasn’t a devil, or witch, or goblin, or zombie, or skeleton, or werewolf… she wasn’t a monster at all. She was… a human.
