Jack goes to visit his friend Dr. Finkelstein but discovers that he is not home, which leads him to the lair of Oogie Boogie, where he plays a game with more on the line than just his friend's safety! cover art by ME xoxo
Jack sits at his desk, staring blankly at the bricks lining the walls of his homes where no decoration and no furniture covers; the window is sensibly shut with curtains, black and holey. It has been a month since his victory. The townsfolk await for him below, occasionally checking upon him to see if he had once again disappeared but their protruding gazes do not puncture through the curtains and stone.
"Jack," they cry, "come out, won't you? What's the matter, Jack?"
The voices do not reach him. He prefers the company instead of his lonesome, the books upon his shelves and the pictures on the wall. The portrait painted of him, standing proud in his pinstripes and with a jack o' lantern in his hand. "A false idol," he declared it to be, "Undeserving of the praise." and he banged his fist against it, and the portrait fell from its fixture. A spider crawls out from the newly-exposed recess. "Oh, I'm sorry." he said quietly, "I hadn't known you were there." The spider made no reply, it fixed itself a web upon the hook and started a descent onto the floor. Jack patiently followed it with his eyes, then bent himself down as it lowered.
"Where are you going," he asked politely.
The spider crawls overtop of the portrait, and with dedication, at all four corners, ties a web along the frame. It begins a climb back up along the wall, and with its little arms and the strength of web, tries to lift the portrait but it does not move an inch.
"Let me help you," Jack said, picking up the portrait and returning it to its place.
"I'm awfully sorry. How long have you lived there?" he asked.
The spider grumbled and hissed; it was not angry, it was just the way that spiders speak. The spider crawled upon the tip of Jack's finger, where it then webbed a little thimble on his index.
"Silly creature," he said, smiling and forgetting. He watched the spider work its weavings along his hand, the web becoming delicate stitches that soon cover his whole finger. The spider works upon the next, and then the next, until all of his phalanges were laced in the spider's soft silks. It started to tickle when it worked on his palm, but he held still for the back of his hand; then the spider tied it off at the wrist. "Why, thank you. It's quite a handsome little glove." said Jack.
The spider wiped its face, then crawled along the length of Jack's arm to reach the other, where it started working just the same as it did before; starting with the index, then the middle and ring and pinky and lastly the thumb. Jack held his hand out patiently as it worked, and used his free hand to boil water in the cauldron. He steeps tea in a cup for himself, and sets out another in a thimble. "Would you like some sugar?" he asked. The spider nodded, and a pinch of sugar was sprinkled into the thimble. Jack took his plain, and when the spider was at last finished with its labor, Jack could use both hands to prepare little sandwiches. "I've made quite a good friend today. I'm sorry again for the intrusion. Thank you for the gloves; I shall think of you when I wear them, and we can have tea together any time."
The spider took a little sip from the thimble and smiled.
"Ah, it's dark in here. Let me open up those curtains." he said, and the sun shined upon him when he did. The weather seemed so chill and fresh from rain; it was a beautiful day, and Jack remembered how he missed the beautiful days. He opened the window and let the breeze replace the stagnant airs collected from depression.
"I shall go outside today," he said to the spider, "thank you, my friend. Would you like to join me? We can see the pumpkin patch together, and we can say hello to all of my friends in Halloweentown. Dr. Finklestein, and the mayor- the monsters and the vampires, all of them, they've been waiting for me, because they love me. I am happy because I love all of them, my friends."
Jack washes his face and straightens his bowtie, and with his new gloves upon his hands and a spider perched on his shoulder, he opens his door and takes a step outside; warmed by the sun and welcomed by a neighbor.
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AUTHORZ NOTE: THIS IS THA LAST CHAPTER.... wriitten months after it ended. i just wanted jack 2 have a happy ending ^-^ he luvs his frendz <3
