Oneshot Story Ideas & Fun Stories

Fun Story #32 Halloween/Samhain Special: Ghost Rider And Stingy Jack.

A/N: If you're asking that this is a Marvel Earth-616 oneshot, then you're correct. Don't assume that this is one of those bashing fanfics. Besides, it's Halloween and Samhain, so just enjoy. Hence the "Halloween/Samhain".

A/N: By the way, Samhain is also on October 31st and November 1st.

The night was dark and cold, but the Ghost Rider felt no fear or discomfort. He was on a mission, a mission that he had been waiting for centuries. He was hunting down the most elusive and cunning sinner he had ever encountered, the one who had fooled the devil himself twice. The one who had escaped his wrath for too long. The one who was known as Stingy Jack.

Stingy Jack was a notorious trickster and miser who lived in Ireland long ago. He was so greedy and dishonest that he even cheated death itself. He once invited the devil to have a drink with him, but then refused to pay for it. He convinced the devil to turn into a coin to pay the bartender, but then pocketed the coin and placed it next to a silver cross, preventing the devil from changing back. He only released the devil after making him promise not to claim his soul for ten years.

Ten years later, the devil came back to collect Jack's soul, but Jack tricked him again. He asked the devil to grant him one last wish, to have an apple from a nearby tree. The devil agreed, but when he climbed up the tree, Jack carved a cross on the trunk, trapping him there. He only let the devil go after making him swear not to take his soul ever.

When Jack finally died, he was rejected by both heaven and hell. The devil kept his word and refused to let him in, but gave him a burning coal to light his way in the darkness. Jack carved out a turnip and placed the coal inside it, creating a lantern. He then wandered the earth as a lost soul, looking for a place to rest. He became known as Jack of the Lantern, or Jack O'Lantern.

The Ghost Rider had encountered Jack several times over the centuries, but each time Jack managed to evade him or trick him with his cunning and wit. The Ghost Rider swore to make him pay for his sins and suffer the Penance Stare, but Jack always found a way to escape or hide. The Ghost Rider hated him more than any other sinner he had ever met, and he vowed to never give up on his hunt.

On this night, however, the Ghost Rider felt something different. He felt a surge of power and a sense of destiny. He felt that this was the night he would finally catch Jack and end his torment. He felt that this was the night of Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival that marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, when the veil between the worlds was thin and the spirits of the dead could cross over. He felt that this was also the night of Halloween, the modern holiday that celebrated ghosts and ghouls and all things spooky. He felt that this was the night when Jack would be at his weakest and most vulnerable.

He rode his hell bike through the forests of the Celtic nations, following Jack's trail of mischief and mayhem. He saw signs of Jack's presence everywhere: crops destroyed, animals slaughtered, houses burned, people terrified. He also saw signs of Jack's lantern: a faint glow in the dark, a flicker of fire in the shadows, a trace of smoke in the air. He followed them with determination and fury.

He finally caught up with Jack in a clearing near an old stone circle. He saw Jack sitting on a rock, holding his lantern and grinning wickedly. He looked old and ragged, but still full of malice and cunning.

"Hello there, Ghost Rider," Jack said mockingly. "What a pleasant surprise to see you on this fine night."

"Enough games, Jack," the Ghost Rider said sternly. "Your time is up."

"Oh, come now," Jack said with a smirk. "Don't be so serious. It's Halloween, after all. The night of fun and frights."

"It's also Samhain," the Ghost Rider said grimly. "The night of judgment and justice."