Oogie

Chapter 2

"Only a few more hours left!" the mayor shouted, his joyful face on for once. He rode upon his carriage and shouted into his megaphone. "In just a little more time, Hallow's Eve will begin!"

The crowd cheered, thrusting their fists into the air. I couldn't help but flinch at the loud noise and shrink away from the audience, covering my face slightly with my long, green sleeve. This wouldn't do much, seeing as my suite only was enough identification for me. Luckily, since I was in the back, no one bothered to turn their eyes to me. Why did I even bother coming today? I should have stayed in my tree, but I had hoped...

"Now introducing this year's, and the past hundred years prior, Pumpkin King: Jack Skellington!" I clenched my hands into fists as the Mayor stepped aside to let the mentioned bag of bones to stand in his previous place. Oh how I loathe that Jack Skellington.

Jack Skellington was around my age, maybe a little older by a decade or two. He certainly was a great deal taller, towering over me by nearly a foot. He wasn't an entire skeleton. He was nearly a rotting corpse, though his remaining flesh, grey with a blue tint, was no longer rotting. The only part that still had his original flesh was the top section of his head, from the upper lip and up, and his neck. From what I could tell, the rest was just bone, though most of his body was covered by his black and white suit. From the top of his head, silvery hair cascaded down, tangled without a care. The good thing about being dead in Halloween Town is that nothing grows. Your hair is as it always will be unless it is taken away. Lucky. Lucky.

That bag of bones had that boastful smirk on his face as he raised his arms in the air. "For the last hundred years, I have been leading us through Hallow's Eve after Hallow's Eve! Oh the screams and the shrieks that we have heard. Oh the terror that we have induced! How teeth chatteringly exuberating!"

All around me, people were cooing for Jack. They shouted his name and sang out praises. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. It is not like he is even that great. I would be twice the scarier that he was if I could only get the chance to show my stuff. So my methods are a little more extreme and unorthodox. It is not like I plan on killing anyone. And who ever heard of someone being scared to death literally anyway?

"And I have no doubt in my mind that this year will be the best one yet! I have a million brand new ideas that will really make them scream!" Jack cackled and the others joined in. I scoffed at this and rolled my eyes once more. Apparently, I did this a little too loud and I attracted the attention of those around me, who scowled at my appearance.

"Oogie Buggie is here," one of them whispered to the other. Soon enough, news had spread throughout the entire audience and the eyes were no longer on Jack, but upon me. Don't get me wrong, some attention from these people would be nice, if it were the same as that which they give Jack, but their cold eyes stared at me and left me with a feeling of utter dread.

"Buggie," Jack said, hopping down from the carriage and striding towards me. The crowd parted for him, giving him a clear view of me.

I scowled at him. "Don't call me that," I muttered. Jack's smirk grew.

"Why are you here, Buggie?" he asked, completely ignoring my request to bot be called as such. Like I need to be reminded over and over again that, under my sewn-together skin, I am just a mass of squirming bugs. "I don't see why you need to be here. You already know your part in the festives; same as last year."

"Well, I thought that, maybe this year, I could do a bit more," I suggested, trying to block out the whispers that my statement had arose in the crowds. "I thought that I could stray from the moon. Be more than 'the shadow on a moonlit night. Ya know. Just a little... something more."

"More?" I hate when they look at me like that. Especially when that dratted Jack Skellington did it. "Why, you can't do more, Buggie. You know the rules with you. You stay in the shadows and on the moon. That is the way that it has always been, Buggie, and that is how it has to be. You know that."

"Don't call me 'Buggie'," I insisted again. I rolled my long sleeve up to reveal my pale, light grey, hands. I ran them through the locks of dark hair that had fallen over my eyes. "Maybe, if I were allowed to participate, I could show you guys how great Halloween really can be. Maybe... someone else could be the next Pumpkin King?" I gave Jack my signature impish grin.

Jack laughed, crossing his lankly arms over his chest. "And who would that be? You?"

I said nothing, but apparently that was answer enough. The crowd around me burst out in whispers and chuckles Jack himself let out an inhuman giggle, cackling a me. "You? Buggie the Pumpkin King?" Jack shook his head at me. "You know that can never happen. You are to stay on the moon and scare those who look to it for escape from us on the ground."

"But you have never given me the chance. Maybe my ideas would improve it for everyone."

Jack's smile began to fade. "Your ideas are too extreme, Buggie. We want to scare the people, not kill them."

I scowled. "We don't know that it would kill anyone. Please. If you would just give me the chance, I could-"

"Buggie, you can't-"

"-change everything for everyone. I could really put the fear into their hearts. Just let me off-"

"-be trusted to mingle with the people."

"-the moon for just once. If I could just try some of my ideas, you will all see that I can help. I can do great things and maybe even be the next Pumpkin-"

"Buggie!" Jack shouted, interrupting me and sending the whole crowd to silence. "Stay. On. Your. Moon." With that being said, Jack turned away from me and marched off, his shoulders hunched and back stiff. No one said a thing for the longest of times as he departed.

"Can you believe he tried that?" I hear someone finally whisper, though I am not sure who it was. "You would have thought that he would have given u by now."

I cast my eyes to the ground. This wasn't the firs time that I had brought this up, and if I have anything to say about it, it won't be the last either. Deciding that I had had enough of the gossip and the odd looks, I made my way out of the town square.

Beyond the town gates and the graveyard I wandered. Pass the whithering trees of the dead forest and the pumpkin patches. Within no time, I had reached my destination. The only place where the likes of me was welcome: the old hollow tree. Home sweet home.

I haven't had the chance to draw this chapter out, but I will post a link when I do.

By the way, Hallow's Eve means Halloween, not the day before Halloween.