Doll Face

Oogie's Offer

"It's just a little farther now," Jack says as he, Velma, and Sally walk through the graveyard together.
Velma is wearing her new dress and her purple hair is pinned up like a beauty queen. She's nervous out of her mind but she swallows it down with force.
"There's a bridge up ahead, just underneath the tree house. His lair is in the abyss. Climb down the rope and make sure his little henchmen don't catch you," Jack explains.
Velma nods.
"This is as far as we go. You're on your own from here on out. If you need anything, just scream. You'll be safe, I assure you."
Velma breathes heavily and nods once more, "Let me say goodbye to my sister." Sally stands back a little ways from Jack and Velma, not wanting to get any closer to Oogie's lair than she has to. Velma confronts her and smiles, hugging Sally. When they separate the two women have tears in their eyes. "Sally, would you do me a favor?"
"Anything," Sally sniffs.
"Would you tell Dr. F I love him?"
Sally's voice is soft and shaky, "Tell him yourself. When this is all over."
They don't say another word; their fallen faces speak for themselves. Their eyes glisten under the pale moonlight as an expression of unspoken love. Sally knows there's a slight chance her sister might not make it after tonight despite what Jack says. She knows what it feels like to stare death in the eyes. Without another word, Velma kisses her sister's cheek and vanishes in the velvet darkness.
"She'll be okay, Sally." Jack says to her, reading her worried face.
"You don't know that," Sally stares at the prickly, dead weeds on the ground as they entangle her shoes. She kicks them off just as a gust of wind brushes over her skin. With chills running down her spine, she holds herself close. Her premonition was right all along but it wasn't Jack's safety she was worried about, it was the newfound love of her sister's.
"I know enough," Jack simply says.
They walk towards Curly Mountain. They call it Curly Mountain because of the curl at the end of the mountain that stretches outwards to the ground. Jack is a bit taller than Sally and skinnier too. His arms and legs are long and thin and his pinstriped suit captivates his prominence. Sally's long red hair whips through the autumn breeze as the two of them climb the top of the mountain, sitting at the very top. They stare deeply into each other's eyes. Even though Jack doesn't have any eyes he can see her perfectly. She mesmerizes him as much as she did five years ago when he discovered his love to her for the first time. What a crazy year that was for all of Halloween Town. For over a thousand years he repeated the same rituals and traditions of the ancient All Hallows Eve and had grown weary of it. He felt an emptiness inside of his bones and had thought the only way to fill that hole in his heart was to celebrate another holiday, but little did he know it was Sally that completed him all along.

***

Velma walks cautiously as she gets closer to the deteriorating bridge and the lonely tree house that dips right above it. Her breathing is steady and her steps are confident, but the second she sees that rope her heart takes a leap. How does anyone expect her to climb down that thing with these heels? She can't even see the end of the rope as it vanishes through the darkness of the abyss. There's no telling how far she has to climb down to get to the bottom. With a sigh she shimmies onto the rickety bridge, grasping on to the rope with her two hands and climbs down into the darkness. Once she reaches the bottom of the pit, she steps down onto a staircase. Velma wonders why she had to climb down a rope when she could have just taken the stairs. Rolling her eyes, she makes a mental note to kick Jack in the ribs if she ever makes it out of this alive.
Before she gives it another thought, she hears faint voices down below the staircase. She begins, as quietly as she can, to walk down. One of the voices she hears is deep and taunting.
As soon as she makes it to the bottom floor she gasps. "Oogie Boogie," She exclaims under her breath, "It's really him!" He has always been a legend in Halloween Town, a scary story to tell children when they're naughty, but at this very moment his legendary entitlement evolves quickly into her worst nightmare. She sucks in the moldy air and quietly watches him from afar as he seats himself on a large throne made entirely out of bones.
As he leans back and smiles that demented smile of his, he asks quite nicely, "Well, well, well, what have we here? Why, it's little ole Chapel Winters after all these years. What brings you to my humble abode?"
Velma sees a woman standing just before his throne. She has long, dark hair that falls neatly down her back, and has skin covered in tattoos. She's holding a black sweater, letting it drag onto the dirty floor as she gazes up at him.
"I want to see them," The woman, Chapel, demands.
Oogie studies her for a moment, unsure of what to say. He's not used to people talking to him with disrespect, it takes him back a little. He shakes his head, "That ain't part of our deal."
"The deal was that I gave you full custody of my children, it wasn't to forbid me from ever seeing them," She snaps, then pauses, taking in a deep breath and continues softly, "Please," She begs. "I just want to see my babies. It's a mother's right––"
"You lost that right ages ago when you signed the papers and gave 'em to me," He roars. The echo of his booming voice trembles the floor and walls. Velma has to grab hold of the rails to keep her from losing balance.
Chapel screams, "You gave me no choice!"
"Ah Miss Winters, that's where you're wrong. Everyone's got a choice and you made yours fourteen years ago."
"But I was seventeen, I was scared––"
"Don't give me that 'teenaged and pregnant' bullshit! You were young but you were a fireball; nothing scared you. All you wanted was a future to call your own with no one but yourself to take care of. You can't go back on your word now. You really think they'll reunite with their absent mother? Besides," He adds, "I told 'em you were dead."
"You said what?"
Oogie shrugs halfheartedly, "I was right in spirit."
"This is bullshit."
"You got what you wanted, Doll Face. You've lead a decent life for yourself. Met a nice young fellow, bought yourself a nice home. That cafe oughta promote you to management pretty soon."
"So what? You have them doing your dirty work just like you did with me?"
He shrugs again, "I give you a place to stay, rent-free, and food on your table. I expect a little somethin' in return. You remember those days, huh? Back in the eighties when this place was hoppin'. You was a little thing beggin', oh beggin', me for a job. Had you wipin' down tables at one o' my diners and when you grew up to be such a fine-ass woman–– oh man­­–– you became my hottest dame. Tons, and I mean tons, of paying customers came linin' up for the likes o' you Doll Face, and you alone. Why you ever decided to leave my business for a waiting job at some mediocre café I will never know, but if you expect me to sit here and listen to you talkin' 'bout your 'motherly right' or some shit, you got another thing comin'."
Chapel stands with her feet firm on the ground, her knuckles tightening as she makes them into fists. "Well I'm here aren't I?" She grits her teeth. "The dog mentioned something about an offer."
"Ah yes," Oogie moans as he reclines in his throne. "And right on time, too. I was starting to think you came to your senses."
It was when Chapel mentions Oogie's offer that Velma snaps out of her eavesdropping trance. She takes a deep breath, emerges from behind the stonewall, and clears her throat to get their attention. "Well whattaya know, this isn't the ladies room," She says as she clacks her heels across the room towards Oogie and Chapel, having to pass by a spinning wheel-of-fortune plastered in blood. She smiles seductively at him while Chapel gazes at her with dumbstruck confusion. For what seems like the longest time, neither Oogie nor Chapel knows what to make of her.
When no one says a word, Velma takes it upon herself to improvise as best she can. Being an ex-con has its perks. "Forgive me for intruding, it seems as if I've walked right into a pretty heated argument, but I––"
"Just tell me who you are and what the hell you're doing here," Oogie snaps.
"Velma Finkle at your service," She takes a bow. "I'd like a job please."
Oogie rubs his chin as he studies her for a moment.
"What? Her? Oogie you can't be serious––"
"Shut up!" He roars, the walls quake once more. "You think you got what it takes?" Oogie asks Velma, ignoring Chapel's disapproving stutter.
"Got what it takes?" Velma pops her hips, revealing her leg through the thigh-high slit of her dress. "I can rock your world, Daddy-O," She lets out an erotic moan, "Care to take me for a spin?"
Oogie's ghostly eyes trail up and down Velma's body in hungry fascination, "We'll see Ragdoll, we'll see."
Chapel storms up to Velma, eyes bulging in fury, "Hey! Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Relax baby, I'll make room for you too," Velma reaches her manicured hand out to Chapel's rear.
"Get the fuck off of me!" Chapel shoves her away. Velma nearly loses her balance with her tall heels but catches herself in time. Oogie laughs at the two of them. Chapel turns her attention to him. "Fine, Oogie, you decide."
"Maybe I should have you two kill yourselves for it. Last girl standin' wins," He says, enjoying every minute of this.
"I'm game," Chapel glares at Velma, ready to shred her to pieces.
"Or," Velma cuts in, coming up with an alternative as she's not the strongest and would probably get the dead leaves blown out of her. She grins at Oogie, "We can compete on who gives the better blowjob. Mr. Boogie can be the judge of that, can't you?"
"You're disgusting," Chapel scoffs at her with the most repulsive expression. "Oogie, with all due respect, Mr. Wolfman reached out to me on your behalf. It was me you wanted to begin with, not some sleazy, purple harlot––"
"What did you call me?" Velma blurts out defensively.
"You heard me, bitch."
Just before the two women can rip into each other, Oogie steps in, "Ladies, ladies, ladies." He chuckles, "What's all the fightin' for? You don't even know what I'm offerin'."
The two of them fall in silence as they watch him intensely.
Chapel finally speaks, "What's the offer?"
Oogie is silent for an agonizing moment as he watches the girls standing before him patiently and ready. He sits up on his throne, eager to announce his anticipated plan. It's a plan that will surely end in victory. "About a thousand years ago," He starts. "I challenged the great Pumpkin King to a duel. Whoever was the scariest man in Halloween Town won. He was afraid to lose his precious title, you see. He knew damn well I'd beat him. So he banished me from the town, only allowin' me to resurface once a year. For years I've been forced to live underground. That coward knew no one could out-scare the Boogieman. You wanna know what my offer is? I wanna be free from this prison. I wanna walk down the old stone streets. Feel the wind against my skin. I want the head of the Pumpkin King in exchange for your greatest desire." He looks at Chapel dead in the eye.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Chapel blurts out. "Murder? I thought this was just another... outcall arrangement like the old days. You don't expect either one of us to actually kill the Pumpkin King, do you?"
Velma jeeringly trails off, "Well..."
"Kill Jack..." Oogie pauses, "And your kids are yours to keep."
Temptation fills Chapel's mind like venom, "How do I know you're not lying?"
"You know I'm a gamblin' boogieman."
"But, everyone knows you don't play fair," Chapel crosses her arms, testing him.
Oogie is impressed as he crosses his arms too. "Ragdoll," He calls out to Velma with his eyes still on Chapel. "You're a witness, so listen carefully to what I say next." His eyes are still planted on her. "Should the two of you succeed, the prize is yours. That's right, I'm putting the both o' you responsible for this."
"What's in it for me? If you don't mind me asking," Velma says sheepishly from behind.
"How does five hundred thousand dollars sound?"
Velma strongly considers this, "Fair enough." She shrugs.
"Let's shake on it," Oogie holds out his hand.
Velma and Chapel look at one another, trying to read the other's face to see who will reach out their hand first. Eagerly, Velma shoots out her arm and grabs Oogie's hand, which entices Chapel to grab his just as quickly. The three of them stay like this for a while as they hold each other's hand and stare at one another hard in the face. The two women were born for this moment. Despite their different motives, they will do everything in their power to gain Oogie's trust and burn him to the ground.