Two Dearest Friends

A Ghost Dog

Her plan is to visit the shop and find the things she promised for the Doctor. But when she sees the citizens rushing to gather into the Town Hall, she has second thoughts. If nearly everyone is going to attend the meeting, it's probably important. And important means Jack...

A clown riding a unicycle suddenly bumps into Sally, turning to give her a menacing laugh as he passes by. She jumps at the sound -- so dark and malevolent - and finds herself looking at the other creatures who surround her. They are all diverse, ranging from vampires to ghosts and witches. They all have certain aspects to themselves that make them scary. One man is even modeled after Satan himself, with horns protruding from his forehead and a sharp goatee.

Sally tries to distance herself before she eventually reaches the stairs. Safe to say, she is the last one in and nearly collapses trying to keep the door open. When she turns around, she notices that all of the benches are full, and people are starting to crowd around the seats.

"Hello there, miss!"

She finds a tall tree smiling down at her, his face consisting of whirls and his eyes black sockets. 5 skeletons are hanging from his branches with rope tied around their necks. Like the tree, they are all smiling down at her politely. She goes to reply but is overwhelmed by more people coming into the room. She takes a step towards the stranger as to not get pulled in and lose a limb again. The tree notices the issue right away.

"Oh! You're probably looking for a seat, aren't you? Please, feel free to sit on one of my branches if you have to! I have two of them, you see..."

"While I do appreciate the offer..." She hangs the basket in her hands low. "How will I reach it?"

"We'll help you!" One of the skeletons offers. They all nod in unison at this suggestion. The skeleton who offered extends his hands to her and cups them down. "Here! Step on my hands and climb on!"

She accepts the offer and does as she is told. She's hoisted upwards and has only a second to grab onto one of the stems. She sits herself comfortably on the bark and looks around. There is nothing obstructing her view and she very well may have the best seat in the house.

Looking down at the stranger, she says, "Thank you! I don't believe I caught your name?"

"Folks just call me the hanging tree!" He replies. "And these here are my hanging men. I've heard of you myself....you're Finklestein's new creation. Sally, right?"

"That's right. Have you heard of me?"

"Oh, trust me! Word gets passed along fast. You stick out like a sore claw in these parts."

It makes her feel nervous that she stands out. Attention is not something she wants - nor does the Doctor, for that matter. Her thoughts are interrupted when the lights suddenly dim, grabbing the audience's attention as a spotlight illuminates the stage. All conversations cease as they hear footsteps.

She feels slightly disappointed as a stumbling Mayor reveals himself from the curtains. He climbs up the steps and approaches the podium. It's clear that the light bothers him and he is looking around blindly, struggling to keep the papers in his hands together.

"Horrible day, everyone!" He greets. "Thank you for attending today's meeting. I wanted to discuss with you all about this year's Halloween."

She leans forward in fascination. Jack may not be here like she hoped, but she can at least learn something new about this 'Halloween'. Since it seems so important to everyone, the least she can do is learn what it is about. The Doctor has never told her anything about it before, so she might as well take this chance to listen and see if she can understand it.