What's This? (a Nightmare Before Christmas Story)

Chapter II

Chapter II

I drop the book, completely forgetting about it. Autumn leaves swirl through the air. This place is beautiful. I count off the trees in the main grove. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, and one door that's wide open. Halloween. I poke my head inside. It's silent and dark. I expected more...cackling, ghosts, ghouls, even a boogey man. But no, just darkness and silence. I sigh. This is not what I expected. As I mourn the waste of time and contemplate how to get back, I'm rushed from behind by a strange force and topple head over heels into the darkness.

This must be how Alice felt tumbling down the rabbit hole. I feel like I've been falling for days when I hit the packed earth of a graveyard. "Aroo?" A ghost dog, who's kind of cute in a creepy way, sniffs my head.

"Hey buddy." I reach to pet his ears, but my hand passes straight through his body. "Guess I can't do that, huh?"

The dog lets out a bark that sounds like a laugh. "Zero!" Someone on the oddly shaped hill nearby calls.

The ghost dog, Zero, I guess, flutters over to the hill. He turns around before he gets there and barks, as though he's asking me to come with him. I do, and see the most eerily beautiful boy I've ever seen. Tall and thin, with hair so dark it gives midnight a run for its money, and heavily contrasting ivory skin, cheekbones that could cut someone, and eyes almost as black as his hair. He's wearing pinstripe pants and jacket, with a white collared shirt underneath and a patchwork bow tie. "Hello." He smiles at me, and a shudder runs down my spine. When the skin on his lips stretches into an expression of happiness, a pattern like stitches runs across them.

"Hi." I smile back, nervous.

"What's your name?" Our exchange seems so normal, it's almost dizzying.

"Marilyn, but everyone calls me Lyn." Who is this eerily beautiful boy? "What's yours?"

"Jake Skellington, Ms. Lyn." He bows.

A giggle escapes me. I've never been the type of girl who giggled. "What are you, if you don't mind my asking." Jake has such a regal voice and demeanor.

"Pardon?" I tilt my head in confusion.

"You know, vampire, corpse, ghoul, tempest?" He observes me carefully. "You look like a tempest, a storm spirit."

I look down, unable to hide my slight horror. "I'm...human. I'm dressed as a tempest for Halloween."

Jake grins. "A human! Incredible! A living human in Halloween Town!"

I blush. What's wrong with me? "So...what are you?"

"Half corpse, half skeleton." He smiles proudly. "My father is the pumpkin king, my mother, an experiment made by doctor Finkelstein."

"Both of my parents are human. My brother, too."

"I have three sisters. They all look like my mother. Which of your parents do you look like?"

I think about that. My mom, dad, and brother are all dark-haired with brown eyes, save for my mom's blue ones, but we've all got the same athletic, lean build and tan skin. "Kind of like both, I guess." I shrug.

Jake looks around, Zero fluttering at his ankles."Would you like to come see the town with me? It's kind of quiet, with our holiday happening tonight, but it's still a lovely place."

I smile. "I'd love to."