The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin Princess - Fanfic Story 1

CHAPTER 11

My eyes flickered open, and I felt cold water on my face. I whimpered and held my aching skull.

"Skelly," Dad's voice whispered.

I looked at him and immediatley felt a sudden sense of loneliness, even though he was right there. What had even happened? Why was I in bed? Why was everything so blurry in my mind?

"Daddy," I whimpered, starting to cry.

"Honey, it's alright," Dad said. He pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me. "It's okay."

You don't even know... You don't know that I know the truth you hid from me... I thought.

"What...what happened?" I asked as he helped me lay back down.

"You left Town Hall for a few minutes, then when you came back, you fell," Dad said. "You cracked your skull."

"I did...?!" I asked weakly.

"Yeah," Dad said, tracing the crack with his index finger. "Sally said you should be okay, but...there's no way to fix the crack."

"It hurts," I whimpered.

"I know, baby," he said, stroking my hair. "Do you need anything?"

"Just...just stay here," I whispered. "Please."

"Okay, I'm right here," Dad assured.

"Don't leave, Dad," I pleaded. "Don't leave. I know...the Christmas thing...don't leave..."

"Skelly, you need to relax," Dad said. "You'll be fine. You're pushing it, baby."

I looked into his eyes. He was scared. Worried. But how could I tell him what I'd found? How could I tell him why I was stressed out?

I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed the crack. It felt...bad.

"How...how bad is it?" I whispered.

"Well," Dad sighed, cocking his head, "if we cut the top of your hair a certain way, we should be able to cover it. But it's not bad."

I started crying harder. I missed Mom now more than ever.

---------------------------------------------The next day...-----------------------------------------------------------

I walked down Halloween Town, trying to ignore my skullache. Dad was back to obsessing over Christmas and he was back to barely noticing me. I wanted the one person who would listen to me...

"Skelly!" his voice yelled.

I spun around and saw Lock, Shock, and Barrel running up to me.

"We got him, where's your dad?" Shock asked.

"He should be in the square... It is Christmas Eve..." I said.

Lock looked at me with wide eyes. I knew he was staring at the crack in my skull.

"Lead the way," Barrel said.

I led the way. I led them to the square, where the citizens were scampering around. No sign of Dad though...

"C'mon," I said. "He's probably around the corner there. But wait here."

"Skelly..." Lock began, but he stopped himself.

I nodded at him, letting him know I was okay, and I went around the corner. I saw Dad standing in front of a mirror, with Sally next to him. Dad was wearing Sally's Santa Claus outfit.

"You don't look like yourself, Jack," Sally replied. "Not at all."

"Isn't that wonderful?" Dad asked. "It couldn't be more wonderful!"

"But you're the Pumpkin King," Sally protested.

"Not anymore," Dad replied. "And I feel so much better now."

"Jack, I know you think something is missing, but--."

"You're right," Dad said, looking closer at himself. "Something is missing, but what? I've got the beard, the boots, the coat..."

"Jack, Jack!" Lock, Shock and Barrel yelled in unison, rounding the corner. "We bagged him!"

"This time we really did!" Lock replied.

"He sure is big, Jack," Barrel said.

"And heavy!" Shock added.

It was at this moment that I noticed Lock was struggling to walk. He was limping badly. Had he been hurt?

Dad quickly ran to the center of the square.

"Let me out!" a muffled voice cried in the bag.

Shock untied the bag, and Santa Claus himself dangled out of it.

"Sandy Claws in person!" Dad cried. "Why, you have hands. You don't have claws at all!"

"Where am I?" Santa asked.

"Surprised, aren't you?" Dad asked. "I knew you would be. You don't need to have another worry about Christmas this year."

"What?!" Santa demanded.

"Consider it a vacation, Sandy," Dad replied, "a reward. It's your turn to take it easy."

"But there must be some mistake!" Santa protested.

"See that he's comfortable," Dad said to the tricksters. "Just a minute!" He studied Santa Claus. "Of course!" he gasped. "That's what I'm missing!" He snatched Santa's hat off his head. "Thanks!"

"You can't just..." Santa began, but Barrel pushed him back in the bag and tied him up. "Hold on, where are we going now?!"

Dad began saying "Ho ho ho" over and over, practicing for his role as Santa. As I crept behind Lock, Shock, and Barrel, I heard Sally say to herself, "This is worse than I thought. Much worse."

"Me?" Santa demanded from inside the bag. "On vacation? On Christmas Eve?"

"Where are we taking him?" Barrel asked. I stopped and listened.

"Where?" Shock repeated.

"To Oogie Boogie, of course," Lock replied. "There isn't anywhere in the whole world more comfortable than that, and Jack said to make him comfortable, didn't he?"

My heart pounded. Lock never had his own mind unless he was around me or on his own. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have been Oogie Boogie's henchman in the first place. But life was cruel. Life hadn't given him a choice.

"Yes, he did!" Shock and Barrel exclaimed.

"Haven't you heard of peace on earth, and good will toward men?" Santa asked.

"No!" Lock, Shock, and Barrel yelled, and then they all laughed mischievously and took him away.

I went back to the square and sat down on the cobblestone ground, rubbing the crack in my skull. What if Mom was here? What would she do? Would she listen to me? Would she contradict this Christmas takeover?