It was early September, and Jack Skellington (Pumpkin King of Halloweentown) was going over the stationing plans for that October 31st. The mayor was assisting him with this very important process, not even taking notice that his friend was fast asleep.
"This year," he said, "I believe the vampires should be stationed with one in China, one in Australia, and two in North America. That way, they all get a good share of the world's blood supply." He moved the little vampire pieces around on the world map laid in front of him. Finally, he took notice of the king, and slapped Jack once, hard enough to wake him up. He yawned, then looked embarrassed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor. It's just that..."
"I know, and don't worry about it. Everything will be just fine, you watch."
"But it's getting so close, and I don't want to leave Sally alone for so long each day. Any time now, you know."
"I do. But she still has Lock, Shock, and Barrel, right?"
"Yes......."
"And Sandy Claws gave you his own doctor, oh what's his name- Twinky? Twangy?"
"Twinkleton," Jack corrected. "I know you're right, but what if it happens and I'm not there, because I'm in the human world scaring or something?"
"It won't, trust me."
Jack sat down in a chair. "I'm just worried about her, that's all. If anything ever happened...."
"Nothing will. Like I've said too many times before my friend, you fret too much."
Before anyone else could speak, Barrel burst into town hall.
"Jack! Come quick!" he cried. "It's happening! Sally's going to have her baby!"
The mayor paced the hospital waiting room impatiently, while Lock, Shock, and Barrel sat. Yes, Halloweentown did have a hospital. Jack had it built around 7 months ago, as soon as he had learned that Sally was pregnant. Everyone had been delighted for both him and Sally, all except for one person. Shock, the heir to the throne, hated the idea of a new child scampering around the house. A pure blood Skellington, something she was not. She loathed the idea, but never made it known. Even her brothers had no idea of her feelings.
"Aren't you excited, Shock?" asked Lock. "It'll be so cool!"
"As cool as that Christmas thing was," she muttered.
"What?"
"Oh, yes, tons of fun." She wrung her hands, an evil gleam in her eyes. "Tons of fun"
Three long, excruciating hours passed. Sally had a beautiful baby boy, the spitting image of Jack. The little skeleton child had strong lungs, that was for sure. Dr. Twinkleton wrapped the baby in a blanket, then gave him to Sally.
"Congratulations," he told her. "You're a mother." He left the happy parents to be alone with the latest member of the family, his job well done.
Sally cradled the child lovingly, while Jack stroked its skull. "It's our son," she breathed. "Ours. What shall we name him?"
Jack thought for a moment. "How about Ezra?" He said at last.
She nodded slowly. "Ezra. Ezra Robert Skellington. I like it." She held up the infant, peaceful now. "Would you like to hold him, Daddy?"
Carefully, he took the tyke from her, holding him close. This was his son, his very life. "This
is it, Sally," he told her. "This is what I've always wanted, what I always needed in life. There was always something I felt I was missing, something very important. Now I know what it is." He kissed his son. "A child. I watched others and their children pass me by, playing catch or walking together as a family. Sure, we already had Lock, Shock, and Barrel, but they're different. They weren't ours, but we still and always will love them as our own. But Ezra is a sign of our love, of our devotion to each other." He put the child back in its mother's arms, then gave his queen a kiss. "I cherish you more than anyone could ever imagine, Sally. Don't ever forget that."
She smiled weakly. "I won't." She took his hand as the door opened. In came Lock, Shock, Barrel, and the Mayor, each of them smiling at the sight of the infant.
"Come in," beckoned Jack, "and meet Ezra."
They crowded around, Shock staying close to the back. She was smiling, yes, but it felt strange upon her face, like an intruder.
"I can't believe it," said the mayor. "Jack is a father."
"A damn good one, too," boasted the king.
Barrel tickled the child's chin. "He looks like Jack," he said. "Pure skeleton."
"There has to be some characteristics of Sally in there," the Mayor muttered thoughtfully.
"He must have gotten my brains. Where else would he have gotten them?"
Jack made a face. "Ha ha ha, very funny." Lock and Barrel cooed to the child, but Shock stayed behind. "Aren't you going to say hello?"
She just shrugged. "I could. I might"
"Now is a good time."
She squeezed forward, looking the child straight in the eye. Cute little thing, but still she despised it. "Hi," she said, feeling stupid. "I'm Shock." The infant just drooled. "See? Pointless. What does it care, anyways?"
Jack sat in a chair, picking up Shock. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. "I thought you'd love having a new brother."
She snorted. "I already have two, remember?"
"Now you have another."
A groan. "Gee, thanks."
He stared hard into her eyes, not speaking for a moment. Then he said, "Something is troubling you. You're afraid of losing something important to you." He paused. "Is it me?"
"A bit self-centered, aren't we?"
"I'll take that as a no. Is it the throne then?" When she didn't reply, that's when he knew he was right. "Listen, I may have a son now but I will not take your privilege away from you. I promised you 3 years ago when you were 9 that you would take my place when I was gone, and I intend it to stay that way."
"But he's your real child, Jack, not like me. I'm just your adopted kid."
"Don't you remember? I shared some of my own magic with you. That has to account for something."
"No, it's not the same..."
"I can give you more."
"And I still won't be your daughter."
He sighed. "Listen to me, you are the oldest, so you get the throne. The fact that he is my son doesn't give him special rights." She still looked at him in her non-believing way. "Tradition states that the eldest child is the heir to the throne, and even though you are not my biological child, I still consider you my own. Understand now?" Slowly she nodded, and he let her down. "I love you, Shock, and I wouldn't tell you such a horrible lie, not ever."
She nodded slightly. "Alright, I believe you."
He smiled. "Good. Then he looked back at baby Ezra. "Well, I'm finally a father. Imagine, me, the King of Halloween, a father."
"Yes," agreed the Mayor. "Truly amazing." Jack shot the man a warning look. "Not to be insulting or anything, of course..."
The little child began to yawn and cuddled into his mother, giving the hint for his visitors to leave. The four crept out, leaving Jack and Sally alone with Ezra, their son.
It wasn't too long before Sally and the child were released from the hospital and permitted to come home. The Mayor waited in his car (since he was the only one who had one) while Jack escorted his love out of the building carefully. He perched her into the front seat with the child, while he sat on the top of the car (It was only a 2-seater). Town Centre was crawling with people when they got there, all wanting to see Jack's son. The car slowed in front of Town Hall and Jack helped Sally out, leading her and the child up the stairs. Gingerly he took the newborn from her, holding him for all to see.
"This," he said, "Is Ezra Skellington, my son."
Everyone applauded, shouting things like "Congratulations Jack!" and "Good job, Sally!" Even Dr. Finklestein was there to show his happiness for the both of them, which came as a surprise to alot of people. He was as enthusiastic as the rest of them, waving and smiling with pride for Sally, his creation. Jack waved his hardest to the Dr., since he was especially grateful to the man for creating his only love in the first place. At that point he called forward the mayor, a brilliant idea in mind.
"Mr. Mayor," he began,"I want you to find the best catering service in town and put together a feast in honour of this great occasion! It will be held at my mansion at approximately 7:00 PM, and everyone will be invited!"
A great cheer arose from the crowd, but the mayor only frowned. "Is that possible, Jack?" He asked doubtfully. "I mean, It's already noon."
Jack frowned. "Make it so or else," he said with a chill in his voice.
"Of course, with pleasure, sir."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"Never call me sir again."
"Understood."
"And I want ONLY the best catering services in Halloweentown, alright?"
By now, the mayor was getting annoyed. He was supposed to be a politician, an elected official. Instead he was being treated like a butler. But he just smiled, saying "Whatever you say." He still doubted that the job could be done, but he'd at least try.
Jack focused his attention back on the crowd. "The feast," he said, "Will be formal. Your best clothing will be required. Remember, be there before 7." The crowd began to split up then, to get prepared for the evening. "Oh, Sally, I hope you don't mind."
She smiled, taking their son. "Of course I don't. But I don't think the mayor was too happy about it."
"Well, if he doesn't like it, then he shouldn't come."
"But he will, of course."
Jack chuckled. "He's afraid I'd be angry at him."
"But you wouldn't be, right?"
"No. I'd just kick his skull in a little, that's all."
Sally allowed him to take her arm. "Let's go," she said. "I have to find something to wear."
The Mayor had a heck of a time putting together such a feast with such short notice, but he did somehow, and it all went ahead as planned. Jack already had an outfit in mind: A black tuxedo with long tails on the back of the jacket. For his head, he had a black top-hat and a walking cane adorned his hand. Of course, he wore his good traditional bat-tie, one with a solid black design. Sally, however, wasn't so easy to satisfy. After a long time, she finally settled for a long elegant navy blue dress with matching gloves that went past her elbows. In her hair were 2 little bat bobby pins, and in the crook of her arm was a ghost-embroidered handbag. Jack had to admit, she looked stunning. Ezra wore a cute little striped suit and matching bat-tie, much like the outfit his father wore every day. Lock and Barrel both wore tuxedos similar to Jack's, except that Lock wore a spider tie, and Barrel wore none. He despised it, he said, and wouldn't be caught dead wearing it. Actually, he was already dead, so there you were. Shock's ensemble made her look more in mourning then celebrating the arrival of her new brother. She wore a black dress with matching gloves, and a black tiara was on her head. Under the tiara was a black veil, which covered almost her entire face. Sally had begged her to dress more 'cheerful', like herself, but Shock was being the stubborn 12 year old she was. Instead she had turned up her nose and walked away, pulling down her veil.
At around 6:30, the first of the guests began to arrive. It was The Harlequin Demon and the witches, all toting little presents for Ezra. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were ordered to welcome the guests, so they stood by the door and smiled warmly, starting a 'present pile' on the floor. The rest came in steadily after that, and Jack and Sally walked around inside greeting them all. Everyone had come wearing their best outfits, as Jack had asked, and the presents began to pile up higher and higher. The mayor arrived at exactly 6:40, escorting his wife. Jack greeted them as they entered the living room, filled with laughing people and dark, sombre music. It was a strange little ditty (as you'd expect from Halloweentown), but it was a very popular tune, and everyones toes began tapping to the strange rythym. They chatted for a few moments, until Mr. and Mrs. Mayor excused themselves to go get a drink of punch. Once the two were gone, Sally linked arms with Jack, leading him to sit on the loveseat. She looked into his eyes, and was immediately discouraged. A solid frown covered his face, and he looked rather depressed. She thought he had shaken this thing, with Ezra's arrival and all. He had seemed so perfectly content. But, she supposed that's the way some things were just meant to be, and that's just who Jack was. She laid her hand his.
"What's eating you?" she asked him.
He sighed. "I was just thinking that it would have been nice for my parents to be here today, to see how far I've come."
"They are though. They always have been. Their spirits are in some faraway place watching you, just smiling and saying, 'look there, that's our boy.' And as long as you believe that, Jack, It will never fail to be true."
He smiled. "You're right, as usual. How would I ever get through life without you?"
She shrugged. "Few can. Now let's get everyone seated. I'm starving."
Everyone was positioned around the grand dining room table. Jack sat at the end, opposite the mayor. To his right was Sally, and to his left Lock, Shock and Barrel. Ezra was napping. There was a bit of murmering going on, so he decided to get the meal started. With a ring of a bell came a long line of caterers from the kitchen, each carrying a tray loaded with delicious food. Broiled cat tails, steamed rat whiskers, fried snake skins. And the desserts; there were some of the bests Jack had ever seen. Spider Pie, grasshopper flambé, even some of Sally's own bat wing cookies. Each tray was placed on the table, every mouth drooling. The caterers, all in matching uniforms, filed out of the room, and Jack tapped his glass with a knife. He cleared his throat as everyone turned to look at him.
"Before we begin, I'd just like to say a couple of thank-you's. To the citizens of Halloweentown, for being so helpful to Sally and myself during this time. To the mayor, for always being there, ready to assist. I don't know how we'd ever had done it without your help." The mayor beamed. "To Dr. Twinkleton, for giving up his time so graciously to help us, when nobody else would. Even though he was frightened at the thought of coming here, he came willingly and we shall always be grateful for your presence." The Doctor smiled at the compliments. Jack went on. "To Dr. Finklestein, who created my wonderful wife Sally. Of course, special thanks to her, who was obviously the most important factor here." He took her hand. "The mother of my son, my greatest pride and joy." She blushed. He glanced at Lock, Shock and Barrel, who were awaiting for their turn. "Oh, I can't forget you." He patted the his only daughters head. "These three children were an exceptionally great hand to Sally during all times. Whenever I couldn't be there, they were, helping in any and every way possible. Thank you to them and to everyone else." He picked up his wine glass. "Now, let the feasting begin!"
Everyone began to dig into the wonderful assortment of food, making sure that not one little bit went to waste.
The feasting part was now over, and most everybody was now either dancing or talking to others. Ezra was now awake, so Jack and Sally were showing him around his new home and to all the guests. Shock was standing by herself in the corner of the living room, arms folded grumpily. All this feasting and celebrating, over one little kid. Why even bother? It wasn't as if they hadn't seen a baby before. Lock and Barrel came over to her, looking relieved..
"Here you are!" Lock cried. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Why? No-one else is."
"We were wondering if anything was wrong," said Barrel. "You've seen kind of down lately."
Then Shock got an idea. A great big wonderful hideous idea. It was the perfect plan, a plan to ensure that no-one ever stole the throne from her. She pretended to sigh.
"Oh, it's silly really..."
"No, tell us," they urged.
"Well, I got into thinking, and I was wondering...now that Jack has his own kid and all, what will he do with us?"
"She's right, It's silly," said Barrel.
"Well, what if he suddenly decides he doesn't want us anymore? What will he do then?"
Lock just looked at her doubtfully. "I don't think that'll ever happen, Shock. He said he loves us."
"On the contrary, brother, I think it's closer than you think. Haven't you noticed how the both of them fondle over that child, and how little attention we've been receiving? Think about it. If they decide to trash us, we'll have to go back to living as we used to, on our own."
Lock and Barrel seemed to consider this. "And what do you suppose we did about this?" asked Lock.
Shock smiled devilishly. "Come to my room. We don't want anyone eavesdropping on us." All 3 of them went up to her room, and she shut her door behind her. Once she was sure it was all clear, she went on. "I thought that we'd get rid of Ezra, once and for all. By some horrible 'accident'. No- one would ever have to know."
Lock examined her carefully. "Why should we help you do this? I mean, me and Barrel like him.
"Jack will get rid of us, and it will be sooner than you think, believe me."
Barrel rolled his eyes. "I think you just want to make sure he doesn't get your precious throne."
Shock shook her finger. "Jealousy isn't pretty, dearest sibling." He just gave her a low growl, clenching his fists. "I'm surprised you don't know me better. I'm meerly worried about our personal safety."
Lock wasn't convinced. "I still don't know."
"Oh come on, I'm your sister!"
"Exactly."
Shock ignored the dry humour he displayed. "Do you remember when used to be Halloween's finest trick-or-treaters? We haven't held that title for over three years. Three! Now we're only the best treaters."
"Your point?" asked Barrel.
"We have to get back our rep, make them all realize that we're not just the innocent little kids they think we are."
"What good will that do?"
"Don't you miss how much fun we used to have when we were working for Oogie Boogie, always the fright of the town?" Her brothers were both silent, and she knew she had pushed the right button. "Remember how the mayor used to be petrified of us, and even Jack was a bit uneasy while we were around?"
Lock smiled dreamily. "Yes, I do. Boy, those were the days."
"We can have all that back, and more. All we have to do is make sure everyone realizes that we mean business."
Barrel grinned, an evil twinkle in his eye. "I'm convinced. Let's show Jack never again to put anyone else ahead of us." He and Shock looked at Lock.
"So are you going to join us?" said the latter, "Or sit there like a worthless little human?" She knew he hated to be called that. It was her secret weapon to get him to do whatever she wanted, just because he wanted to prove her wrong. He nodded.
"I'm in. We'll show them all not to mess around with us."
Shock smiled. "Ah, This is good. It's just like old times again."
2 nights later, Shock was lying awake in bed, eyes wide with lack of sleep. Ezra was crying again, something that was now a familiar sound. Sally and Jack were trying to do something to make him stop, but it didn't work. Jack sang lullabies, Sally changed his diaper, and they took turns rocking him. But, to no avail. That child would not shut up. She could hear their voices.
"Sally, do something!"
"Why me?"
"Your his mother!"
"And you're his father!"
"But I can't do it!"
"So the Pumpkin King is afraid of a crying baby, huh?"
"I didn't say that..."
It was all very annoying to Shock, and at last she sat up on the edge of her bed. Sleep here was hopeless; she'd at least try to get something achieved while she had the chance. Like brainstorm ways to dispose of Ezra. She pondered for a while, but her mind remained blank. It had been so long since she had pulled a trick like this, that she couldn't even remember a good scheme. There was a knock at the door, and Barrel came in.
"You're awake too, huh?"
"Yeah. Damn kid."
"Exactly my thoughts."
Shock groaned and fell backwards on her bed. "My mind is a dud, I can't think of any good plots to use against Ezra."
"I know, so is mine. It's been so long since we've tried to do something like this. It's scary, thinking of how much we've changed."
"Maybe we should get Lock in here..."
At that exact moment, the previously mentioned came in, closing the door behind him.
"It's impossible to sleep," he complained. "All this noise..."
Shock looked almost happy to see him. "Good, you're here. Listen, do you have any good ideas to get rid of our little pest? Both of us can't think of a darn thing."
He shrugged. "Sorry. Only one little thought..."
"Good enough for us," said Barrel.
"Well, I thought we could create a good plan by combining any little thing we come up. Then we're sure to come up with a great scheme, one that's bound to work."
Shock was annoyed. "Maybe if we HAD any ideas, yes."
"No, we each add a little piece to create one big plan. How about it?"
"Fine. But how will we start?" All 3 were silent, until Barrel's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"We could kidnap him! Bring him far far away, where no-one could ever find him!"
"Yes! Now, where to?"
Lock scratched his chin. "How about the human world?" he said. "It'd be perfect."
"Won't he die?" asked Barrel.
"Probably, yes."
"Well, I don't want that to happen. I don't want him to get hurt."
"Fine," Shock shrugged. "We'll turn him human."
"How?" chorused her brothers.
"One of Jacks old books has a spell that will turn any holiday creature into a human. We could try that one."
Both boys clapped silently for her. "We'll teach them all," said Barrel. "We'll teach them a lesson they'll never forget."
They didn't immediately put their plan into action. First they felt it necessary to practise their trickery skills on anyone they so desired deserved it. It started out small - hiding things, like Sally's emergency thread for replacing fallen off limbs or Jack's bat-tie. For the first time ever, the King of Halloween went to work without it, and in the end found it where he had first looked. Then they picked up the tempo a bit, doing stuff like slipping Deadly Nightshade into Jack and Sally's dinnertime drinks. Once, while Jack was mixing Ezra a bottle, Lock secretly opened the door that led down to the basement and, in his hurry to get the drink to the crying infant, Jack fell down, resulting in his skull rolling around on the floor. He had almost been knocked out, but the three kids cracked up laughing at him, holding their stomachs and rolling around. They had, of course, received lectures on both occasions, but it didn't help. They were beyond a simple scolding now. Every day they wreaked havoc throughout the streets of Halloweentown, sometimes by a fake human alarm or by 'accidentally' misplacing the plans. And each time they just laughed and moved on, seeing what other trouble they could cause. The mayor at first just thought of them as being kids, but they showed him. They tied him to a post and surrounded it with dry wood, pouring gasoline over the works. Jack had stopped their little charade before the fire had gotten too bad, but by now the Mayor was more petrified then he had ever been before. He actually hid whenever the 3 troublemakers appeared, hoping to remain out of their sight. Finally, Jack had had enough. He sent them to their individual rooms without supper, but they kept creeping into each other's rooms. They couldn't be tamed, there was no way. After a week or so of their little games, they decided to get straight to work. They brainstormed how they would kidnap Ezra, where they would keep him, and Shock found the proper spell they needed. It was all perfect. Jack and Sally, meanwhile, were getting more and more worried about them. Something was definatley up, and they had no idea what.
On the day that marked Ezra's two week anniversary of coming into the world, Lock Shock and Barrel decided to check out their old home above Oogie Boogies lair (who was now dead, thanks to Jack). The elevator still functioned perfectly, and the layer of dust inside was now built up to a beautiful depth; around 4 inches in places. It was all too perfect, and their eyes began to tear up.
"This brings back fond memories," sighed Shock. "Like the time we shoved Sandy Claws down the feeding tube to Mr. Oogie Boogie, and when we hung Barrel in that corner." She walked over to where she was referring to, and sure enough the noose was still there.
"Is there anything here that will come in handy for nabbing that little dweeb?" asked Lock.
Barrel pulled a bag down from a shelf, dumping out the contents. Inside were gags, ropes, and anything else you could possibly need for such a dirty job.
"Does this answer your question?"
They hunted through all their old belongings, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over anything that had a specific meaning to them. It was getting late by the time they finally finished and headed back to Jack's house, the place they really didn't feel like calling home anymore.
A cloaked figure crept around to his side of the bed, listening to Jack's breathing patterns. Asleep, as was Sally and Ezra. Slowly the figure tip-toed back down the stairs, to where 2 more were waiting. All 3 pulled down their hoods to reveal Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
"All clear upstairs," whispered Shock. "Now we can make our move."
They exchanged thumbs-up signs and replaced the hoods, creeping back up silently. Still asleep. Barrel pulled out a gag, about to shove it into Ezra's moth. But that wouldn't stop the twerp from waking Jack and Sally if he woke. Lock had the perfect silencer; a syringe filled with liquified Deadly Nightshade, which he injected a tiny portion into Ezra's arm. The infant tensed for a brief second, then let the drug carry him into an even deeper sleep than before. Carefully, Shock picked up the boy and put him into a bag. She then made a motion to her brothers and they slipped out of the house quietly, heading for their cozy little home where no-one would ever think to look for them.
Jack awoke unusually late that morning to a terrifying scream by Ezra's crib. He jumped out of bed while still chasing sleep away, glancing to where the scream had arisen from. Sally was there, pointing into the crib with horror.
Shock covered her ears with her hands, trying to block Ezra's screams. The little runt was now awake, and was letting this be heard. She covered her ears with her hands, trying to block Ezra's screams. The little runt was now awake, and was letting this be heard. He probably wanted Sally, but he wouldn't be seeing her for a long time. Lock wanted to give him another shot of Deadly Night Shade, but Shock wouldn't hear of it. The kid was just hungry, she said, and pulled out a bottle she had packed for him. That shut him up for a bit, but not long. Finally she injected the needle herself, and the child fell fast asleep.
Jack had absolutely no idea where he could possibly find Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They had probably taken him somewhere that they thought he wouldn't find him, so he thought hard. After all, they were only children, and he had a better mind than them. Where would he go if he were them? Well, there was the graveyard, but that was a bit too open. Not suitable. The same went for anywhere inside Halloweentown. It was too public, with too many people around. It was too easy to get caught. It had to be a place that they were familiar with, yet few people bothered to go. Well, perhaps they were in their old hideout, the one over Oogie Boogies lair. It was the perfect location and not a soul ever went there. Not even any of the search parties would look there, he knew. He silently congratulated himself on such fine deduction skills and then made his way to their house, just on the outskirts of Halloween.
Shock dumped an assortment of ingredients into a boiling cauldron as the book called for them, her brothers fetching the required items. It was a simple spell from a beginners text, but it was better than an advanced one. Those ones called for odd things like 'one thumbnail of a red dragon' or 'the wings of a dead fairy'. Lock grumbled about his assigned task.
Lock, Shock, and Barrel's home loomed in front of Jack, its shadow falling over him. He crouched as best he could into the cramped elevator made of a cage and some rope, riding it up and into the strange little treehouse. This was the first time he had ever been up here, and he wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Lock, Shock, and Barrel sat outside a mausoleum, all crowded around Ezra. Shock clutched the needle in one hand, a look of utter hatred in her eyes. This kid had been in her way long enough, she'd never have to worry about losing her throne or Jack again. And in no way did she regret what she was about to do; no way. She felt thrilled, happier than she had been in a long time.
"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
She just continued to point, so he looked in cautiously. There was nothing there except for Ezra's toys, the child was missing. He tried to act brave.
"Oh, Lock, Shock, and Barrel probably took him out so we could sleep later. Isn't that nice?"
She wasn't satisfied by this, so he took her downstairs to prove it to her. First stop: the bedrooms. They too were empty, no children there. "They're probably elsewhere in the house," he said, and they began to search the mansion for them. But they were nowhere to be found, not in the kitchen, the living room, they had simply vanished. Everything looked as it had the previous night, nothing looked different or out of place.
"Oh, no!" Sally cried, burying her head into Jack's chest. "What will we do? They've been kidnapped, all four of them!"
"I can't see why anyone would want to capture those three hooligans," he snorted. "No-one would pay a dime for them, anyways."
Jack frowned at him. "Mr. Mayor, I don't care whether or not you hate them. They are my children, not yours, and I have vowed to find them all and bring them home safely. Now if you don't like this, then fine. Give me your job and go. No-one's stopping you."
The mayor nodded quickly. "Uh-sorry, whatever you say, Jack." He cleared his throat. "So, ah, why do you think whoever did the job took them?"
Jack shrugged. "Revenge, ransom, most likely the latter. I'd say that very soon we'll be receiving a letter demanding so much in cash."
"And will you give in?"
"Probably. I don't care how much it is, I want those children back and in safe hands. And the person who did this is not going to be let off easily."
"I say not. Well, I'm going to go check up and see if anyone has found anything. I'll see you soon." The mayor exited Town Hall, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts. Something inside him said that he was wrong about Lock, Shock, and Barrel, but he couldn't lay his finger on it. It told him that they were not as innocent as they seemed, that they were deceiving him. On one hand, he didn't trust his instinct, for the sheer fact that he didn't want to believe. But another part, his logical part, said that he must believe it or risk losing Ezra forever. And, as always, this is the part he listened to, and he became convinced that Lock, Shock, and Barrel were up to no good. Just review the facts. All three had been acting very peculiar lately, and only since his sons arrival. Shock had particularly despised the child, and now all four were missing. They were the only ones who could be so swift doing the deed, no-one else was as well trained as them in the field of kidnapping. There was alot of evidence pointing towards them, so much he became focused on only one thing: Stopping whatever evil scheme they had planned before it was too late.
"What are you doing!" cried Barrel. "Too much of that stuff will kill him!"
"I'm trying to get some peace and quit," she snapped back. "Remember, we don't want to be found."
"Well, do you always have to do that? Is it necessary?"
"Oh, shut up and quit complaining. It's for his own good." She pulled out the book she had stolen from Jack's shelf, flipping to the spell that would turn Ezra human. This had to be their most vile deed ever, but she was loving it. "So, here's what we do," she said to her brothers. "We'll make the potion now and once it's completed, we'll take Ezra to the graveyard, stick it in his arm, and send him through the mausoleum to wherever. Then we'll head back to Jack and say that some strange guy kidnapped us and killed Ezra, then fled the scene of the crime with the body to dispose of it. While he was gone, we managed to escape and ran back as fast as we could. Got it?"
Lock was unsure. "Will they believe us?"
"Of course they will. They'll believe whatever we tell them to. Now help me make the potion before we leave. We gotta get this done as fast as we can."
"Why do I get this job," he whined. "I wanna read the spell!"
"No! That's my job." replied Shock.
"Why?"
"Because," she smiled. "I'm the witch."
Lock just clenched his fists as she added the last of the ingredients and began to read the magic words. The brew began to hiss and pop, growing with tensity as she continued. It boiled and bubbled as smoke began to rise and soon the entire pot was shaking wildly, the contents splashing over the rim. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Barrel saw something through the window. In the distance he could make out a tall, skeleton figure, who could only be one person.
"Hurry!" He cried. "It's Jack! He's found us!"
She began to panic and read faster, the shaking getting more and more ferocious.
"Quick! Quick!" yelled Lock. "I can see him! Hurry! Faster! Faster!"
She read as fast as her mouth could possibly move, the words feeling like a foreign language. Jack was getting closer, and just as she thought the would be caught, the spell ended, and the quaking stopped. Barrel scooped some of the potion into a syringe and flung it into a bag while Lock shoved Ezra into a sac. They ran out as fast as they could out of the back door, just milliseconds before Jack came in.
It was an okay place, a bit of dust which had gathered over the past 3 years covering the floor. Other than that, though, it was fairly clean, all the things on their proper shelves and all. Each special mask (their trademark) had a spot on the wall, and he took notice that the ones the wore while carrying out their evil little schemes were missing. Obviously, no-one was here at the moment, but they had been very shortly ago. A fresh pot of...whatever...was still bubbling in the corner of on room, globs of the green gook spilling down the sides. As for Ezra, he was gone as well, to who knew where. There had to be a clue here, some gesture as to where they had gone off to. A few empty jars, some Deadly Nightshade, a book, but not much to go by. Most everything else was still covered in layers of dust. That book, he noticed, actually looked quite familiar. He picked it up, careful not to lose the page it had been opened to. It was titled 'Beginners Spells for the Wicked at Heart', a book that he recalled owning. Sure enough, in the top left hand corner on the reverse side of the front cover read 'Property of Jack Skellington'.He looked at the spell it had been opened to, probably whatever was in the pot. It described how to created a formula that would turn any holiday creature human, and then the horrible realization hit him. They planned on turning Ezra mortal, then shoving him off to be with his own kind! It was, he had to admit, an ingenious idea, but he would soon stop them. No-one had ever outsmarted him so easily in the past, and nobody ever would, if he could help it.
"Alright," she said. "Let's get this over with."
Barrel looked concerned about their decision. "Is this really necessary?" he asked. "I mean, can't we just sell him or something?"
"No. We want him gone, no part of our lives. You remember what'll happen if he stays, right?"
Barrel sighed. "Yes, I do. Could you just hurry up and get it over with?" Lock held up Ezra while Shock took the infants arm.
"Good-bye, twerp," she muttered. "Sorry it had to end like this, but it's for the better." She held the needle to his bone, ready to drill it in. "One...two......."
"WAIT!" Jack burst in on them, ruining their fun. "I won't let you do this! He did nothing to you!"
Shock stood up, glaring at him. The look in her eyes, Jack had never seen it there in the past, even when she had been one of Oogie Boogie's henchmen. Never before in her life had she hated him as much as she did then, not once had she despised him with the degree she did now. She held the needle in her hand, holding it in front of her as if getting ready to stab him with it.
"Why is it that you always have to come along and save the day, just as we're getting to the good part?" she demanded. "You never let me have any fun."
"Shock, put down the needle. You don't want to hurt anyone."
"No? I could have sworn that I really felt like cracking every one of your bones."
He shook his head. "Whatever possessed you three to do such a rotten thing as try to turn Ezra into a human?"
Lock and Barrel shrugged. "We just followed what she said..." replied the former.
"Which was?"
Barrel spoke now. "She told us that you were going to get rid of us because you had Ezra now, and we'd have nowhere to go. So we believed her, it was good enough for us."
"Don't you get it, Shock? I told you once before, no-one could ever replace you." She didn't put down the needle. "I love you."
Her hand began to waver. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes, and I always have. Now please, just hand over Ezra so we can go home. Sally and I, we've been worried sick about you, you know." Slowly, ever so slowly, Lock handed the child to Jack, who hugged it tightly. "Put down the needle, Shock. If anything ever happened to either one of you..."
At that point, the girl broke down, throwing the syringe aside and running into Jack's outstretched arm. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble, for being so horrible, and for giving you so much grief! I'm sorry for not believing you the first time, and for almost doing what I did!"
He smiled to himself. "No apologies needed, Shock. I've already forgiven you."
She continued to sob, trying to dry her tears. "Jack?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Lock and Barrel weren't really understanding any of this mushy stuff, so they just shrugged. "Hey," Lock began. "Since it would only ruin the mood of this heart-warming scene, I guess we won't be getting punished, huh?"
Jack let Shock go, shaking his head. "No way are the three of you getting off that easily. I already have the perfect punishment in mind for you."
Barrel cringed. "I'm afraid to ask."
The Pumpkin King just grinned devilishly."You will all clean Town Hall top to bottom, including the walls and the ceiling, until they shine like new..."
"Hey, it's better then I thought we'd get," Lock said to his brother, trying to sound optomistic.
"Using toothbrushes," Jack finished.
Barrel clenched his fists. "Shock, remind me to kill you when we get home."
"Better yet," exclaimed the other boy, "Let's do it now!" The both chased her down the path leading to Halloweentown, leaving Jack and Ezra behind. After this, he knew, they'd wouldn't think of pulling off such a stunt for a loooong time.
