In a town like this one, nightmares are not uncommon. However, I have had many things happen to me that are far enough worthy of a nightmare.
And the same day that I was found, the same night where I first slept, I indeed had a nightmare.
There was no one in the room except myself when I fell asleep. Benjamin had rose up from his bed and was wandering around. I knew that Emma would return him to his place of sleep sooner or later, so I drifted off to sleep.
Hours passes since I’d fallen asleep.
In the conscious reality, Benjamin had retuned to his bed, but was kept awake be a strange noise.
Due to his trouble sleeping, he went to get help from who ever was in the lab at the time.
Emma, since she does not require sleep as Benjamin or I do, was still awake and was summoned by Benjamin to see to the strange noise.
When Emma came in the room, she heard a voice repeating a name.
‘Father…’ It whispered.
And then.
‘Father!!!’ I awoke with a scream.
Emma rushed to me as I gasped for breath.
‘Annie, it’s alright.’ She reassured me.
As I continued to gasp, I began to cry.
Emma sat on the bed with me and tried to hug me better.
‘It’s alright, Annie. You’re safe.’
‘My father.’ I sobbed.
‘I know, you’ve told me before. Is that what you dreamed about?’
I answered with a nod.
I cried hysterically and uncontrollably.
My nightmare was my story. My life in its bleak last days.
I did not sleep for the rest of the night and was out of my bed early the next morning.
At least I did not wake up to a prison cell or the brig of a navy vessel. I awoke to the enchanting Town of Halloween.
I smiled as I stepped out side and was met by the Mayor, whom had come to inform me that Jack needed me at the town hall.
‘I wish I knew what you and Jack are planning for this year’s Halloween. This is the first time where I don’t know what exactly’s going to happen on Halloween.’ The Mayor chatted as he led me to the town hall. ‘Anyway, we have the giant canvas that you both needed.’ the Mayor informed as he opened the door to the hall.
‘Giant canvas? How giant may I ask?’
My question was answered when the opening of the door revealed a solid white rectangle that covered the stage curtains.
Some of the citizens were on ladders fixing it into place. Lines of rope tied from the ceiling joined to the canvas at the other ends.
Yet again, I was taken back by another sight seen in this intriguing town.
‘Perfect timing!’ Called a voice from the other end of the room.
‘Your majesty!’ I called back as sighted the king of Halloween Town.
‘Please, Annie. Call me “Jack”.
I ran to my newest friend.
‘I apologize again, sire.’ I bowed.
The great Jack Skellington just smiled and shook his head.
‘Anyway, how about that?’ Jack questioned, referring to the giant canvas.
‘I am stunned, sire.’ I replied.
‘Do you think it will do?’
‘Of course. Unquestionably.’ I gazed at the white rectangular structure that stood before me.
‘I thank you, sire. Only my father would ever have done something like this for me.’
And then, in the midst of my glee, I felt a sorrow in my heart.
‘Annie? Whatever’s wrong?’ Jack noticed the expression of sadness upon my face.
I wiped a tear from my eye.
‘I apologize for my distraction, sire.’ I shook my head and tried to brighten up again. ‘This is a master piece already, sire. When should I begin my drawing?’
‘That depends. Who long would it take you to draw something on paper that size?’
‘I would approximate a week, sire.’
Jack pondered upon the information he had been informed.
‘Mayor.’ He called over to the Mayor of this fine town.
Jack continued as the Mayor rushed over.
‘I need this hall close and off limits to the town from the twenty-fourth until the thirty-first. That’s the week before Halloween.’
‘Jack, what exactly are you planning?’ The Mayor asked.
‘If you know what’s going to happen, it won’t scare you, will it? The same goes for everyone else. But don’t worry, Mayor. I assure you this is one of the best ideas we’ve ever had. It’s just one of the many new things that’s going to make this year’s Halloween special…’
I listened to his majesty’s conversation with the Mayor.
Chattering about this “Halloween” subject again made me daydream about how wonderful this place really is.
And how different it is to my past world.
My life in my past world was happy and bliss, until one day, one day when the lives of both myself and my father would be changed and ultimately destroyed, forever.
That’s what my nightmares were about.
The moment when my life changed, and what had always been soon disappeared and burned to dust.
My second night in Halloween town, I went to bed without staying up drawing and so I slept early. However, little did I know that I had another nightmare to encounter.
The same agonizing pain in my heart was awoken yet again.
And as I laid asleep, my murmuring was heard by someone who had come to see if I was still awake.
Emma heard my muttering of the name “father” again, and knew I was having another nightmare.
She knew she had to wake me.
Emma lightly shook my by the shoulders, attempting to wake me up.
‘Annie.’ She whispered. ‘Annie, can you hear me?’
‘Father?’ I spoke softly. ‘Emma.’ I spoke again, my mind now in the conscious reality.
‘You were having a bad dream again, weren’t you?’ Emma stated.
‘Oh, Emma.’ I began to sob. ‘Is this going to keep happening to me? It is the second night in a row. What if it happens again?’
‘Then I’m gonna stay awake and make sure you don’t have any more nightmares.’
‘How can you be certain of that?’ I tried to stop crying.
‘If I see that you’re uncomfortable or hear you saying father again, then I’ll wake you up.’
‘But, you can’t stay awake forever. If you stay awake tonight, tomorrow night you will have to rest.’
‘Then I’ll get someone else to watch you. But for now you’ve go to go to sleep. You’ve go a big week coming up.’
That made me smile.
‘And “his majesty” will want you to do your finest work for Halloween. You can’t do you finest whilst dozy.’
‘Alright, Emma. I’ll try and sleep.’ I sighed as I laid back in my bed and watched Emma sit down the other end of the bed.
I drifted of to sleep again, however having Emma by my side didn’t make my dreams any less unpleasant.
I woke up three more times through out the night.
The more Emma had to wake me up, the more worried she became.
The next morning, after I couldn’t get back to sleep since I last awoke, Emma asked the Doctor for advice.
‘What do you mean “It can’t be helped”? Surely there must be something you can do to stop someone having nightmares.” Emma argued.
‘I wish I could help, Emma. I’m sorry I can’t, but as long as Annie is in this world she will continue to have nightmares. I’ve never known anyone sleep without one.’
‘Benjamin doesn’t have nightmares.’
‘I’ll bet he does. However, without a sense of danger he’s got nothing to be afraid of.’
‘So there’s nothing you can do?! If you only knew what she was dreaming about you’d be REAL sorry!’
Emma stormed out of the lab.
‘That girl.’ The Doctor shook his head. ‘Nightmares aren’t that bad, anyway.’
Emma ran out into the town in search of someone.
She requested directions from the first person she saw.
‘Mr Hyde’ Emma called.
‘Emma?’
‘Mr Hyde, do you know where Jack is? I need to tell him something important, it’s about Annie.’
‘Last time I saw him, he was in the town hall with the Mayor.’
Another man from under his had then spoke.
‘What are they planning in there anyway?’
And another man under his hat.
‘Is it for Halloween?’
‘You’ll find out soon enough.’ Emma informed as she ran off to the town hall.
Gasping for breath as she ran. Emma had only one idea that might stop Annie’s nightmare.
‘Jack!’ Emma called as she came to the door of the town hall. ‘Jack!’
‘Emma?’
Emma gasped and panted as she leaned against the wall to momentarily rest.
‘Emma, how far have you ran? You look like you’re about to faint.’
‘I’ve been without sleep for a night, I’m on low power and I barely have enough power to run.’
Emma sat down at the end of one of the row of seats.
‘What brings you here like this then?’ Jack asked.
‘It’s about Annie.’
Upon hearing that Emma had come about me, Jack dismissed the Mayor while he enquired about me.
‘Is everything alright? There isn’t a problem with our Halloween plans is there?’
‘No. But it’s a problem I think only you and Annie can solve together.’
And so, Emma began elucidating to Jack about my nightmares and that I needed away to stop them.
I was actually hard for her to explain how bad these nightmares were without telling my story. Nightmares in Halloween Town are apparently so common, they are normal and are seen as a good thing.
But I obviously wasn’t use to this, and besides, my nightmares were not scary, they were painful. If Jack knew what my nightmares were about, perhaps Jack might understand.
But Emma couldn’t tell Jack my story, our stories are privet and we only tell who we trust. Emma was not going to tell Jack, if he wanted to know what my nightmares were about, he would have to ask me in person.
