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“…You know how I said you three would be in so much trouble?” Jack asked Lock, Shock, and Barrel, an angry twitch forming on his face. “Scratch that. NOW you’ll be in so much trouble that it’ll take you so long to finish the punishment that you won’t even know when it began!”
“Jack…let’s go. Before you explode. Or get the Mayor to start crying with your ranting.” Chama said, sounding strangely calm, as she grabbed onto Jack’s arm, and pulled him towards the cage elevator. “Whichever comes first.”
“But…but…” Jack muttered out, as the elevator went down. As soon as it got to the bottom, Jack crossly looked at Chama. “Why did you do that? I was about to punish them then and there! They brought back Oogie AND turned the Mayor into a baby! Why did you just leave them?”
“Do you remember in third grade? That whole prank war that the entire class got into?”
“…You mean the one that Oogie won? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Trust me. When you’ve been duct taped upside down to Oakley for an hour, and have to stare at the butt of one of his hanging men, you know what that sack is capable of.” Chama pointed out. “Now, come on. Sally’s waiting for us.”
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“There you guys are! I was wondering where you were, and--what is that…?”
“Long story. Just let us in, and we’ll tell you.” Jack said, sounding tired.
“Meeting, coffee, this.” Chama added, pointing at the Mayor, who was now fully awake, and outstretching his arms for Sally to hold him. When she got him, she looked him over, and blinked in shock.
“Is…this the Mayor…?”
“…Yes…” Jack said, slumping down into a chair. “Blame Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They stole one of Chama’s potions…and this happened.
“Brought Oogie Boogie back and turned him into a kid, too.” Chama added.
“Someone has to lock those kids up someday.” Sally said, as she noticed the off-white spot on Jack’s suit jacket. “…Jack, what is that mark?”
“It’s oatmeal.”
“I thought you ate before you went to the meeting.” Chama pointed out.
“…I never said it was my oatmeal, and I never said this happened during breakfast…”
“You mean...the Mayor…he did that to you…?” Sally asked, trying to hold in laughter.
“It’s not funny!” Jack indignantly said. “I think I ran too fast to get to Chama’s hut in the first place.”
“Right. Sorry.” Sally apologized. “So, what did you need the cloth for?”
“Well, we can’t have a baby in the house wearing a business suit.” Chama said. “I was thinking we could make a makeshift diaper for him.”
“All right.” Sally said, and then stood in silence as she realized something. “…Does anyone know how to put on a diaper on someone?”
“…No…” Jack said, realizing the same thing.”
“Me neither.” Chama admitted, but had a spark of hope in her eyes. “But I think I know someone who might.”
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“Pumpkin latte? Who ordered this? Come on! Somebody take this before I drink it!”
Hex hated her job. She was supposed to be a creature that hides under the bed, not someone working at Scarebucks at the mall! The hours seemed to go forever, and the pay was meant for a teenager. But, on the plus side, it got her out of the haunted house, and she got to drink any coffee that no one wanted. Thankfully, it was almost time for her break, and it looked like no one was claiming their drink.
“Last call for this, or--okay, it was yours. Fine, then. Come again.”
Well, that was one drink that she wasn’t going to enjoy over her break. But, in one minute, she’d get to chill at the mall for an hour. As she counted down the seconds, Jack, Sally, and Chama walked in.
“Hey, guys!” She called, waving them over. “I’d serve you if I could, but my break’s about to start.”
“Perfect.” Chama said. “We need your help.”
“Now when you say ‘help’, what are we talking about?” Hex asked. “Are we talking ‘this-will-pass’ help or ‘we’re-all-gonna-die-aren’t-we’ help?”
“I’d place it right in the middle of that.” Jack said.
“…Come in the back.” Hex said, opening the door to go behind the counter, and letting them in the employee area.”
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“So back up. Lock, Shock, and Barrel turned the Mayor into a baby, and resurrected Oogie Boogie, then turned him into a kid?!”
“That’s pretty much the gist of it.” Chama said.
“…And you need my help…why?”
“You still baby-sit your little cousin sometimes, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“So, you know how to put a diaper on, right?”
“…You so owe me big time for this. Just let me tell you one thing: we are NEVER speaking of this again.”
“Agreed.” Jack, Sally, and Chama said at the same time. Hex took the piece of cloth and safety pin that Sally had, and also grabbed a napkin from storage. She took off her apron, and laid it on the floor, then ushered Chama to give the Mayor to her.
“This feels so weird.” Hex muttered to herself, as she put the Mayor down onto the apron, and pulled the already-almost off clothing off of him. Trying not to look at him (and avoid getting kicked or peed on), Hex managed to put on a semi-decent diaper on him.
“This’ll do until tonight.” Chama said, picking up the Mayor, as Sally took the clothing. “How can we ever thank you, Hex?”
“One. NEVER mention this. Two…give me half off on a potion.”
“Twenty-five percent off.”
“Fine. Twenty-five. Now, go on. I’m still on break.”
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“So…you want to go out sometime?”
“Aren’t we already out?”
“No, I mean OUT out.”
Boris and Rosie were still on their errand. So far, they had easily managed to locate the Deadly Nightshade, and were now midway in the Hinterlands, trying to find the mistletoe. Boris was a little distracted by Rosie, and wished he could tell her that.
“And when you say “out out”, you mean like a date?” Rosie squeaked.
“Yeah! So how ‘bout it?” Boris eagerly squeaked back.
“Mmm…I don’t know. Rosie contemplated. “I mean, its tough being the Mayor’s necktie. He chastised me so badly when I hid in his megaphone last year. Plus, there are plenty of other arachnids I might want to go with.”
“…You don’t mean Archie, do you?”
“…Maybe…”
“Why would you want to go out with him?! All he does is hang out on Westly’s head all day, and that’s it! I mean, a fashionable black widow like you should go with a handsome tarantula like me!”
“I don’t even think I want to start a relationship.” Rosie squeaked, as she climbed up the Christmas Town tree, and plucked some mistletoe off, tossing it into the bag that Boris held onto. “If I get serious with someone, I might just end up killing them.”
“…Let’s stay friends for a little while…”
“Good idea.”
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“So…now what?”
“Now we play the waiting game.”
Jack, Sally, Chama, and the Mayor were now back at Chama’s hut, waiting for the two arachnids to come back from their errand. The three adults were tiredly sprawled on chairs, while the Mayor happily sat on the floor, looking for anything interesting to play with or stick in his mouth. The pumpkin sun was setting in the sky, and the clock now seemed to take forever to move just a minute. When it seemed like an eternity had passed, two shapes scurried through the pet door on Chama’s door. The squeaking of the door alerted the three of them, as Chama quickly scurried over to them to get the bag of ingredients.
“Thanks, you two!” She said, petting the two of them on their heads. “This is just what we’ll need!”
She then looked towards the others, and smiled.
“You guys.” She said. “It’s time.”
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