The three friends sat at a small patio outside of a treat shop. Molly and Mum drank pumpkin smoothes, while Spook sadly sigh.
"I'm sorry again. I really thought The King wouldn't be looking in the area. He just came out of nowhere! Judging by the goggles on his head, he really did came from Christmas Town."
"Spook, we all make mistakes. I make stupid mistakes all the time!"
"Like the time you use your magic to fix your teeth."
"Don't rub that in!" She pout a little. Spook couldn't help but chuckled a bit.
Suddenly, loud speakers has been turned on.
"Town meeting, Town meeting tonight!" The friends starred at each other, sweating a little.
"A town meeting so suddenly?! I hope it isn't about the rumor on me letting the bats out in the human world in the burning sunlight! I didn't do it!" Mum panic!
"No, you mummy head! The meeting is most likely to be about The King's 'latest discovery.'"
"Oh, that's sounds exciting! I wonder what it is?!" Spook slap his forehead and rolled his eyes.
Molly wasn't paying attention to them. She was trying to think of an idea in mind.
"What are you thinking about?" Spook asked her.
"I know what we should do next! Mum, I need you to go and attend the meeting."
"But, aren't you going too?"
"Me and Spook have something else to do."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll explain later. Meet me by the fountain 15 minutes before, Spook. I must go and prepare." And she left, leaving the boys to wondered.
Night had fallen once more, as Spook waited for his friend. She shown up just in time.
"So, what is this big 'plan' of yours?"
"We're going back stage, where Jack has setted up the decorations and presents. He is distracted by the mayor at the moment so, we can quickly sneak in. But, we must hurry!" In the back stage, Spook's eyes widen, as he saw the stage deck out with Christmas decorations and goods. A bright winter backdrop hanged in the background.
"So, this is what a snowy Christmas look likes!"
"You never see any of this before?"
"It never snow in the place I lived back when I was alive."
"Yeah. Though Holiday stealing is wrong, at least his heart is in the right place. I can see his big compassion about this. Sadly, a bit clueless too."
"You can't blame him, being around Halloween all the time." He really needs someone to understand him. Molly sigh.
"Okay, Spook. Here is our plan. You see that lone present on that wooden stool?" They went up to it. "We are going to hide in the corner over there. You'll keep me invisible while I use the floatation charm on the present. To make it seems haunted. Now, I want you to drink this." She took out a small tube from her bag and gave it to him. The liquid was purple. "It's the voice throw potion."
"Let me guess, you want me to throw my vocal at something like, I don't know, a box?"
"You certainly figure that out." Spook smiled.
"I also added another affect. It'll temporarily make your voice deeper, adding the weight to the haunted factor. When Jack picks up the present, I'll use the spell and you throw your voice. We're going to scare him by making him put everything back."
"That's a little ironic for a king of scares. But, I'll play along with it. What lines shall I say?" She got out a piece of paper.
"I worte down all the lines on this paper. Read it in order. You gotta sound terrifying!"
"I'm a ghost, can't be hard at all!"
"The meeting is going to to start soon! Lets hide!" Spook gulp down the potion and follow Molly to stage left. He placed one hand on her shoulder and turned them invisible.
After a while of mumble from the audience, they heard Jack's voice behind the certains.
"Listen, everyone! I want to tell you about Christmas Town!" He said, joyfully. Here we go! Molly thought. Listening to him explaining his trip, the curtain rose up, as they saw him facing the crowd, Mum sat at the front. "This is a thing call a pre-" he held it up. Molly quietly called 'Floatation', pointed her wand at the box, as it floated out of Jack's hands He gasps but, the audiences had a bigger reaction.
"The colorful box is haunted!" Called out a ghoul.
"Will it explode?!" Questions another.
"Now, now! This is not what it looks like!" He tried to calm them down. Spook spoke his lines.
"Who dares to awoken my slumber?!" Jack faced the box.
"What is this?!"
"I am the haunted Christmas present! Now, what's the meaning of this nonsense?!"
"I'm sorry to awake you. I had a fantastic time in your land! I had to show all my friends here about my wonderful experience!"
"Did you ask permission if you can use our properties?!"
"Well-"
"Just what I thought! You should be a shame of yourself! You must take everything back and forget, or I will place a horrible curse on your friends!" The citizens starts to mumble more. Jack had a good look at the crowd, only then to take out a small object from his coat pocket and just starred at it.
"Spook, what is looking at?!" Molly whispered.
"I don't know!" Although, it does ooks like the same object he had when I bumped into him.
He put the object away, and sigh.
"I'm terriblly sorry, Mr. Haunted Christmas Box Sir. How rude of me to awaken you. I shall take my leave and pack up." He exit, stage right. The citizens looked puzzled.
"Spook, we did it! He felt for it!" Spook's voice returned to normal and gave back the paper.
"Don't you think it's strange it was a bit too easy?" He felt concerned.
"You could be right. Lets leave the present afloat for a little longer." Suddenly, she felt something, her face twitched.
"Molly, what's the matter?!"
"Spook, something is tickling me!"
"I can't see anything, since we're invisible."
"Maybe a spider crawled on me!" She couldn't steady her wand, as the present flew around it a circle. The audience gaze with awws.
"Nothing can touch us while we're in this state."
"Maybe a ghost spider?" She tried to hold her laugher in.
"Don't laugh, Molly! We can't blow our cover!"
"I'm sorry, Spook! Too ticklish. AHH!" She broke from Spook, becoming visible! She laughed her heart out, as the present slam to the ground. The crowd gasps! She calmed down, as Spook held her up. She stood on her own.
"Molly, what happened?"
"I'm fine now, Spook look!" In front of them, a pair of skeletal hands! They crawl behind them to return to their master, their handsome skeletal master, with a disappointed face!
"The King! What do we do?!"
"RUN!!!!!" They ran (or at least Spook case, floated fast) across the stage, knocking down Christmas decorations and exit, stage right!
"Was that my friends?" Mum wondered. They quickly got out as fast as they could. Back at the fountain, She tried to caught her breath, as she place her left hand on the fountain's edge.
"Is he behind us?!" She panted.
"No, we're in the clear!" She sigh and sat on the edge.
"How did he find out our trick?!"
"He probably notice that we weren't in the crowd. Maybe he also found where the sound of my voice was coming from."
"Of course, he is an expert of tricks! Now, what do we do?!"
"I guess we'll wait until the meeting is over and hear back from Mum."
And so, they waited in slience. Some time later.
"I was wondering where you guys were!" Mum came to them. "Why were you running around the stage? You totally miss this! There was a floating haunted box and sounded scary!" Spook bop Mum's head.
"That was us! We created that to scare The King!"
"Well, you guys suck at it!" Spook bop Mum's head again!
"What happen afterwards?" Molly asked.
"Well, he went back to the meeting. He shown us a not haunted box, a big red sock and the best of all, he described this powerful being called,"
"MUM! We know! The book!"
"But, Spook! The way he shown us was deeply scary and awsome!"
"Sometimes I wonded where your brain goes!"
"Hey, I just having fun!"
"Boys, lets not argue! We need to work together! Lets take a break! We'll go to the hangout and I'll make pumpkin salad for us all!" But when she reach in her bag, she gasps!
"My wand! It's gone! I must had dropped it while I fell down laughing! It might be still back there!"
"Wait, The King could still be there! What if he see you?!"
"Then be it! He's my guardian, I'll get caught either ways! It's a responsibility I have to take!" She took off.
"Such a brave little witch." Spook agreed.
She returns back to the same spot and crawl down to the floor, searching for her wand. Where could it be?! Oh, if only I had a light! An orange glow appeared next to her. Yeah, like that! Wait! She looked up and founded Zero starring at her! She gasps and got up!
"Zero! Whats brings you here?!" She felt nervous. A voice gently called her name. she turned and gulped.
"Um, hi! I'm just looking for something."
"Like this?" He held it out.
"My wand! How could I lose such a thing!" She tried to claim it but, he held it up high.
'"Not so fast, my dear!" He said in a firm voice.
"Why were you and your ghostly friend trying to play a trick on the meeting? I had also heard from the Mayor that it was you and your friends leading the citizens to the arg museum. I hope you'll be truthful to me." I can't tell him everything. At the same time, I don't want him to check for lies. I have to make it sound conventing enough.
"Well, the Mayor shown up at the manor this morning and panic because you left without telling him. He gather a search party to look for you. I just wanted to calm them down. As for the meeting, I thought you stole festive things from the human world! So, me and Spook tried to make you take them back. I'm sorry!" Jack chucked, and kneel next to her.
"Molly, it was very thoughtful of you to calm them down. And since your prank wasn't meant to be harmful, I forgive you." He gave her back her wand. She puts it away. "However, I didn't steal anything. I simply borrowed them for this town to see."
"Where did you get all of this from?" She played along. Jack picked her up and carried her to an empty stool. He sat down, placing her on his lap. Zero flew around the stage, bringing an orange glow where he goes.
"My dear, when I left your side to see the crowd, I felt a sudden emptyness in me! I had adore many of their praises in the past but, it's always the same. Year after year You can take a break from Halloween by just stepping in your room. As the Pumpkin King, I have to face it everyday." She felt a bit sad. "I'm glad that my short adsent didn't worry you. For you see, me and Zero were wondering in the dark woods, that same one you were not suppose to enter. But, I wonder it through." What cause him to originaly forget?
"Then, as the morning sun rose up, I had discover a truly fantastic sight! These trees that lined up in a circle had strange patterns on them. There was one that caught my eyes the most! It was share like that!" He pointed his boney finger at the lone Christmas tree in the corner. "There was a knob too! And it opened, like an actual door! At first, nothing! Suddenly, a magical wind carried me inside! The next thing I knew, I was on a white snowy hill! Down below was a town filled with small children, warm houses, wonderful toys, sweets were everywhere! No one was dead!" He wave one arm. "And it all reminded me of you!" He gently tap her nose, making her blush.
"Tell me, Molly. Have you seen anything like it?!"
"Well, I have seen snow once a year. Our baby-sitters had helped us decoration our house. Me and my brother would get presents on Christmas day!" She made it simple for him to understand.
"Wonder where it all comes from?! A place called Christmas Town has it all!" Zero gave Jack something. "And it looks like this!" He gave her a small snowglobe, with a snowman and a Christmas tree inside. She held it with both hands. "I thought that if I can enjoy it, maybe my friends too! Sadly, all they call about if the present contains pox, rats, bats or locks. and if the socking has a dead foot inside!" He made a depressing face, accidentally squeezing Molly for a few seconds. I guess we didn't help either.
"I finally got them excited when I told them about Christmas town's mysterious leader, Sandy Claws!"
"Sandy Claws?"
"Yes, Molly! He is the mastermind of the Holiday! Bringing presents to children around the world!"
"Of course I knew that! But, I never saw him in person."
"Have you wonder about the mystery of the Holiday? What makes it so magical? The rest of the town may don't get that special kind of feeling in Christmas land, But I know you understand."
Alot more than you.
"Perhaps we can discover the true meaning of Christmas together!" Jack placed his hand under hers and shook the snowglobe, Watching snow fall down. So near yet, so far.
