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Chapter Six
For hours, the townspeople have been arguing and discussing the events that took place that morning at Spiral Hill. Town Hall was literally packed with ghouls and ghosts and other Halloween misfits. They were deeply concerned with their wellbeing of their Pumpkin King and what to do about this new threat on the town. The townsfolk had blurted out different ideas and strategies, only to have them contradicted or challenged. After much debating, they hadn't gotten much farther than when they started. Still sporting his worried face, the Mayor pounded the gavel on the podium as he tried to silence the crowd of their shouts and arguments.
"Order, everyone!" he cried. "Please! We must have order! We've been here for hours and so far we haven't come up with one possible solution to our problem. The sooner we work together and think of something, the sooner we can put our plan into action..."
"I say we put a hex on him," cried Zeldabron.
"Nah, mobs work better," said the clown. "Let's just get a bunch of torches and pitchforks and go after the creep!"
"Send the ghosts after him!" cried one voice.
"Place a voodoo curse on him!" cried another.
"Give him a bunny!"
Silence fell over the crowd as they all turned to Behemoth who had made the suggestion. The dull giant shrugged. "A big bunny?"
The Mayor groaned as he removed his top hat and patted his forehead with a stained handkerchief. "This is hopeless! We're never going to think of how to deal with the Bone Collector."
"You don't have to."
Everyone turned to see none other than Jack Skellington standing in the doorway with Sally, Zero, and Wicca at his side. The Pumpkin King looked fatigued as he sulked down the aisle, carrying the sickle chain in hand. He approached the podium and presented the weapon to the Mayor, who was as dumbfounded as the audience.
"Jack..." said the Mayor in awe. "Is that..."
"Yes, Mayor," said Jack as he placed the chain on the stage. "The sickle chain of the Bone Collector. He won't be bothering anyone for a very long time..."
"You mean he's gone? You defeated him?"
Jack glanced over at Sally. "I had to."
The mood quickly changed in the meeting room as the crowd burst into applause. People were leaving their seats to shake hands with Jack or pat him on the back, congratulating him. Jack, however, ignored the adulation. They didn't know what he saw in the woods. They didn't know how he had been betrayed and used for years without him knowing it. They would never understand.
Jack put up his hands up and shouted over the cheers "Everyone! Everyone please, calm down! There's something I want to say first..."
The townspeople quickly took their seats, anxiously waiting for their leader to speak. Sally took a seat in the front row as Wicca leapt on her lap and Zero floated by her feet. Jack took his place at the podium and looked over at the crowd, their eyes brimming with pride at their beloved Pumpkin King. They obviously were expecting him to give a great speech on how he heroically defeated the Bone Collector and saved the town. Jack took a deep breath and spoke.
"As you all know, the Skellington lineage has, for years, served Halloween as its leader and protector. My father and my father's father and so on have never failed to bring fresh screams into the world. When the title of Pumpkin King was passed on to me, I tried do my best to carry on that tradition. Never have I turned away from a challenge or adversary when the town needed me. But this morning, when I faced the dreaded Bone Collector...I failed as both a Skellington and a Pumpkin King.
"It's a secret I've kept hidden ever since I was a boy. I have always been afraid of the Bone Collector and, even though he's gone, I still have that fear lingering inside me. And for that, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making a mockery of my birthright. I know this will change how you see me and there's nothing I can do to stop that. But I promise you that I will continue serving this holiday as horrifying as ever, even if I do get...scared."
Just as Jack was about to step down, the mayor stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. "Jack, you think we're disappointed in you?"
"Well, aren't you?" asked Jack. "I got scared. Pumpkin Kings aren't supposed to be scared!"
A few laughs filtered out in the room, but they were laughs of levity, not scorn. Even the Mayor put his happy face back on. "Come now, Jack! Do you really think we're that close minded? Of course we're not upset with you! And we don't blame you for being afraid of that horrible Bone Collector."
"Yeah! Take it from one who knows!" cried Mo as the other hanged men nodded in agreement.
"Besides," the Mayor continued. "It's not like your the only one who has a fear in this town."
"Like me!" said the clown as he rose on his unicycle. "This is gonna sound nuts, but I hate anything cute and fuzzy. Kittens, puppies, baby birds, you name it!"
"I don't like open spaces," said the monster from under the stairs.
"Barbers creep me out," said the werewolf.
"We hate sunlight," said one of the vampire brothers.
"And garlic," said another brother.
"Stakes," said the third.
"Holy water," said the smallest vampire.
"And I'm terrified of anyone neutral during an election," added the Mayor. "So you see, Jack? We all have our phobias and fears, so it's only natural that you'd have one as well. This morning, we weren't ashamed of you, just concerned. When we saw you were scared to go after the Bone Collector, we all banded together to think of a way to stop him. All the years you've helped us, Jack...well, it was time to return the favor. You'll always be our Pumpkin King, Jack. No Bone Collector or boogie man or anything else can take that away from us."
Stunned with emotion, Jack looked over the crowd as they burst into applause. For years, he'd heard their cheering and worship; this time, it meant so much more.
* * *
The moon shone brightly over the Spiral Hill as Sally walked among the tombstones. She glanced over to see Wicca and Zero playing hide and go shriek. Ever since their adventure in the Hinterlands, the two had become quite good friends. Looking towards Spiral Hill, she saw Jack lying on his back, watching the stars sparkling over head. Before the town hall meeting, Jack hadn't said a word on their journey back to town. It was like he was in a daze, awakening from the nightmare of his childhood.
"Jack," she asked softly as she climbed the hill. "Are you all right?"
Jack sat up and smiled. "Yes. A little better now that you're here." Jack moved over slightly to give Sally some room to join him. For awhile, the two sat in silence, looking up at the sky above, contemplating the events the horrible day.
"I saw Mr. Hyde talking to you after the meeting," said Sally.
"Yes," said Jack. "He wanted the details of the battle to record in the history books. I just told him that I fought the Bone Collector and then he fell into the gorge."
"I take it he asked about the Bone Collector's identity?"
Jack looked down at his hands sadly. "Yes...I told him I didn't find out."
"Why didn't you tell him it was Grim all along?"
Jack sighed heavily. He stood and walked to the edge of the hill, overlooking the Hinterlands. "It just didn't seem right. Poor Grim lost his mind due to the town criticizing him. Why make it worse? I still can't help but feel responsible, though. He was my friend...."
Sally walked up to Jack and took his bony hands. "Jack...I don't know if this is harder to say or harder to hear. Honestly, I don't think Grim ever saw you as a friend, even when you were children. His jealously towards you becoming the next Pumpkin King kept him from seeing what a good friend you really were. He created his own misery, not you."
"You're right, of course," Jack admitted. "I still wish I had noticed before it was too late to do anything about it. And now he's gone..."
Sally's heart ached as she wrapped her arms around Jack's body, hugging him tightly. He had gone through so much that day, mentally and physically, and even though he was finally free of the Bone Collector's wrath, the pain on his heart would always remain.
"Jack," said Sally, pulling away from the hug, "is there anything I can do?"
Jack just smiled and pushed back a few strains of Sally's hair. "Just promise me you'll always be there."
Sally returned the smile as she held Jack closer. "Would you really have given up being Pumpkin King for me?"
Jack leaned over and kissed Sally. When their lips parted, Jack simply said "I think that answers your question."
* * *
Silence. Nothing but silence filled the air as the Hinterlands was swallowed up by the night. Aside from a small raven that pecked the ground near the edge of the gorge, not a sound could be heard. The small bird continued scratching at the dusty soil, looking for any bugs that could satisfy its nightly craving.
Clink.
Clink.
The raven stopped its pecking as it heard a strange sound coming from the gorge. Poking its feathery head over the edge, it looked deep into the darkness to find the source. A curved blade attached to a long chain shot upwards like a bullet, scaring the poor bird out of its wits. Forgetting its hunger, the raven flew off towards the treetops, perching on a branch to see the skeleton pull himself out of the gorge.
Panting hard, Grim pulled the sickle chain out of the tree stump and gathered up the chain. Grim looked over the wide gorge, seeing the Hinterlands on the other side. As he desperately scaled the cliff, he had climbed up the wrong side to get out. But there were other ways of getting to Halloween Town.
He almost had it. A few hours ago, Jack was in his grasp and the title of Pumpkin King was practically his. Why had he waited so long to finish Jack off? He wouldn't let that happen next time. He would think of another plan to get rid of Jack, cast his revenge on the townspeople, and become Pumpkin King once and for all. And the rag doll. Yes, she would be his, too. He would make sure of that. A fitting trophy for a fitting king.
"Next time, Jack," growled Grim as he pulled his hood up, covering the cracks on his injured skull. "It's going to be next time..."
Grim walked away from the gorge, chuckling madly. What Jack thought to be true all those years ago was indeed correct: Grim had been destroyed by the Bone Collector over twenty years ago.
THE END
Chapter:
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