The Nightmare before Christmas

Introduction

Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story that you are about to be told, took place in the holiday worlds of old. Now, you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun. So follow me through the pumpkin door and past the scarecrow to Halloween town.

'Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?' some ghosts asked, 'Come with us and you will see this, our town of Halloween. This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Pumpkins scream in the dead of night. This is Halloween, everybody make a scene. Trick or treat 'til the neighbors gonna die of fright. It's our town, everybody scream in this town of Halloween.'

We enter a house with only a bed in the room but there's something underneath.

'I am the one hiding under your bed. Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red!' It says as we go downstairs

'I am the one hiding under your stairs. Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair,' the monster said coming out from the darkness

Downstairs to the living room now, 'This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!'

Vampires appeared from the decor and made their way out of the house.

'In this town, we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song,' the vampires said flying off

'In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise,' the mayor, Piro said

'Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can. Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll...'

'Scream!' Someone popped out of a trash can

'This is Halloween,' a werewolf burst out the wall

'Red 'n' black,'

'And slimy green,' a slimy creature said

'Aren't you scared?' the werewolf asked

'Well, that's just fine,' two witches said, 'Say it once, say it twice, take a chance and roll the dice. Ride with the moon in the dead of night.'

'Everybody scream, everybody scream,' the hanging tree said walking over

'In our town of Halloween!' the hangmen said

'I am the clown with the tear-away face,' the clown took off his face, 'Here in a flash and gone without a trace.'

We meet Hector, a skeleton who was created by the mad scientist, Gaster. But that's not what we're here for. Hector combed his hair as the monsters continued to sing.

'I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?" I am the wind blowing through your hair.'

'I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright,' Pitch said as a shadow in the moon

His shadow turned into bats as he disappeared.

'This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!'

Two children appeared from a guillotine, 'Tender lumplings everywhere. Life's no fun without a good scare.'

'That's our job,' one of the kids' dad said

'But we're not mean,' the mum said

'In our town of Halloween,' the parents said

'In this town, don't we love it now? Everyone's waiting for the next surprise,' Piro said clearing the way for the scarecrow.

'Maddie McWilliams might catch you in the back and scream like a banshee, make you jump out of your skin. This is Halloween, everybody scream!'

The scarecrow came to life and took a torch from someone

'Won't you please make way for a very special gal? Our woman Maddie is Queen of the Pumpkin patch. Everyone hail to the Skeleton Queen now,' the scarecrow set itself on fire and danced on the house it arrived on, 'This is Halloween, this is Halloween. Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!'

The scarecrow jumped into a fountain and the fire was put out. Everyone gathered around.

'In this town, we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song,' the kids said

Out of the fountain came Maddie, the queen of Halloween Town. Her skin was red and her eyes were red like her mother, Piro and she had horns. But she doesn't always look like that. She normally has tan skin and brown eyes and no horns. She just looks the way she does for Halloween and when she's trying to scare people. Everyone clapped and cheered for Maddie as Halloween ended for the year. Everyone loved it. Maddie did plan it all. She believed it was their most horrible yet and thanked everyone for making it possible.

Of course, Piro said it was all Maddie's doing. Everyone started to compliment Maddie for her performance this year while Hector watched from the sidelines. He has a big crush on Maddie but neither had said anything to each other. Besides, Hector isn't even allowed out of Gaster's laboratory. He thinks he isn't ready for the excitement of Halloween but he is. Speaking of Gaster, he came to Hector to take him back there. He had poisoned him to put him to sleep for a few hours. He does this often when he wants to sneak off.

But he didn't want to go back just yet. Gaster just dragged him back until Hector undid the cracks on his arm so he could runoff. It worked and the arm that was left with Gaster attacked him. Meanwhile, Maddie was trying to escape all the townspeople giving her compliments. Piro distracted them with awards that were earned during the month of October. Maddie escaped and made her way to the graveyard, her skin turning pale again. She passed by some band players and tipped them.

"Nice work, Bone Mommy," One of the players said.

"Yeah, I guess so. Just like last year and the year before that and the year before that," Maddie said walking off

Truth be told, Maddie is bored of the same routine every year. It never ends either. Every year, the day Halloween is over, Maddie is asked to look over plans for next year when she has 365 days to think about it. She has no breaks. Piro convinced her that she needs to plan the next Halloween a year in advance and she's tired of it. Maddie went into the graveyard where Hector was hiding and stuffing his arm with leaves. He heard the gate open and hid behind a gravestone. Maddie walked in deep in thought. While on her way to the Curley hill, she called for her dog, Max. As she walked to the hill, she spoke her mind.

'There are few who deny at what I do I am the best for my talents are renowned far and wide. When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night, I excel without ever even trying. With the slightest little effort of my demon like charms, I have seen grown men give out a shriek. With a wave of my hand and a well-placed moan, I have swept the very bravest off their feet! Yet year after year, it's the same routine and I grow so weary of the sound of screams and I Maddie, the Skeleton Queen, have grown so tired of the same old thing.'

She walked up the hill with Max following behind, 'Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones an emptiness began to grow. There's something out there far from my home. A longing that I've never known. I'm the master of fright and a demon of light and I'll scare you right out of your pants. To a guy in Kentucky, I am Mrs unlucky and I'm known throughout England and America.'

'And since I am magic, I can multiply my head,' Maddie made a second head appear in her hand, 'To recite Shakespearean quotations,' she made it disappear, 'No animal nor man can scream like I can with the fury of my recitations. But who here would ever understand that the Skeleton Queen with the happy grin would tire of her crown? If they only understood, she'd give it all up if she only could.'

'Oh, there's an empty place in my bones that calls out for something unknown. The fame and praise come year after year does nothing for these empty tears.'

Maddie walked down the hill, into the forest with Max following behind. Hector heard everything and knew how Maddie felt. But she had left before he could say anything. He gathered some Deadly Nightshade from one of the graves and made his way home.