OOM: The Triplets are back home!
Barrel steps out the door first. Although, really, it's more like he's taken off running. I'm Hoooooooome! Lock goes next. He steps through the door, unsure if the place on the other side of the door is really where it looks like it is. Shock pushes him forward, also stepping through the portal back into Halloween Town.
We're home!
They see the Pumpkin Patch, they hear the familiar sounds of moaning and wailing. They see the Curled Mountain. The Curling Mountain.
JACK!
"JACK JACK JACK!!! WE'RE BACK! WE'RE BACK! WE'RE BACK!"
The King of the Pumpkin Patch hears the small cries from a ways off and turns toward them. He can't see the small creatures, only hear their faint echos.
Until he catches movement in the corner of his eye socket.
Two shapes falling from the window of The Tricksters' Tree House.
"Shock? Lock? Barrel? Are you alright?" Jack runs fast, and his long legs carry him quickly to the Tree House. He bellows again, down into the cavern under the Tree. "Lock, Shock, Barrel? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Those three had caused him many a skull ache, but they were only children.
A chorus of echos. "We're alright! We have something to tell you!"
"So you say there are things there, human and not? Hrm."
Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, was listening intently as the three nestlings relayed their story about where they had been the last few weeks. His brain aroused, he contemplated how to get to this, Milliways, without having Sally notice his absense.
"Bernard is like, their King! And Van Helsing kills bad demons and things. But he doesn't know you. Can you believe it? He deals with demons and he doesn't know you! Doesn't know Jack, that's a laugh, I bet he didn't know Oogey Boogey." The Three break up into hysterical laughter, splashing their snake and spider stew all over their floor.
Jack's eye socket arched.
"So they already have a leader."
"Oh, yes, and he's a lot like you. I bet, if you tried to do what you did with Christmas Town, he'd, like, blow you up or something." Barrel licked the last bit of spider guts out of his bowl and sat back, content.
Jack sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin with his long bony fingers.
"Yes, yes, you're right. No sense in that. And anyway, I'm too busy with Halloween preparations. In fact, I've been looking for you three. I must have my trick or treaters help me test out the tricks!
"Ok Jack!"
"Meet me at the west end of the Patch tonight. Do NOT be late."
Three heads nod in unison.
A little while later, the three are preparing to meet Jack.
"I'm glad we're back."
"Me too!"
"Me too!"
"But-"
"But?"
"But!"
"I wish we could have taken someone here."
"Like who?"
"Yeah..."
"Like, Ingress. I think she would have had fun!"
"You're kidding, right? She's a little kid."
"Yeah, Ingress is a little girl kid! She likes pink and frilly things and living ponies. BLECH!"
"Oh, and Ed's such a better choice!"
"Well, yeah! She's weird like us! She's not normal like your friend. She's different."
"I'll say."
"Oh SHUT UP YOU TWO! NEITHER OF THEM WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE IT HERE AND YOU BOTH KNOW THAT!"
Shock and Barrel stare at Lock gap-mouthed. Their shock quickly turns to anger though, and within seconds they are all on the floor tumbling around clawing at eachother.
"YOU'RE STUPID! NO, YOU'RE STUPID. YOUR FRIEND'S STUPID! NO, YOUR FRIEND IS STUPID."
Jack's bellow can be heard from millions of miles away. It rings in the ears of the Triplets.
"Owowowowow!"
"You three need to mind me!"
"Sorry Jack. We'll do better."
"You three- I should just tell you to go home and do this myself."
"No! Please Jack, let us stay! We promise we'll be good!"
Jack turns his back to them, arms crossed. He knows withholding tricks and treats usually works.
"Pleeeeeeeeease Jack, we WILL be good!"
Jack turns back and arches a socket.
"You won't disobey me again?"
Two heads nod in unison, a third shakes.
"Excuse me?!"
Three heads looks at each other sideways, and the little witch smacks both her brothers with her ax. They shake their heads.
Jack snorts.
"Fine, let's get this done then, shall we?"
"What are we doing anyway?"
"Ah, dear Barrel, tonight, the moon is not quite full. Perfect for tricking the eyes with. So, we're going to use a little bit of Boogey magic to get some phantasms in the curve, to be released Halloween."
The Triplets cackle violently. Just what they wanted to do, release phantasms.
To release a phantasm, one must find a phantasm first. Phantasms usually hide in dark corners. So, into dark corners the Triplets tread.
"COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!" Barrel mistakes a black cat for a phantasm and pounces on it. It in turn, lashes out at his eyes. He flings the kitty over his shoulder into the trash can behind him.
"Oh, this isn't any fun, the phantasms don't wanna come out and play!"
"No one wants to play with you three brats!"
"Yeah, I thought we were finally rid of you!" The Mummy's Child and the Son of Cyclops are certainly out late tonight.
"What are you two doing out so late? Hey Wraps, does your daddy know you're out after your bed time?"
"Shut it!"
"You shut it!" Lock waves his spear menacingly.
"Oh, forget you!" The pair walk away, trying hard not to show their obvious fear.
The Triplets snicker loudly.
"I can't believe we just got to threaten someone!"
"It's been too long since we've had these in our hands!" Shock lovingly hugs her ax.
"We have to bring them back somehow."
"Back? Back where?"
"Milliways."
"What? NO. I don't wanna go back."
"We have to."
"WHY?!?!"
"Cause. You don't want Van Helsing thinking he's got better weapons than us, do you?"
"And Bill owes us candy! We have to trick his brothers into giving us all their candy."
"Oh, you two are just stupid, you know that? Going back is stupid. Milliways is stupid."
"Fine, me and Barrel will just go without you then."
"What, no, we never go anywhere without eachother."
"Yes we do, we go to lessons separately."
"SHUT UP BARREL!"
"You do want to go back, don't you! You DO YOU DO YOU DO!"
"FINE. I WANNA GO BACK. HAPPY NOW!?"
"I will be when we go back. At least, for one last time. Then we'll come back and tell everyone how we made all those people die of fright! We'll be heros! In fact, maybe..."
"You'll be the next Kings and Queen of Halloween Town?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
We're home!
They see the Pumpkin Patch, they hear the familiar sounds of moaning and wailing. They see the Curled Mountain. The Curling Mountain.
JACK!
"JACK JACK JACK!!! WE'RE BACK! WE'RE BACK! WE'RE BACK!"
The King of the Pumpkin Patch hears the small cries from a ways off and turns toward them. He can't see the small creatures, only hear their faint echos.
Until he catches movement in the corner of his eye socket.
Two shapes falling from the window of The Tricksters' Tree House.
"Shock? Lock? Barrel? Are you alright?" Jack runs fast, and his long legs carry him quickly to the Tree House. He bellows again, down into the cavern under the Tree. "Lock, Shock, Barrel? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Those three had caused him many a skull ache, but they were only children.
A chorus of echos. "We're alright! We have something to tell you!"
"So you say there are things there, human and not? Hrm."
Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, was listening intently as the three nestlings relayed their story about where they had been the last few weeks. His brain aroused, he contemplated how to get to this, Milliways, without having Sally notice his absense.
"Bernard is like, their King! And Van Helsing kills bad demons and things. But he doesn't know you. Can you believe it? He deals with demons and he doesn't know you! Doesn't know Jack, that's a laugh, I bet he didn't know Oogey Boogey." The Three break up into hysterical laughter, splashing their snake and spider stew all over their floor.
Jack's eye socket arched.
"So they already have a leader."
"Oh, yes, and he's a lot like you. I bet, if you tried to do what you did with Christmas Town, he'd, like, blow you up or something." Barrel licked the last bit of spider guts out of his bowl and sat back, content.
Jack sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin with his long bony fingers.
"Yes, yes, you're right. No sense in that. And anyway, I'm too busy with Halloween preparations. In fact, I've been looking for you three. I must have my trick or treaters help me test out the tricks!
"Ok Jack!"
"Meet me at the west end of the Patch tonight. Do NOT be late."
Three heads nod in unison.
A little while later, the three are preparing to meet Jack.
"I'm glad we're back."
"Me too!"
"Me too!"
"But-"
"But?"
"But!"
"I wish we could have taken someone here."
"Like who?"
"Yeah..."
"Like, Ingress. I think she would have had fun!"
"You're kidding, right? She's a little kid."
"Yeah, Ingress is a little girl kid! She likes pink and frilly things and living ponies. BLECH!"
"Oh, and Ed's such a better choice!"
"Well, yeah! She's weird like us! She's not normal like your friend. She's different."
"I'll say."
"Oh SHUT UP YOU TWO! NEITHER OF THEM WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE IT HERE AND YOU BOTH KNOW THAT!"
Shock and Barrel stare at Lock gap-mouthed. Their shock quickly turns to anger though, and within seconds they are all on the floor tumbling around clawing at eachother.
"YOU'RE STUPID! NO, YOU'RE STUPID. YOUR FRIEND'S STUPID! NO, YOUR FRIEND IS STUPID."
Jack's bellow can be heard from millions of miles away. It rings in the ears of the Triplets.
"Owowowowow!"
"You three need to mind me!"
"Sorry Jack. We'll do better."
"You three- I should just tell you to go home and do this myself."
"No! Please Jack, let us stay! We promise we'll be good!"
Jack turns his back to them, arms crossed. He knows withholding tricks and treats usually works.
"Pleeeeeeeeease Jack, we WILL be good!"
Jack turns back and arches a socket.
"You won't disobey me again?"
Two heads nod in unison, a third shakes.
"Excuse me?!"
Three heads looks at each other sideways, and the little witch smacks both her brothers with her ax. They shake their heads.
Jack snorts.
"Fine, let's get this done then, shall we?"
"What are we doing anyway?"
"Ah, dear Barrel, tonight, the moon is not quite full. Perfect for tricking the eyes with. So, we're going to use a little bit of Boogey magic to get some phantasms in the curve, to be released Halloween."
The Triplets cackle violently. Just what they wanted to do, release phantasms.
To release a phantasm, one must find a phantasm first. Phantasms usually hide in dark corners. So, into dark corners the Triplets tread.
"COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!" Barrel mistakes a black cat for a phantasm and pounces on it. It in turn, lashes out at his eyes. He flings the kitty over his shoulder into the trash can behind him.
"Oh, this isn't any fun, the phantasms don't wanna come out and play!"
"No one wants to play with you three brats!"
"Yeah, I thought we were finally rid of you!" The Mummy's Child and the Son of Cyclops are certainly out late tonight.
"What are you two doing out so late? Hey Wraps, does your daddy know you're out after your bed time?"
"Shut it!"
"You shut it!" Lock waves his spear menacingly.
"Oh, forget you!" The pair walk away, trying hard not to show their obvious fear.
The Triplets snicker loudly.
"I can't believe we just got to threaten someone!"
"It's been too long since we've had these in our hands!" Shock lovingly hugs her ax.
"We have to bring them back somehow."
"Back? Back where?"
"Milliways."
"What? NO. I don't wanna go back."
"We have to."
"WHY?!?!"
"Cause. You don't want Van Helsing thinking he's got better weapons than us, do you?"
"And Bill owes us candy! We have to trick his brothers into giving us all their candy."
"Oh, you two are just stupid, you know that? Going back is stupid. Milliways is stupid."
"Fine, me and Barrel will just go without you then."
"What, no, we never go anywhere without eachother."
"Yes we do, we go to lessons separately."
"SHUT UP BARREL!"
"You do want to go back, don't you! You DO YOU DO YOU DO!"
"FINE. I WANNA GO BACK. HAPPY NOW!?"
"I will be when we go back. At least, for one last time. Then we'll come back and tell everyone how we made all those people die of fright! We'll be heros! In fact, maybe..."
"You'll be the next Kings and Queen of Halloween Town?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"