Nightmare Before Christmas Read Online Free
Author: Daphne Skinner
into a huge fight. Shock grabbed Lock's throat. Barrel pounded Shock on the head.
Jack, normally a patient fellow, found his pahence with the trio running out. So he did something he usually saved for the darkest hour of Halloween night. He rattled his bones at them. It was a fearsome sound, and it worked. The trio stopped fighting.
In the silence, Jack turned to the Easter Bunny, whose pink nose was twitching in terror. "I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, sir," he said. "If you'll kindly step back into this sack, my friends will escort you home."
The Easter Bunny didn't need another word of encouragement. He bounded straight back into the sack. As Lock, Shock, and Barrel carried him away, Jack shouted after them, "Take him home first! Aplogize again! And be careful with Sandy Claws when you fetch him! Treat him nicely!"
Jack watched the three trick-or-treaters leave and took a deep breath. Being a mastermind was not easy.
But it did have its rewards, as he discovered the next day. The
moment he saw the Halloweeners preparing Christmas in the town square, Jack's heart began to sing. Everything he saw, from the Evil
Scientist working hard on his skeleton reindeer to Sally stitching
away on a magnificent red Sandy Claws suit, was like a wonderful
dream come true. He skipped through the town square, so happy that
his bony feet barely touched the floor.
There was so much to admire! At one table, a team of vampires strung tiny skull-shaped lights; at another, a group of witches made baby voodoo dolls; and at a third, Halloweenland's hardest-working werewolves toiled away at a magnificent goblin-in-the-box. Jack fairly hummed with joy. This was going to be the most amazing Christmas ever!
Santa Claus thought so, too. Far off in Christmastown, while his elves assembled beautiful toys and baked mouth-watering cookies, cakes and pies, Santa sat in his snow-covered cottage, making his list and checking it twice.
What he read made him shake his head in astonishment. "Nice . . . nice . . . naughty . . . nice . . . nice . . . nice. Amazing!" he murmured. "There are hardly any naughty children this year." His ruddy face beamed. This is going to be a Christmas to remember, he thought happily.
At that moment his doorbell rang. "Now, who could that be?" mused Santa. Reluctantly setting his list down, he lifted himself out of his armchair and walked to the door.
When he opened it, he saw three strange little children smiling up at him. Why were they dressed like a witch, a devil, and a ghoul? Why were they carrying that huge sack? And what, Santa wondered, before everything suddenly went black, did they mean by "trick or treat?"
C H A P T E R · E I G H T
"You don't look like yourself, Jack, not at all," said Sally the Rag Doll. She and Jack were in the town square, she was helping him on with his new red coat. Sally didn't like much about this strange Christmas holiday, and she didn't like the red coat, either, even though she had sewn it herself. Jack looked so much better, she thought, in the elegant black suit he usually wore.
But Jack was ecstatic. "Isn't this wonderful? It couldn't be more wonderful!" he exclaimed as he buttoned up the coat.
"But you're the Pumpkin King," said Sally, wishing Jack would come to his senses.
He didn't even hear her. As far as he was concerned, he was a million miles from Halloween. Tonight was Christmas Eve, and he was ready for it!
His wonderful coffin-shaped sleigh was loaded with gifts made by the Halloween folk. He was wearing a magnificent Sandy Claws costume, and soon--any minute now! he would be taking off on the adventure of his dreams.
Jack looked at himself in a mirror. Something, he realized, was missing. What was it? He had the coat, the boots, even the big white beard.
Just then he heard his name being called--by Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
"Jack! Jack! We bagged him!" they shrieked, scuttling into the square. They were dragging a huge sack.
"This time we really did
Jack, normally a patient fellow, found his pahence with the trio running out. So he did something he usually saved for the darkest hour of Halloween night. He rattled his bones at them. It was a fearsome sound, and it worked. The trio stopped fighting.
In the silence, Jack turned to the Easter Bunny, whose pink nose was twitching in terror. "I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, sir," he said. "If you'll kindly step back into this sack, my friends will escort you home."
The Easter Bunny didn't need another word of encouragement. He bounded straight back into the sack. As Lock, Shock, and Barrel carried him away, Jack shouted after them, "Take him home first! Aplogize again! And be careful with Sandy Claws when you fetch him! Treat him nicely!"
Jack watched the three trick-or-treaters leave and took a deep breath. Being a mastermind was not easy.
But it did have its rewards, as he discovered the next day. The
moment he saw the Halloweeners preparing Christmas in the town square, Jack's heart began to sing. Everything he saw, from the Evil
Scientist working hard on his skeleton reindeer to Sally stitching
away on a magnificent red Sandy Claws suit, was like a wonderful
dream come true. He skipped through the town square, so happy that
his bony feet barely touched the floor.
There was so much to admire! At one table, a team of vampires strung tiny skull-shaped lights; at another, a group of witches made baby voodoo dolls; and at a third, Halloweenland's hardest-working werewolves toiled away at a magnificent goblin-in-the-box. Jack fairly hummed with joy. This was going to be the most amazing Christmas ever!
Santa Claus thought so, too. Far off in Christmastown, while his elves assembled beautiful toys and baked mouth-watering cookies, cakes and pies, Santa sat in his snow-covered cottage, making his list and checking it twice.
What he read made him shake his head in astonishment. "Nice . . . nice . . . naughty . . . nice . . . nice . . . nice. Amazing!" he murmured. "There are hardly any naughty children this year." His ruddy face beamed. This is going to be a Christmas to remember, he thought happily.
At that moment his doorbell rang. "Now, who could that be?" mused Santa. Reluctantly setting his list down, he lifted himself out of his armchair and walked to the door.
When he opened it, he saw three strange little children smiling up at him. Why were they dressed like a witch, a devil, and a ghoul? Why were they carrying that huge sack? And what, Santa wondered, before everything suddenly went black, did they mean by "trick or treat?"
C H A P T E R · E I G H T
"You don't look like yourself, Jack, not at all," said Sally the Rag Doll. She and Jack were in the town square, she was helping him on with his new red coat. Sally didn't like much about this strange Christmas holiday, and she didn't like the red coat, either, even though she had sewn it herself. Jack looked so much better, she thought, in the elegant black suit he usually wore.
But Jack was ecstatic. "Isn't this wonderful? It couldn't be more wonderful!" he exclaimed as he buttoned up the coat.
"But you're the Pumpkin King," said Sally, wishing Jack would come to his senses.
He didn't even hear her. As far as he was concerned, he was a million miles from Halloween. Tonight was Christmas Eve, and he was ready for it!
His wonderful coffin-shaped sleigh was loaded with gifts made by the Halloween folk. He was wearing a magnificent Sandy Claws costume, and soon--any minute now! he would be taking off on the adventure of his dreams.
Jack looked at himself in a mirror. Something, he realized, was missing. What was it? He had the coat, the boots, even the big white beard.
Just then he heard his name being called--by Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
"Jack! Jack! We bagged him!" they shrieked, scuttling into the square. They were dragging a huge sack.
"This time we really did
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