Nightmare Before Christmas Read Online Free Page B
Author: Daphne Skinner
the Crowd. "My friends," he announced happily, "Christmas is saved! Zero is going to lead my sleigh through the fog!"
As the crowd whistled and cheered, Zero took his place at the head of the reindeer, his nose shining like a beacon. Jack leapt aboard and cracked his whip.
"We're off!" he cried. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" The sleigh rose into the air to wild applause. Only one note of worry sounded in the crowd, and it was so soft and so sad that not a single creature heard it.
"Good-bye, Jack," whispered Sally. "Oh, how I hope my premonition is wrong!"
C H A P T E R · N I N E
As Sally wandered away from the town square, her heart heavy with dread, and as Jack sailed through the skies laughing with joy, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were having a brief, but very interesting, discussion about their prisoner, Santa Claus.
"So, where are we taking him?" asked Barrel.
"To Oogie Boogie, of course," said Lock and Shock.
"Of course!" said Barrel with a nervous giggle. "Oogie will like that."
Santa didn't know who Oogie Boogie was. But he did know that Christmas was in grave danger. Why wouldn't these three terrible little children let him go?
"Haven't you ever heard of peace on earth and goodwill to men?" he asked from inside the sack, struggling to get free.
"No!" cried the trio gleefully. They tightened their grip. This was so much fun!
Jack was having fun as well. He was spreading Christmas cheer throughout the world. Or so he thought. On his first stop, the little boy in the house where he crash-landed had stared at him in silence when he came slithering down the chimney. But when Jack handed the boy a present--one of his very own special shrunken heads--the cries of joy from the little fellow were very loud. Very loud, indeed.
Jack had no idea that he had just given an innocent child the most bloodcurdling shock of his young life. And those sounds he heard as he drove off in his sleigh? They were far from cries of joy. They were shrieks of horror.
As Jack continued on his rounds, delivering dozens of creepy, dark, and gloomy Christmas presents, he heard many shrieks. There were shrieks for the wreath with long arms. Shrieks for the toy grave digger's kit. Shrieks for the miniature electric chair. There were bloodcurdling screams for the eyeball marbles and the slug farms.
Jack was pleased to hear them. But, of course, he didn't know any better. When people screamed, "These presents are horrible!" he thought he was hearing shouts of delight.
So on and on he went, merrily delivering his dreadful gifts, unaware of the havoc he was creating. Time after time he mistook
shouts of anger and disgust for cries of gratitude and answered them with a cheerful "Merry Christmas!" He never heard the doors slamming, the locks clicking, or the frantic telephone calls to the police. As far as Jack was concerned, everyone was having a wonderful time.
He didn't know it, but down below, Jack was considered a criminal. And like a criminal, he was being hunted down--with very powerful guns.
But when Jack first saw the bright searchlights and heard the explosions of gunfire, he was actually pleased.
"Look, Zero!" he cried. "They're celebrating! They're thanking us for doing such a good job!"
Then gunfire nearly struck one of the reindeer. And it began to dawn on Jack that something was very, very wrong....
C H A P T E R . T E N
Long before Jack began to worry, Sally the Rag Doll knew that something was wrong. She had seen the explosions in the sky, and the witchvine was abuzz with grim reports that Jack's trip was in trouble.
Something told Sally that if anyone could help, it was Santa. But where was he? At best, he'd be with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. At Worst... he'd be with Oogie Boogie. Sally shuddered from head to toe. What a frightening thought!
But something told her it was so. Sally knew what Lock, Shock, and Barrel were like. And she knew there was only one place those nasty little trick-or-treaters would take their captive--to the
As the crowd whistled and cheered, Zero took his place at the head of the reindeer, his nose shining like a beacon. Jack leapt aboard and cracked his whip.
"We're off!" he cried. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" The sleigh rose into the air to wild applause. Only one note of worry sounded in the crowd, and it was so soft and so sad that not a single creature heard it.
"Good-bye, Jack," whispered Sally. "Oh, how I hope my premonition is wrong!"
C H A P T E R · N I N E
As Sally wandered away from the town square, her heart heavy with dread, and as Jack sailed through the skies laughing with joy, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were having a brief, but very interesting, discussion about their prisoner, Santa Claus.
"So, where are we taking him?" asked Barrel.
"To Oogie Boogie, of course," said Lock and Shock.
"Of course!" said Barrel with a nervous giggle. "Oogie will like that."
Santa didn't know who Oogie Boogie was. But he did know that Christmas was in grave danger. Why wouldn't these three terrible little children let him go?
"Haven't you ever heard of peace on earth and goodwill to men?" he asked from inside the sack, struggling to get free.
"No!" cried the trio gleefully. They tightened their grip. This was so much fun!
Jack was having fun as well. He was spreading Christmas cheer throughout the world. Or so he thought. On his first stop, the little boy in the house where he crash-landed had stared at him in silence when he came slithering down the chimney. But when Jack handed the boy a present--one of his very own special shrunken heads--the cries of joy from the little fellow were very loud. Very loud, indeed.
Jack had no idea that he had just given an innocent child the most bloodcurdling shock of his young life. And those sounds he heard as he drove off in his sleigh? They were far from cries of joy. They were shrieks of horror.
As Jack continued on his rounds, delivering dozens of creepy, dark, and gloomy Christmas presents, he heard many shrieks. There were shrieks for the wreath with long arms. Shrieks for the toy grave digger's kit. Shrieks for the miniature electric chair. There were bloodcurdling screams for the eyeball marbles and the slug farms.
Jack was pleased to hear them. But, of course, he didn't know any better. When people screamed, "These presents are horrible!" he thought he was hearing shouts of delight.
So on and on he went, merrily delivering his dreadful gifts, unaware of the havoc he was creating. Time after time he mistook
shouts of anger and disgust for cries of gratitude and answered them with a cheerful "Merry Christmas!" He never heard the doors slamming, the locks clicking, or the frantic telephone calls to the police. As far as Jack was concerned, everyone was having a wonderful time.
He didn't know it, but down below, Jack was considered a criminal. And like a criminal, he was being hunted down--with very powerful guns.
But when Jack first saw the bright searchlights and heard the explosions of gunfire, he was actually pleased.
"Look, Zero!" he cried. "They're celebrating! They're thanking us for doing such a good job!"
Then gunfire nearly struck one of the reindeer. And it began to dawn on Jack that something was very, very wrong....
C H A P T E R . T E N
Long before Jack began to worry, Sally the Rag Doll knew that something was wrong. She had seen the explosions in the sky, and the witchvine was abuzz with grim reports that Jack's trip was in trouble.
Something told Sally that if anyone could help, it was Santa. But where was he? At best, he'd be with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. At Worst... he'd be with Oogie Boogie. Sally shuddered from head to toe. What a frightening thought!
But something told her it was so. Sally knew what Lock, Shock, and Barrel were like. And she knew there was only one place those nasty little trick-or-treaters would take their captive--to the
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