Jack 'O' Lantern

On Halloween night, do you feel it? The chill of fear holds secrets beyond the grave. Look into the jack 'o' lantern's carved eyes, for a story unrolls. Not Dracula, Frankenstein, nor the Werewolf, but the story of Jack, the pumpkin king.

It was a chilly fall in Jamestown. Children were outside jumping in piles of leaves. Mothers were inside log cabins, cooking a nice hot meal for their families. Fathers were chopping wood for the fires. It was in the afternoon. Two children sat at the edge of the dock, skipping stones across the water. One child with entrancing brown eyes and long, sleek black hair was the eldest. The other child with piecing green eyes, and long, sleek red hair was the youngest. They were both brothers. On Sunday mornings, the brothers would sneak out of church and play their games of "Knights". "Knights" was a game where they acted like high official knights. They would capture a squirrel, tie it up, placed it in a basket, and acted that it was the king. They would battle foxes and raccoons. Then, at last they would save their damsel-in-distress, Pox their neighbor's dog.

The youngest rubbed the flat stone with his right thumb. The eldest skipped his rock six long skips. "Ha! Beat that, Jack!" Jack the youngest, pulled his arm back as far back and tossed the rock hard.

One...Two...Three...Four...Five...Six...Seven! Jack looked at his brother, arms crossed. "Now how far can you go, Ivan?" Ivan the eldest looked around. He picked one rock and held it up between Jack's eyes. "The last one." Jack's eyes followed the rock as it bounced off the water. Seven skips. "We're tied." With no more rocks, the brothers sat there, staring out into the open sky. Jack broke the silence. "It's very quiet." Ivan turned his head to the village. "Council meeting. People who aren't in the council aren't allowed. The others are in the woods playing in leaves." Jack stood up. With balled fists, he put his fists on his hips. "I'm no kid. I'm a knight! I say we crash into the meeting!" Ivan copied his brother. "And I no child! I am a knight! But," he lowered his voice," we would get in trouble again! My arms still sting from the whip that was bestridden by the mayor himself from last time!" Jack crossed his arms, looking to the side. "Mother and Father wouldn't have allowed him to lay his hands on any of us." "How would we know what father and mother would have done? They're the ones who put us in the Mayor's care. But it's not their fault," Ivan put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Let's go back to the house."

Ivan and Jack walked back to the Mayor's house. There, they lay on their beds, staring up at the peeling ceiling. The Mayor's wife, who was obviously cooking, came into the room. She was sweet, and always comforted the boys. "Why are ye so glum? Shouldn't ye be playing with the other children?" The boys shook their heads. "Not in trouble, are ye?" They shook their heads again. "Well now I know something is wrong with ye. Not in trouble? Ha! Now come now, let us go eat a nice, hot dinner I made myself." Crawling out of bed, the boys made their way to the dinner table. A sip of her tea was always the trick. Shortly, the Mayor came back from the meeting. He dropped his coat in the closet floor. He joined the boys and his wife at the table. "Hard day. Good afternoon boys." "Afternoon." The boys said in a glum, but strict tone. "Meeting subject was taxes. Turns out the taxes are going to be lower." "That's wonderful dear." His wife passed the potatoes to him. "Awful quiet." The Mayor gestured toward Ivan and Jack. "They're just tired, is all." replied his wife. The Mayor's back stood straighter. "Well, this will knock them wide awake. I have observed how you boys play "Knights", that," The boys raised their eyes to meet the Mayor's gaze. "I have sent a letter to the knight's academy. And they have accepted Ivan into their academy." "That's great!" Jack congratulated Ivan with a clap on the back. Ivan didn't look happy. "But what about Jack?" The Mayor's smile slipped off. "Well, Jack is too young and they'll only take you Ivan." Jack didn't seem bothered by the news. The rest of dinnertime was in silence. The boys excused themselves from the table. Before they went off to bed again, the Mayor handed the letter of approval to Ivan. Jack shut the bedroom door and burst out," Amazing! You'll have to write to me what you do there! Cool!" Ivan sat on his bed solemnly. "But you're not coming." Jack's smile fell, but went right back up. "So? At least you'll go. I'll try and get in when I'm twenty. It's all right." Ivan dropped the letter and pressed his hands into his face. Jack looked around the room. Then he had an idea. He reached into his pocket and pulled out three red balls. Jack was very talented at juggling. He threw one up, followed by the other. He kept going, trying to cheer up Ivan. Ivan glanced at him, and that was it. Thinking quickly, Jack pulled out three more balls that were black. Ivan was beginning to cheer up. For the finale, Jack pulled out three more that were dark green. Ivan raised his head completely. Three by three, he put them back into his pocket while still juggling the others. When Jack put all of them completely away, Ivan clapped and cheered. Jack took a bow.

The next day was Sunday. The boys got dressed with fancy, uncomfortable clothes with their normal clothes under them. The Mayor, his wife, and the boys walked down to the town church. The Mayor and the adults went into the adult church room. The boys making sure everyone was inside ran into the tall cornfields. Making sure they were far enough, they took off their horrible church clothes. They sat on the floor of dirt. Ivan pulled the letter out of his shirt pocket. He opened it up. "When do you go to the academy?" asked Jack, looking at the opened letter. Ivan shook his head in disbelief. "Wednesday." Jack pulled out the corn cob and took a bite out of it. "At least we can spend time together before you leave." Ivan took down one too. "Yeah. We can play "Knights". And maybe you can finally teach me to juggle before I leave." Jack brought out one dark green ball. "You should start out with one." Ivan took the ball, and practiced. Jack took out the rest and juggled to let Ivan see how it is done. "Do you suppose you can visit when you're finished and graduated? Or even sooner?" "I hope so." The next few days, Ivan and Jack played "Knights" and Ivan finally mastered juggling. Then, Wednesday came. Jack did seem very gloomy that day. But he helped Ivan pack. Ivan wasn't a bit happy as Jack. A carriage waited to take Ivan to the academy. The Mayor was to escort Ivan in the carriage. Ivan climbed up the steps of the carriage, his trunk in his hands. Ivan stopped and turned toward Jack. Ivan held out something. Jack took the object. He looked at the object, and then looked up. "Father's necklace?" Ivan nodded. "I think you should have it. Promise to take care of it." "I will. And I will try to become a knight too and work on my tricks." Jack smiled. Ivan smiled back. "Try not to get beaten too much. Or they'll call you the village idiot." Jack laughed. Ivan walked in completely, the Mayor behind him. The Mayor shut the door, and the carriage rode off. The Mayor's wife put her hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack put his hand on his eye. Tears fell down. He tried to hold them back. Jack went back to his bedroom, face down on his pillow. The necklace clutched in his grasp.

"That boy still in bed?" The Mayor's wife nodded, putting the kettle in the fire to boil. "It's starting to make sad how he doesn't eat or sleep." The Mayor ran his fingers through his hair. "I should give that boy chores." At this, the Mayor's wife was outraged. "Could ye be that heartless? Can't ye see he is upset! Ye go straight to him and cheer him up!" The Mayor quickly replied. "Yes, Lisa." The Mayor's wife, Lisa, pointed toward Jack's bedroom. The Mayor sighed and walked toward the door. Before he opened the door, he turned around. Lisa still pointed toward the door and stomped her foot hard. The Mayor quickly opened the door. Jack was still face down. "Jack?" Jack's hand twitched. The Mayor took a seat on Ivan's bed. "You've been in this room for days. Anything wrong?" Jack shook his head, his face still down. "Can you show me your juggling?" Jack pulled out the balls, head still down. He threw them up in the air and they fell to the ground. The Mayor picked up a ball. "You know, there is a Trick's shop by the docks. Maybe you can find something there." Remembering his promise, Jack pulled himself up. He stood up, feeling a little dizzy. The Mayor reached into his pocket and brought out a pouch of money. He handed the pouch to Jack. Jack left out the front door. Lisa put her hands on her hips. The Mayor shrugged," He was happy to go."

Down by the dock, Jack stood outside the Tricks shop. He took a deep breath, and walked through the front door. The place was small and cramped. The objects on the shelves were pushed together. The clerk looked up. In his hands was some device. "Well, come in." Jack walked up to the clerk's desk. The clerk raised one eyebrow. "Yes?" Jack got right to the point. "I am looking for magic tricks." The clerk smiled. "Alright then, I have some new tricks just last week." He pulled out a magician's hat and a bag of tricks. He also pulled out a book. "This will help you master them." The book was thick. Counting up the price, Jack gave the clerk all his money. This changed Jack's life. After he had the packages in his hands, he went straight home. He read the guide book and preformed. He practiced everyday in the cornfield. From day to night he practiced. He would practice and read so much his arms and neck was sore. Years went by, and he made up tricks of his own. Like the whoopie cushion. Whenever he thought he got the trick right, he would test his tricks on unsuspecting people. His biggest target was the Mayor. Whenever the Mayor caught him, he'd say,"You're going to be in big trouble one day, and I won't be the one to save you!" While shaking his finger at him as he said so. Jack would only laugh and run off to do more tricks. The other children would only stay away from him, and they would become his victims.

Nearly eighteen years old, Jack thought he could prank everybody in town. In the bar, Jack sat next to a kid his age. Jack had an idea. Jack sat on the right of him and tapped him on the kid's left shoulder. As the kid looked to his left, Jack unscrewed the pepper shaker the kid was about to use for his eggs. The kid scratched his head, shrugged and picked up the pepper. He tipped the shaker, and the pepper spilled all over his over easy eggs. Jack smiled. "How unfortunate! Here, take mine." The kid smiled as Jack pushed his plate forward. "Thank you." The kid grabbed his fork and stuck it in the egg. He raised the egg into his mouth. His teeth met with the egg. He tried chewing and chewing, but it wouldn't break. He looked at Jack. "Hey! What the..?" Jack laughed and pointed at the egg. The kid looked at the egg. It was rubber. The kid pointed at Jack angrily. "You!" The kid's face grew red hot. Jack stopped laughing. "Hey, you're the one who put teeth marks on my rubber egg. I should be the one mad with your germs on it." The kid yelled,"And you're the one who unscrewed the pepper!" Jack leaned back on his chair, hands behind his head with a smile. "Yep." The kid stood up hastily. "You'll pay for this!" "It was just a joke, God, what do I have to do to get a laugh around here?" A hand gripped Jack's upper arm. Jack looked up. It was the British officer who always caught Jack, Mr. Adams. "Come on, Jack."

Mr. Adams led Jack to the Mayor's house. Jack made no attempt to resist. He was used to it. They reached the door. Mr. Adams knocked. Inside, the Mayor hesitated to open the door. He closed his eyes and opened the door. "What has he done now?" Mr. Adams pulled Jack up. "He unscrewed a shaker and offered rubber eggs." "It's not a crime." Jack pointed out. Mr. Adams looked at him. "No, but you offended that citizen." Jack shrugged. "I don't give a damn if I offended him." "Watch your mouth!" Said the Mayor, and pulled Jack inside. "Thank you Mr. Adams and I'll make sure he is punished." The Mayor shut the door and turned to Jack. "Jack, I have had it. Your tricks are annoying the townspeople and me. This is it. I am going to throw that stuff out!" Jack's smile fell. "You can't! That's my stuff. I bought it!" The mayor grabbed a cardboard box from the cupboard. "You should have thought of that before abusing your jokes to provoke problems!" He headed for Jack's room. Jack followed. The Mayor looked everywhere in the room and put Jack's tricks and devices in the box. Jack stood at the door. When he got all he could find, he stood in front of Jack. "I'm going to burn these so it can teach you a lesson." Jack grabbed the box surprisingly and rushed toward the front door. The Mayor snapped back into reality and ran after him. Jack wrenched open the door and ran outside. He would go to the only safe place he knew. The Mayor stopped at the door. He watched Jack run. Lisa came into the room. 'I heard someone yelling... Where is he going?! What have ye done now?!" The Mayor shook his head.

Jack knocked on the door of the Tricks shop. The clerk opened the door. "Jack! What are you...?" "No time! Can I stay or live here, John?" John the clerk looked out on the street and nodded. Jack stepped inside with the box. John helped him settle in the backroom. Jack told what happened to him as he pulled out an old mattress. "So can you hide me?" John nodded, "Of course, I always thought of you as a son when you kept coming into my shop." Jack smiled and sat on the squeaky mattress. John left to let Jack sleep. Jack put the box at his feet. He laid his back upon the mattress, the springs pressing hard against the surface. Everything was happening so fast, Jack found it hard to sleep.

The next day, Jack awoke with a feeling that his brain was pounding out of his skull. The clerk came in with a plate of salted meat. "Sorry, but this is all I have." Jack nodded. "Is there any way I can repay you? I could help you around the shop." John shrugged. "I guess if you wanted to." "And I can try to make more tricks for you to sell." "That'll be great, m'boy." Jack carefully placed the plate on the mattress. John smiled and went to attend his desk. Jack emptied the box at his feet onto the bed. He picked up his unfinished device and a hammer and began to fix it. Every time he paused, he took a bite of salted meat and pulled out his father's necklace and gazed at it. Tearing his eyes away, he went back to work. He was working on a hand buzzer. Inside, a small wind-up toy went very fast to give a shock. Jack attached the device to a watch strap to put on your hand. Jack put it on his hand; testing it he put a finger on the button. A great shock ran up his spine and he took his finger off. Jack pulled off his invention and walked up to John's desk to show him.

Suddenly, John's hand pushed him back behind the door. John put a finger on his lips. Jack nodded and kept quiet. John turned and locked the door. Jack put his ear to the door. He could not hear much, but he recognized Mr. Adams voice. Jack stepped back and felt as if the walls were closing around. Jack waited a few minutes until putting his ear back on the wooden door. He heard footsteps going farther and farther. Jack fell forward as the door opened. It was John. John came in and shut the door. "The Mayor was looking for you. The officers are on the lookout for you." Jack lowered his eyes. "Please don't make me go back. I hate him. Hating him, I will, for eternity." "I won't send you away. I am just saying you should be careful." Jack raised his eyes to meet John's gaze. John was smiling. "Now, what were you going to show me?" Jack lifted the device. "I call it the Buzzer. Just shake someone's hand and they will feel a big shock that will surprise them." Jack dropped the Buzzer into John's hands. John put his finger on the button and immediately let go. "And how much should the price be? Two shillings?" Jack nodded. He took out the instructions on how to make one and gave it to John. John opened the paper and scanned through it. "In all my years..." He closed it and looked at Jack. "You have surpassed me in pranking expertise. You are now a prankster prince." From then on, Jack helped John with bargaining. John hid Jack whenever Mr. Adams or any other officers that came in.

Three months later, Jack was dusting the old books that were never sold. His eyes traced upon the titles. Suddenly, his eyes stumbled upon an interesting book. It had no title. He pulled it out. Blowing dust off the cover, he opened it. Turning the pages, he examined symbols and the lettering of English. His eyes soaked in every word. Remembering what he had to do, he tucked the book with his left arm, and dusted with the other. Finished, he opened to the page he left off and glued his eyes to the words. It was a magic book. A real dark magic book. He walked to the backroom as he read on. There were spells, potions, and magic history. Everyday he would read it; he became more addicted to its scriptures. It would seem soon it would come in need sometime soon.

A few months later, John received a letter from his friend. After he read it, he shooed Jack away. He began acting very strange. He rarely asked Jack to do anything. He would look outside as if waiting for something. When the sun was in the middle of the sky, he called for Jack. He handed Jack a hooded cloak and gave him a pouch of shillings. "Go to the food market and buy two pounds of meat. Make sure they're salted." Jack nodded and twirled the cloak around him. He tucked the shillings in his pocket, and secretly put his book in his pocket. John waved, and Jack walked out of the door. It felt so weird being outside. The smell of rain about to fall filled the air. Jack felt dizzy and ill. But he pressed himself to go. He walked fast, his legs felt numb. He turned sharp at every corner. Jack walked into in the shop, then out with two pounds of meat in bags. Struggling to keep his hood on, he walked on with one bag in each arm. He stopped dead, seeing officers walk past him. Jack caught a glimpse of the prison wagon turning a corner. Poor soul, whoever it was. Jack shook his head, and went on. He made it to the Ticks shop. He stopped, and ran as fast as he could inside the ripped open door. The door's hinges were on the ground. Inside, Jack dropped the bags and fell to the floor. No one was there, not even John. Shelves were pushed to the floor with its merchandise. John's desk overturned. John would never make a joke out of this. A flashbacked to the prison wagon and the officers came into his mind. But what did he do? Jack helplessly picked up a magic trick instruction book. His hair covered his eyes. He pulled out his father's necklace. His fingers traced over the image of his mother that was on it. Carved from wood, and painted with special paint. The picture compared to the real thing. It began to rain.

Now twenty years old, Jack managed to fix the place. He made money here and there. He pranked a few people, trying to still be in hiding. He pranked the officers out of hate. But they never knew it was him. He never heard from John again. Today he went out to look around the town. In his head, there were so many people to prank. He went inside a bar. Jack sat by the counter. He ordered some whiskey to quench his thirst. "Jack?" Jack turned around and was smack faced with the Mayor. Jack smiled. "You're mistaken. I am the son of John; my name is unknown in these parts." The Mayor took a seat. "Funny, you look just like my adopted son. He ran away." Jack's eye twitched. "How very sad." The Mayor waved his hand at the bar tender, and received whiskey. "His brother Ivan is arriving very soon. Ivan is looking forward into seeing him." Jack focused his eyes on his glass. "I will be sure to keep an eye out for him." Jack dropped three coins on the table and left the bar. His head filled with joy. Ivan? Coming here? He has waited so long to see him. Suddenly, he bumped into someone. "Excuse me." Jack looked at the guy. It was the kid who he had pranked before with the rubber eggs. The guy recognized him up too. "You! I know you!" Jack outstretched his arms and gave a low bow. "Glad to see I'm well acquainted." "I told you that you would pay, Jack, is it?" "That's my name, don't wear it out." The guy reached out and pointed a finger at him, his finger between Jack's eyes. "I'm going to make your life hell." Jack slapped his hand away. "Yeah, that will happen. You were very gullible, just like now." Jack walked away, leaving the guy alone. The guy stood there, his hand turning into a fist.

The guy gathered a few guys who were pranked as well by Jack. All who were not amused. They all gathered in the pub at a private table. They were going to get back at Jack. One of them pilled out a present, explaining there was a trick inside. It was labeled from Jack. They were to give it to the Queen, who was visiting here. They all grinned with delight. That would teach Jack.

"Your Highness, a gift has been sent from a villager named Jack." The Queen smiled. "Well, bring it to me." The guard placed the package on the Queen's lap. In all her years, she was finally being rewarded, she thought. Her fingers touched the silver wrapping paper and looked at the note saying," From Jack." She paused, and then began ripping off the paper. The box was a baker box. Greedily, she lifted up the top. Inside was cherry pie, her favorite. About to lift it up, the pie flew up to her face. Spluttering, she looked through the jam to see a gloved hand with a spring. What she hated most of all was pranks. She was so red-faced that you could see steam coming out of her ears. She banged the bottom of her throne staff on the floor. "Guards! Find where this Jack lives and send my best knight to kill him for his insolence! And someone bring me a towel!"

"What do you mean he's gone? Gone where?" Ivan stood in front of the door, with the look of disappointment. Lisa pointed at the Mayor. "He scared him away! Jack ran away!" She lifted her apron to her eyes and began to weep. "The poor dear! Out on the streets! Cold and hungry!" She slapped the Mayor's face and cried again in her apron. The Mayor kept his eyes to the floor. Ivan didn't know what to say. Then a messenger came up to him with a note. "Orders from the Queen. Go to the Tricks shop and kill the one who owns it."

Jack sat on a chair in his shop. He hoped Ivan would be there at the Mayor's house tomorrow, to say hello. He looked outside his window. Nighttime on All Hallows Eve. A perfect night. He put his book in the drawer and began working on a new invention. He smiled to himself, feeling happy. Into the spirit of All Hallows Eve, he had brought home a pumpkin and carved two triangle eyes, one triangle nose, and pointy teeth. He put a candle inside. It sat on the desk where he worked. He worked on blueprints to his new invention. Almost finished, there was a loud bang behind him. "Halt!" A deep voice said. About to turn round, a sharp, deep pain in his back came and he fell on top of his desk. Unable to get up, Jack turned his head where the voice was. A knight hidden in his armor was on a horse and left. In shock, Jack looked at his back. An axe cut through his skin. Blood had scattered. He slumped down on the floor. Looking up, he saw his blueprints covered with blood and was unable to read. Tears fell from his eyes. A fear of death. The grim feeling of death approached. He wasn't going to die, he said to himself, not today. Clumsily, he opened the drawer and took out his book. Last week he found a page speaking of immortality. Scanning through it, he needed an object to help complete the transformation. Quickly, he grabbed the pumpkin. He fell down, his head on top of the pumpkin. Turning his head, he read the spell aloud, his head still on the pumpkin. Thunder came along. (It was raining before.) A rough wind blew out the candle. Everything went black.

Awaking, Jack lifted his body. It was early in the morn. No one was out. He had a huge headache. He remembered everything last night. His hand fingered his back. No cut. The magic had worked. He picked up the book, and placed it on the desk. He looked at the ground, the pumpkin was gone. He looked into the mirror to see if he was okay. He jumped back in horror, and then relaxed knowing it was the magic. For in place of his head was the carved pumpkin. There was no candle, but inside gave a low glow. Realizing he had to go, he grabbed his cloak. He knew they would came back to wreck the place. He took his book, and headed for the cemetery. The only place he could go top. He grabbed hold of his cloak as it blew in the wind "I will make them pay, I will make them all pay!" He threw his fist in the air.

Ivan returned to the Mayor's house, hoping to see Jack there. But sadly, he found no Jack. Lisa was still weeping, and sat at the table. The Mayor was cooking dinner. He silently muttered under his breath,"Women. I just have ta' make dinner myself!" As Ivan passed by Lisa, she grabbed his hand, still weeping. Not knowing what to do, he gave her one pat on the back for comfort. Lisa was spluttering gibberish too hard to understand. She let go of Ivan's hand, putting her own on her face. Ivan walked into the boy's old bedroom. The room had their two beds and apart from that, it was completely empty. Ivan sighed,"This would have never had happened if I had never left."

Mr. Adams didn't know what to do. Pranks were being pulled al, over town. But there was no perpetrator to be found. Some pranks pulled were extremely dangerous. People who couldn't swim were pushed into the ocean. The crippled were pushed down high stairs. Yesterday, the bar burned down from a lit lantern. The bar tender claimed he left no lanterns on. Little pranks like whoopee cushions under coffins of dead people about to be laid in the ground were placed. The kind of pranks Jack would do, thought Mr. Adams. But Jack went missing years ago. Could he still be around?

Jack walked around the gravestones of soldiers. It was nighttime. It had been a year since he was cursed with this head. He pranked everyone in the town and foreigners, but it didn't satisfy him. He wanted the guy responsible for attempting to murder him. But who was it? It was two days before All Hallows Eve, and he wanted to nail the guy on that day. Maybe his old buddy Mr. Adams knew him. Jack smiled. "And I know just how to lure him." The next day, Mr. Adams found a strange note tacked on his door. Mr. Adams ripped the note off the door as he walked through the door. Removing his coat, he opened the letter. He was appalled, as he read:

Mr. Adams,

I need your help. I fear I'm in deep trouble, for when I sought sanctuary in an orphanage. I need to pay them back. Please come down to the cemetery to help me get out of there. Bring no money, but something to persuade them into letting the charges off.

Jack

P.S- Come Tonight. Alone.

Mr. Adams looked outside. Sunset. Mr. Adams picked up his coat. Pocketing the letter, he ran out the door, shutting it as he left.

The Mayor sat on the porch, depressed. Lisa had kicked him out. His chin placed on his knuckle, he looked out into the sunset. He was thinking of a romantic apology for Lisa, when out in the distance he saw Mr. Adams jogging very fast. A serious look was on his face. The sunset was gone. Darkness. The Mayor saw Adams running toward the cemetery. Worried, he grabbed a lantern that was hanging on the roof and ran after him.

Mr. Adams looked around for Jack. The place looked deserted. Then he saw movement by the tallest tombstones. He gasped. A man stepped out, no, a freak. A glow came from inside the man's oddly shaped head. It was a bright glow, bright as the sun. The man had his hands behind his back. The man walked up to him and stopped a few feet away from him. His eyes saw clearly, the man's head was a carved pumpkin. The man was smiling. On top of the head was a pointy scarecrow hat. Mr. Adams was too shocked to move. He held a title less book clutched in his hand as he brought his hands to his side.

"Hello, Mr. Adams." "Who are you? Where's Jack?" Jack's grin grew larger. He laughed. "You fool! I am Jack. I would tell you how I got this head, but it is way too long. I simply want to know something." Jack's face grew serious. Mr. Adams still appalled, relaxed a little. "A-and w-what would that be?" "I seek a knight, the knight who killed the owner of the Tricks shop. Give me the knight's name." Mr. Adams face turned pale. "Why would you need to know that?" Jack's hands turned into fists, the book under his arm. "Because that knight attempted to murder me. I was the new owner of the Tricks shop when John was arrested." Mr. Adams couldn't tear his eyes off Jack's head. "You? That was you? I'm sorry. That knight didn't know it was you. The Queen ordered him to kill you because you sent her a surprise prank disguised as a present." Jack grew angry. "I sent nothing to the Queen! Must've been the guy who said he'd make me pay! But I took care of him! I pushed him down stairs hundreds of times and I ended up killing him!" Mr. Adam's eyes grew large. "It wasn't your fault Jack. You were just brought up with no attention. The depression you had when Ivan left made you act up." Jack's eyes picked up movement along the tombstones. A faint light moved along with it. "Jack, your brother Ivan was the knight. But if he knew you were framed and knew you were the one he almost killed, he'd apologize. He misses you and wishes to see you again. Come; let's go to the Mayor's house. Ivan is there. Learn to forgive." "No! Never! How could he!" Jack's body shook uncontrollable, his book fell to the ground. Mr. Adams stepped forward, and put a hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack slapped his hand away, and picked up his book. Mr. Adams stepped back. Jack raised the book and opened it to a saved page. Jack raised his eyes. "Thank you for your information, Mr. Adams, but I cannot let you go. A spy just ran away now, probably going to warn my brother. Let him go. I am afraid you have very little time to live. Goodbye, Mr. Adams."Mr. Adams was about to speak, when Jack put his finger on a symbol on the book. Mr. Adams was paralyzed. The lungs inside of him stopped. His heart stopped beating. Mr. Adams fell to the floor. The lights from his eyes left him. Jack looked at Mr. Adam's body and laughed evilly.

The Mayor ran as fast as he could to his house. He broke down the door. Lisa came in to see what was going on, followed by Ivan. Lisa put her hands on her hips. "What in God's name are ye...?" "No time, Lisa." He sat on a chair, calming himself, he begun to tell what he saw. Lisa and Ivan had little trouble understanding what he was saying. When he finished, Ivan's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Jack? That was Jack? I...I did know, I." He fell silent. Lisa just stared at the Mayor, expecting to hear more. Ivan blinked, and blinked twice. He looked out the window. Sunrise. He would have to see Jack later tonight. Tired, he went to his old room, leaving Lisa and her husband in silence. Ivan lay down on top of Jack's old bed: He remembered the times he and Jack played their favorite game, "Knights". The sad truth was being a knight wasn't anything he expected it to be. He was sent on boring and gruesome missions. He wished he had never left Jack alone.

"Ivan, I forbid you to go after Jack. It's too dangerous! I know he murdered Mr. Adams! Mr. Adams never returned to the village!" Ivan ignored the Mayor's pleas. He needed to go find Jack, at any cost whatsoever. Today was All Hallows Eve. The sun was almost down. He put on his knight uniform, and grabbed a lantern. Even if he was equipped with weapons, he didn't plan to hurt Jack again. He left out the front door, leaving the Mayor talking to himself. It was a good thing Lisa was asleep, or he'd have a hard time getting out. The Mayor realized Ivan wasn't listening and followed him. Ivan looked back; the Mayor was too slow to catch up. So he ran to lose him, heading for the cemetery.

Ivan made it to the cemetery. A little sunlight shone out. He looked around. No Jack in sight. He ran by the graves of the poor villagers souls. He stopped at both his parent's graves. They stood side by side. A note was on top of the tombstone, a necklace held it in its place. Their father's necklace he noticed. He picked up both items. He pocketed the necklace and read the note. It scratched the words,"Pumpkin patch." It was where he was, Ivan assumed. He ran as fast as he could to the pumpkin patch. He dropped the note back at the cemetery.

The Mayor came running up to the cemetery. He breathed heavily. He looked around for the sight of Ivan or Jack, but he saw no one. As he ran along the tombstones, he spied a piece of paper. Picking it up and reading it, he charged off to the pumpkin patch. He ran as fast as he could, ignoring the aching pain in his legs. The sun as he raced slowly went down, only a thread of light showed.

Ivan fell down the ditch where the pumpkin patch was. He had forgotten it was a ditch. He carefully stood up. The sun was gone, spreading darkness throughout the land. His lantern provided light. The sound of crickets and grasshoppers filled the land with their music. Ivan cut across the pumpkin patch. Seeing nobody, he sat on a big pumpkin. He set the lantern beside him. He waited a few moments. Ivan then realized at that moment that Jack knew Ivan would come and search for him.

"Having a rest, are we dear brother?" Ivan stood up quickly. He looked behind him. Jack stood there, a book tucked roughly under his arm. Jack was smiling, light shining brighter out of his carved eyes. "Jack?" Ivan was not afraid. He actually felt sad for what he did to make his younger brother come to this. Jack nodded slightly, and walked forward. His scarecrow hat did not fall off by the blowing wind. He stopped two feet away from Ivan. "So, this is my murderer? My own brother." Ivan took out his sword and punctured it into the ground in front of him. "It was my duty to serve Her Majesty, but now I see you were framed. I didn't know it was you. Honestly." Jack shifted his weight on one leg to the other. "That's what Mr. Adams said." "Is Mr. Adams dead?" Jack's smile stayed on his face his glowing eyes blazed like a roaring fire. "Yes." Ivan hinted the satisfactory of what Jack had done. Ivan took a deep breath and explained," This would have never happened if I had never left. Don't blame other people and put them to death." Jack looked down, the scarecrow hat covering his face. "You're wrong. What I did was what I pleased because I choose my path. And I'm keeping it!"

Jack pulled open his book, Ivan stepped back. Jack lifted his left arm, pointing to the left. He outstretched his hand, his face still hidden. Ivan heard a noise to his right, and The Mayor tumbled forward. He stood a few feet away from them. Jack lowered his hand. Jack faced the Mayor. "I'm tired of you spying on me. For the misery you gave me, goodbye." Ivan pulled out his sword and put it between Jack and The Mayor. "Jack, no! He didn't bring any harm to you! He actually took care of you until you left!" Jack hit the sword down with his hand and yelled,"No! Everything is HIS fault! He settled MY punishments! Lisa was the one who took care of ME! So prepare to die!"

Before Ivan could stop him, Jack opened to the saved page he used on Mr. Adams and pointed to the symbol. It gave a glow of bright green. The Mayor let out a high-pitched scream. In an instant, the Mayor was dead. His body stood, and then collapsed. The Mayor's eyes were widened with shock.

Ivan stood there, openmouthed, staring at the Mayor's corpse. His gaze turned to Jack. "You idiot!" Jack smile grew bigger as if his mouth would split into two. "Watch your mouth, Ivan." Jack turned to another page and spoke a word that was in a different language. Ivan looked at his hands, still clutching his sword. Nothing happened to him. He looked around. He saw pumpkin's vines wiggling slowly around. Unexpectedly, they thrust forward and up biting into Ivan's wrists and ankles. It would have hurt if he didn't have his armor. Wrestling the vines he tried to slice them up. He had to saw through them as if they were rough logs. Jack made no attempt to stop Ivan. Jack just stood there, watching Ivan fight off the vines. Ivan finally hacked the vines into pieces, his breathing grew heavy. Ivan looked at Jack, hatefully. "How could you kill him? How can murdering the innocent be fine by you?" Jack showed his face, looking positively glad. His smile went down a little bit. "How can everything be fine by you? Can you not see how cruel the world is?" Ivan grew angrier; he tightened his grip on his sword. "You're neither man nor freak. You're a child. Nothing but a child who plays stupid tricks on people!" Jack touched a symbol inside his book, and knelt down. He touched the ground. As he lifted his arm, a sword made of rock came up with his arm. Jack grabbed its handle. "I am no child. I am not a knight, freak, nor a man. I am your murderer!" Jack pointed his sword at Ivan. Ivan raised his sword, letting his blade touch Jack's blade. Steel against rock. Both blades were very sharp to cut a hair. "And I a knight!"

Jack and Ivan fought, crossing blades. To the left, and to the right. Up and down. Jack still held his book that was closed while he fought. Ivan had his helmet over his face. Jack's hat didn't fall off. Jack got some scratches, but nothing too serious. Ivan was protected by his armor, so he had none. Finally, Ivan took Jack by surprise and knocked Jack's sword off his hand. Jack paused then fell to the floor. He pressed his hands into the ground and spoke the word that commanded the vines. Ivan looked back. The vines he had chopped up stitched back together and swung toward him. Ivan tried to avoid them, but they got his wrists again. This time, the vines yanked the sword right out of Ivan's hands. Jack stood up and turned away from Ivan. He examined his cuts, which magically healed as he touched them. Ivan stopped wrestling the vines. While they wrapped around him, he pulled out a weapon from behind his back. It was an axe. The same axe he used on Jack before. He had gone back and got it after the day he used it. Hoping his aim was correct, he flung it forward. The axe sliced through the vines, and stopped where it hit something. Jack's back.

Feeling an awkward pain, Jack turned to face Ivan once more. Ivan's sword was held by the vines. Jack slowly looked over his shoulder. The axe cut into the place it had cut before. His gaze went back to Ivan. "You fool! I have placed the spell of immortality, I..." The pain on his back burned so badly. Ivan grinned. "You may be immortal, but your pain will be unbearable." Jack glared at Ivan hatefully. He jerked out the axe from his back. He walked up to Ivan. The vines held Ivan down. Jack raised the axe up with his right hand. He brought it down, on Ivan's shoulder. Ivan's armor was pierced, and he gasped in pain. He was wincing badly. "I welcome death with open arms." Jack knelt down, his face right in front of Ivan's. "Oh no dear brother, I have something special for you." Jack looked through the pages of the book. He found one he was looking for. Jack's empty carved eyes gazed right into Ivan's eyes. "You won't die dear brother, Ah!" Jack put a hand on his back, wincing and showed pain on his face. But he fought the pain and continued. "No, you will not. But you will be feared by all people. Children will scream at the sight of you. You will be a monster. You will hide in places and capture anyone who you desire to kill. You will become...The Boogeyman!" Jack touched the symbol on the page, and Ivan screamed in pain. His flesh was tearing off. His eyes turned into fire. Teeth grew sharper. His appearance changed. Jack stepped back, the pain still burned. Ivan was pulled by the vines, as the vines sank into the earth. He was gone, into the core of the earth. When the transformation was completed, he would roam around the world. Jack closed his book, smiled and a gust of wind came by. In a flash, Jack disappeared, not dead but gone. The sun came rising after his disappearance. But this isn't the end of Jack, the pumpkin king.