CHAPTERONE

Halloweentown'sScariestSkeleton

OnOctober31everybodyinHalloweentownwasexcited.Halloweennightwasthemostimportantnightoftheiryearandtheywere

all afraid. Dead people came up from under the ground. Thirsty vampireshappilydranka lot ofblood.Uglyoldwitches changed somepeople into catsandotherpeopleintofish.Everybodyranfromtheskeletons,fromthesoundoftheirlong,thinarmsandlegs.Blackcatsjumpedinandoutoftrashcans.Blackbirdsflewthroughthedarkskywithloud,highcries.AndJackSkellingtonsanghisscarysongsanddancedhisdangerousdances.Peoplescreamed.Theywereafraid.Theylovedit.

AttheendoftheHalloweennight,everybodywenttothecenteroftown.TheMayorofHalloweentownstoodinfrontofthemandspoke.

"TonightwasthebestHalloweenpartyinmanyyears,andthehardworkofonemanmadeitpossible,"hesaid.Heturnedtothetownsgreatestskeleton."Jack-thankyou."

"Itwasgreat,Jack!"peopleshouted."Welovedit!Itwaswild!""Yes," theMayor said. "We all enjoy Jack's scary songs and dangerous

dances.Jack,you'rethescariestskeletoninHalloweentown!Thankyouforthesewonderfulcelebrations...

"Noproblem,"Jacksaid.ButJackwasn'thappy.Everyyearherepeatedthesamesongsanddances

and he was bored with Halloween. Of course, he couldn't tell anybody. Howcouldhe?Thepeople of the town lovedhimand theywaited all year for thisnight.

When theMayorstarted talkingabout thescariestvampiresandwitches,Jackwalkedawayquietly.Hewantedtothinkabouthisfuture.Hewalkedoutoftownandpast theoldchurchyard.HewalkedpastSally, too,buthedidn't seeher.

Sallywasalsosad.ShewatchedJackandshewantedtofollowhim.Butshehadtobecareful.

The Doctor didn't like it when she left the house. And when she didn't

listentohim,hegotveryangry.TheDoctorwasaveryugly,oldskeletonandhewasnotaniceman.After

his accident, he couldn't walk. He made Sally, from old clothes, because hewantedastrongyoungwomaninhishouse.Herclotheswerenotverypretty,butshehadbeautifullongredhair.

ThedoctorcouldmovearoundinHischairbutSallyhadtocookforhim.Shecleanedforhimanddideverythinginthehouse.Herlifewasboringandshereallywantedtorunaway.Shetriedtoleavemanytimesbuthealwayscaughther.

"WhyisJacksadtonight?"Sallythought."He'sthemostwonderfulmaninHalloweentownandeverybodyloveshim."

Shelistenedhard.ShecouldhearJack'swordstohislittlewhitedog,Zero.Zero cameout fromunder theground and flewbehind Jack.Hewasdead, ofcourse,soyoucouldseethroughhim.Buthehadafunnyrednoseanditshoneinthedark.

"Iscarepeopleeveryyear,Zero,"JackSkellingtonsaidquietlytohisdog."It'sboringandI'mtired.Idon'twanttohearanotherscream.WhydoIdoit?"

"NowIunderstand...he'sbored,"Sallythoughtsadly."Hewantstochangehislife...andIwanttochangemine,too."

Shelookedaroundthechurchyard."I'lltakesomeofthoseflowers,"shethought."I'llputthemintheDoctor's

drinkagaintonightsohe'llsleep.Butthistime,whenhe'ssleeping,I'llrunaway.I'llfindJackandmaybehe'llgowithme.We'llbefree!"

Asoundcamethroughthetreesfromalongwayaway."Sally?Whereareyou?"ItwastheDoctorandhewasveryangry."I'mcoming!"Sallyshouted.

CHAPTERTWO

ADoortoaNewWorld

Jackwalked through the churchyard and into the darkwoods. His headwasdownandhiseyeswereontheground.Hewalkedfora longtimeandhethoughtabouthisfuture,withoutmuchhope.

After almost two hours, he stopped and looked around him. His eyesopenedwide.

"WhereamI?Whatisthis?"heaskedZero.Jack was in the middle of some very large trees and each tree had a

beautiful door in it. On the doors were strange pictures and each door wasdifferent.Oneofthedoorshadagreentreewithdecorationsonit.Ofcourse,itwasaChristmastree,butJackdidn'tknowanythingaboutChristmastrees.Onedoorhadaprettyeggwithyellowflowersonit.ItwastheEasterdoor,butJackknewnothingaboutEaster.TheThanksgivingDaydoorhadaverybigbirdwithasmallhead.

Jacklikedthedoorwiththegreentreeandprettydecorations,sohemovednearer.Butbeforehecouldputhishandonthedoor, itopened.Astrong,coldwinterwindpulledhiminsidethetreeandthedoorclosedquickly.Hescreamed,butonlyZeroheard.AndZerocouldn'thelp.Thelittledogstayedunderthetreeandwaited.Hewaitedallnight.

The cold winter wind took Jack to a new and wonderful place. Here,everythingwaswhiteanditwasverycold.Jackknewnothingaboutsnowandhetooksomeinhishand.

"Whatisthis?"hethought.Hemadeaballandthrewit.Thenhelaughedhappily.He stoodon the topof amountain andhe lookeddownat a pretty little

town.ItwasverydifferentfromHalloweentown.Therewerebeautifullightsonthehousesanddecorationsonthetrees.Peoplemovedhappilyacrosstheiceonstrange,longshoes.Theylaughedandsang.

"Nobody isafraidhere!"Jack thought."Theyaren't screaming.Nobody'sdead!"

Jackfeltveryhappy,too.

"Thisistheprettiestplaceintheworld,"hethought.Thenhe lookedup andhe saw thenameof this place above the street -

CHRISTMASTOWN."That's a funnyname for aplace!"he thought. "But I think I'mgoing to

likeithere!"Jackstarted tomovedown themountain.Hedidn'tknowanythingabout

snoworice,ofcourse.Sowhenhestartedtowalk,hisfeetflewoutfromunderhim.Hemoved,onhisbottom,asfastasariverdownamountain.

"This is very funny," he thought. "Maybe they're inviting me toChristmastown!Ihopetheyare.Thisplaceisgreat!"

At the bottom of the mountain he sat for a minute and looked at thebeautifulworldinfrontofhim.Hefelthappyandwarminside.

Thenhestoodup.Helookedupattheskyandlaughed."Iwant to see everything here!" he thought. "Iwant to run and jump! I

wanttosinganddance!I'mnotanolddeadskeletonwithoutfeelings-I'mlivingagain!Butwhathappensinthisplace?I'mgoingtolookaround!"

It was morning in Halloweentown and the Mayor stood outside Jack'shouse.Hewantedtostartmakingplansfornextyear'scelebrations.Therewereonly threehundredsixty-fourdaysbeforeHalloween!ButJackdidn'topenhisdoor.TheMayorshouted.Therewasnoanswer.

Thereweresomevampiresinthestreet,soheaskedthemaboutJack."We'lltrytofindhimforyou,Mayor!"theysaid.The vampires askedwitches and skeletons around town. "Where's Jack?

Doyouknow?""Wedon'tknowbutwe'llhelpyou,"theysaid.Later that day everybody knew - Jack was not in Halloweentown! But

wherewashe?NobodyleavesHalloweentown!

CHAPTERTHREE

JacksChristmasPlans

On the night ofDecember 24, the night beforeChristmas, everybody inChristmastownwasveryhappy.SantaClauscameonthisnighteveryyearwithtoysforgoodgirlsandboys.Atnineo'clockmostofthechildrenwereintheirbeds and the youngest were asleep. But a lot of older children couldn't sleepbecause theywere very excited. So they closed their eyes andwaited for thesoundofSantaClaus'sfeet.

JackSkellingtonwalkedaroundthetownandlookedthroughthewindowsoftheprettylittlehouses.HesawthechildrenintheirbedsandhecouldseeaChristmastreeineveryhouse.Eachtreehadbeautifulredandgreendecorationson it and pretty lights. He loved everything in this place. Suddenly, he had agreatidea.

"I'm going to go back to Halloweentown," he thought. "I've got a greatplan!"

SallywasbusyinherkitchenwiththeflowersfortheDoctor'sdrink."He'llsleepalongtimeafterhedrinksthis,"shethought."Where'smydrink?"theDoctorshoutedfromanotherroom."It'salmostready,"Sallyshouted.Shetookittohimandwatchedcarefully.Heputhisnosenearthecup."Whatdidyouputinmydrinktonight?"heaskedher."Iputsomehotwater,somemilk,somesugar...""Youdidn'tputanyflowersinit,Ihope,"saidtheoldman."Youdidthat

tomebefore.Iremember!Youwantedtorunaway.Irememberthat,too!""Flowers? You are funny," said Sally. "Drink it and then I'll bring your

dinner.""Iwantyoutodrinksomefirst,"hesaid."It'sveryhot,soI'lltakealittleonmyspoon,"shesaid.Sallytookaspoonwithholesinitfromherskirt.Sheputthecupnearher

mouth andused the spoon.Thedrink fell through theholes andback into the

cup.Theoldman'seyeswerenotverygood,sohedidn'tseeit."Verynice,"saidSally."Nowyoudrinkit."ShegavehimthecupandtheDoctordrankit.Thenhefellasleepwithhis

headonthetable.Sallyputawarmjacketoverhimandsheranoutthedoor.ItwaslateatnightbutnobodyinHalloweentownwasasleep.Theywere

verysadaboutJack.Wherewashe?Thewitchesdidn'tscreamandthevampirechildrendidn'twant toplay.Everythingwasquiet.TheMayorwas thesaddestbecausehecouldn'tplanthenextHalloweenwithoutJack.

Suddenly,heheardadog."Listen!IsthatZero?"shoutedtheMayor.Thenanothersound-astrangesound-camefrombehindthelargedoors

inthewallaroundHalloweentown.Whenthedoorsopened,Jackarrivedinabigredsleigh.Zeroflewbehindhimandhisbigrednoselittheway.Thewitches,skeletons,andvampiresjumpedupanddownandlaughed.

Everybodyshouted,"Jack'sback!""Jack!Wherewereyou?"askedtheMayor."I'll tellyou...I'll telleverybody!"Jacksaidloudly."Iwanteverybodyin

towntocomehereintwohours."Sally was in the woods when she heard about Jack from one of the

witches.ShewantedtolistentoJacksoshewentbackintotown."TheDoctor'sasleep,soIhavetime,"shethought.In the center of town Jack, stood on a box in front of the witches,

skeletons,andvampires.Alotofsmallblackanimalsflewaroundexcitedly."Iwant to tellyouaboutawonderfulplace!ItsnameisChristmastown,"

Jacksaid."Christmastown?What'sthat?"somewitchesasked."It'saworldofwonderfulwhitesnow.It'sabeautifulplace,ahappyplace.

Lookatthis!"Jacksaid.HeshowedthemaChristmastree.Everybody'seyesopenedwide."Andlook!Thisisapresent!"heshouted.He tookaboxwithprettypaper fromunder ihe treeand showed it to I

hem."What is it?"anuglyoldvampireasked.Hehadaverywhite face,very

blackhair,andaveryredmouth."Apresent isaboxwithprettypaperaroundit...and inside...,"Jacksaid

slowly."What'sinside?"calledawitch."Wedon'tknow,"Jackanswered."Don'tknow?Whynot?"ThepeopleofHalloweentowndidn'tunderstand.Quickly,Jacktookoffthepaperandopenedthebox."Inside,there'satoy!"saidJack.Heshowedthemachild'stoy."Aboy?Thatisstrange!"saidoneoftheskeletons."Notaboy!Atoy"shoutedJack."Dotoysscarelittleboys?"askedanuglyoldwitch.Jackthought,"They'llneverunderstandChristmas."Thenhehadagoodidea."Maybethey'llunderstandthis."Helookedateachofthemverycarefullyandhespokequietlyandslowly."There'saveryoldmaninChristmastown,"Jacksaid."He'sbigandround

withlong,whitehair.Hisclothesareredandhefliesthroughthenightskyinabigredsleigh.Heshoutsloudlyandlaughs!TheycallhimSantaClaus!HeputspresentsunderChristmastreesinsideeveryhouse.Whenthechildrenwakeupinthemorning,theyfindthem.Thentheyopenthem."

Everybodywas excitedwhen Jack finished his story. Theywere a littlescared,too,andthatwasgood.

Jack left and went home. "How can I tell them about Christmas?" hethought."Ihavetofindabetterway.First,Ihavetounderstand."

Later that night in his bed, Jack looked in a lot of books. He readChristmas stories and he found Christmas songs. But what were they reallyabout?

"MaybetheDoctorcanhelpme,"Jackthought."Maybehischemicalswillteachmemoreabouttoys,decorations,andChristmastrees!I'llgotohishouseanddiscusseverythingwithhiminthemorning."

CHAPTERFOUR

ChemicalsforJack

Sally'sdrinkfortheDoctordidn'tworkverywell.Itwasn'tverystrong,sotheDoctorwokeup after three hours.He couldmove fast in his chair andhefoundSally.Hetookherbackhomeandputherinherroomatthetopoftheoldhouse.

"Youwon'tdothattomeagain!"theDoctorshoutedangrily."Itwasa...amistake!"shesaid.Shethought,"Whydidn'tIputmoreflowersinthedrink?HowdidImake

thatstupidmistake?"Nowshewasinherroomandcouldn'tgetout.Jackarrivedinthemorning.Sallyheardhimfromherroom."WhyisJackhere?"shethought.She tried to listen to the conversationbetween theDoctor and Jack.She

couldn'thearJackverywell,butsheheardtheDoctor."Take these chemicals, Jack, but be careful. They're very dangerous. I

madeamistakeonetimeand...lookatmeinthischair."Jacktookthebottlesofchemicalsandwenthome.Heopenedsomeofthe

bottles.Verycarefully,heputthemoverfire.Heputatoyboatintothebottleofgreenchemicals.Heputthebottleoverthefireandwatched.

Nothinghappened.ThenhecutsomeChristmaspaperandputitintosomered chemicals. Again, nothing happened. He worked for hours, but he didn'tlearnverymuchaboutChristmas.

"What will happen when I put decorations into these chemicals?" Jackthought.Heputsomeinandagreenlightshone.

From Sally's window, she saw the green light in Jack's window. Shewantedtogotohimandhelphim.Shefeltsomethingstrangeinside-ahappyandsadfeeling.Forthefirsttimeinherlifeshefeltlove.ShereallywasinlovewithJack.

"I want to be his wife," Sally thought. "How can I get away from theDoctor?Ican'tstayhere!"

Sallystoodatherwindowforalongtime,withoutmuchhope."IhavetohelpJack!"shethought.So she made a present for him. She put some dry flowers, some black

vegetables,andsomegreenwaterintoabottle.Withthebottleinherhand,shestoodatheropenwindowandlookeddown.Itwasalongwaytotheground,butshewasn'tafraid.Shejumped.

Whenshehittheground,oneofherarmsfelloff."Notagain!"shesaid.Butshetookthearmwithherotherhandandputit

onagainveryquickly.Then she ran to Jack's house as fast as she could. She stood under his

windowandlookedup.Atthatsameminute,Jacklookeddown.Whentheireyesmet, he smiled. Suddenly, he felt really happy - but why? He couldn'tunderstand.

Sallyputherbottle intohismailboxandranaway.Shecouldn'tstayandtalktohim.Shewantedtobutshecouldn't.Sallywasaquietgirlandsheneversaidverymuchtoanybody.

Jackwatchedherandfeltwarminside.Whenshewasnearthewallsofthetown,Sallysatdown."Hesmiledatme"shethoughtexcitedly.Therewasaprettyflowernexttoherandshepulleditoutoftheground.

Shebegantopulloffthepetalsandtorepeatthesewords:"He lovesme," she said. She pulled off the second petal. "He lovesme

not..."shesaid.Shedidthisagainandagain.Strangely,theflowerinherhandbegangoingaroundandaroundveryfast.

It changed into a beautiful, small Christmas tree with pretty lights! Then,suddenly, the littleChristmas treewason fire.Therewasnothing inherhand.Shesatthereinthecold,darknightforalongtimeandtriedtounderstand.

"What does thismean?" she thought. "Does Jack loveme, or not?Or issomethingbadgoingtohappen?AreJack'splansforChristmasabigmistake?"

CHAPTERFIVE

Jack'sGreatIdea

"WeregoingtohaveChristmasinHalloweentownthisyear.Youwillhavetoworkhard,butitwillbewonderful."

Jack worked hard all night with the chemicals, but he didn't find anyanswerstohisquestions.WhatwasChristmas?Whatdiditmean?

Hestoodathisopenwindowandthoughthard."How do these things work?" he thought. "Why do people in

Christmastownwant to singwhen theysee thesedecorations?Whyarepeopleexcitedwhentheyopenthesepresents?"

Hestoodthereforhours.Whenitwasalmostmorning,Jackfoundtheanswer."I know! It's easy! Why didn't I think of this before?" he shouted. He

jumpedupanddownexcitedly."HalloweentowncanhaveChristmas!Whynot?Wecanmakedecorations

and put them on a tree! We can put presents under the tree! We can makepresentsforeverylittleboyandgirl.AndthisyearI'llbeSantaClaus."

Heshoutedhappily,"Christmaswillbeours!"Itwastimeforanothermeeting.Hecouldn'twait,soherantotheMayor's

house.TheMayorwasasleep."Wakeup!Wehavetotalktoeverybodytonight!"Jacktoldhimexcitedly."OK,Jack.Butit'sveryearly.Goawaynow,"theMayorsaid.Later,theMayorcalledeverybodytothetown'scenter.Jacksaid,"Everybody'shere,Isee.Thankyou.Ihaveanewplan."Everybodylistenedcarefully."We'regoingtohaveChristmasinHalloweentownthisyear.Youwillhave

toworkhard,butitwillbewonderful!""Willitbereallyscary?"askedavampire."No,notscary...buthappy!"answeredJack.

TheMayorthought,"Thisisastrangeplan,butI'mnotgoingtostophim.When they are happily celebrating Christmas in Halloweentown, they'll behappywithme,too."

Jacksaid,"IwantthewitchestomakeChristmascakes.Canyoudothat,witches?"

"Yes,Jack,wealwayscookwonderfulthings.Wecanmakecakeswithoutanyproblem!"theysaid.

Theylaughedandstarteddiscussingideasforthecakes.Jack said, "Iwant thevampires tomake red andgreendecorations.OK,

vampires?""Canweusebloodforthereddecorations?"askedoneyoungvampire."No,nobloodinthedecorations,please!"saidJack.ThentheDoctorarrived."Doctor!You'rehere!Thankyou,"saidJack."Canyoupleasemakefour

reindeerforSantaClaus'ssleigh?"JackshowedtheDoctorapictureofreindeer."Canyoudoit?"heasked."Ofcourse,Jack.I'llstartnow,"saidtheDoctor.TheDoctorleftandthreeyoungboysarrived."Jack,Jack!"saidtheMayor."Becareful!It'sOogieBoogie'sboys!"

CHAPTERSIX

Jack'sLittleHelpers

Lock, Shock, and Barrel were three young boys. They wereHalloweentown's famous trick-or-treaters and they played a lot of tricks oneverybody in town. They always had a plan, and their planswere never verynice.

Nobodyintownlikedtheirboss,OogieBoogie.Hewasabig,roundbagfullofmaggots!Hehadabighead,shortlegs,andlongarmsandsometimesthemaggotsfelloutofhimthroughholesinthebag.

OogieBoogiewentaroundthewoodsatnightandatealotofanimals.Hedrank their blood. Sometimes he ate people, too! He was always hungry. Hedidn'tlikegoodchildrenandtheywerereallyafraidofhim.Hewasthescariestthing in Halloweentown. When he scared children, they ran to Jack. OogieBoogiewasdifferent fromeverybody inHalloweentownbecausehedidn't likeJack.TheMayordidn't likeOogieBoogieorhisbadboys.SohiseyesopenedwidewhenhesawOogie'sboys.

"WhydoesJackwanttotalktothem?"hethought."Ishecrazy?"Jackspokeveryquietlyintoeachboy'sear."Iwantyouthreeboystodo

something for me. But don't tell anybody. It's very important. Nobody canknow."

"What? This isn't possible!" the Mayor thought. "Why is Jack makingplanswiththem?What'shesaying?"

"Onelastthing..."Jacksaidtotheboys."Don'ttellOogieBoogie.Idon'twanthimtoknowanything!"

"Ofcourse,Jack,"thethreetrick-or-treaterssaid."Wewon'tsayawordtoOogieBoogieaboutthis."

They ran away with big smiles on their faces. Were they happy aboutJack'simportantjob?Ordidtheyhaveotherplans?DidJackdotherightthingordidhemakeabigmistake?

"Thisisgoingtobewonderful,"thoughtJack."Thisisthehappiestdayofmylife.Thosethreetrick-or-treatersaregoingtodosomethinggoodforthefirsttimeintheirlives.Andthistimethere'llbenotricks."

Everybody in Halloweentown wanted to help with his Christmas plans.Nothingcouldbebetter.

But Christmas was now in dangerous hands. Jack's three young helpershadaverydifferentideaaboutChristmasinHalloweentown-sothenightmarebeforeChristmaswasbeginning.

Lock,Shock, andBarrel lovednightmares asmuch as they loved tricks.Whentheygottotheirhomeatthetopofabigtree,theystartedplanningtheirtrickonJack.

"Jackisastupidskeleton!"theylaughed.Lock said, "He wants us to go to Christmastown and get Santa Claus?

We'll bringSanta back here... butwewon't give him to Jack!We'll scare himwithourtricks!"

ShockwasmoreintelligentthanLockandhehadabetteridea."Listen... We'll get Santa Claus and put him in our biggest Halloween

bag!" saidShock. "We'llbringhimhereand showhim to Jack.But thenwe'llgive him to Oogie Boogie! Oogie will really enjoy that big fat man for hisdinner!"

"Great!"shoutedBarrel."ThatwillteachJackSkellingtonalesson!"Thethreetrick-or-treaterslaughedanddancedaroundtheroom.Thenthey

gotbusywiththeirplan.

CHAPTERSEVEN

BigMistakes

Notonewitch,vampire,orskeletoninHalloweentowncouldsay"No"toJack. When he asked for happy music, he got it. When he asked for cakes,decorations, and toys, he got them. But when he asked Sally for some redclothes,shedidn'twanttomakethem.Shewasn'thappyaboutJack'splan.ShethoughtabouttheChristmastreeonfireinherhandandshefeltafraid.

"Jack,listentome,"Sallysaid."Thisisn'tgoingtowork.""Yes,itis!Youcandoit.IonlywantawonderfulredSantaClausjacket

andsomeredpants!"Jackansweredhappily.HecouldthinkofnothingbuthisclothesforChristmas.

"I'llmakethemforyou,Jack.ButIthinkit'samistake,"shesaidsadly.SallycouldmakeclothesverywellandshedidaverygoodjobonJack's

newredpantsand jacket.Whenshefinishedherwork,she lefthishouse.Shewalkedtothecenteroftown.

Jack'snextvisitorswereLock,Shock,andBarrel.TheyarrivedwithaverybigHalloweenbag.Buttheydidnothavecandyinsidethebagthistime.

"Jack,wecaughthim!"theyshouted."Openit!Let'sseehim!"saidJackexcitedly.Butwhen the three boys opened the bag, Jack's eyes andmouth opened

wide.Hedidnotseeanoldmaninredclothes.Hesawananimalwithverylongears. It jumpedoutof thebagandranaroundtheroom.Upanddown,upanddown.

"What'sthat?"Jackasked."It'snotSantaClaus!""Isn'tit?"askedShock."Butwewentthroughthedoorinthetree,"saidLock."Whichdoor?"askedJack."Thedoorwiththeeggandtheyellowflower,"saidBarrel."Youwentthroughthewrongdoor!"Jacksaid."Gobackandgothrough

thedoorwiththeChristmastreeonit.Andtakethisthingbacktoitstree!"

"ItwasLock'smistake!"saidShock."ItwasBarrel'smistake!"saidLock.Theangrywordsturnedintoafight.ShockhitLockandBarrelhitShock.

Jackwatchedthemforaminuteortwo.Thenhemovedveryquicklyandscaredthemwiththesoundofhisskeletonarms.

UsuallyheonlydidthatonHalloweennight.Theboys,afraid,jumpedandranoutofthedoor.Theanimalwiththelong

earsfollowedthem."TakethatthingbacktoitstreeandbringSantaClaushere,"Jackshouted

behindthethreetrick-or-treaters."AndbenicetoSanta!"Whentheywereinthewoodsagain,Shockturnedtohisfriends."Howdid

wemakethatmistake?"heasked."WhenIsawtheeggandfloweronthetree'sdoor..."Locksaidslowly.Shock said, "You shouted 'decorations' and we went inside! You stupid

boy!"Everybody in Halloweentown was very busy and Jack watched them

happily. The Doctor came with his reindeer and they were almost as big ashorses.

InChristmastownSantaClauswas busy, too.His helpers' beautiful toyswerealmostready.HelookedatthenamesofthechildreninChristmastown.Hehadapresentforeachchild.

"Arethecakesready,Mrs.Claus?"hecalledtohiswife.Inthekitchen,Mrs.Claussmiled.Shelovedcakesandsheenjoyedherjob

onthenightbeforeChristmasverymuch."Herecomesthelastone!"sheshoutedhappily.SantaClaussaid,"I'mgoingtogetthereindeer.Theyhavetopullavery

heavysleightonight,soI'llgivethemmorefoodandwater.""Goodidea!"hiswifesaid.Suddenly,therewasaloudnoiseattheirfrontdoor."Who'sthat?"Santashoutedtohishelpers.Buthishelpersweresingingloudlyandhappilyinthenextroom,sothey

didn'thearhim."I'llanswerthedoor!"hecalledtohiswife.When he opened it, he saw three strange children in very strange dark

clothes."Trickortreat!"theyshouted.Santawantedtoask,"Whatdoes'trickortreat'mean?"Buttheyputabig

bag over his head before he could ask his question. From inside the bag, heshoutedforhiswifeandhelpers,buttheydidn'thearhim.

CHAPTEREIGHT

SantaClausisComingtoTown

InHalloweentown, thevampires finishedmakingChristmas lights -withlittle skeleton heads. The youngest witches finished making their toys -wonderfullydangeroustoys.Jack'splansforChristmas,themostimportantthinginhislife,werealmostready.Buthedidn'tlookatthelightsandthetoysbeforetheywentintothebags.

"NowIcandress,"he thoughthappily."Sally,bringmyclothes,please!"hesaid.

ShebroughtJackhisnewredjacketandpantsandheputthemon."Thesearewonderful!HowdoIlook?"heaskedSally."Ilikedyoubetterinblackclothes,Jack,"shesaidsadly.ButJackwasexcitedandhedidn'tlistentoheranswer.Heranoutthedoor

tohiswonderful sleigh. In thebackof the sleigh therewasamountainofbigbags,fullofdangeroustoys,scarypresents,andstrangepackages.Jackwasashappyasatrick-or-treateronHalloweennightwithabigbagfullofcandy.

Beforehegotintothesleigh,heheardsomebodyshout,"Jack!"HeturnedandtherewereLock,Shock,andBarrelwithaverybigbag."He'sinhere!Andhe'sreallyheavy!"shoutedBarrel."Let'sputhimdown!"saidShock."Letmeout!"shoutedtheoldmaninsidethebag.TheyopenedthebagandSantaClausfellout.Hisfacewasasredashis

jacketandpants.Hishairwasaswhiteassnow.Helookedaroundandhesawthe ugliest people in theworld. Hewas in a nightmare and everybodywas askeletonorawitchoravampire!

"WhereamI?"hethought."Hi,SantaClaus!"saidJackhappily."I'mgoing togiveyouaChristmas

present.This year I'll beSantaClaus, soyouwon't have towork.You can sitdownandenjoyaquietnighthereinHalloweentown!I'lldoeverything.Look!Ihaveasleigh,presents,aredjacketandpants!"

SantaClaus'seyesopenedwide."Whatdoeshemean?"hethought."Thisisthehappiestnightoftheyearforme!Thechildrenarewaiting-andI'mgoingtobelate!ButI..."hestartedtosay.

"It'sOK,"saidJack."Youcanhaveavacation.""This is a nightmare!" Santa thought. But he couldn't speak because he

couldn'tfindtherightwords."Comewith us, Santa.We'll take you to Jack's house andyou can sleep

there,"saidShock."ButIdon'twanttosleep!"Santashouted.Thethreetrick-or-treaterstookhimaway,butnottoJack'shouse."Thisisanightmare,"Sallythought."Ihavetodosomething!"Thenshehadanidea.Quickly,shewalkedawayandbeganworkingonher

plan.First,shehadtogettherightchemicals.BeforeJackcouldleaveinhissleigh,theMayorcalledeverybodyintothe

town'scenter.HewantedtosaygoodbyetoJackbecausehewantedeverybodytolookathim.

Whenhefinishedspeaking,somethingverystrangehappened."What'shappening?"Jackcried.Helookedaroundattheblacksky,butitwasn'tblack.Athick,whitefog,

asthickastheworstLondonfoginanoldblack-and-whitemovie,movedintothetown.Nobodycouldseeanything.

"Thereindeercan'tseetheirnoses!"Jacksaid."Wecan'tleavenow.""Ohno!NoChristmas!"everybodycried."Nopresents!"Therewas only one person inHalloweentownwith a smile on her face.

Sallywashappywithherfog."Jackwillunderstandoneday.Ihadtodothis,"shethought."I'mdoingit

forhim."She walked nearer so she could see Jack's face. "Is he very sad?" she

thought."Ihopenot."ButJackwasn'tverysad.HiseyeswereonZero'srednose.Itshoneinthe

darkanditshoneinthefog!

"Will you show us the way, Zero?" Jack asked his little friend. Zerocouldn'tsayno.Hejumpedupanddownhappily.

"Goodbye,everybody!"Jackshouted.Zerojumpedontothefirstreindeer'sbackandtheyflewupthroughthefog

andacrossthenightsky.Everybody in Halloweentown laughed and shouted happily Only one

personhadasadface."GoodbyeJack,"saidSallyquietly.Thenshelookedupandsaid,"There's

something in the wind. What's going to happen to Jack tonight? It won't begood...butIhopeI'mwrong."

CHAPTERNINE

DangerousToysforGoodGirlsandBoys

"Wherearewegoingtotakehim?"askedBarrel."ToOogieBoogie,ofcourse,"saidLockandShock."That'sright.Ialmost

forgot!"Barrel said. "Oogiewill like that!"SantaClaus listened to these threestrange little children. "Who is Oogie Boogie?" he thought. "What's going tohappentoChristmas?"Insidethebag,hefeltveryhot.

"Iwantyoutoopenthisbagnow!"heshouted."Christmasisaboutlove!Don'tyouknow?"

"No!"theyshouted.Andthentheylaughedwildly.Jackdrove the sleighacross the sky. In frontofhim,Zero'snosewasas

light as themorning sun.The reindeer easily pulled the heavy sleighwith thepresentsinit.Jackenjoyedeveryminuteofhisnewjob.

He stopped his sleigh at each house and put pretty presents under eachChristmastree.Inonehouse,alittleboycamedownthestairsandwatchedhim.WhenJackturnedawayfromtheChristmastree,hesawtheyoungchild.

"Here,littleboy!ApresentfromSanta!"saidJack.Andhegavetheboyapresent.

Jack had to go to the next house. He couldn't wait andwatch the boy'sface.Butwhenthechildopenedthepresent,hedidn'tsmile.Hisfacewentwhiteandhismouthfellopen.Hescreamedwildly.

Jack heard the boy's screams and he smiled. "He likes it," Jack thought."NobodyisscaredofmeandI'mmakingeverybodyhappy!"

After"SantaClaus"lefttheirhousesinthemiddleofthenight,someoftheotherchildrenquietlylefttheirbeds.Theirlittlefeetslowlytookthemdownthestairs because they couldn't wait for Christmas morning. Each child carefullytookapresentfromunderthetreeandquietlyopenedit.Then,withtheirmouthsandeyeswideopen...theyscreamed.

Toys ranaroundChristmas treesafter thechildren.Heads jumpedoutofboxes and scared little girls and boys. Some toys screamed and some toyslaughedwildly.OneverylongtoyanimalstartedeatingtheChristmastree!

The children ran as fast as they could up the stairs to their parents'bedrooms.Theirscreamswokeuptheirbabybrothersandsisters.Theywokeuptheirdogsand theircats.Thechildrenwokeup theirparents,and theirparentswokeup thepolice. Itwas theworstChristmasof everybody's lives... and thescariest!

Thepolicewerebusybecausethetelephonecallsdidn'tstop."Turnoffyourlightsanddon'topenyourdoors!"theysaidtothemothers

andfathersonthephone."Yes,weknowaboutthiscrazymaninSantaClaus'sclothes.We'llstophim.Don'tgonearhim.He'sverydangerous."

"Whatarewegoingtodo?"ayoungpolicemanasked."Getourbiggestguns,"saidhisboss.Thepoliceworkedquickly.Theneverypolicemanandpolicewomanwent

outsideandlookedupintothesky.Theyhadtodosomething.Theyhadtostopthisman.

CHAPTERTEN

ProblemsforJackandSanta

Therewasonlyonehappyfaceintown.Highabovethepolicestationinastrangesleigh,askeleton'ssmileshone.Insidehisheadwerepicturesofhappychildren'sfaces.Hehadnoideaabouttheproblemsbelow.

Thepoliceusedtheirstrongestlights.Theirbiggestgunswereready,too.ButwhenJacksawtheirlights,hesmiledagain."They'recelebratingthiswonderfulnight,"hethought."Look,Zero!"hesaidtohislittledog."They'recelebrating!They'rehaving

awonderfulChristmas!"Thenagunalmosthitoneofthereindeer."Wasthatamistake?"thoughtJack."Oraretheyshootingatus?"Thegunsdidn'tstopandJackstartedfeelingscared."Idon'tlikethis.It'sgettingverydangerousuphere,"hesaidtoZero.ZeroputhisheaddownandlookedupatJackwithhisbig,sadeyes.Suddenly,oneofthepolicemenshotatJack.Itdidn'thithim,butitmadea

bigholeinthesleigh.Whentheyshotagain,ithitthesleighforasecondtime.Thesleighbrokeintwo.

"No!Whataretheydoing?"Jackcried."Aretheycrazy?Wehavealotoftoysonthissleigh!Thinkofthechildren!"

Suddenly,everythingbegantofallandthereindeerflewaway.Jackhitthegroundhardandoneofhisarmsbrokeoff.Butworsethanthat,thesleighwasonfire.Nowheknew.HisChristmasplanwasamistake.Thatfeltworsethanhishead,hislegs,orhisarms.

ZeroranandbroughtJack'sarmbacktohim.Jackputitbackoneasily."Iwantedtodosomethinggood,Zero,"saidJack."Nowlookatme.Look

atthesleigh.Wherearethereindeer?WehavetofindSantaClaus.OnlyhecanchangethisnightmareintoahappyChristmasfortheboysandgirls."

Jackquicklyranandfoundachurchyard.He jumpeddownahole in thegroundandranthroughthedarkwoodsbacktoHalloweentown.

When the police started shooting, Sally heard the guns. She heard thewitchesinHalloweentown,too.WitchesalwaysknoweverythingandtheyknewabouttheproblemsinChristmastown.

"Jack'splan isn'tworking.OnlySantaClauscanhelphim," she thought."WherecanIfindhim?"

ShethoughtaboutLock,Shock,andBarrel.TheywerefriendswithOogieBoogie.

"I'mgoingtogotoOogieBoogieshouse.I'llfindSantaClausthere!"shethought.

Tenminuteslater,SallystoodoutsidetheholetoOogieBoogiesdark,dirtyundergroundhouse.Shelookeddowntheholeand,ofcourse,SantaClauswasthere.Hewasinachairandhecouldn'tgetoutofit.Oogiestoodoverhim.ShecouldseemaggotsaroundOogie'smouth.Someclimbedupanddownhisarms.HedancedaroundSantaandscaledtheoldman.ThiswasOogieBoogie'sideaofagoodtime.

SallyhadtohelpSantaClaus."You're old and ugly, but I'm going to eat you for my dinner!" Oogie

BoogiesaidtoSanta."I'mhungry,soI'llstartthefirenow.""No!"criedSanta."Please,don'teatme!Thechildrenarewaitingfortheir

Christmaspresents.Ihavetogo.Theycan'tcelebrateChristmaswithoutme!"OogieBoogielaughed."Go?Never!You'redinner,SantaClaus!""WhatamIgoingtodo?"SantaClausthought."Thisistheworstplacein

theworld!What'sgoingtohappentoChristmas?"OogieBoogiesangandlaughed.Thefiregotbiggerandhotter."I am really hungry, Santa Claus," he said. "Do you know aboutme? I

scareeverybody!Areyouafraidofme?""No,Iamnot!"SantaClaussaid.Hemovedinhischairand tried toget

free."I'mSantaClausandI'mnotafraidofanybody."

CHAPTERELEVEN

OogieBoogie'sScaryHouse

When the Mayor heard about Jack's fall from the sky, he sadly toldeverybodyinhistown.Theyalllookeddownattheground.Theydidn'tscreamorshout.Theystoodandrememberedtheirgreatfriend.

"We will never see our dear friend Jack Skellington again," the Mayorsaid."Thisisaverysaddayforusall."

Everybodyfeltverybad,butnobodywassadderthantheMayor.Sallycouldhear theMayor from insideOogieBoogie'shouse.Hespoke

loudly and she tried hard to listen to hiswords.They soundedvery importantandverysad.WhenSallyunderstood,shecriedquietly.OogieBoogielaughedather.

"NowI'mthescariestpersoninHalloweentown!"heshoutedhappily."NomoreJackSkellington!Yes!"

SallywasinOogieBoogie'shousebecauseshetriedtohelpSantaClaus.Oogie Boogie caught her. He put her on another chair, next to Santa, so shecouldn'tgetaway.OogieBoogielaughedather,butSallywasn'tafraid.

"Youcanlaughnow,"shesaidtohimangrily."Butyou'llbesorry!"Oogielaughedagain."Veryfunny,Sally!"hesaid.

ButJack'slifedidn'tendwhenhissleighhittheground.Heranasfastashe could through the woods, with Zero behind him. Then he heard OogieBoogie'slaughunderthegroundandstoppedsuddenly.HelookeddowntheholetoOogieBoogie'shouseandhecouldseeSantaandSallyinthechairsandthehungryOogieBoogiebythefire.

"Look,Zero!"saidJack."Hewantstocookthemforhisdinner!He'stheworstbagofmaggotsintheworld!He'llbesorry!"

OogieBoogietookSantaandSallyoutoftheirchairsandhepushedthemnearthebigfireinthemiddleofhisdirtykitchen.ItwasveryhotandSallyandSantascreamed.

JackjumpeddowntheholeintoOogieBoogie'shouse.Thatreallyscaredtheuglybagofmaggotsandhejumped.SantaandSallyquicklygotawayfromhim.

"Jack?" shouted Oogie Boogie. "You're not really dead!" Oogie BoogieturnedonamachineinhiskitchenandalotofknivesstartedshootingatJack.Hejumpedoutoftheirway,butmoreknivescameathim.

"Come this way, you old skeleton!" shouted Oogie Boogie. He laughedwildly.TheknivesflewatJackfromtheleftandfromtheright.Jackjumpedthiswayandthatway.

"Lookbehindyou,Jack!"shoutedSallywhenmoreknivescamefromthedining-room.

Jackjumpedoutofthewayagain."Goodbye,Jack!"shoutedOogieBoogie.HejumpedupontoashelfandwasuphighaboveJack'shead.Jacklookedup."You'renotbeingverynicetomyfriends,"hesaid.OogieBoogielaughed

loudly.Jack'seyesturnedtoOogieBoogie'sfoot.Hecouldseeasmallholeinit.

Jackhadanidea.BeforeOogieBoogiecouldstophim,Jackputhisfingerintothehole.Thenhepulledithard.

The hole got bigger… and bigger.Maggots started falling out of OogieBoogie's foot.More andmore fell onto the floor. Theywere free fromOogieBoogie-andtheymovedawayfast!OogieBoogiegotsmaller...andsmaller.

"Lookatme!Mymaggots!"criedOogieBoogie."I'mdying!This is theendforme!"

The maggots quickly climbed up the walls and out of Oogie Boogie'shouse. Santawatched them and he felt sick.When the last one ran near him,Santakilleditwithhisbigblackshoe.ThatreallywastheendofOogieBoogie.

"SantaClaus, I'mverysorry,"saidJackquietly."Iwanted tohelp-but Ididn't."

"Christmasismorethanabagoftoysandaredhat,"Santasaid.HepulledthehatfromJack'sheadandturnedaway."It'snottheendofChristmas,Ihope!"Jacksaid."TheendofChristmas?Never!"shoutedSanta.

HequicklyflewupandoutofOogieBoogie'shouse."Everything will be OK, Jack," said Sally. "Santa Claus will give

everybodytheirpresents.Hecandoitbeforemorning."JackturnedtoSally.Helookedcarefullyathisgoodfriend."Shehasabeautifulface,"hethought."Whydidn'tIseethatbefore?""Whydidyoucomedownhere?"heasked."I...Iwantedto..."shesaidslowly."Helpme?"Jackasked.Sallysmiled.Jackwantedto takeher inhisarms,butsomethingstopped

him."Jack!Jack!"TheMayorarrivedwithLock,Shock,andBarrel.Theylookeddowninto

thehole."Thereheis!"shoutedShock."He'sfine,"saidLock."Wetoldyou,"said

Barrel."Everybodyiswaitingforyou,Jack!"theMayorsaidhappily."Let'sgoto

thecenteroftown!"Heputouthishand."Takemyhand,"hecried."Helpme,boys,"hesaidtoLock,Shock,andBarrel.

Everybodypulled.First Jack cameout ofOogieBoogiesdark and scaryhome,thenSally.

TheywalkedasfastastheycouldawayfromthatdarkholetotheMayor'scar.

CHAPTERTWELVE

ChristmasComestoHalloweentown

WhentheysawJackintheMayor'scar,thewitches,thevampires,andtheskeletons shouted, "Jack! Jack!You're home!"Suddenly, a louder sound camefromtheskyabove.Everybodylookedup.

"HappyChristmas,everybody!"shoutedSantaClaus.Hedroveacrossthenightskywithhissleighfullofpresents.JacksmiledhappilyupatSanta.

Suddenly,somebeautifulwhitesnowstartedfallingonHalloweentown-aChristmaspresentfromSantaClaus."Whatisthis?"askedthewitches.

Theyputouttheirlongfingersandtriedtocatchthesnow."Whiteblood?"askedthevampires."It'scold!"saidtheskeletons."It'ssnow!"Jacksaidhappily.The witches, the vampires, the trick-or-treaters, the black cats, the

skeletons, theMayor,andJack jumpedupanddownin thesnowand laughed.Christmaswashere...inHalloweentown!

Onlyonepersonwasnot there.Abovethe town'scenter,Sallystoodandlookeddownonthecelebrationsbelow.Thesnowwasbeautifulbutthesmileonherfacewassad.Shewatchedforaminuteortwoandthenshehadtoturnaway.

"Howdoeshefeelaboutme?"shethought.Shesatdownnexttosomeprettyflowersandpulledonefromtheground.

Withhersmallfingers,shepulledthepetalsoff,oneatatime."Helovesme,helovesmenot...helovesme..."shesaidquietlyDowninthetown,Jackstoppedsuddenlyandlookedaround.Hewanted

tocelebratewithSally.Butwherewasshe?Whenhecouldn'tfindSally'sface,he had to look for her.He left his friends andwalked to the top of the townthroughthesnow.

Hedidn't have to look for very long.Near thewall around the town, hesawherwiththeflowerinherhand.Whenhewasnearher,heheardherwords.Shedidn'tseehimbecausehereyeswereonthepetals.Butthenshefelthiseyesonher.She turnedslowlyand lookedathim.He lookedatherandsmiled.He

finishedherwords."Helovesyou,"saidJack.SallystoodupandJacktookherhandsinhis.ThenightmarebeforeChristmasendedhappilyforeverybody.(Butnotfor

OogieBoogie,ofcourse.)SantaClaus never forgot that night beforeChristmas. Itwas the longest

nightinhislife.HerememberedJackSkellingtonverywellformanyyears.AndeverytimehethoughtofJack,hesmiled.

Itwasstrange,butSantaClausenjoyedthatnight inHalloweentown.Hecouldn't understand why. He thought about the really scary vampires andwitches,andthosethreetrick-or-treaters.Theyweredifferent.Itwasexciting.

Of course, Santa Claus could never say this to his wife or to his littlehelpers.WhatcouldhesayaboutHalloween?Howcouldhetellthemaboutlifethere?

"It'saverystrangeplace,"he toldhiswife."Ihatedeveryminute in thatplace,"hetoldhishelpers.

But foryearsafter thatnight,SantaClaus sometimes leftChristmastownforanhouror twowhenhewasboredwithhishappyhelpersand theirhappysongs.

When his life felt boring, he climbed into his sleigh. He drove toHalloweentownandtherehevisitedhisoldfriendJackSkellington.TheytalkedabouttheyearwhenJackwantedtobeSantaClaus.

JackwasalwayshappywhenSantavisitedhim.HelikedtoaskquestionsaboutChristmastown andSanta liked to ask Jack aboutHalloweentown.Theycouldtalkforhoursandtheywereneverbored.

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