The Halloween King quietly looked at the showcase, where his reflection was mindfully staring back at him. The sparkles of bright backlights were inside of his dark deep eyesockets. Her lowered his eyelids calmly, still looking into nowhere and let himself speak his thoughts out loud:
“I think then… They would had no need in us. If they could speak, why they should speak instead of us? Why they should tell other people about us, while they wish play only their own music,” he said, still looking at the showcase, “The musical instruments weren’t made to have a voice. It was made in purpose to give a voice to those, who can’t speak their feelings in words. We give these unenlivened things our souls and only then they begin to speak. They need us, because we are those, who fill them with feeling of life, and we need in them, because they bring us our voice and a possibility to express our emotions in another perfect way. The music,” he glanced at Bonejangles shortly, “The music can’t be deceiving. Music is a language, a magic, what we use. And how we use it depends only on us… If we want to lie - our music will be deceiving, but if we want to be true - our melodies become sincere and feel this disgusting air with a new divine sound. People can be deceiving, their words and feelings can be, but what our music will be… it will never depend on our instrument. The answers lie inside of our souls, which are eternal, as you know,” he finished to speak and the looked back at the showcase. The backlights were gilding the expensive and, verily, beautiful things… They all were filled with magic and that magic wasn’t understandable for everyone. Yes, indeed, not everyone could comprehend these words, which were written in such interesting, weird and even crazy way. These small black points and strokes. And how much was lurking behind them. How many feelings were hiding there… discovered, frank and not… some music was made to make people happy, while another was made only for somebody special. One music we were playing and another we had to hide… because we mostly were afraid to show it, to perform it. And why we were afraid, almost no one of us could explain accessibly. Some of us were afraid that others won’t understand, some of us wished to stay strong and to not show our weaknesses and some of us simply had no idea how… how to play the real music. That music, which our hearts sings and cries to us.
If I will ever try to tell you the story of the demon, who stood there in front of Bonejangles, I… I will never even be so brave to try. To feel that grief an sadness. Oh, yes, we all have a complex fate, a hard lot and a very long way to overcome all those troubles. In his life, Jack was deprived of many things. He was deprived of all things what we used to know. Freedom, wish, family, love, music, faith… There were left only seriousness, rigor, courage, composure, power and wisdom. The things, which were important, certainly, the things, which were needed and necessary. But still… was it fair? Jack knew that to receive that all, what he had now, he had to give a lot. However, he didn’t make this decision by himself. Somebody decided instead of himself. And he had to give that all…
The highest court Dellirium, never supposed him as somebody worthy of their attention. After their horrible mistake, how they confused the souls and there was born such a demon with an angel’s soul. That was weird, strange and unacceptable. Yes, everyone expelled him and cheated him. And when Dellirium decided to take care of him so kindly, they cheated him in horrible way. When they help him to learn how to use all his power, they made him their servant forever. He had no way to go, it was unfair, but still better than that what he had before. Nothing and nowhere to stay. Then… there were wars. There was deceiving. There were deaths. There were numerous unfair courts, where evryone was killed and Jack was the only one, who didn’t accept that all.
He was agaisnt of that all and judge and guardians of Dellirium decided to get rid of him. So they did…
A horrible story had many additional stories. Such as that one, when Dellirium killed the demon and because of his disobedience and rebellion, they sent him on the Earth and he was born as a human. That life didn’t last for so long. His family had many children and barely could feed them all. Then, many of them were left alone, as parents and elder children left the village. Jack was the one, who stayed alone the first. His family and many other people had to run away not only because they wished to find a better place for living. There was a war and there were news that soon an army of enemy will capture the village. First time it was simply foolish to believe in it. Though, then, closer to the night, when people heard the sound of bombs and ammunition - it wasn’t the time to joke. Yes, it was the right time to run. A little buy, who lived in orphanage tried to run away. He saw how people were killed, he saw that blood, he heard those cries, he was blinded by the powder and scared by fire and bombs… He ran away and tried to hide at the old farm. The previous owners left that place few months ago. How clever they were doing that. But now, the child was alone… and it was a cold cold January… He was scared, tired and hungry. He did his best to carve a small lantern from a green pumpkin, which he found among the sacks with spoiled flour. A small light, which he lit for himself was barely shining and warming, but it was something what could bring a smallest hope and reflect in the falling down cold tears… He fell asleep, but didn’t extinguish the lantern. So, the soldiers found him and killed him, while he was sleeping. Cruely, isn’t that? It was the war. There was no reason were you a kid or and old person. It was a war, where nobody was waiting for mercy.
Well, then a small demon opened his eyes and found himself in the Land of the Dead. Lost, scared, alone, helpless… All what he had was a small pumpkin lantern. How it appeared in his hands - a little bone-demon had no idea, though, that light was illuminating him his way…
He wandered many nights and days. He continued to pace, even when he was totally exhausted. When he barely felt his body and his small feet started to hurt. He found himself in a nameless village, where the ghosts were howling fightfully, the dangerous monsters were hiding in blackness of the night and the bats eyes were shining predatory. Then, he had no way to go an he just fell down towards a massive stone wall. It was very dark everywhere. There were no lights in the village and his little lanern was the only illuminant around…
Soon, this illuminant beckoned a young ruler of that village. Cedric Skellington, previous King of Samhain, was looking for an idea for a symbol of his holiday and then found a pumpkin lantern in the hands of little boy. Soon, Cedric comprehended that he found much more than a symbol of his holiday and Jack understood that he finally had found somebody, whom he could trust.
King Cedric and his wife - Queen Mylena loved little demon as their own son. With them, Jack learnt such thing as love. They cared about him, taught him, loved him incredibly much… They were his step-patents and Jonathan, current Mayor of the Halloween Town, Cedric’s best friend, was like Jack’s uncle. The part “step” was erased in the word “step-parents”. There was only love and endless music at the magical evenings… The King took his violin, and the Queen was sitting at the piano with her little son and they all played wonderful music. Then, before he will fall asleep, his mother sang him lullabies. Her soft voice was the most sweetest one little Jack had ever heard.
But their happiness didn’t last for so long…
A new war parted Jack and his family. Forever.
The Mayor saved small demon from the fire and falling blocks of their village. There were too many horrible thoughts to remember. Especially, the name of a killer and tyran, who was famous as Count Dracula. He was the first one, who began that grand family branch. There were many namesakes, thought, this vampire king was the ruthless, the meanest and the most bloodthirsty person. A person without a heart.
Why I tell you this all? To make you understand the whole meaning of that pain. But I will never make you feel the same. Because it is horrible…
Jack never wished that somebody would wish that way.
He was sad, lost, mute, too calm after their death. Yes, he even cried. But that tears belonged to a child, who tried to find something, which could bring him the comfort. And soon he found that thing… It was the music.
That wonderful divine perfect things which enveloped and took the boys mind entirely. Music, singing, theatre, composing, dancing, performing, playing… That all was bringing such kind of happiness to the child. But Jack had no idea that soon even this drop of light will be taken away due to complex circumstances. There were no king, who could rule people. The kingdom, the people, the holiday… all those things needed a strong ruler, whom Jack had to become. He was a prince. So, only he could take the leadership.
And now imagine yourself a small hopeless child, who had to rule a large kingdom, filled with destroyed buildings, poor people, crisis… The Mayor bacem Jack’s regent, teacher and a step-father. Even when Jack was that, whom he was now, Mayor still called him “my boy”. Mayor rarely called Jack by his name and always cared about him. And well, that naughty one was lost and tried to escape from his lessons, he was searching. You think that when Jack in his teen age found the Land of Christmas Mayor tried to search him around only for the first time? Huh, no…
The crown asked for much. For knowledge, experience, wisdom, time, hard-working… Jack never wished to be a king. He loved music, he wished the music always to be with him. But when Oogie Boogie tried to capture the Halloween Town at first, he had to make a decision. And he refused from his wishes and silly dreams… He won the fight, he expelled Boogieman from the town, he accepted his Halloween King status and… even if it was painfull, he refused from his music. No one note sounded out of his fingers, no one song was sang in front of people… Rarely, he let himself to sing, because he felt horribly alone and empty. He did it only when he was alone. He used to lie and make a happy fake smile, lying and hiding how much he was tired inside of his bones. Ho much he wished for some freedom… That Halloween routine, that ruling, those duties, he wished something more, something new, what could feel an empty place in his dead heart. First, it was Chsritmas. But it failed. Then, it was his love for Sally, which also failed and finally turned Jack into somebody he wasn’t before. He became serious, closed and strict. His changing was quite sudden… his heart was broken into the small sharp shards and he made it frozen to not lost the last parts of it. Then his memories found him. Then he discovered his power and whom he really was… There was no place for happiness. He knew that. And he was sure that there is no happiness for him. He existed only to run the Halloween every year, to protect his people, to care about the happiness of others, but never care about his own. That all was okay. He didn’t need much…
He didn’t need happiness.
He was already happy with that whom he was.
And if his true being was so horrible, then, okay. It was still okay.
Though, even if he had billions of masks, millions of different roles, a lot of tricks, secrets, skills… he wasn’t cold completely. Looking at that showcase and speaking about the music with Bonejangles he felt something strange inside of his mind. Memories.
Bonejangles also seemed to survive a lot of things. And Jack felt that some of them were native to him.
And the two old musicians stood there and spoke about the music as about a thing. But it never was a thing. Music was free, in contrast of Jack, or in contrast of Bonejangles.
The demon nodded slightly and added:
“We choose do we need to lie or not. And we pay for our mistakes…,” the music was his mistake? That beautiful mistake? The mistake, which brought him happiness once?
No, so sad… a sad mistake. It was just an attempt. A silly attempt.