A story that just came to me one day.

Disclaimer: I only own Sonia, Sonia's mother, and Paul. The Nightmare Before Christmas belongs to Touchstone and Disney.

The Pumpkin Patch Tickle Monster

There was a legend in town that there was a tickle monster in the pumpkin patch and the monster was terrifying to look at and no one dared to go into the pumpkin patch unless it was light out, because they said he hid in the shadows, watching and waiting for his next tickle victim.

Sonia walked home from school and scoffed a little when she saw the pumpkin patch. She didn't believe in the story of the tickle monster in the pumpkin patch and just thought of it as a tale to scare kids.

She continued walking on when she noticed Paul, her ex-boyfriend coming towards her. She immediately started to backtrack and saw him follow her. The reason she had left him was because he had been verbally and emotionally abusive towards her. Even though she had a restraining order against him, he still came around to bother her.

Sonia started running and knew she wouldn't be able to outrun him, but then spotted the pumpkin patch and it was now getting dark out. Making a quick decision, she ran in there through the gate and quickly hid behind some huge trees, hoping he didn't see her in the dark.

Paul came up to the pumpkin patch and looked around. "Come on, Sonia," he said with an evil smile. "Everyone knows the pumpkin patch tickle monster is here and he's going to get you and then I'll get you too."

Sonia began to shake as her sixteen-year-old legs shook so hard she had to sit down, but she was shivering, hoping that Paul wouldn't find her and she could get home.

Suddenly, she heard a loud scream. "Get away from me!" shouted Paul as an eerie laugh pierced the night air.

"GO AWAY!" a deep voice boomed. "NEVER RETURN!"

Sonia heard Paul scream again and she huddled near the ground, hoping that the dark would provide her cover so that whatever had scared Paul wouldn't come for her as she bleakly realized that maybe the story about the pumpkin patch monster was true after all. She shivered at the thought.

Jack was very pleased when he saw the terrified boy run away. "Serves him right for coming in here and scaring that poor girl," he said to himself.

You see, Jack loved pumpkin patches as they reminded him of home when he would visit the human world and after a bit, the townspeople had noticed his shadow moving around, but not him, since he was tall and could move so it just looked like his shadow was there. But one year, when a few young children were forced to go in the pumpkin patch by some older kids, Jack had come to the rescue and tickled the younger children, making them laugh as he then terrified the older children and made them more terrified as he tickled them too with the promise that if they dared to play such a prank again, he would return to tickle them more.

Because they were terrified, the older children had promised and then ran away, spreading stories about the pumpkin patch tickle monster. Over the years, as those same children became adults, they told their children to never go into the pumpkin patch or the monster would come back for them.

Now, Jack looked around to find the young teenager he had seen running from that boy and found her behind some trees, huddled to the ground. "Hello, there," he said to her.

Sonia gasped and looked up and saw the same creature her mother, who had long ago been one of the terrified children that had suffered a terrifying tickle torture because she had been a bully, had told her about and she now screamed.

"HELP!" she cried out, jumping to her feet and running away, but she was having a hard time running because several pumpkins blocked the way and so she ran down the row between the pumpkins, glancing back and seeing the tall skeleton creature following her, having no trouble keeping a steady pace and steadily closing the distance.

Sonia screamed again as she leapt over some other pumpkins and then ran behind a rather large pumpkin and quickly got down, crawling toward some bushes and hiding behind them with her back to a large tree.

Jack looked around the large pumpkin but didn't see her, but he did see the imprints of her sneakers and the drag marks when she got down and crawled away. He followed them until he came to the bush in front of a tree, hearing a small rustle and he smiled, knowing where she was.

Sonia saw him come closer and she tried not to scream as she realized she was trapped and he could easily catch her now. She quickly gathered her legs under her in a runner's position. Maybe, if she surprised him, she could get away.

Jack spotted her and saw her move into a runner's stance and braced himself, knowing she was going to bolt in a moment. He saw a pebble beside his foot and tossed it so that it hit a tree that was only a couple yards away.

Hearing the sound so close, Sonia bolted from her hiding place and felt something tackle her and hold her in a strong grip as she screamed again, struggling to get free.

Jack was glad that he had caught her, but now he had to calm her down and she was squirming a lot, making him tighten his hold on her as he held her.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear, making her freeze in fright. "I won't hurt you, Sonia."

He heard her take a shaky breath and knew what question was running through her mind. "I heard that boy call out your name," he said gently. "Don't worry, he ran off after seeing me. Seems the stories about the pumpkin patch tickle monster strikes fear in the townspeople."

Sonia didn't move as she listened to him and suddenly felt one of his bony hands stroke her head. "But you thought it was just a story," he said, amusement in his voice. "I saw you scoff earlier when you walked by."

She whimpered a little as she tried to curl up, but couldn't with him holding her. She felt him stroke her head again as he continued to softly shush her. After a bit, she looked up at him.

"Are you really the pumpkin patch tickle monster?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "Yes, I am," he said. "Your mother was one of the bullies I frightened many years ago. The children I had helped have moved away."

Sonia now turned slightly so that she was looking over her shoulder as she was laying on her side and found him in the same laying down position, only his head was resting on his fist while his arm was bent at an angle to be like a support. "You scared her, but you helped me?" she asked him.

He smiled. "She deserved it for scaring little kids long ago," he said. "But you were running from a bully, so there's the difference. I don't hurt anyone, but I do terrify those that like to pick on others."

Sonia now calmed down, seeing his point. And now that she looked at him, he didn't seem as scary now. He noticed that she was calmer. "What is your name?" she asked him.

"I'm Jack. Are you still afraid of me?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Good," he continued. "Then I can do this."

Sonia began laughing as Jack tickled her, starting with her sides and ribs before going up to her underarms and neck, making her laughs pour out.

"AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed.

"Well, you're very ticklish," Jack chuckled. "It's been a bit since I've tickled someone."

Sonia just kept giggling as she felt Jack's fingers now tickling her knees, which made her squirm a lot before he gently pinned her legs down so that she couldn't squirm away and then he gazed at her stomach and gently poked it, making her let out a combination of a yelp and a giggle.

"Ah, I believe I've found your tickle spot," he said as he lifted her shirt to the bottom of her rib cage. "Now for the finale!"

As soon as she felt those bony fingers tickling her stomach, Sonia shrieked, giggles and laughs pouring out of her crazily, especially when Jack tickled her belly button. Noticing this, he continued to tickle her tummy and belly button.

"Cootchie coo! What a ticklish tummy you have! So ticklish!" he teased her as she continued laughing and trying to get away, but then Jack gave her the ultimate tickle torture by blowing raspberries all over her stomach and belly button.

That sent Sonia into hysterics. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she could only laugh now.

Jack grinned hugely as he finally stopped, letting Sonia catch her breath. "You have such a cute laugh," he said as he sat down under the tree and pulled her into his lap. She didn't fight him as he settled her in his lap and she leaned her head against his shoulder as she took some more deep breaths and felt Jack rub her back.

Sonia soon felt better and looked at Jack with a smile. "Thank you, Jack, for saving me and making me feel better," she said and gave him a hug. Smiling, Jack returned the warm hug.

"You're welcome," he said. "Come, you should get home now. Your mother is no doubt quite worried."

Nodding, Sonia held Jack's hand as he guided her to the gate and down the sidewalk that led to her home. Her mother came out and when she saw Sonia with Jack, she looked frightened, but then saw her daughter smile up at the tall skeleton creature who smiled back as she asked for one more hug and he kneeled to her height, giving her a hug before she went up to her mother who then looked at Jack, who gave her a nod before heading back to the pumpkin patch.

"Sonia, what that the pumpkin patch tickle monster?" she asked her daughter.

"Yeah," said Sonia. "He scared Paul away when that creep chased me into the patch. And he helped me get back home."

Sonia's mother looked back at where Jack had gone while Sonia went to the kitchen to do her homework. "Thank you," she said softly, as she was truly grateful that Jack, monster or not, had saved her daughter.

Jack, who was actually on the roof listening, smiled. "You're welcome," he whispered softly and then headed back to the pumpkin patch.

Yes, the pumpkin patch tickle monster was real and the townspeople never doubted it.

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GoldGuardian2418