What was in front of him was unlike anything he had ever seen before. White stretched out as far as the eye could see, small things falling from ground and making his bones chill upon contact. Just what he had stumbled onto?...

"Oh, I'm telling you, Sally, this idea is my best yet!"

He heard himself say, his voice oddly echoing in the darkness. The small doll simply frowned at him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, her wide eyes calming to him and yet unsettling at the same time. He could sense something there, unease perhaps?

"Oh, Jack...I have a bad feeling about this. I'm worried about you, is all."

She said to him, moving her tiny hand upon his own, a worried look on her face. He simply smiled at her, sockets narrowed as he beheld the fabric and patterns she held...

He fell, and kept falling, unable to move. He could smell the smoke, the acrid tinge of burning wood and cloth. Her words came back to him in a rush—too fast for his mind to comprehend them fully, though regret washed over him as he watched his creation burn and crumble to pieces. All too soon the ground appeared below him, it's oddly white surface looking to swallow him up. The last thing he felt was his body slamming into the ground, as a panicked bark sounded somewhere above him...

A ghoulish howl escaped him, his bones shaking in an icy terror that he had never experienced before. If he was able to sweat, he most certainly would have, staring curiously at his disheveled bedsheets. It had been quite a long time since he had had that particular dream; he had hoped it would have gone away. Looking towards his left, relief washed over him as he saw the sleeping form of his canine companion, the ghostly dog snoring away contentedly. At least his best friend was safe; it was simply a dream, nothing more. Jack was unsure of what he would do if anything happened to Zero. The dog had been the one constant in his undeath, keeping him level headed and grounded. He had no one else to confide in really, no one to share his sorrows with. Still, the dream was unsettling to the lanky skeleton. He was not sure what it meant, if it had any meaning at all, only that it made him uneasy.

I admit I've had dreams like this before, but none quite this horrendously vivid!

His heart ached, remembering the figure in his dream. Her kind words and comforting touch were still fresh in his mind, disturbing him greatly as he tried to relax from his startling awakening. If only she was real; and not a vision of his lonely heart. He groaned, covering his face with his long fingers and sighing deeply. Sadly, she did not exist; the rag doll simply a figment of his imagination. How he envied the self in his dream! Well, aside from the whole being shot out of the sky thing. That version of him seemed to have everything he lacked at the moment. Happiness, a sense of purpose and fulfillment, and a dearest friend who cared about him for his true self, not wanting to flatter him or suck up to him because of his title. If only he had such luck…

But, he reminded himself, it was simply not to be. He was the presiding spirit of All Hallows' Eve, after all, charged with overseeing the Holiday and everything it entailed. He had no time to make friends or pursue romance, busy with plans year after year, day in and day out as he was. And he was getting tired of it; the same thing every year, with little to no variation, always the same sights and scares. It wore at him, ground him down to his core. He wasn't sure how long he could last at this farce; forcing his feelings of discomfort inside himself as to not alarm his citizens.

Speaking of time, turning his head toward the rising sun outside his window, he had better get going, before the well intentioned Mayor began his unending rapport at his door.

With a little effort, he sleepily swung his long limbs over his bed and onto the ground, settling into his slippers and walking towards his closet almost as if in a daze. And he was tired, his nightmare waking him up much more earlier than usual, not to mention his lack of sleep from his scattered thoughts last night. Not that he could go back to sleep if he wanted to, slightly worried about the dream he had. It wasn't the first time he had had such an odd nightmare; but it was the first time it felt so vivid and real. It was as if he had almost smashed into the ground himself, the heat from the burning wood of the sleigh still poignant in his mind. Was it simply a dream, or something more? A premonition of sorts? He wasn't sure, and was too tired to really consider it, rummaging through his closet to find a fresh outfit. It only took him a minute to don his usual pinstripe suit, bow tie firmly in place as he began to walk around his room. He crouched downward, being careful so as not to wake his still sleeping friend, warmth filling his bones as he beheld the snoring mess of blankets and ghost dog.

"Ah, good morning Zero. Hopefully you slept well at least. Well, duty calls, you know the drill...I'll see you later."

If the ghost dog made any indication he heard his master, he didn't show it, curled up in his bed as he was. Jack smiled, gently scratching at the top of the dog's head, feeling the smooth cloth rustle underneath his touch. Understanding he could procrastinate no longer, he stopped petting the sleeping dog, heading down the long spiral staircase that lead to the main part of his home…

"Yes, I understand your concern…"

Jack responded, eyeing the short figure near him with fluttering sockets. It wasn't anything that he didn't already know, being the King of Halloween and all, but if it made the panicked man beside him calm down at least a little, he would play along. So he did his best to pay attention, nodding along and pointing out flaws in the Mayor's plans or suggestions, yet with less enthusiasm than he usually did. If the stout man noticed, he certainly didn't show it, wrapped up in his plans as he was.

It was September, and the preparations for the holiday season were already well underway. Which meant more work for poor Jack, more meetings with the easily frazzled Mayor, and more revising of plans that didn't need to be revised, at least in his opinion. Yet he did his best to keep calm with his shorter companion; the man simply wanted what was best for the town, as did Jack. Though he certainly didn't feel it at the moment. Thankfully—after what seemed like hours to the tired skeleton—the meeting was over, much to Jack's relief. He quickly bade the Mayor a good night, before the man could remember something else with which to bug him, and slipped out into the center of town, carefully taking the steps one at time.

A sharp cry was all the warning he had before he was overcome, hands and claws grabbing at him, wanting a piece of their esteemed ruler. He mentally groaned, though he did his best to seem cordial as he waved away their inquisitive touches and questions. The overzealous monsters swarmed around him, poking and prodding at him, annoying him slightly. He was simply not in the mood to deal with any admirers tonight. Not like they really loved him, anyway. They simply fell in love with the illusion their fanciful minds created. More pretenders. They didn't notice him, not really, only seeing what they wanted to of their King. They didn't understand his loneliness, his pain; and how could they!? They were so oblivious to everything around them, only seeing what they wanted to see...How part of him envied them, their carefree natures and obliviousness, able to focus on whatever they set their minds to without thought for the greater scheme of things.

"I'm sorry, ladies and gents, but I really must get going. Please, do be careful on your way home. It's quite dangerous at night."

He said, extricating himself from the crowd as best he was able. Which was somewhat easy, thanks to his tall stature and thin limbs, allowing him to slip into the shadows with ease. He quickly scuttled away, leaving the crowd far behind him as he ducked into a hopefully abandoned alley. To his luck, it was empty, save for the familiar figures of the town's local band. And they would never call attention to him, thankfully. A fact he was very much glad for at this moment.

"Have a horrible night, gentlemen…"

He offered, slipping a couple coins into the accordion players tin before sauntering off. He didn't quite catch what they were saying, lost in his thoughts as he was, wanting to find a place he could spend alone. So he began to retreat towards a place that no one else dared to ever go; the Spiral Hill. Possibly because it was across the graveyard, which roamed with specters and ghosts at night, and was quite dangerous even to the dead. Not many willingly entered the graveyard, and it was this that Jack was counting on for some peace and quiet.

There was something about the way the moon rose over the crest of that hill, illuminating the darkness of the trees that caused something in him to stir. It was when he felt at his most productive, his tower sometimes too cramped and crowded with his inventions and ideas to get a clear picture of things. He laid down on the grass, admiring the way the night sky stretched out before him, stars twinkling as if they were tiny lights of their own. He cried out into the night, his voice soft yet stern as he lamented his situation.

"Oh, how I wish I could be spirited away from here...All the responsibilities, all the lies, faces I must wear. I can stand it no more! Please, just whisk me away! To somewhere I won't be burdened by these expectations. Where no one here can ever find me, no matter how hard they try. Maybe then I can find something to mend my breaking, undead heart!"

He tried his best to keep calm then, feeling his chest ache horribly at the moment. It did him no good however, and he felt tears begin to form at the edge of his sockets, the tiny droplets cascading down his round skull and falling onto the ground. He did not cry out loudly in his grief; lest anyone find him so badly troubled out here. Though the thought occurred to him numerous times as he felt tears stream down his face. He simply wept quietly, long limbs curled into himself as he shook with sobs. This went on for some time, how long he did not know, until the pressure in his chest began to lighten up, sockets finally unable to shed any more tears even though he knew he was not yet done shedding them all.

Maybe a brisk walk would help my mood...He reasoned, finally standing up from his position and dusting some dirt off of his jacket. Smoothing off his suit, he began the trek across the long hill, heading into the forest proper. If the graveyard was off limits, then this place was certainly dangerous. Even he didn't venture here often, having no real need to, aside from maybe when he took a stroll to calm his frazzled mind and body. The quiet atmosphere was soothing, the sound of leaves rustling against trees and wind whistling.

He was a tad chilly though, hugging his long limbs around himself to ward off the cold. Was it always this cold? He wasn't sure...Possibly. He had already long since passed the grove of circular trees, the ones that stood tall and proud in the center of the forest. Truth be told, he hadn't paid too much attention to them, mind clouded as it was. For if he had, he would have stumbled upon the most peculiar sight...

As it was however, he simply kept walking, glad for the first rays of sunlight that began to peek their ways through the large copse of tree branches. Yet the sun seemed less radiant than usual as it rose up into the orange sky. And something about the sky itself seemed off to him as well. Maybe it was due to his exhaustion and lack of sleep, but the trees certainly seemed less full and thinner than before, their branches no longer looking as crooked or gnarled into the twisted shapes he was used to. The air seemed heavier, and less crisp as it flowed through his nostrils, even though he had no real need to breathe. The grass beneath his feet seemed less tall, less vibrant than he was used to, and soon gave way to a dirt path. This startled him; because as far as he knew all the roads in town were made of cobblestone, aside from the graveyard and forest. The dirt itself too felt much heavier and more mud like than usual, sticking to his shoes with a horrible slush every time he pulled his legs upwards.

Just where was he? Had he gotten lost in his traipse through the forest? It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had done so, lost in his mind as he was. Yet, this felt different, much different than those times. Something in him began to stir, bubbling up in his chest as he continued waking forward, noticing an odd mist beginning to rise up from the ground. It seemed to become colder then, his footsteps muted as he walked onward still, until he came upon something that made his heart nearly leap out of his chest.

"What is this…?"