I Am The Pumpkin King
Chapter One: A Kiss for Jack Frost
A chill winter breeze swept through the street outside of the Skellington residence, bringing with it a breath of snow. A small face pressed against one of the windows of the house, gazing out with excited eyes at the dancing flakes swirling past the pane.
"Snow!" squeaked an excited voice. "It's about time!"
Amelia was the youngest of the Skellington house, being six, and had been awaiting the frozen bounty which the heavens had to offer eagerly since November. It had been uncommonly warm this year, and only now, mid- December already, was the snow coming. But, supposed Amelia, the wait made it all the more worth it. The snow would be that much fluffier and that much more fun for waiting so long. She let out a happy giggle, her warm breath steaming the frigid pane. She took a moment to press her lips against the glass, leaving a little kiss for Jack Frost to find.
As visions of snow angels and snow men danced in her head, the little girl turned from her place at the window and raced out of the room. Surely, she thought, her older brother would be happy to know about this! Amelia lifted her heavy wool dress a bit and pattered quickly up the staircase in a flurry of two-toned boots and black stockings, bouncing into the hallway with a flounce of her dark curls and taffeta bows.
Making her way toward her big brother's door, she recalled last winter when the two would spend hour after hour playing in the snow. They made snow castles and declared snowball fights; most of which, Amelia was sure, he had let her win. Together they made a whole snow person family, with a big Daddy snow man, a middle-sized Mommy snow man, and two little snow children. Amelia also insisted upon a cat, which her brother readily made for her. Forgetting completely about her older sibling's request to knock before she entered his room, being far too engulfed in the joy of proper winter weather, Amelia flung open his door, red cheeked and grinning from ear to ear.
"Jack!" she declared, her quavering little voice scarcely able to contain her excitement. "It's snowing!"
Seated at a desk in the room was a young man, quite lanky and dressed smartly in a well-fitting suit of coal-black and white pinstripes. His hair was dark and well kempt, the dark brown matching his eyes. He gave the impression of a gawky youth, whose bulk had not quite caught up with his height. Turning to the little girl, he smiled, a smile that Amelia always thought looked a little funny, but friendly nonetheless, his dark eyes twinkling in the soft gas lamp light that filled the room. Forgiving her for the intrusion, Jack set down his pen and held his arms out for his little sister, who happily leapt into them, throwing her own arms around her older brother's shoulders. "Is it!" he laughed, embracing her. "That's marvelous! I was begining to wonder if we were going to have any this year."
Looking up into her brother's face, blue eyes twinkling like a pair of sapphires caught in starlight, she managed to overcome the excitement caught in her throat and squeaked out, "We can make snow men, can't we? Like last year? And another snow fort, right? Let's make two and we can have a snow war!"
"We'll do all those things," Jack chuckled, tapping her on her nose. "Just be patient. I'll tell you what. Until the snow builds up, let's make a little storm in here, shall we?" The young man set his little sister down, turning back to his desk and drawing out two sheets of paper and two pairs of scissors to go along with them. Handing a piece of paper and a pair of scissors to his sister, he smiled and held up his own sheet. "Fold it like this," he said, demonstrating, "and then start to cut along the edges." Jack did so in a flourish of silver snippets before opening the paper again and revealing an intricate snowflake.
Letting out a squeal of glee, Amelia quickly folded her own paper, snipping away joyfully.
Sitting back and smiling, Jack turned his gaze to the windows, already edging with frost. He let his eyes wander across the skeletal trees dotting the landscape, their bony branches stretching into the starless sky. His gaze relaxed, the trees and snow becoming a pleasant blur of glittering darkness.
Their house was an ideal location for a growing child, with town not too far away from to walk to school, but close enough to the woods to play and explore away many a warm spring hour. Jack had lived here as long as he could remember, spending much of his childhood building tree forts with his friends, going on long hikes or playing in the schoolyard. His parents weren't rich, but they could afford to live quite comfortably, and Jack loved them both dearly. Amelia, too, was a joy to have around. He couldn't have possibly hoped for a better sister. The bubbly little ray of sunshine never failed to cheer the young man up, and she was a welcome distraction from his studies.
Jack started suddenly.
Amelia glanced up at her brother from her snowflake. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I...just thought I saw something in the woods."
"What was it?"
"It's...it's nothing. Never you mind." Jack smiled back to his sister. "Let's see your snowflake."
Outside, nestled among the cold, wet, crumbly bark of the naked winter trees, someone smiled.
Chapter One: A Kiss for Jack Frost
A chill winter breeze swept through the street outside of the Skellington residence, bringing with it a breath of snow. A small face pressed against one of the windows of the house, gazing out with excited eyes at the dancing flakes swirling past the pane.
"Snow!" squeaked an excited voice. "It's about time!"
Amelia was the youngest of the Skellington house, being six, and had been awaiting the frozen bounty which the heavens had to offer eagerly since November. It had been uncommonly warm this year, and only now, mid- December already, was the snow coming. But, supposed Amelia, the wait made it all the more worth it. The snow would be that much fluffier and that much more fun for waiting so long. She let out a happy giggle, her warm breath steaming the frigid pane. She took a moment to press her lips against the glass, leaving a little kiss for Jack Frost to find.
As visions of snow angels and snow men danced in her head, the little girl turned from her place at the window and raced out of the room. Surely, she thought, her older brother would be happy to know about this! Amelia lifted her heavy wool dress a bit and pattered quickly up the staircase in a flurry of two-toned boots and black stockings, bouncing into the hallway with a flounce of her dark curls and taffeta bows.
Making her way toward her big brother's door, she recalled last winter when the two would spend hour after hour playing in the snow. They made snow castles and declared snowball fights; most of which, Amelia was sure, he had let her win. Together they made a whole snow person family, with a big Daddy snow man, a middle-sized Mommy snow man, and two little snow children. Amelia also insisted upon a cat, which her brother readily made for her. Forgetting completely about her older sibling's request to knock before she entered his room, being far too engulfed in the joy of proper winter weather, Amelia flung open his door, red cheeked and grinning from ear to ear.
"Jack!" she declared, her quavering little voice scarcely able to contain her excitement. "It's snowing!"
Seated at a desk in the room was a young man, quite lanky and dressed smartly in a well-fitting suit of coal-black and white pinstripes. His hair was dark and well kempt, the dark brown matching his eyes. He gave the impression of a gawky youth, whose bulk had not quite caught up with his height. Turning to the little girl, he smiled, a smile that Amelia always thought looked a little funny, but friendly nonetheless, his dark eyes twinkling in the soft gas lamp light that filled the room. Forgiving her for the intrusion, Jack set down his pen and held his arms out for his little sister, who happily leapt into them, throwing her own arms around her older brother's shoulders. "Is it!" he laughed, embracing her. "That's marvelous! I was begining to wonder if we were going to have any this year."
Looking up into her brother's face, blue eyes twinkling like a pair of sapphires caught in starlight, she managed to overcome the excitement caught in her throat and squeaked out, "We can make snow men, can't we? Like last year? And another snow fort, right? Let's make two and we can have a snow war!"
"We'll do all those things," Jack chuckled, tapping her on her nose. "Just be patient. I'll tell you what. Until the snow builds up, let's make a little storm in here, shall we?" The young man set his little sister down, turning back to his desk and drawing out two sheets of paper and two pairs of scissors to go along with them. Handing a piece of paper and a pair of scissors to his sister, he smiled and held up his own sheet. "Fold it like this," he said, demonstrating, "and then start to cut along the edges." Jack did so in a flourish of silver snippets before opening the paper again and revealing an intricate snowflake.
Letting out a squeal of glee, Amelia quickly folded her own paper, snipping away joyfully.
Sitting back and smiling, Jack turned his gaze to the windows, already edging with frost. He let his eyes wander across the skeletal trees dotting the landscape, their bony branches stretching into the starless sky. His gaze relaxed, the trees and snow becoming a pleasant blur of glittering darkness.
Their house was an ideal location for a growing child, with town not too far away from to walk to school, but close enough to the woods to play and explore away many a warm spring hour. Jack had lived here as long as he could remember, spending much of his childhood building tree forts with his friends, going on long hikes or playing in the schoolyard. His parents weren't rich, but they could afford to live quite comfortably, and Jack loved them both dearly. Amelia, too, was a joy to have around. He couldn't have possibly hoped for a better sister. The bubbly little ray of sunshine never failed to cheer the young man up, and she was a welcome distraction from his studies.
Jack started suddenly.
Amelia glanced up at her brother from her snowflake. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I...just thought I saw something in the woods."
"What was it?"
"It's...it's nothing. Never you mind." Jack smiled back to his sister. "Let's see your snowflake."
Outside, nestled among the cold, wet, crumbly bark of the naked winter trees, someone smiled.