The pumpkin sun still hung in the sky for the last dregs of daylight. The graveyard gates creaked open as Sally the Rag Doll made her way into the Halloween Town cemetery. She carried a small satchel over her shoulder filled with little jars to restock the herb cabinet at back home.
A soft wind brushed through her hair. Sally closed her eyes and took in the brisk smell of graveyard dirt and faint wisps of pumpkin from the patch next door. While the graveyard was at its most beautiful at night, there was a certain peace associated with it at sundown, in the last lulling hours before most of the other creatures came out to go bump in the night.
She opened her eyes again and started for a certain patch of tombstones that marked the witches' herb garden. Sally carefully walked along the dead grass towards the hen bane, when she heard a little giggle coming from behind the tombstone. One corner of her crooked mouth turned up in a soft smile. She knew that laugh. Of course, she also knew to listen for two others.
Pretending to take no note of it, Sally knelt down and opened her satchel for the first jar. She hummed a little tune to herself as she opened the jar and gathered the first sprigs of hen bane, though she kept an ear out. The laughter stifled. Sally simply kept gathering and listening. Her vigilance paid off as she heard the faint patter of little footsteps behind her, and another giggle. Sally glanced up in time to see a flash of lavender dip behind one of the taller tombstones. In the faint distance, she heard a young voice call out, "No fair, you moved!"
The first giggle from behind the hen bane marker sounded again. A second set of footsteps ran up not long after, and the giggling quickly stopped. Sally stuffed the herbs into the jar, closed it, and looked up at the newcomer.
"Hello, Lock," she said sweetly.
The little devil stopped in his tracks. His tail twitched in irritation, but he quickly pulled up a devious smile and waved at the rag doll.
"Hi, Sally!" he said, brightly. "You haven't seen Shock, have you? She's cheating."
Sally dug into her satchel for another jar. She didn't even glance to the other taller tombstone, which the oldest trickster inevitably chose to hide her tall witch hat.
"I'm afraid not," she said, "but isn't asking me cheating too?"
Lock frowned as his tail twitched again.
"That's not the point. She cheated first!"
Sally moved a hand to her mouth as she let out a small laugh.
"I'm sure you'll find her," she said. "You're good at Hide and Shriek."
That seemed to appease the middle trickster.
"Yeah!" Lock said. He proudly puffed out his chest. "I am!"
Sally smiled at him and opened her new jar to gather witch hazel. She kept the devil in the corner of her eye as a figure slightly taller than Lock crept out from behind the tall tombstone. Shock sneaked behind her brother and tackled him with a loud scream. Lock tumbled down to the ground with a startled cry of his own.
"No fair, no fair, no fair!"
"Hide and shriek!" Shock cried. "I hide, you shriek. Those are the rules!"
"Not if I find you first!" Lock complained. "And I did!"
He tried to push his sister off of him. Shock kept him pinned down.
"You weren't fast enough," she said, "so I win!"
"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!"
The two tricksters were so involved in arguing and fighting that they didn't hear a small set of giggles. The final child peeked out from behind the hen bane's marker. Sally finished getting the witch hazel and closed the jar. She gave a small nod to the final trickster, then pushed herself up to walk down to the deadly night shade. With a clear shot at his siblings, Barrel shot out from behind the marker and jumped on top of the pile with a delighted shriek.
"I win! I win!"
Shock pushed him off of her, then got back onto her feet.
"I was gonna get you next!" she whined. "I heard you!"
Barrel tumbled down on his rump, but his smile only beamed brighter.
"I still win!" he said, undeterred.
Shock slugged his arm. Lock, now free, tackled his sister and punched her face. Shock kicked him off, then stood up again. She brushed down her dress and fixed her hat.
"Wanna play again?" she asked.
Lock crossed his arms and pouted.
"Not if you're gonna cheat again!"
"I didn't cheat!"
Lock pushed her.
"Did to!"
Shock pushed him right back.
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
Barrel reached into his pocket for a victory candy to munch on while his siblings argued. Sally shook her head, more than used to these antics from the trio. She let them fight it out, knowing well that it would eventually resolve itself.
"For what it's worth," she said, once Lock and Shock reached a standstill, "I think you both played very well."
Sally looked between the two of them.
"Lock saw Shock leave her hiding place, but Shock managed to disappear again. I would say that's a testament to both of your skills."
Lock and Shock looked at her, then at each other. They crossed their arms, stuck out their tongues, and turned away with their backs to each other. It was the closest either was willing to admit Sally was right. Barrel swallowed the rest of his candy, then stood up.
"What're those for?" he asked, pointing to her bag.
Sally gathered what she needed of the deadly nightshade.
"Most of them are for soup," Sally answered, "and some are for potions. I promised the witches I'd get them some herbs for them too while I'm out here."
"What--" Lock asked, curiously.
"--Kind of--?" Shock continued.
"--Potions?" Barrel finished.
Sally smiled, but knew better than to tell them too much, lest she give the little pranksters any ideas.
"That's a question to ask them," she said gently. "I'm just helping them out."
The trio all frowned.
"That's--"
"--No--"
"--Fun!"
Sally filled one more jar with herbs, then stood up again. The three little tricksters walked with her. Shock perked up as a thought came to mind.
"What kind of soup?" she asked.
"Yeah," Lock added, catching on. "Does it have snakes?"
"Or spiders?" Barrel asked, hopefully. He licked his lips at the thought. "Mmm. Crunchy spiders."
"Well--" Sally started.
Something dark and swift crossed their paths. Lock, Shock, and Barrel all yelped and ducked behind Sally.
"What--"
"--Was--"
"--That?"
Sally kept the trio behind her as she quickly surveyed the cemetery. The pumpkin sun was halfway down now, and long shadows crept over the tombstones. A few living shadows liked to play around Halloween Town, but they normally came out when the sun was almost gone.
"...Perhaps it was a black cat?" she suggested, mostly to keep the children calm.
In the depths of her rag doll gut, though, something didn't feel right. After the premonition she had of Jack's Christmas disaster, she knew to never ignore the feeling that something was wrong. Sally kept the trio close to her as the four of them picked up their pace.
"Y-yeah," Barrel agreed.
"That makes sense," Shock said.
All three of them nodded. The group began to walk back to the cemetery gate. Something shifted behind them. Barrel turned around and saw a large form duck behind a tombstone - and it was definitely not a cat. He quickly tugged Sally's skirt.
"S-Sally!" he cried. "It's back!"
Sally turned around quickly to try to see what he pointed at. Whatever it was, she didn't see it, but she believed Barrel. Something was definitely off.
"...You three go get Jack," Sally told them. "I'll stay here and see if that creature comes back.
"But what if--" Barrel protested.
"--It tries to--" Lock continued.
"--Get you?" Shock finished.
"Then I'll be right behind you," Sally promised. "Please. Go now."
Lock, Shock, and Barrel nodded.
"Okay, Sally," they said together.
"We'll be--"
"--Right--"
"--Back."
The little trio quickly ran up to the gate. It wouldn't take long for them to push past the iron bars, skitter down the path, and enter Halloween Town proper to look for Jack.
A soft wind brushed through her hair. Sally closed her eyes and took in the brisk smell of graveyard dirt and faint wisps of pumpkin from the patch next door. While the graveyard was at its most beautiful at night, there was a certain peace associated with it at sundown, in the last lulling hours before most of the other creatures came out to go bump in the night.
She opened her eyes again and started for a certain patch of tombstones that marked the witches' herb garden. Sally carefully walked along the dead grass towards the hen bane, when she heard a little giggle coming from behind the tombstone. One corner of her crooked mouth turned up in a soft smile. She knew that laugh. Of course, she also knew to listen for two others.
Pretending to take no note of it, Sally knelt down and opened her satchel for the first jar. She hummed a little tune to herself as she opened the jar and gathered the first sprigs of hen bane, though she kept an ear out. The laughter stifled. Sally simply kept gathering and listening. Her vigilance paid off as she heard the faint patter of little footsteps behind her, and another giggle. Sally glanced up in time to see a flash of lavender dip behind one of the taller tombstones. In the faint distance, she heard a young voice call out, "No fair, you moved!"
The first giggle from behind the hen bane marker sounded again. A second set of footsteps ran up not long after, and the giggling quickly stopped. Sally stuffed the herbs into the jar, closed it, and looked up at the newcomer.
"Hello, Lock," she said sweetly.
The little devil stopped in his tracks. His tail twitched in irritation, but he quickly pulled up a devious smile and waved at the rag doll.
"Hi, Sally!" he said, brightly. "You haven't seen Shock, have you? She's cheating."
Sally dug into her satchel for another jar. She didn't even glance to the other taller tombstone, which the oldest trickster inevitably chose to hide her tall witch hat.
"I'm afraid not," she said, "but isn't asking me cheating too?"
Lock frowned as his tail twitched again.
"That's not the point. She cheated first!"
Sally moved a hand to her mouth as she let out a small laugh.
"I'm sure you'll find her," she said. "You're good at Hide and Shriek."
That seemed to appease the middle trickster.
"Yeah!" Lock said. He proudly puffed out his chest. "I am!"
Sally smiled at him and opened her new jar to gather witch hazel. She kept the devil in the corner of her eye as a figure slightly taller than Lock crept out from behind the tall tombstone. Shock sneaked behind her brother and tackled him with a loud scream. Lock tumbled down to the ground with a startled cry of his own.
"No fair, no fair, no fair!"
"Hide and shriek!" Shock cried. "I hide, you shriek. Those are the rules!"
"Not if I find you first!" Lock complained. "And I did!"
He tried to push his sister off of him. Shock kept him pinned down.
"You weren't fast enough," she said, "so I win!"
"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!"
The two tricksters were so involved in arguing and fighting that they didn't hear a small set of giggles. The final child peeked out from behind the hen bane's marker. Sally finished getting the witch hazel and closed the jar. She gave a small nod to the final trickster, then pushed herself up to walk down to the deadly night shade. With a clear shot at his siblings, Barrel shot out from behind the marker and jumped on top of the pile with a delighted shriek.
"I win! I win!"
Shock pushed him off of her, then got back onto her feet.
"I was gonna get you next!" she whined. "I heard you!"
Barrel tumbled down on his rump, but his smile only beamed brighter.
"I still win!" he said, undeterred.
Shock slugged his arm. Lock, now free, tackled his sister and punched her face. Shock kicked him off, then stood up again. She brushed down her dress and fixed her hat.
"Wanna play again?" she asked.
Lock crossed his arms and pouted.
"Not if you're gonna cheat again!"
"I didn't cheat!"
Lock pushed her.
"Did to!"
Shock pushed him right back.
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
Barrel reached into his pocket for a victory candy to munch on while his siblings argued. Sally shook her head, more than used to these antics from the trio. She let them fight it out, knowing well that it would eventually resolve itself.
"For what it's worth," she said, once Lock and Shock reached a standstill, "I think you both played very well."
Sally looked between the two of them.
"Lock saw Shock leave her hiding place, but Shock managed to disappear again. I would say that's a testament to both of your skills."
Lock and Shock looked at her, then at each other. They crossed their arms, stuck out their tongues, and turned away with their backs to each other. It was the closest either was willing to admit Sally was right. Barrel swallowed the rest of his candy, then stood up.
"What're those for?" he asked, pointing to her bag.
Sally gathered what she needed of the deadly nightshade.
"Most of them are for soup," Sally answered, "and some are for potions. I promised the witches I'd get them some herbs for them too while I'm out here."
"What--" Lock asked, curiously.
"--Kind of--?" Shock continued.
"--Potions?" Barrel finished.
Sally smiled, but knew better than to tell them too much, lest she give the little pranksters any ideas.
"That's a question to ask them," she said gently. "I'm just helping them out."
The trio all frowned.
"That's--"
"--No--"
"--Fun!"
Sally filled one more jar with herbs, then stood up again. The three little tricksters walked with her. Shock perked up as a thought came to mind.
"What kind of soup?" she asked.
"Yeah," Lock added, catching on. "Does it have snakes?"
"Or spiders?" Barrel asked, hopefully. He licked his lips at the thought. "Mmm. Crunchy spiders."
"Well--" Sally started.
Something dark and swift crossed their paths. Lock, Shock, and Barrel all yelped and ducked behind Sally.
"What--"
"--Was--"
"--That?"
Sally kept the trio behind her as she quickly surveyed the cemetery. The pumpkin sun was halfway down now, and long shadows crept over the tombstones. A few living shadows liked to play around Halloween Town, but they normally came out when the sun was almost gone.
"...Perhaps it was a black cat?" she suggested, mostly to keep the children calm.
In the depths of her rag doll gut, though, something didn't feel right. After the premonition she had of Jack's Christmas disaster, she knew to never ignore the feeling that something was wrong. Sally kept the trio close to her as the four of them picked up their pace.
"Y-yeah," Barrel agreed.
"That makes sense," Shock said.
All three of them nodded. The group began to walk back to the cemetery gate. Something shifted behind them. Barrel turned around and saw a large form duck behind a tombstone - and it was definitely not a cat. He quickly tugged Sally's skirt.
"S-Sally!" he cried. "It's back!"
Sally turned around quickly to try to see what he pointed at. Whatever it was, she didn't see it, but she believed Barrel. Something was definitely off.
"...You three go get Jack," Sally told them. "I'll stay here and see if that creature comes back.
"But what if--" Barrel protested.
"--It tries to--" Lock continued.
"--Get you?" Shock finished.
"Then I'll be right behind you," Sally promised. "Please. Go now."
Lock, Shock, and Barrel nodded.
"Okay, Sally," they said together.
"We'll be--"
"--Right--"
"--Back."
The little trio quickly ran up to the gate. It wouldn't take long for them to push past the iron bars, skitter down the path, and enter Halloween Town proper to look for Jack.
