The Nightmare Before Christmas Page #9

The group revives. The mayor sits up. Before long...

AROUND THE CORNER

comes an ecstatic Jack driving a jaunty, Christmasland SNOW

MOBILE, heavily laden with Christmasland memorabilia. A joyous

Zero loops-the-loop around his master.

MAYOR AND VARIOUS CITIZENS

Look! It's Jack!

JACK:

I'M BACK!

The Halloweenland citizens gape.

VAMPIRE:

Where've you been?

JACK:

I can't wait to tell all of you

all about it!

(to the Mayor)

Mayor! Call us a town meeting!

CUT TO:

EXT. HALLOWEEN STREETS. EVENING.

The Mayor's hearse glides through town, p.a. system blaring:

MAYOR'S AMPLIFIED VOICE

Town meeting! Town meeting

tonight!

The hearse passes the

DESERTED GOTHIC MANSE.

Out stream the Creatures, Corpses, and other Vampires.

CUT TO:

EXT. CEMETERY. EVENING.

As the hearse passes and the announcement is heard, the

GRAVESTONES open.

CUT TO:

EXT. MORE HALLOWEEN STREETS. EVENING.

The hearse threads through town past the EVIL SCIENTIST'S HOUSE.

CUT TO:

INT. EVIL SCIENTIST'S LABORATORY. EVENING/SAME TIME.

Sally and the Evil Scientist are both asleep -- the Evil

scientist snores, his head on the lab table beside the now empty

bowl; Sally has fallen asleep on her way through the doorway --

hat on, arm half-way into the sleeve of her coat.

MAYOR'S AMPLIFIED VOICE (O.S.)

Town meeting! Town meeting

tonight!

Neither of them hears the announcement. Neither of them stirs.

Their deep sleep goes on undisturbed.

CUT TO:

EXT. TOWN HALL. NIGHT.

The town hall is a tilted Chautauqua meetinghouse. We HEAR the

noise of the crowd inside and see a few Halloweenland latecomers

hurry in.

CUT TO:

INT. TOWN HALL. NIGHT.

Jack stands at a podium on a stage at the end of the big meeting

hall. Set up beside him is a table piled high with (at this

point) non-descripit objects.

The murmuring crowd presses close to the stage. Of course, Sally

and the Evil Scientist are absent.

Jack holds up his hands for attention.

JACK:

Listen everyone. I want to

tell you about where I've been!

He sings:

>>>>> THE TOWN MEETING SONG

JACK:

There were objects so peculiar

They were not to be believed

All around things to tantalize my brain.

It's a world unlike anything I've ever seen

And as hard as I try...

I can't seem to describe

Like a most improbable dream...

But you must believe when I tell you this

It's as real as my skull, and it does exist.

Turning to sort through the objects on the table, Jack speaks:

JACK:

Here... Let me show you.

The people press even closer.

PEOPLE:

Ohhhh....

Jack holds up a wrapped gift:

JACK:

This is a thing called a present.

The whole thing starts with a box...

VARIOUS PEOPLE:

-- A box?

-- Is it steel?

-- Are there locks?

-- Is it filled with a pox?

-- A pox!

-- How delightful, a pox!

Jack interrupts their excited babbling:

JACK:

If you please!!!

He sings on:

JACK:

Just a box with bright colored paper

And the whole thing topped with a bow.

VARIOUS PEOPLE:

-- A bow?

-- But why?

-- How ugly!

-- What's in it?

-- What's in it?

JACK:

That's the point of the thing, not to know!

VARIOUS PEOPLE:

-- It's a bat.

-- Will it bend?

-- It's a rat.

-- Will it break?

-- Perhaps it's the head that I found in the lake.

JACK:

Listen now, you don't understand.

That's not the point of Christmasland.

Jack shakes his finger at them:

JACK:

Now, pay attention.

He takes a Christmas stocking off his display table and sings

again:

JACK:

Now we pick up an oversized sock...

And bang it like this on the wall.

The irrepressible crowd bubbles over again:

VARIOUS PEOPLE:

-- Oh yes, does it still have a foot?

-- Let me see...

-- Let me look...

-- Is it rotted and covered with gook?

Jack is getting very frustrated:

JACK:

Let me explain.

But to no avail...

VARIOUS PEOPLE:

-- Small toys?

-- Do they bite?

-- Do they snap?

-- Or perhaps they just spring out and

Scare girls and boys.

The Mayor struts to the front of the audience.

MAYOR:

What a splendid idea --

This Christmas sounds fun.

Why I fully endorse it!

Let's try it at once!

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