In a quiet seaside town

Where nothing ever seemed to go down

The leaves were turning November

On a day that was one to remember



Take warning for on that morning

In came jack dressed in all black

His mom sent him off with a kiss

Something telling her this day was amiss



Maybe it was in the way whispers and cat whiskers

Swayed in the breeze with the dancing of trees

But let's not spend too much time

On details not pertinent to the crime



With a hurried gait he ran out the front gate

His cheeks burned red rushing to meet

His friends waiting at the wharf

Eddie, Sam, and good ol' Murf



What did Jack see as they ran by the sea?

Seagulls surfing golden sand dunes

Cold sand littered by sea shells

A misty morning spell



They danced with the waves near the caves

Joking and laughing they failed to see

The northeastern wind bellowing from the sea

In the shallow swells Jack spotted a rusted key



They ran onward past the explored

Stopping to take in the new sights

Next to sea oat patches a wilting

Leaned a tired abandoned building



Shells and knick knacks in hand they ran inland

"Let's go!" Eddie ran into the lazy noon shadows

They hopped the fence onto seagrass

The birds flying squealed," Trespass!"



Room after room nothing not even a broom

Jack reached another floor

Something tugged him to a wooden bed

He brushed past the sticky cobwebs



A small wooden box with multiple locks

His fingers fumbled in his pockets

Jack didn't see the door close

Or the changing of the shadows



Inside was a small wilted seed maybe that a common weed

Something called him not to touch

But curiosity killed the cat

He turned heairng the skittering pat of a rat



Turning back that's when it attacked

Vines twisted pulling him down

Blocking out the light

They put up a good fight



He kicked

He'd been tricked

He clawed at his face

The darkness trying to erase



Swiss pocket knife

Fighting for his life

Darkness, coffin, nail he couldn't inhale

Plunge, saw, slash



Crazed haze he sawed at the cage on his breathways

Warmth dripping down his arms

He pulled at the heavy skin

Digging deeper in



Cut, slash, pull

He fell to his knees as soon as he felt free

The vines stilled their deed fulfilled



"Jack," an echo through the house

Jack stilled silent as a tomb

Flashlights beamed inside the room

"Nothing here boys, just rotting pumpkins"



The band of boys left leaving Jack bereft

He stood in the moonlight

Something soft brushed past his hands

He could hear the sounds of a band



At the edge of the stairs stood a dark shadow

It smiled a wide hello

They walked to the beach aflame with a bonfire

Creatures of all kind danced in strange attire



Come young knight take a respite

They invited him in

"You're free to roam, but you can't go home"

The somber choir sang with the fire



Mrs. Lantern blew away with the turning of November

Her joy left for others to remember



In the flickering of lights on cold dark nights

In poorly carved gourds

You might see a childish grin

Peering back at you from within



All belonging to a figure dressed in all black

Adorned with a pumpkin crown dances Jack

In a quiet seaside town

Where he makes sure nothing goes down