بابانوئل به شهر میاد

Chapter eight

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

“Hi Santa Claus”, said Jack happily, “I’m going to give you a Christmas present. This year I’ll be Santa Claus so you wont have to work.”

In Halloweentown, the vampires finished making Christmas lights - with little skeleton heads. The youngest witches finished making their toys - wonderfully dangerous toys. Jack’s plans for Christmas, the most important thing in his life, were almost ready. But he didn’t look at the lights and the toys before they went into the bags.

“Now I can dress,” he thought happily. “Sally, bring my clothes, please,” he said.

She brought Jack his new red jacket and pants and he put them on.

“These are wonderful! How do I look,” he asked Sally.

“I liked you better in black clothes, Jack,” she said sadly.

But Jack was excited and he didn’t listen to her answer. He ran out the door to his wonderful sleigh. In the back of the sleigh there was a mountain of big bags, full of dangerous toys, scary presents, and strange packages. Jack was as happy as a trick-or-treater on Halloween night with a big bag full of candy.

Before he got into the sleigh, he heard somebody shout, “Jack!”

He turned and there were Lock, Shock, and Barrel with a very big bag.

“He’s in here! And he’s really heavy,” shouted Barrel.

“Let’s put him down,” said Shock.

“Let me out,” shouted the old man inside the bag.

They opened the bag and Santa Claus fell out. His face was as red as his jacket and pants. His hair was as white as snow. He looked around and he saw the ugliest people in the world. He was in a nightmare and everybody was a skeleton or a witch or a vampire!

“Where am I,” he thought.

“Hi, Santa Claus,” said Jack happily. “I’m going to give you a Christmas present. This year I’ll be Santa Claus, so you won’t have to work. You can sit down and enjoy a quiet night here in Halloweentown! I’ll do everything. Look! I have a sleigh, presents, a red jacket and pants!”

Santa Claus’s eyes opened wide. “What does he mean,” he thought. “This is the happiest night of the year for me! The children are waiting - and I’m going to be late! But I–” he started to say.

“It’s OK,” said Jack. “You can have a vacation.”

“This is a nightmare,” Santa thought. But he couldn’t speak because he couldn’t find the right words.

“Come with us, Santa. We’ll take you to Jack’s house and you can sleep there,” said Shock.

“But I don’t want to sleep,” Santa shouted.

The three trick-or-treaters took him away, but not to Jack’s house.

“This is a nightmare,” Sally thought. “I have to do something!”

Then she had an idea. Quickly, she walked away and began working on her plan. First, she had to get the right chemicals.

Before Jack could leave in his sleigh, the Mayor called everybody into the town’s center. He wanted to say goodbye to Jack because he wanted everybody to look at him.

When he finished speaking, something very strange happened.

“What’s happening,” Jack cried.

He looked around at the black sky, but it wasn’t black. A thick, white fog, as thick as the worst London fog in an old black-and-white movie, moved into the town. Nobody could see anything.

“The reindeer can’t see their noses,” Jack said. “We can’t leave now.”

“Oh no! No Christmas,” everybody cried. “No presents!”

There was only one person in Halloweentown with a smile on her face. Sally was happy with her fog.

“Jack will understand one day. I had to do this,” she thought. “I’m doing it for him.”

She walked nearer so she could see Jack’s face. “Is he very sad,” she thought. “I hope not.”

But Jack wasn’t very sad. His eyes were on Zero’s red nose. It shone in the dark and it shone in the fog!

“Will you show us the way, Zero,” Jack asked his little friend. Zero couldn’t say no. He jumped up and down happily.

“Goodbye, everybody,” Jack shouted.

Zero jumped onto the first reindeer’s back and they flew up through the fog and across the night sky.

Everybody in Halloweentown laughed and shouted happily Only one person had a sad face.

“Goodbye Jack,” said Sally quietly. Then she looked up and said, “There’s something in the wind. What’s going to happen to Jack tonight? It won’t be good… but I hope I’m wrong.”