Jess was able to escape Roulette’s Zombies as she entered the Halloween Town graveyard. She hid behind a tombstone as the zombies walked by, missing her. Jess sighed with relief and then turned her head to her stump of a limb, which wiggled helplessly. “Jeez, I just HAD to be a rag doll like Sally in this story…” she sighed.
Suddenly she heard a noise and quickly hid behind the tombstone again. Jess held her head just high enough over it and saw the graveyard’s iron gate creek open and Taro walked through it. He had a very thoughtful look on his face as he proceeded further in. Jess spied as he passed by her tombstone. Then Taro came across a little grave-like brown box for a dragon labeled “DOJO”. Taro whistled and a small neon-green dragon with two heads slithered near the door! It was Taro’s recently new friend Dojo from a cartoon show titled “Xiaolin Showdown”. He normally didn’t have two heads.
“What do you think I look like, a puppy?” The green dragon remarked. Taro rolled his eyes.
“Sorry. Anyway, I’ll let you out of that cage only if you promise me not to grow gigantic and evil until we go to the Hinterlands. Ya know, with your 1,500 year’s curse and all…” Taro reminded Evil Dojo.
“Okay, I promise!” Both of Evil Dojo’s heads said in unison. Taro opened the door and the tiny dragon slithered out, then transformed into his human form with a light green kimono and red sash on his waist. He walked with Taro over to the gravestones.
“Hey, wait up!” Evil Dojo yelled to Taro.
Taro rested his head on his elbow, which was on a statue of a gargoyle, and he began to sing.
Taro: There are few who’d deny; at what I do I am the best
For my talents are renowned far and wide.
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night
I excel without ever even trying!
Taro began hopping on some headstones like they were hopping stones in a small pond.
With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms
I have seen grown men give out a shriek!
With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan
I have swept the very bravest off their feet!
Taro hopped down from the tombs and a tired look came on his face.
Yet year after year, it’s the same routine
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams.
And I, TARO, the Spider Prince
Have grown so tired of the same old thing…
Evil Dojo watched his master sadly, following him. Then Taro proceeded to walk to the top of a curled hill.
Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones
An emptiness began to grow.
There’s something out there, far from my home
A longing that I’ve never known.
I’m the master of fright, and a demon of light
And I’ll scare you right out of your pants!
Taro, with some of his ghostly abilities, made moaning ghosts erupt from some Jack-o-lanterns in a terrifying manner.
To a guy in Kentucky, I’m Mister Unlucky
And I’m known throughout England and France.
And since I am dead, I can take off my head
To recite Shakespearean quotations!
And Taro did just that. He popped his head off and held in his extended palm, like from Hamlet, before placing it back onto his shoulders.
No animal nor man can scream like I can
With the fury of my recitations!
But who here would ever understand
That the Phantom Prince with the ghostly grin
Would tire of his crown?
If they only understood
He’d give it all up if he only could…
Jess yelped as Taro turned in her direction and she quickly hid again. Not noticing her, Taro walked down the unfurling hill and walked into a forest as the hill curled itself again.
Oh, there’s an empty place in my bones
That calls out for something unknown.
The fame and praise come year after year
Does nothing for these empty tears…
Taro miserably sauntered out of sight and Jess looked over to where he left. “Oh, Taro…I know how you feel,” she whispered. Jess, absentmindedly, walked over to a little garden of herbs and started to gather a certain plant.
Later, Jess returned to Roulette’s laboratory, and she hid the herb she gathered earlier in a jar. Suddenly she heard a noise from behind her; Jess quickly placed the jar in a cupboard, and turned around to see Rou enter the room. “So you came back, eh, Jess?” he said.
“I had to,” Jess frowned.
Rou chuckled as he held up Jess’s raggedy arm, which it was waving in response. “For this?”
“Yeah…”
“Shall we then?” Roulette asked gentleman-like, gesturing to his operation table.
TNBC-TNBC-TNBC
“That’s the second time this month you’ve slipped a sleeping potion into my chocolate pudding cup and ran off,” Roulette lectured as he used needle and thread to get Jess’s arm back on, wearing goggles.
“Correction: third time!” Jess said brightly.
“You’re mine, you know!” Rou scolded, lifting his goggles. “I made you with my own bare hands!”
“Yeah, and it would’ve been better if you’d worn gloves…” Jess muttered. “Besides, you can make other creations! I’m restless, I can’t help it.”
“It’s a phase, my dear,” Rou sighed, pulling his goggles on and continued sewing. “It’ll pass. We just have to be patient.”
“But, I don’t want to be patient!” Jess protested sadly.
TNBC-TNBC-TNBC
“I’m free!” Evil Dojo cheered as he flew up high in his mighty giant dragon form.
Taro continued his stroll through the forest and Evil Dojo laughed hyper-actively at him. “No, boy,” Taro moaned drearily. “Not now. I’m not in the mood.” He was very annoyed at this.
Evil Dojo just continued yelling more eagerly. “Oh…all right. Maybe you’re hungry. Just this once though.” Taro reached into his pocket and pulled out some extraordinary, powerful Chinese weapons called Shen Gong Wu. “You would think that Master Fung would come up with a more original idea than giving me these things?” Taro commented to himself, before wearily tossing them away. “Fetch.”
”Yum, Shen Gong Wu!” Evil Dojo licked his lips happily, flying around. He just couldn’t seem to find the Shen Gong Wu, until his eyes began to glow and act like headlights and found the weapons hidden in a knot under a tree. With both his heads, Evil Dojo picked them up and happily eaten every single one of them. Although he was still hungry, he followed Taro some more.
Taro gave his evil dragon friend a quick grin before going into his depressed slump.
To be continued later...
~Jess
