Christmas Jack-o'-Lantern

by Subhajit Waugh

  “Have faith on me” Jack winked at him and said, “Trust me. I am your friend. I support your cause wholeheartedly”.

  Moily stared at Jack for some time and said, “We are persecuted and hunted. It is best if you can keep this secret buried deep in your heart”.

  “I shall never divulge this little secret” Jack swore, and then said, “Our enemies are the same. I hate your enemies as much as you do. Can you introduce me to some of your friends? It might be vastly useful to me if I can contact some of your top leaders”.

  Moily remained silent for a few moments and then said “I have contacts with only the local rebel leaders. I can introduce you and vouch for you at tonight’s meeting. After that it will be up to you to convince them. We shall meet after midnight in the basement of the haunted palace”.

  “I shall remain grateful to you forever” Jack said with a smile.

  “There is no room for betrayal in our organization” Moily said with a grave voice, and without returning Jack’s friendly smile.

  “And remember Jack, they treat unknowns with deep suspicion” Moily continued with his cautioning tone “they show no mercy to traitors. They eliminate those, whom they doubt as enemy spies; often by throwing in the molten lava”.

  * * *

  A few more days passed

  “Barbarossa, my friend, will you take my place in my bed today?” Jack requested, “Just lie down on this bed, and cover your body and your face with this blanket”.

  Jack observed the questioning look on Barbarossa’s face.

  “I have made it known to the prison guards that I am not well, and I need a rest” Jack continued in an explaining manner “Here, take my ring. Wear it on your finger, and let only your hand be visible. I am going on a special mission to meet the rebel elves. I’ll be back by evening”.

  “Are you not taking an inappropriate risk?” Barbarossa asked apprehensively.

  “Devil is pursuing his own nefarious ambitions, Krampus is minding his own” Jack tried to explain the situation “I don’t quite understand what exactly Gryla has in her mind. But make no mistake Barbarossa; we are prisoners here! And our only hopes left are the rebel elves. I am willing to risk everything rather than sit idle”

  Jack paused and pointed his finger to a jar of preserved human brain, which neither of them had touched “In any case, our lives depend on the wish of whimsical ‘Gryla’ if we resign to our fate”.

  Barbarossa hesitated. He appeared to be in a deep dilemma and apprehensive of the possible consequences.

  “I am willing to risk my life, Jack” Barbarossa said after a long time “But remember about the consequence if they find out one of us is missing. Return back as soon as possible” Barbarossa pointed at the same jar “my life hangs by the thread till then”.

  * * *

  Jack climbed up the rocky track of the conical-shaped volcanic mountain with his Elf companions. Every few minutes or so, the ground trembled and the volcano spewed molten lava in the air, with a roaring sound, scattering destruction over large areas. All of them were wearing shining asbestos shoes and carrying huge asbestos umbrellas for protection.

  “Our entire country is volcanically active” one of the Elves explained to Jack “sand fields, plateaus, glacial rivers and volcanic mountains! This is all you will find here in Iceland. We have been…. Alert!” Molten rock rained over them instantly, setting the shrubs and grasses around them on fire.

  Jack looked around apprehensively and said, “Why won’t you disclose where we are heading?”

  “You shall soon find out. A surprise is waiting you there” the Elf replied with a wicked smile “We are heading towards the lake of molten lava; towards the crater-the mouth of the volcano”.

  “I suppose it will be wise to turn back” Jack said.

  “We don’t think so” two elves on Jack’s either side said simultaneously, grasping Jack’s one arm each. “Our kind mountain god demands sacrifice”.

  Jack struggled to loosen his arms. The two elves tightened their grips, their knuckles whitened, and all of them laughed mockingly. Jack was fully encircled. Several elves clasped the handle of their swords tightly with their free hands. Jack was unarmed and fully outnumbered.

  “Spare yourself the trouble of useless struggle, Jack. Just move on!”

  Soon they reached the top and looked down at mouth of the volcano-the churning, raging, fuming lava. Jack’s lungs burned with the poisonous, pungent gases. They descended towards the lake of lava, dragging Jack along.

  They were hardly a few feet away from the molten hell, when all the Elves started jumping up and down and stamping the ground with their hard soles.

  “What the hell are you all doing?” Jack yelled helplessly “The crust is very thin here. Everyone will be engulfed in the burning inferno if this thin ground slides”.

  “You seem to be very afraid of getting roasted, Jack” one of them mocked “Only a burned child dreads the fire so much. Have you ever got burned before?”

  “Let me go” Jack pleaded, “It might erupt any time”.

  “Why aren’t you jumping?” cried one angry voice.

  The ground under their feet started tilting. Jack was paralyzed with horror. He closed his eyes.

  Before Jack could react, the ground tilted further, and his feet slipped. He reflexively sensed his end, as he fell on something soft and spongy.

  It took several moments for Jack to recover, gaze around him with his eyes wide open, and to understand that the other elves were dusting off their clothes and laughing at him.

  “It was a nasty joke” Jack burst out angrily when he understood what had happened.

  “Welcome to our secret headquarters, Jack” one of the elves said, offering Jack a helping hand to stand on his feet.

  Jack looked up and saw that that had fallen through a trap door.

  The room was small and dark, with stairs leading downwards. Three of the elves picked up three batons, and as they rubbed the other ends, the batons turned into glowing torches. Without a single word, they started descending down the spiral stairs. Jack followed them silently.

  Jack gazed in wonder as they descended down. The structure seemed to look like a giant conical-shaped circus tent, supported by a massive central pillar with the stairs spiraling down around it. The pillar shone brilliantly in the light of the torches.

  Unable to hold back his curiosity any further, Jack enquired, “What’s that shinning pillar?”

  “That’s a massive, metal reinforced, asbestos and ceramic pipe, which vents the lava from the deep inner earth to the outside, through the mouth of the volcano. A stunning sample of engineering of our ancestors, isn’t it?”

  All the Elves paused for a moment and raised their hands to their head in a sort of salute at the impressive ancestral work.

  “The asbestos, fire-bricks and ceramics insulate the scorching heat” one elf said “after scooping out the rocky mass of the conical volcanic mountain to form this massive circus-tent like hollow, the inside walls of this structure has been lined with tiles”.

  When they descended on the stone lined floor, Jack still gazed in wonder at the massive, circus-tent shaped structure, inside a conical volcanic mountain.

  A large number of Elves were standing on the floor. An old and war-hardened dark elf stepped forward and shaking hand with Jack in a peculiar, sideways to and fro Elfish style, said “Welcome to our headquarter. I am the leader of this group. Call me Martini”.

  “I am Jack-“

  “I know” Martini said.

  Martini pointed his fingers towards the conference table and said, “come”.

  * * *

  When they were seated, Martini spoke “It’s a great pleasure to have Jack-o’-Halloween here”. Then he turned to Jack and said with a smile “So, what brings you here, Jack”.

  “I wished to make an appeal”

  “Yes?”

  Without further introduction Jack said, “We have a common enemy. Devil intends t
o rule the Elves. At the same time, he wants to exploit my influence to raise a dark army of his own. We can join hands to fight our common enemy”.

  “You are talking big” Martini commented and laughed; “so, what do you want Jack?” Martini asked dryly.

  “I want the valuable service of Elf spy network to track Devil’s intentions, to get a glimpse of the broader picture” Jack looked around him and continued “Finding out Devil’s intentions will be greatly useful to me, as well as to all of you…to all patriotic Elves”

  Jack paused to drink a glass of chilled, mineral rich, natural geyser water of Iceland.

  “I have already overheard Devil’s assurance to Gryla about supporting the mountain trolls and ogres to subjugate the Elves” Jack continued “Further, he has assured that he will replace Santa Claus with cannibalistic ‘Yule Lads’ very soon”.

  Jack observed the serious looks on their faces.

  “So what exactly do you want, Jack? Be specific” Martini said. His tone was much friendlier now, though serious.

  “Devil’s commitment to support gnomes, ogres and trolls to crush Elves is nothing new or striking to any of you. But what is worth noting is his interference in the Christmas world. I suspect that Devil is not satisfied with the triumvirate alliance he has formed with trolls and humanoid gnomes to rule elf-land. He eyes the lucrative Christmas world & Santa’s unlimited coffers as well”.

  “So what?”

  “So our first aim…” Jack continued passionately “should be to get as much information about Devil’s intentions as possible, especially his activities in Christmas & Halloween worlds. And for this specific purpose, your first-class elf spy network-“

  “Nonsense! You talk bullshit!” one of Martini’s men shouted. It was clear from his voice that he deeply resented a newcomer gaining so much attention.

  Jack wanted to shout back, but immediately controlled himself to avoid the risk of offending Martini.

  “Elf spies can easily infiltrate among the worker Elves of Santa” Jack tried to explain in a soft voice “and in Santa’s rival Ded Moroz’s territory since he is presently recruiting elves. Other targets might be Sinterklaas’s castle by taking advantage of the friendly ties between black elves and ‘Zwarte Piets’ of Sinterklaas. Also the important office of Devil’s right hand person, Beelzebub can be penetrated. So, I wished to propose...” Jack fell silent.

  Martini managed to make a faint smile appear on his face. “Go on Jack, I am listening”.

  “If I am not wrong, you already have pieces of such networks in places, maybe lying dormant” Jack said, “You must activate the entire network. Concentrating all the spy resources on Iceland won’t do”.

  “And what shall we gain? Besides, what’s proof of your trustworthiness?” one of Martini’s henchmen asked.

  “I can’t promise that it will be a gainful bargain” Jack said “and regarding trustworthiness, I can prove how much I hate Devil, and leave the rest upon your best judgment”. Saying this, Jack lifted his robe, and bared his back. The whip marks of Devil’s torture were still faintly visible.

  “And what shall be-“another henchman began speaking something, when Martini stopped him with a signal of his eyes.

  “All these might be arranged” Martini said with a slight frown “But will it be really useful? Will all these justify the expenditure? After all, our resources are limited”.

  “We must know our enemy’s motive as minutely and accurately as possible, if we wish to stand a chance of succeeding” Jack said “We have to track each and every activities of Devil”.

  Jack’s words had a great impact. A deafening silence engulfed the enormous conical hall.

  Finally Martini said, “I must discuss with my colleagues. Would you excuse us for a few moments?”

  “Oh sure!” Jack said and strolled towards the other end of the hall.

  Martini and his close confidants pulled their heads together in a tight circle and whispered among themselves in Elfish language.

  Jack was feeling tense. All his hopes and chances were hanging on their decision. They were, in a way, discussing his fate.

  Jack reached the other end. A number of dining tables were laid there, with shining tablecloth on them. It looked like a mini-canteen. An aquarium was placed on one table. Beside it, a large flower base was placed containing a bunch of ‘white Icelandic Dryas’, the national flower of Elf-land, and bunches of Iceland poppies and tulips.

  Jack observed the goldfishes, but couldn’t focus his mind on them. The face of the resentful elf flashed in his mind. Is he trying to poison Martini’s mind?

  Jack noted that at the farthest end, there was a small door. Maybe, a secret passage to another volcanic shelter! Maybe complex networks Jack thought link them all.

  Martini stopped his discussions and stood up. He approached Jack.

  He placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “We’ll offer requested information” Martini said “and besides, I will talk to my friend ‘Kandy’, the other topmost rebel leader. I’ll ask him to offer you all possible assistance in this matter. But we won’t allow you access to any of our inner working methods”.

  Jack thanked him and glanced at the small door.

  Martini looked sharply at Jack’s face, as if trying to read his mind. “Want to know what is behind that forbidden door?” Martini said.

  Jack hesitated. He was too curious to lie ‘no’. Also he was apprehensive whether letting out his curiosity by saying ‘yes’ might be a wise thing to do.

  Martini gazed piercingly at Jack. “I can show you the dark secret behind that door” Martini said. He took out a large and old brass key “but you can’t tell anyone Jack; not even your best friend. Now follow me!”

  Back to top

  Chapter 18

  Startling revelations

  “I am so glad that I listened to you, and deployed our spies far and wide” Martini said to Jack “Or else, we could have never tracked down what was going on right beneath our nose!”

  “Another spy report?” Jack asked.

  “Yes. This report clearly hints that yours and mine fate are much strongly inter-linked than I had initially thought” there was a tone of gratitude in Martini’s voice. He cleared his throat and said “But I won’t show the report to you this time”.

  “Why?”

  Martini laughed aloud. “Dear Jack…my intention is not to hide something from you. Rather, I simply don’t want to kill your suspense”.

  “You think you are doing me a great favor by keeping me in the dark?” Jack snapped at Martini. Jack was dying with curiosity to know the report, especially after having read the last shocking report and having felt its electrifying taste.

  “You will come out of this darkness, when darkness falls” Martini said.

  Jack was puzzled. “Now, will you kindly tell me in simpler terms?” Jack snapped in irritation “Your speech is absolutely tangled like a foul fishing net”.

  “What I mean is: wait for the darkness!” Martini said “We will go there ourselves after the night falls, to witness with our own eyes”.

  “Go where? What for?”

  “I am awfully sorry” Martini apologized “I haven’t told you about it yet. The venue of the upcoming event, as mentioned in the report, is not quite far from here.”

  “Tonight?” Jack asked.

  “Yes. But beware, we will be fully outnumbered” Martini cautioned “Also, the lesser the number of guards we take with us, the better are our chances of remaining hidden”.

  Martini held Jack’s hand and said cautiously “We mustn’t attract their attention-it will be fatal. Promise me that you will control your emotions, regardless of what you witness”.

  Jack said nothing. If Martini was specifically asking him to control his emotions beforehand, then the event has to be something horrible.

  Jack was itching to get more information from Martini. But he was aware that the more he tried, the more Martini will tease Jack and will enjoy d
oing that.

  Jack resisted his urge of acting like a fish on the hook. He pressed Martini’s hand silently, nodded his head lightly and winked consent.

  * * *

  A crowd of several hundred vampires, werewolves, African and Caribbean zombies, and a few mini-demons had gathered in a large semicircular pattern. They were all facing a slightly elevated wooden platform. On the open-stage, there was an effigy of Jack, holding the pumpkin lantern.

  At the center of the space, enclosed by the semi-circular gathering and the stage, another few hundred Elves, mostly dark Elves had huddled together. The Elves appeared to be in a trance like state.

  Jack, Martini and three trusted Elf guards had occupied their positions in a trench-like natural fissure in the ground, about fifty yards away from the stage. The angle of view was perfect- everything was clearly visible from there.

  “What the hell is happening?” Jack asked, glancing outside cautiously.

  Martini said nothing. He placed his forefinger on his lips and signaled Jack to maintain complete silence.

  A carriage arrived. Devil and Beelzebub stepped out.

  Everyone standing in the semicircle, bowed down to Devil. The Elves didn’t seem to respond. It appeared that they were too dazed even to respond. They stood rooted to their spots and swayed unsteadily.

  Devil and Beelzebub stood on the stage. Devil addressed the gathered Elves “Today is a very auspicious occasion. I am glad to welcome all of you in the community. Let the rituals begin”.

  A dozen Voodoo priests and their assistants approached the crowd of Elves. The assistants were carrying two baskets each. One basket appeared empty and the other one fully piled. The Elves were still swaying unsteadily in a trance-like state.

  Armed with scissors, the Voodoo priests cut off some hair from each Elf as they passed along. Then they took out tiny dolls, one after another from the basket. They tucked the cut hairs inside the fluffy flaxen hairs of the dolls and gathered the dolls in the second basket.

  They emptied their baskets on the stage, making a huge pile of dolls.

  Devil picked up one doll. “Remember, these Voodoo dolls are not playthings…Just watch this…” he whispered something to the doll.

  An Elf walked towards him like a living corpse.

  Devil whispered to the doll again.

  The Elf started performing acrobatic somersaults like a street-performer’s monkey.