Of Brides and Boogiemen

Chapter One: An Impromptu Surprise

It had been a big night at the Ball and Socket pub; the band’s performance had been truly something else, meriting several encores. As the lead singer bowed, twirling his bowler hat on one skeletal finger, the crowd burst into applause.

The denizens of the Land of the Dead clapped wildly. Many jumped up from their seats, adding sharp whistles to the thunderous applause. Those that were still sitting leaned forward eagerly in their seats, cheering; some were still dancing about. Drinks were raised, and withered flowers fell like rain upon the stage.

Bonejangles stood, grinning, and flipped his cap into the air. It landed jauntily on his skull as he waved to the crowd.

“Thank you, thank you!” he called. “You’ve been a great audience, all of ya! Have a wonderful evening! G’night!”

Another wave of applause rose, and he bowed a second time.

Emily, sitting at a table by the wall, clapped along with the exuberant throng. Her ears were ringing slightly from the deafening din, but she smiled brightly nonetheless as she watched the flamboyant skeleton flaunt about the stage, gesturing grandly and laughing.

As Bonejangles rose, their eyes (or, more accurately, her eyes and his single eye) met. He winked, and Emily, turning slightly red, blew him a kiss.

Giggling, Emily leaned her face in her hand, twirling a blue rose between her fingertips- the one she had, to her delight, found at the center of the table when she arrived, along with a small card, reading in rakish handwriting: To my jubliciously lovely Corpse Bride; Bones.

The band members receded into the shadows amidst the crowd’s applause, and the moth-eaten curtains swung closed. The already dim lights began to fade, and the crowd rose and drifted off for the night.

In a few minutes, the pub had been completely transformed. A sharp contrast from the jammed, noisy place it had once been, it was now still and quiet, save for the swish of the janitors’ brooms as they swept, and the faint clink of glass as the bartender put the dishes away.

“If that wasn’t a right spectacle,” Widow noted, scuttling over Emily's shoulder as she rose, “I don’t know what is. My, what a night!”

“It was glorious,” Emily replied, before reflexively extending her hand as one eye popped free from its socket.

Maggot stuck his head out of the hollow, his eyes spinning. “Good grief,” he murmured. “I think I’ve gone deaf in one ear from all that hubbub...”

“You don’t have ears, darling,” Widow pointed out, hiding a giggle behind one leg.

“…You know what I mean,” he sighed, curling back into the darkness as Emily put her eye back in place.

Emily brought the rose to her lips and smiled, twirling it against her skin before pinning it in her veil. Then she swept off towards a door in the back of the pub, disappearing inside in a flutter of billowing skirts and tattered lace.

---

Bonejangles was waiting for her, leaning casually beside his dressing room door. He smiled as Emily approached and stepped forward to meet her, his smile widening into a grin as she planted a kiss on his cheekbone.

“You were wonderful tonight, Bonejangles.”

“Aw, it’s nothin’, doll,” he replied nonchalantly. “But man, what a night! These stiffs can really party!”

They crossed arms and walked out of the pub. Outside, it was a chilly, but beautiful night- the sky was pitch-black, the moon was full.

“So, how’s Vic doin’?”

“Oh, Victor’s doing very well, and so is Victoria. They write often. It’s always lovely to hear from them.”

“Those two lovebirds tie the knot yet?”

“Yes, a few months ago, and things have been going splendidly ever since.”

Her pace slowed slightly as she looked up at the moon. It was late, but she felt full of some kind of otherworldly energy…A dreamlike state of euphoria.

"It's a lovely night tonight," she observed, smiling and absentmindedly fingering her bony wrist.

Bonejangles observed her with a strange, sagelike glint in his eye for a moment. At last, his soft chuckle broke the silence.

“Hey, sweetheart…Lemme show ya somethin’.”

---

“Oh, my,” Emily marveled. Eyes wide, she spun around, taking in the intriguing sight. “Bonejangles, where are we?”

“An old haunt, if you’ll pardon the pun, doll,” he replied with a laugh, adjusting his cap. “I drop by here every now and then. What d’ya think?”

Emily smiled, her lips parting slightly in astonishment, but no sound came out.

Maggot poked out of her head with a low whistle. “Sure is a sight!”

“Indeed,” chorused Black Widow, crawling up the side of Emily's neck to get a better view.

Emily gently ushered Maggot back inside her skull and replaced her eye. “It’s…amazing...”

The two were encircled by a ring of tall, majestic trees, stretching their wide limbs towards the sky. The trees themselves were already a contrast to the (figuratively) lively but dark Underworld.

The trees themselves were alive, first of all, their leaves rustling in the wind and their roots digging into the ground. And each one was truly something to behold.

They were unlike anything she had ever seen. One’s canopy spotted with rainbow buds; another smelled faintly of hickory smoke and cut grass, its bark a rich cherry color. The third tree’s trunk was ringed by lovely red roses and surrounded by soft, lilting music; the fourth gave off a heavy scent of rich, delicious food. The fifth’s leaves were a rich shade of emerald green, clovers and grass threading through its roots. One’s limbs were encrusted with glittering white snow, decorated with candles and bright red-and-gold glass orbs. The last sported leaves in every fall color imaginable- harvest gold, fiery red, sepia, honey.

Each one had a differently-shaped door carved into its trunk: an egg, a firecracker, a heart, a turkey, a four-leafed clover, a Christmas tree, and a pumpkin. They all sparkled and shone in an ethereal light.

She stepped forward and lightly stroked the pumpkin door with her skeletal hand.

“It feels…cool,” she murmured, taking a deep breath. “And…And it smells of autumn leaves and candy. What is it?”

“Well, that’s a door, babe,” Bonejangles chuckled, leaning against the tree. “But where it leads to- well, it’ll blow your mind!”

“Tell me!” she cried excitedly, beaming at him.

He winked at her. “Open it up and see for yourself, sweetheart.”

Emily enthusiastically grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open-

She frowned.

“Bonejangles…There’s nothing inside,” she sighed forlornly. The inside of the tree was empty and hollow.

His skeletal smile widened. “Look closer.”

She did.

“I still don’t- EEK!”

Her words abruptly rose into a surprised shriek as a gust of chilly autumn air wrapped around her middle and pulled her inside.

Bonejangles, with another chuckle, leapt in behind her, pulling the door shut.