#rewritten lyrics

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Under a pale yellow moon, a red-cloaked stranger fumbled down a crooked path. Not an owl alerted about the figure’s presence. Nor did the candlelight that flickered through the trees distract from this soul from its mission. The only thing that made her stop was a faint voice singing in the night.

Boys and girls of every age,

Wouldn’t you like to see 

something strange?

The traveller instinctively hurried down the path, as if she knew who–or what– this singing belonged to. She rushed out of the woods and up to a towering iron gate. Her hand swung open the creaking doors, then she screeched to a halt. Two shadows loomed overhead, mimicking the shapes of a bear and a rabbit. They taunted with that same jumping melody while stretching out their arms like ringleaders.

Come with us and you will see

This, our town of Halloween!

Before the poor soul could object, wispy ghosts sprang out from every corner. They flew and spun as they erupted into a booming chorus. 

This is Halloween! This is Halloween!

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

The cloaked figure stumbled past the specters, nearly tripping over her own tattered cape. All she could do was sprint as the ghosts continued their flight down the uneven street. They flew up to cracked windows and broken balcony railings, as if to wake the creatures inside.

This is Halloween!

Everybody make a scene!

Trick or treat ‘til the neighbors go

And die of fright!

Meanwhile, the traveler scrambled up to the top of a rickety staircase. She stopped to catch her breath, then carefully crept over to the railing. Before she could look down, however, several ghosts sprang up and “yelled” in her face.

It’s owr town! Everybody screams

In this town of Halloween…

Their voices trailed as their newest victim tumbled through an open window. One by one, they fled the scene with voiceless cackles. Their work here was done, as far as they knew. 

As for the traveler, all she could do was dust off her cloak and try to get her bearings. Slowly, she got back up on its feet and strolled across the worn carpet floor. Darkness covered the entire room, save for an old lightbulb dangling over a disheveled bed. Two red eyes suddenly peered out from underneath. A metallic mixture of voices hissed out a warning:

I am the one hiding

under your bed:

Teeth ground sharp 

and eyes glowing red!

The traveler took this as a sign to leave the room altogether. She instinctively hurried out to a dimly-lit hallway, then made her way down a more stable staircase. As she turned the corner, however, a deep voice spoke from behind an alcove.

I am the one hiding

under your stairs,

Fingers like snakes

and spiders in my “hair”…

Tendril-like fingers withered and twitched as a long, spindly arm reached out. Unfortunately, this gesture was met with its visitor ducking out of sight. The arm only slunk back into the darkness as a nearby door slammed shut.

The shadows of the foyer gave way to red velvet curtains and charcoal gray furniture of an old-time parlor. As the veiled stranger recovered her senses, ghostly cries of “This is Halloween!” sounded from outside. No doubt the ghosts were getting ready to haunt some other ‘guest’.

Wanting to shake off any lingering sensations, the traveller walked over to a small table. On it was an open book with an old story inside. “Maybe I should pass the time by reading instead,” was our wanderer’s first thought. “It looks pretty safe in here.”

The book turned before she could even touch it. One page turned. Then nine. Then eighty-seven whole pages until it closed. Suddenly, an indigo-furred paw pried itself from under the couch cushions. A rabbit with razor-sharp buck teeth lifted the top half of the couch as the other furniture rattled. Meanwhile, a well-dressed fox sprang out from one of the curtains. His red-tipped hook shimmered in the moonlight as it caught hold of the tall grandfather clock near him. With one harsh tug, the fox unhinged the clock’s protective door. Two bluish eyes glowed from inside the clock. Silently pulsing to a rhythm only they knew.

Thanks to that hypnotic gaze, however, the urge to flee finally returned to the stranger. She stayed close to the walls as these three maniacs helped down a bat-winged chicken from her perch. The quartet arranged themselves into a straight line, then seemed to glide towards a tomb-shaped door. The door opened on its own, allowing the four to walk out and sing into the outside world:

In this town we call home,

E’veyone hail to the lantern-song

Now seeing an opportunity, the traveler ran to the open door and slipped past the vampire-like group. She hopped down the stairs and landed onto a wide open street. A run-down van, of all things, was the first to catch her eye. She approached it cautiously, preparing for one of the doors to slide out.

A short, lanky figure popped out from behind the front windshield. His voice boomed proudly despite his face currently spinning like a pinwheel.

In this town!

Don’t we love it now?

Everybody’s waiting 

For the next surprise!

The traveler simply nodded and walked past. She did, however, look behind to see him wave his ribbon-tied top hat In the air. “For someone wearing a fancy suit and a mayor’s sash, he definitely doesn’t act like a mayor,” the traveler thought as she wandered into an alleyway. If everything wasn’t so unnerving, perhaps she would’ve giggled at that fact.

New voices joined with the ghosts’ chorus, adding a harsher tone to the residents’ growing song. They seemed to be adding to the mayor’s previous verse, if only to warn any passerby. As they sang in hushed tones, the traveler strolled on. 

‘Round that corner, man,

Hiding in a trash can

Something’s waiting now to pounce

And how you’ll—

A trash can lid flew high into the air. A fox-eared mess of plastic and metal parts jumped into the street. Its voice fluctuated as it shrieked.

SCREAM!

This is Halloween!

A legless, cybernetic wolf and a fiery beast peeked out from behind the trash can. They sang in tandem as their friend posed for the cloaked one.

Red and black 

and slimy green

Aren’t you scared?

Before the traveler could answer, however, two voices cut through the air. “Well, that’s just fine!” they called out as they swooped into the street. Without any other warning, the two intruders grabbed her arms and hoisted her into the air! She lifted her head up just enough to see two robotic animals in witch-like attire: A white-feathered hen on her left, and a green front with yellow markings on her right. They “offered” their advice to survival in high-pitched, accented voices.

Say it once, say it twice!

Take a chance and roll the dice

Ride with the moon

In the dead of night!

As soon as their harmonizing ended, the frog’s eyes widened. She signalled to the hen, who soon looked down at the traveler’s right arm. It was practically struggling to hold onto the Frog Witch’s broomstick, and the poor thing was too focused on not falling to notice. Not wanting to cause any real trouble, the two witches carefully lowered their broomsticks closer to the ground below. They slowed their descent just enough, then let the traveler let go on her own. Now content, the witches flew away into the sky above.

As for the traveler herself, she dusted off her cloak and looked around. The brick buildings surrounded her once again, as did her terror once a giant grizzly emerged from behind a tree. He roared out as his clear dome head pulsated with red electricity.

Ev’rybody scream!

Everybody SCREAM!

Stifling a scream of her own, the traveler dove into another alley. Whispery voices echoed behind her, almost apologetic in their collective tone.

…In our town of Halloween…

After a minute or two of weaving through narrow corridors, she finally slowed her pace again. She walked along the winding maze. As she did, her mind also wandered down a strange path. What would happen if she took the witches’ advice and took a risk? What if, instead of being afraid, she—?

Her musing was interrupted by a towering mass of wires riding in on a motorcycle. He waved to her in a surprisingly friendly manner, then inched forward. With a theatrical voice, he announced himself much like some of the others.

I am the clown 

With the tear-away face!

As if to prove his point, he tore off one half of his ceramic face. He leaned down so far that his unicycle threatened to top over. Completely unbothered by this risk, the clown finished his boast in a more ominous voice. His robotic “muscles” moved all the wile, making him seem even more bone-chilling.

Here in a flash,

And gone without a trace!

He sprang out of his seat and tumbled to the ground like a circus acrobat. The traveler held back a chuckle as she gently pushed the unicycle towards him. Not wanting to embarrass the clown any further, she continued down the rest of the street.

As she was about to turn another corner, however, a seemingly floating jack-o-lantern made her pause. Her eyes widened as she heard the same voice from the woods. This time, it sounded much more scratchy and snakelike.

I am the ‘who’ when you call

“Who’s there?”

As soon as it asked the question, another rabbit-like creature emerged with a shoddily carved pumpkin in its clawed hand. This one, however, had the appearance of an unfinished teddy bear sewn by Victor Frankenstein himself. Patchwork fur with uneven stitching all over, a missing arm capped with some false-gold lid, and a glass “ear” containing some mystery substance. Seemingly aware of these traits, the raggedy rabbit’s expression turned uneasy as it watched the traveler’s movements.

Fortunately for it, the traveler simply waved and smiled. She even mouthed a “hello”, but the shadow of her hood made her mouth hard to read. Her eyes brightened as, thankfully, the rabbit understood enough to wave back as best it could. 

Purple sparks of lightning flew up some electrical wires close by. The patchwork rabbit’s ears pinned back. It then scurried away as if it had seen a ghost.

The traveler, meanwhile, noticed the rabbit’s scurrying far too late. “Wait, come back!” she noiselessly exclaimed as a breeze rolled in. An unseen voice, quiet yet clear, took over for the coward.

…I am the wind blowing 

Through your hair…

Try as she might, the traveler could not find the rabbit in the growing crowd up ahead. She rolled her eyes, then looked up at the cloudless night sky to soothe her self-annoyance. The large yellow moon stared back… Until a dark shadow clouded it. Two orange spirals spun around the center of this shadow, almost as if it was forming its eyes. A lilting, soft-spoken voice spoke mockingly in the traveler’s ears.

I am the shadow 

on the moon at night–

Filling your dreams to

The brim with fright

The traveler just scowled and walked towards the crowd. The mechanical monsters repeated the ghosts’ chant of “This is Halloween” as they walked under a crooked archway. An archway that, from what the traveler could gather, lead back to the town square.

Instinctively, she ran to join the very end of the group. Her heart pounded as a makeshift portcullis threatened to cut her off. She dashed under the archway before tripping over her own cloak. The portcullis shut with a heavy thunk. Her legs twitched and her entire body trembled. That was close. Too close. Almost as if something messed with the system controlling the gate.

Nearby giggling snapped her out of her shaken state. She looked over to see three tiny ghosts in strange headwear flew towards her. They danced around her as they commented on the festive atmosphere.

Tender lumplings 

Everywhere!

Life’s no fun without 

A good scare!

Two stocky, child-like mannequins barged in and chased the ghosts away. The traveler watched as the five children argued as they vanished out of sight. She breathed a sigh of relief, then prepared to climb back onto her feet. To her surprise, a taller pair of mannequins offered their arms instead. They gave their reasoning without missing a beat.

That’s our job,

but we’re not mean

In our town of

Halloween

Carefully, the traveler rose to her feet. She steadied herself, silently thanked the pair, then gingerly continued her trek. Her path soon led her back to the large, open area from before. Monsters from every corner cheered and raised their voices in spins-tingling glee. The would-be mayor led them in his little ditty from earlier.

In this town!

Don’t we love it now?

Everyone’s waiting 

For the next surprise!

The traveler, meanwhile, dodged and weaved through the crowd. Her mind danced between looking for the patchwork rabbit and a building curiosity. Countless questions started to fill her head. Were they about to have a Halloween party of their own? If so, then were they waiting on someone else to arrive first?

A few of the creatures spotted her red cape fluttering past. One by one, they raised their voices in equal parts warning and praising.

Fire-haired Flash might 

Catch you with a slash

And scream like a banshee—

Make you jump out of your skin!

She broke free from the bustle of the crowd, but now found herself right next to the fountain. And, aside from the mayor, the area surrounding it was empty. Almost as if this spot was reserved for something. Or someone.

The crowd grew even wilder as a clock tower’s bell rang in the distance. They could barely contain themselves as they started up one of those refrains.

This is Halloween!

Everybody scream!

The traveler’s pupils shrank. She whipped her head to and fro, frantically double-checking every creature she could see. Where was the fire? What kind of creature was Flash, anyway? A firey ghost? A skeleton? Maybe even a mythical creature?

Seeing the cloaked one’s terror, a few of the monsters in the front row waved to the mayor. “Would you please make way for a very special gal?” a few of them politely asked him, one after the other.

The mayor nodded in aggreement. He spun his arm around, then bowed. The rest of the crowd proclaimed Fire-Haired Flash’s real role.

Our girl Flash is 

Queen of Pumpkin Patch!

Ev’yone hail to the

Lantern Queen, now!

The traveler backed towards the fountain. Her knees quaked. The world around her spun. Even the voices harmonizing that call of “This is Halloween” grew quieter and quieter. A reddish-orange light slowly enveloped her eyesight before everything went dark. In her mind, the creature known as Flash dragged her down into some shadowy depths. Never to be seen again..

..In reality, she simply swooned right as she fell into an open sewer vent. Several creatures called out in alarm, but others just watched intently. Whispers of “Is she all right?” and “Was that on purpose?” filled the silent air. The mayor himself hopped down from his perch on the fountain’s edge. Just as he was about to call down, however, the two little mannequins from earlier ran towards the opening. Completely unbothered (and maybe even mischievous), they sang out one last refrain:

in this town we call home, 

Everyone hail to the lantern-song

A reddish-orange glow lit up the sewers beneath them. Suddenly, a living bundle of flames leapt onto the pavement. It swirled and danced around like a chaotic ballerina, prompting cheers from its audience. Scarlet red fabric turned to ash and soot. The flames shrank until they resembled messy pigtails atop someone’s head. A fully robotic figure, dressed in an orange striped dress, emerged triumphantly from the smoke. She swung her claw-like hand high into the air, as if to slash away the last shreds of her disguise.

If you wish to change me I’ll just run away, far from the duties and court. If you wish to chain me, I never will stay. I'll sail like a ship from the port!

Since I want to live free I’ll forge my own path ahead. I’ll dictate what will be, I never will be misled. I will always fight so I’ll be free. For I belong to me.

I don’t want the weight of fulfilling the public’s cries. While faced with such cruel love harsh judgements, and searching eyes. To escape from these crowds, I will flee For I belong to me.

If you wish to know me then give me my space. I won’t give you all that is me If you wish to chain me I’ll leave your embrace and sail for the wide open sea!