Christmas Jack-o'-Lantern

  Devil whispered something again.

  The Elf stood still, folded his hands, and bending backward, he touched the ground with his nose. Jack gazed in wonder at the amazing flexibility of his body. Could he really do that if he had not been in a trance? Jack wondered.

  Devil took a pin and pricked it in the buttock of the doll.

  Instantly, the Elf yelled in agony, rubbing his buttock, and started jumping around madly.

  Devil rolled in laughter. “He dances nicely” Devil commented “now let the real dance begin”.

  A Voodoo style spirit-possessed dance started. Amidst intense drumming, the Elves danced wildly, while still in trance.

  “Why don’t you tell me what is happening?” Jack asked Martini urgently. He was dying to know more.

  But Martini kept his lips pressed tightly together.

  Jack watched intently, trying to figure it out himself. But now, the outer semicircle spread out further, almost enclosing the inner gathering of Elves. The zombies and vampires and mini-demons of the outer semicircle began a wild back-to-back dance, completely cutting off the view and blocking any chance of observing what was going on inside.

  While the drums were beating loudly enough to drown all noises, Martini broke his silence. “Supported by Devil, the ogres, gnomes and trolls have been draining our wealth for years” Martini explained to Jack “For the last three months, I had occasional reports of Devil’s men snatching away Elves from their home to make them slaves. And now, they have started turning them into Elf-Zombies through dark Voodoo magic as well”.

  When the dance was over, they occupied their former positions and everything was visible again. Devil took the pumpkin Jack-o’-Lantern from the effigy of Jack-o’-Halloween and addressed the zombie-Elves “Now bow down to the Jack-o’-Lantern”.

  Everybody obeyed.

  “And remember” Devil addressed again “I am the master of Jack. He is nothing but my slave. Now watch this-“

  Right before Jack’s eyes, Devil kicked Jack’s effigy. Then Devil placed the Jack-o’-Lantern under his boots and shouted, “Now bow down before me”.

  Jack screamed in anger “Son-of-a-“. But before he could let out a scream, Martini pressed his hand tightly on Jack’s mouth.

  “You will get all of us killed!” Martini hissed.

  A few moments later, he removed his hand.

  “But how can I keep quiet?” Jack said excitedly “Devil is kicking my effigy and placing the Jack-o’-Lantern under his boots. He is trying to project me as his servant to control the Halloween world through proxy”.

  Marini took out a long, sharp knife from his knee-high socks and pressed the blade hard on Jack’s throat. “If you utter a shriek, I’ll slit your throat with my own hand. I swear!” Martini warned, “So control yourself and remain silent. Or else we all might end up like them!”

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  Chapter 19

  Baba Yaga

  “Devil’s intention is now clear like crystal to me” Jack confided to his closest friend Barbarossa, hanging his head down in a depressed mood.

  “Would you like some coffee?” Barbarossa said.

  “What I would rather like” Jack said angrily “I would rather want you to pay some attention. Or else, you may leave”. Amazingly, Jack didn’t regret speaking to his friend so harshly at this moment.

  “After going through all those secret reports” Jack said “I am quite sure that Devil wants to exploit the prevailing bitter rivalry between Santa Claus and Ded Moroz in the Christmas world, to drain their riches, and-“Jack punched his own fist “Through all those edicts with my signatures, and by projecting me as his slave, he wants to take over my own dark world as well through proxy”.

  “In this hour of crisis, we must seek some wise advice” Barbarossa suggested “Why don’t you approach Baba Yaga once? Your mentor had strongly recommended her as a possible mentor. Do you remember?”

  “Will it serve any good?”

  “What is the harm in trying?” Barbarossa said.

  “In case you don’t remember” Jack said “all the poles on her fence are decorated with human skulls except one. I suppose you can guess what will be at stake?”

  “Well, another skull will be on the stake” Barbarossa said with laughter.

  Jack remained silent for a long time. Then letting out a deep sigh he announced “It will be such a difficult task to leave Iceland; let alone spending a few weeks in Russia. But still, I’ll try to find Baba Yaga’s hut among the Russian forests”.

  A flash of hope appeared on Jack’s face. “Even if I don’t know how to achieve my goal, at least I know my goal” Jack said.

  “And what’s that?” Barbarossa asked.

  “I can thwart Devil’s desires if I struggle and succeed in becoming the unchallenged master of Christmas and Halloween worlds myself. And therefore, that shall be my concrete goal from now onwards!”

  Jack pulled out his silver crucifix and kissed it. “Have pity on me, my lord” Jack whispered “fulfill my desire”.

  “Amen!” Barbarossa said.

  “God helps those, who help themselves” Jack said “so I’ll struggle harder”.

  “I wish you best of Luck, dear Jack. God bless you” Barbarossa turned emotional “and, I wish you a successful journey” Barbarossa said, and wiped his tears with his sleeve.

  * * *

  Jack wandered in the deep forests in the heartland of Russia, relying on the roadmaps drawn by forest dwellers. The roadmaps were often misleading, causing extreme troubles and frustration. Several times Jack lost track. His survival skills were put to severe tests in the vast remoteness of Russia, in freezing harsh environment.

  Jack rode on a sturdy horse in the inaccessible forests of snow covered ‘Taiga’, among the spruce, larches, pines and conifers. He was glad that he had learnt horse riding well in training school. But he wished he had the magical Persian carpet.

  Jack felt the sheer vastness of the Russian forests through sheer frustration. This is madness Jack thought Combing through more than a thousand million hectares of Russian forest! An impossible task!

  Jack had given up his plans of taking help of a search party, when he learnt that an essential prerequisite of seeking help from Baba Yaga was that the seeker must approach alone. Baba Yaga liked to test them through endurance-one of the distinct qualities of a true hero. One villager had even warned Jack that taking help of others makes the task more difficult. Baba Yaga’s hut becomes as elusive as the fabled ‘Quetzal’ bird.

  These forests have no boundaries! And so much diversity of forests…Jack wondered.

  Jack searched in the birch forest of ‘Khimki’, the ‘Karakan pine forest’, in the Forest of Ural Mountain, ‘Romincka’ forest and forests of Caucasus.

  At last he stumbled upon a large clearing in the dense forest.

  Jack realized that he had found quite by accident what he had been searching for several weeks.

  He had heard some descriptions (and had formed a mental picture) of Baba Yaga's hut before setting out on the quest. The fence matched with the descriptions perfectly. On all the pointed wooden poles on the fence, there were human skulls-only on one pole the skull was missing.

  Jack gathered his courage, and pushing the gate open, he went inside.

  He faced a large wooden cabin, standing on two huge chicken legs. Jack took a quick glance around him, and found that the lawn was covered with wild weeds and there were heaps of human bones at several places!

  A viper slithered over Jack’s feet. Jack shuddered and recoiled in fear.

  Jack took a tour round the log cabin, and found that there are no doors and no windows. Jack noticed that the chimney was too huge and too broad for a cabin of this size.

  Jack stood there wondering what to do next; when he remembered what one old village woman had told him. Jack was sure it was nothing but folklore, but decided to give it a try.

  He closed his eyes and tied a folded handkerchief aro
und it. Then he uttered the phrase “cabin, oh dear cabin! Turn your back to the forest, and your front to me!”

  Nothing happened.

  “Cabin, good old cabin; turn your back to the forest, and your front to me!”

  Still nothing happened. Jack was glad that there was nobody around to watch him acting like an awfully credulous child.

  “Please, oh nice dear cabin! Turn your back to the forest and your front to me!”

  Thud! Thud! Thud! Whoooshhh...

  Jack flung open the handkerchief with a jerk and watched wide-eyed: the cabin was dancing on the massive chicken legs. The wild leaves were scattered here and there by the strong gust of wind that had suddenly arisen!

  The cabin started spinning, first slowly with a dancing motion on both legs and then started spinning faster and faster on one leg like a performer on an ice rink.

  Jack covered his face with his handkerchief as leaves and twigs hit his face with more and more ferocity.

  The gust of wind stopped abruptly; so did the spinning of the cabin. Jack removed his handkerchief to see the cabin standing still on both its legs. The front door was clearly visible now. A ladder had also descended from the balcony to the ground.

  Jack gathered his courage, climbed up the ladder and knocked at the door. He waited patiently for a long time, but nobody opened the door. He knocked again, and again.

  Jack turned the doorknob.

  “Ouch! Oh my nose! Ooouu.....chhh!”

  Before Jack realized that it was the door, which was yelling, a distinct face appeared around the keyhole. For a moment, the doorknob looked like a nose. The keyhole opened wide like a mouth and bit Jack's fingers.

  Jack pressed his bleeding fingers tightly with his handkerchief. “Oh my God! Such sharp teeth!” Jack yelled in terrible pain, and took a few steps backward.

  With a creaking noise, the door flung open automatically. “Welcome Sir! Please come inside” a clear voice emerged from inside the cabin.

  Jack peeped inside cautiously, but found nobody. He entered the room and said aloud “is anybody here?”

  Nobody answered.

  Jack noticed a few old cabinets inside the cabin. There was a grandfather clock with brass pendulum on the wall. There was a rack full of old, withered, dust covered books and a sofa that was equally dust covered and had stitches in several places. Only one cane chair seemed to be clean. Jack was about to sit on it, when it occurred to him that it must be Baba Yaga’s chair. Modesty prevented him from occupying it. Jack guessed from the dust on the sofa that she must have few visitors in this remote and secret forest hut. Not knowing exactly how long he might have to wait, he decided to sit on the sofa.

  There was a dust-covered magazine on the sofa. Jack picked it up and flipped the pages. It seemed to be written in some unknown code scripts with a few diagrams of primitive chemistry equipment, dissected crows and cats, something similar to werewolves, photos of a few necklaces and rings, items of ladies makeup etc. Jack left the magazine aside and closed his eyes, hoping to doze off a bit.

  “Have some drinks Sir!”

  Jack turned around in alarm and saw a tray, hovering in the air at his shoulder height, with a glass on it. Nobody, but only two rubber hand gloves were holding the tray.

  “No,thanks!” Jack refused politely in a trembling tone.

  Instantly the tray started drifting away.

  Jack waited patiently.

  It must have been an hour, when he heard some strange whistling sound outside, which grew steadily louder. It appeared something was approaching fast. Before Jack could realize, a huge mortar came shooting through the huge chimney and landed softly on the wooden floor. Baba Yaga was sitting inside the flying mortar, holding a pestle.

  The introduction was brief.

  “I am ready to help you Jack. But I have one condition” Baba Yaga said while rubbing her hands on her thin bony legs and then leaning back on her cane chair. Jack noticed her gnarled, knobby toes and long dirty nails on her fingers.

  “I don’t offer help for free” Baba Yaga said, “I believe in give and take. Therefore, in return, you must help Ded Moroz-the rival of Santa Claus and our Russian gift distributor. You must raise an army of devilishly fanatical supporters for him”.

  “I hope you won’t be offended if I ask about the purpose….” Jack said “..I mean, what you might gain by supporting Ded Moroz?”

  “I am not doing it for personal gain” Baba Yaga snapped “Our Russian culture is under threat from American Santa Claus. As a nationalist Russian, it is my duty to do whatever is possible to help poor Ded Moroz. Patriotism demands it”.

  “But how do I gather an army of supporters to help Ded Moroz?”

  “Hmm…” Baba Yaga said “Let me see what can be done”.

  “Approach your boss, the Devil. Tell him, a Russian witch has offered to help him bring several dark forces under his flag, by offering important secrets. In return, he has to provide a truly devilish army”. She turned her face and muttered proudly “A Devilish army of supporters. That’s exactly what Ded Moroz needs to keep Santa Claus at bay!”

  “Excuse me” Jack stammered “but what if Devil asks something as guarantee that the promise will be met? He never trusts anybody blindly. He usually asks for something very valuable or someone very close as ransom”.

  “That should be your headache” Baba Yaga said “Tell your boss, any cock and bull story. Persuade him by any means possible. Otherwise forget my help”.

  “Please don't misunderstand me” Jack stammered again “Do you think it is an easy task to persuade the Devil, unless he is fully convinced that he will be the gainer in the bargain? You ask me to deal with someone who bargained my soul for one time drink!”

  “I think your point is valid” Baba Yaga said, “Let me think over it”.

  So that’s it! Jack thought. She must be having something else in her mind. I know such tricks! Asking for something utterly impossible at first, and then out of consideration asking a still difficult task, so that it seems so easy by comparison!

  Baba Yaga closed her eyes, relaxed herself on the cane chair, and took a deep breath, pretending to think deeply.

  Jack waited patiently.

  Five minutes, ten minutes, and then fifteen minutes passed.

  Jack started losing his patience, but dare not disturb Baba Yaga. He even started doubting if Baba Yaga might have already fallen asleep.

  Twenty minutes, Thirty minutes...................... Jack was seriously considering leaving quietly and come some other day, when suddenly she snapped at Jack “so you have been posted in elf land! Isn’t it?”

  “Of course I am! I have already told you”.

  “There is one thing which can be done” Baba Yaga said with a cunning smile “You can liberate your own soul, and at the same time help Ded Moroz”.

  “And what's that?” Jack asked curiously.

  “Well! I mean........... Oh it's nothing! Just forget it!” Baba Yaga hesitated, then relaxed back in the cane chair and closed her eyes.

  “Oh please tell your plan” Jack pressed hard.

  Baba Yaga kept her eyes closed, and several minutes passed in silence.

  “Why don't you come some other time?” Baba Yaga said as if trying almost desperately to avoid the subject. But her voice didn’t seem convincing to Jack’s ears.

  Now stop playing with me further Jack thought that’s enough.

  “And you must have made some very close friends among the Elves by now” Baba Yaga said.

  “Well, just friends” Jack said cautiously. He grew anxious as he tried to guess what was coming next.

  Baba Yaga stared at Jack’s eyes piercingly and smiled.

  Jack plucked his nails nervously, like chess player waiting for his opponent’s big move.

  “It won’t be difficult for you to steal the ancient royal scepter of Elf land, once you find out its secret location” Baba Yaga said. “Obtain the scepter and hand it over to Devil. Then you shall
regain your freedom, or at least regain dominance in your Halloween world. And I shall have the Devilish army for Ded Moroz”

  “But why does Devil want the scepter so desperately?” Jack asked

  “It’s just a fancy of Devil to add the scepter to his antique collections” Baba Yaga said “Like someone collecting stamps you know”.

  Jack turned serious and remained silent for a long time. ‘Baba Yaga’ is eyeing a clean checkmate Jack thought. She shall have all she wants, leaving me in a mess.

  “I don’t believe this” Jack said slowly “You are very confident that he will grant me my freedom and you your army. This implies he wants the scepter very badly. There must be some grave reason. You must tell me”.

  Baba Yaga grew very restless, her eyes scanning the corners of the room rapidly. She looked like a child caught stealing red-handed and desperately searching for some lie. Her body gesture clearly gave out that she tried hard to avoid the subject; this time for real.

  Baba Yaga burst into peals of laughter, spitting saliva through gaps of her missing teeth. “You are quite clever, Jack” she said, coming clean. “Well, there is a rumor that the scepter is cursed. Till it is falls in the hand of the prophesized ‘Blessed Elf Prince’, the true heir of the throne of Elf land, who shall have the blood of both dark and light elves, there shall be no peace in Elf land”.

  The very next moment her attitude changed and she tried to cover up hastily “I think Devil believes this nonsense rumor, and dreams of ruling over Elf-land forever!”

  “But what if it is true?” Jack said.

  “Nonsense!” Baba Yaga snapped, “I don't believe it myself. It is all nonsense. You shall see yourself”.

  “But I must have a really strong reason for handing over the scepter to the Devil” Jack retorted, angry at being taken for a ride by Baba Yaga and using him as a pawn.

  “What do you mean by really strong reason?” Baba Yaga’s temper started rising abruptly “Before approaching me, you should have known that I don't charge any fees for my advice. But, I place an assignment to whoever seeks my advice”.

  “But how can I trade off with the fate of elf land for our personal gains?” Jack said, “My soul is protesting; I am in a great dilemma”.

  “Let me warn you Jack!” Baba Yaga spoke in a serious and determined voice “before entering my cabin, you must have noticed that there are human skulls on all the poles on the fence, except one. That one is reserved for anyone who seeks my help and fails to complete my assignment!”