A Talk Between Two Spirits
Serena & Jack share a heartfelt moment on Halloween Night (Animal Crossing)
It was a few hours before Halloween night; Cresthaven’s villagers were preparing for the holiday, ready to exchange tricks and treats to one another. None were more excited, however, than Jack himself—He was the czar of Halloween, after all!
The pumpkin-headed spirit didn't visit the mortal world very often (though he was planning on getting a vacation house there), but he would never miss a Halloween. To see the work his minions had put into their costumes, to see the smiles on their faces and hear their screams of terror, he wouldn't give it up for the world. He knew of one island resident, however, that didn't get to partake in any of it.
Not many villagers knew that the fountain in the museum used to make its home a small town that celebrated a goddess. Most forgot this tradition, however, by the time it came time to renovate. What could a goddess do drained of all the power of her believers? And so she got taken away from her home along with her fountain, and got put in a museum on an unfamiliar deserted island.
No one knew of her existence, as far as he knew. But the thing is, spirit-folk have a way of sensing eachother. And Jack could tell a lonely spirit of some kind was there, even if he didn't know any of the specifics.
He snuck through the town, beaming at the idle chatter about candy and costumes and pumpkins and all the wonderful spooky things Jack loves. Oh, it was wonderful to be a celebrity, but he had to be careful not to be spotted and cause Halloween to start early. Can’t be making any mistakes on the most important day of the year!
Soon he had reached the museum, which would be easy to sneak into considering the resident owl was fast asleep. Shame he wasn’t wearing a costume like some of the other civic servants. He’d have to see if he gets into the spirit when the event begins! He went through the bottom left door and made his way through the bug exhibits, taking a little bit of time to admire the creepy crawlies most revile at. He was on a mission though, and before he knew it he was at his destination—the butterfly room.
It was probably the most alluring room in the entire museum - a cornucopia of flowers and plants, light filtering in as butterflies of all sorts fluttering about, their wings the definition of beauty. Not exactly Jack’s style, but even he could appreciate what a fine room it was.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out some candy, throwing it into the highest part of the fountain. A blue ball of light rose from where he threw it, the butterflies started to glow the same hue—it grew bigger and bigger before it burst into white sparkles- from the center, a godly chihuahua with shining golden jewelry made her appearance. She spun around, graceful and serene, hovering slightly over the fountain top before turning a 180 on her demeanor and glaring at the pumpkin-headed spirit.
“Candy? In my fountain?? I get coins, but what’s the point of candy? Don’t you know that’s just going to get soggy and gross?” She grabbed the wrapped sweet and threw it to the ground.
“It’s for you, my little pumpkin, hee hee!” Jack beamed, grabbing the candy from the floor quickly before it became too dirty. “Figured you deserve a head start on the Halloween hunt!”
“Oh, is that today?” She sounded disinterested, with a tinge of malice in her voice. “I don’t really do Halloween—and don't call me pumpkin.”
“Oh, don’t smash my heart like a gourd at the end of the season!” He cried some crocodile tears, face still ever-smiling, before quickly recovering. “I’m Jack, the reigning czar of Halloween, and I’ve come to haunt you until you get into the spirit!”
“Oh, great... so you’re not a mortal then! You’re an evil spirit of some sort! A devil! You don’t deserve the presence of a goddess like me.” She made a “Hmph!” of indignation and pouted, turning her face away from Jack.
”I told you, I’m the czar of Halloween! I may be a terrifying symbol of tricks, but I’m also a lighthearted bringer of treats!”
“Sure, b’bye now.” She started to fade away, but Jack interjected.
“Wait! Are you happy here all alone? Don’t you want to enjoy some spooky festivities?" Serena stopped fading away—she started fading back, in fact, but with an angry red hue to her face.
“Happy? HAPPY?” She huffed and growled. “I had a town full of devotees who just forgot my existence! Who threw me and my beautiful fountain to the curb, to this wretched island! I hate this island! This museum! There's bugs everywhere! The constant butterflies were pretty at first and accentuated my beauty, but now they're just creepy and annoying! The only semblance of a relationship I’ve got is with an ugly, evil little demon!”
"Not all of the spirits of darkness are evil, hoo hoo! Some just want to have fun!"
"Not the ones I've met," she scoffed.
Jack pondered a bit at what to say next. He wasn’t going to keep pushing the fact that he was there for treats, not for tricks, but he needed to somehow get this goddess to open up. ”So you’re lonely, you say?”
“Yes- I mean no- I mean, AUGH, why am I talking to you!?” Tears started to well up in her eyes, though she was trying her best to keep them hidden. Wrong move, then. Maybe he just needed to get her to understand that she didn’t have to be alone.
”You know, I’m sure my wonderful minions would be happy to have a real-life goddess in their town! Delight would paint their faces!”
”This isn’t my town though! My followers are gone, and now the only people who pay attention to me are dark spirits like you…”
”Hee hee, It’s never too late to find new followers! I heard through the pumpkin vine that folks came to this island to start a new life- you could too!”
“If only it were that easy!” Serena sighed, floating down from the top of her post to sit on the rightmost edge of the bottom of the fountain. Her face was dejected, her posture was slouched, she looked like she had given up all hope on the matter. Jack sat on it as well, on the opposite side as her. She did not object.
Serena spoke up. “...Maybe I’m lonely, ok? Maybe I’m talking to you because you’re the only other being that's even given me a passing glance in years.”
”Why don’t you show yourself, then? This museum seems plenty popular when everyone isn’t preparing for the season of scares!”
”It… it doesn’t feel right.” She inched closer to Jack before springing away. “L-like I said, this isn’t my town! These aren’t my people!”
”They could be! That’s your choice, though.”
Serena sighed. She looked to the ground at the candy she had thrown earlier, and picked it up dejectedly. “Maybe you’re right… but it hurts to have to reach out to mortals. They should be reaching out to me!"
“Well, between two spirits, I could always put out a rumor or two about a mystical fountain in the museum where a goddess will appear if you give her… hm, what do you like, actually?”
”Respect”
”And?”
”Obedience?”
”...Give me something to work with here…”
”Fine! Jewelry… or coins if these villagers are extra cheap, I guess. B-but don’t make it seem like I have to give anything in return! I’m a goddess, not a genie!”
“Hee hee, gotcha,” Jack chuckled back.
There was a serene silence between the two of them. The sound of pouring water and the calm flapping of butterfly wings calmed their divine souls. Serena moved closer to Jack, and closer, until she rested her head on his shoulder. There were still a few more hours before Halloween began- Jack could spare a few moments for this. He could take a break being the Czar of Halloween just for this moment.