Match 20943 Pumpkin Jack vs. Jack Pumpkinhead

[JohnnyChany]

SPOOKY SEASON SHOWDOWNS: AN ANTHOLOGY

 

 

Location: Munchkin Country

A swirling vortex of green magic tore through the air as Pumpkin Jack and his traveling companions, the knowledgeable owl and the always nervous crow, were unceremoniously dumped onto a soft bed of vibrant green grass. Jack groaned as he sat up and brushed clumps of foliage off his tattered coat. His jack-o'-lantern head flickered dimly with frustration. The crow flapped quickly into the air by his side, shaking off the daze.

They had landed in Munchkin Country, in the eastern region of Oz, though none of them knew it yet. The landscape was beautiful, filled with rows of brilliant blue flowers and small, cozy cottages. 

Jack looked around suspiciously. "Where in hell are we?" He tapped the owl impatiently with his shovel. "You’re the one in the know, bird. Start talking!"

The owl hooted in exasperation. "I... I don’t know! This was not part of the Devil’s plan. One moment that dastardly wizard was ranting about dimensions and powerful magic, and then the next second we’re here."

Jack groaned. "Figures. That lousy wizard knocked us out or cursed us or... something. I’ll shove this shovel right up his…"

"Uhh, Jack?" the crow interrupted as he flew around Jack’s head. "We’ve got company."

Two small, stout munchkins in checkered blue outfits wandered up from behind a nearby hedge. One, a woman with curly brown hair tucked under a bonnet, regarded the trio with concern

. "Are you alright, Jack? That was quite the fall you took!"

"Huh? How do you know my name?"

The munchkins exchanged amused glances. 

The other munchkin, a man with a bushy mustache, chuckled. "Oh, everyone knows about you, Jack Pumpkinhead! Queen Ozma’s dear friend, always getting into trouble and going on adventures. You’re practically a legend!"

Jack started to grin. “It’s always nice when people appreciate my greatness, but you mixed my name up and I don’t have any dear friends.”

“Where are we?” asked the owl.

“Why, you’re in Munchkin Country of course,” the male munchkin replied with a smile.

“Munchkin Country? What the hell is that?” asked the crow.

The munchkins were startled by the crow’s language. “It is the land… of the Eastern Region of Oz.”

The crow flew around in a circle in an agitated state. “Oz?!? That can’t be right. That can’t be right.”

“Be quiet, bird,” Jack demanded. He turned his attention to the munchkins. “How do I get back home?  I have a wizard to kill and a world to ruin!”

The munchkins went pale. 

"What… what is going on, Jack? What would make you say such horrid things?” the mustached munchkin asked.

“I think he has been possessed by the Wicked Witch,’ suggested the female munchkin. “We should go…. go get help!”

The two quickly scurried away.

“It doesn't appear that the direct approach will be very helpful right now,” the owl noted. “Perhaps you should rely more on your conman roots, Jack, if we are to find a way home.”

Jack scoffed and dismissed the owl’s concerns. “They were saying we are in Oz. There is no way that is true. Oz is a children’s story. This must be an illusion conjured up by that infernal wizard.”

“Don’t be so sure. Many fantastical tales are based on actual places and events that the writers can only express in fictional stories to avoid being shunned by human society,” said the owl.

Jack grew irritated. “So you think we are actually in the land of Oz? What kind of bullshit is this?” 

“What do we do, Jack?” asked the crow.

Jack thought for a moment. “We find the Wizard of Oz. A damn wizard banished us here, another one can send us back.

The owl hooted skeptically. "Finding the Wizard of Oz is no good. He doesn’t have magic like that, his whole thing was a scam."

Jack got in close to the owl. “Then what’s your suggestion, bird?”

“We must find the silver shoes. They can take us home.”

“How do we do that?”

The crow squawked. “I have spotted the Yellow Brick Road. We can follow it. Someone along the trail should know how to get the Silver Shoes.”

“Blasted plot contrivances,” Jack complained. He gripped his shovel firmly. “If any of those munchkins dare to sing to me, I’m taking off their head.”

Pumpkin Jack, the crow, and the owl weren’t far into their journey before word of their presence had spread throughout the land of Oz. Although the stories of his cruelty and disdain still had him mistaken for Jack Pumpkinhead.

Location: Quadling Country

Glinda the Good, the ruler of the southern Quadling Country, sat on her elegant throne when one of her attendants rushed in, breathless. "Mistress! Jack Pumpkinhead is causing trouble on the Yellow Brick Road. He’s threatening munchkins and demanding the silver shoes!"

Glinda blinked in confusion. "Jack Pumpkinhead? But... that doesn’t sound like him at all."

"It’s true, Your Grace!" the attendant insisted. "He’s been scaring everyone in his path!"

Concern spread across Glinda’s serene face. "This requires my attention." 

She gathered her magic staff and, with a swirl of pink light, transported herself to the Yellow Brick Road.

From a distance, she saw them, Pumpkin Jack and his companions. The pumpkin-headed rogue stalked along the road with his shovel in hand, grumbling irritably. The crow and the owl flew beside him. Glinda narrowed her eyes as she observed Jack more closely. Something was wrong. Though he shared some similarities to Jack Pumpkinhead, this newcomer had different carvings for his face and a light forged by fire emanating from his jack-o-lantern head. More importantly, he exuded an unsettling, chaotic energy. The air around him practically bubbled with mischief. It was unlike anything she had felt before. 

“I think I preferred fighting monsters in our world,” Jack complained. “Everyone here is so weak and pathetic.”

“Do you think we will run across one of the Wicked Witches on our journey?” asked the crow.

“If we do, hopefully they won’t try to eat Jack’s head like the last one,” answered the owl.

“That’s not funny, That crooked witch wanted to put my head in a vegetable soup,” Jack recalled.

“I can check for any nearby wells for water just to be safe,” the crow offered.

Glinda stepped back from her position, she felt that confronting this rogue version of Jack personally would not be the best course of action. A plan began to form in her mind, and with another flash of pink light, she transported herself to the north, deep into Gillikin Country.

Location: Gillikin Country

In a quiet grove in Gillikin Country, the actual Jack Pumpkinhead sat beneath a tree and hummed a tune to himself. He was as gentle and innocent as ever. A scarecrow-like figure with a carved pumpkin for a head and thin wooden limbs. His peaceful day was interrupted by a soft gust of wind and the appearance of Glinda.

"Glinda!" Jack exclaimed. He stood up eagerly. "What brings you here?"

"Urgent news, I’m afraid," Glinda explained. "There is someone in Oz who looks remarkably like you... but he’s frightening the people and causing trouble."

Jack gasped. "That’s terrible! What’s he doing?"

"He’s been demanding the silver shoes and attacking the citizens of Oz,” she replied.

“Why would he do that? What does he want the silver shoes for?” Jack wondered.

“My best guess is he wishes to use them to return to his own world. How he knows about them, I do not know. But, he can’t be allowed to take the silver shoes. Not only can this world not afford to lose them but I shudder to think of the power they could grant someone with such evil aura. We all remember the Wicked Witch of the East.”

“Are you not strong enough to face him?” Jack asked sincerely.

“It is not my fight, it is yours,” stated Glinda.

“How do you reach that conclusion?”

“For everyone who sees him in Oz, he wears your face. Even if I stopped him, the belief would still be that it was you who caused all this chaos. I doubt even my testimony would change the minds of those who have been victimized. The only way to clear your name is for you to be the one to stop him where everyone can see and know your innocence and bravery,,” Glinda declared.

Jack was stunned. “I have to fight him?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. You just have to stop him from getting his hands on the silver shoes.”

“Couldn’t we just find another way for him to get home and make everyone happy?” 

“There may be an alternative way to help him leave, but even if we were to find that you would still need to show all of Oz that you are not him or convince him to apologize for his actions with neither option being an easy path,” Glind admitted.

Jack panicked..“Oh man! What am I going to do?”

Glinda regarded him gently. “Jack,it is not fair to place this burden on your shoulders. But, the moment has picked you to be the champion of Oz and I have all the faith that you will step up to this challenge.”

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Pumpkin Jack
Read more about Pumpkin Jack at Wikipedia
Official Site: Headup Games Links: Wikipedia

Jack Pumpkinhead
Read more about Jack Pumpkinhead at Wikipedia
Official Site: Public Domain Links: Wikipedia Oz Wiki Comicvine