MY STORY
I. AN ADVENTURE BEGINS
Once upon a time in a magical forest known as The Hinterlands, there lived a young giant named Napoleon. The Hinterlands is a place full of wonder and vastness in space; best known for its many doors, leading to different holiday towns. Napoleon was the last of his kind (or so he thought) and he made it his mission to search the land to find a companion.
One day, Napoleon happened upon a traveling skeleton named Jack and his dog, Zero. Jack was intent on exploring The Hinterlands and bringing the magic of Christmas to his own home in Halloween Town. Napoleon had heard stories of these faraway holiday lands but his fear of the unknown often kept him from wandering too far or opening any of The Hinterland holiday doors.
Jack couldn’t believe what he was hearing from Napoleon. “You must explore every holiday in The Hinterlands! What joy you could bring to those around you if you only tried!” Jack exclaimed.
“But I’m 13 feet tall!” said Napoleon, looking down at Jack. “Even if I could make it to those holiday lands, what would I do when I got there?”
Jack smirked as he reached up and grabbed Napoleon’s massive hand. “Take notes!” cackled Jack, “and come back to The Hinterlands once you’ve seen it all! You can be the keeper of these lands!”
Napoleon decided to visit Halloween Town first - after all, something about Jack seemed very genuine, so surely the land where he came from would be full of promise. “Alright, I’ll start in Halloween Town!” said Napoleon.
"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Jack, resting his hand on his mandible with a hollow clack. "I'll have Zero here send word that you'll be stopping by, I just know my friends will be dying to meet you!"
"BARK" came a reply from Jack's unusually translucent canine.
II. A GIANT SURPRISE
Upon his arrival in Halloween Town, Napoleon was greeted in the most welcoming of Halloween fashions! “Tender lumplings everywhere! I suppose life’s no fun without a good scare” proclaimed Napoleon.
Much to his astonishment, far down the road he could see another giant!
“Hooray!” cried Napoleon as he approached the other giant, “I have found my people!”
The giant stranger approached with a warm smile, extending his enormous hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Napoleon. Zero mentioned we might soon have a visitor. I’m Mr. BoneApart and I’ve lived here with my wife for many years! We have been looking to adopt a giant just like you! Would you like to come for dinner tonight?”
“I would love to!” exclaimed Napoleon and off they went to meet Mrs. BoneApart.
From that moment on, Napoleon had not only found a home, but he had found two loving parents who supported his desire to explore the holiday lands; and that’s exactly what he did.
Days turned into months and months turned into years. Napoleon spent his time learning all that he could about the multitude of joyous holidays that were celebrated not only in The Hinterlands, but on a faraway place called “Earth”, as well.
III. A HOME AWAY
One sad day, Napoleon's beloved parents passed. Napoleon realized that he had learned all that he could in The Hinterlands and he knew that there was only one place left to go: Earth. Napoleon dreamed every night of the opportunity to bring his love and passion for holidays to the occupants of Earth.
One day while out for a walk, Napoleon found a wishbone on the forest floor. It was then that he heard the town clock chiming at 11:11 and when he looked up, he saw a shooting star soar across the night sky. Napoleon knew that this was his chance to make that wish to travel to Earth. It was at that moment that a very powerful Witch appeared in front of Napoleon, ready to grant his wish.
“I can send you to Earth” said the Witch, “but only under one condition. You must shed your giant skin and exist only as a skeleton.”
“That sounds painful!” yelped Napoleon.
“It won’t hurt a bit” the Witch replied, “but it’s just the price you have to pay”.
After careful consideration, just as he had years ago in The Hinterlands, Napoleon decided that it was time for a new adventure - and this adventure would lead him to Earth. He took the Witch's deal and with the flash of a light and a puff of smoke, he disappeared from Halloween Town and into a new world.
When he arrived at the new place called Earth, he knew that he desperately needed to find a new home. Luckily for Napoleon, he arrived on Earth during the month of October, so he had the opportunity to blend in with the seasonal décor. Napoleon needed to find a place to rest his tired bones and a place to teach this world about all of the wonderful holidays.
“Maybe I’ll try this ‘Home Depot’ store” he thought. “They surely must have a home for me!”
While this Home Depot did not have a home for Napoleon in the way that he thought, the universe was kind to him on that fateful day. While waiting patiently to ask what aisle the homes could be found in, a lovely couple ran towards him, screeching in excitement, “I can’t believe it! He’s here! We finally found him!” exclaimed the woman. The man frantically flagged down the first person (in the best halloween colour) that he could see and insisted that Napoleon be brought home. “We must have him” said the man “we drove such a long way and can’t believe we actually found him!”.
Napoleon, confused and puzzled by these stranger’s excitement, decided to play along. Napoleon followed the pair to the front of the store; with a scan and a beep, Napoleon officially belonged to this lovely couple and was on his way home.
And with that, they all lived happily ever after.
With his new family and his new home in the small town of Mount Albert, Napoleon BoneApart is now ready to spend his time bringing his knowledge of The Hinterlands and the Holidays to the great people of Earth.