"What? When precisely was it that you killed
That great and gruesome ghoul, Oogie Boogie?"
So asked the Mayor, still completely stunned.
"When I went to rescue Sandy," worded Jack
"I pulled him apart, and his packing fell
Into a scalding cauldron created to cook
While alive my amigo and my amoret!
Sandy Claws and Sally would be steeped into stew
Had I not happened upon them!"
"How," demanded the Mayor, "Do you determine
That he is gone for good?"
"I saw his stuffing burned and smashed away,
But if you wish I will warrant
That I can go to his casino and collect what remains."
So Jack did just that. The journey was short.
Soon Oogie's empty sack was suspended from
The wall; it was now a wondrous trophy.

Merely two months later Jack and Sally were married.
Many well wishers watched the ceremony.
A fabulous feast was thrown, with all manner of food,
And gifts were given to the bride and groom.
Eventually evening ended the party,
So Jack and Sally stole away to their tower.
No one suspected what would happen next.
But miserable and mad, a mother waited,
Desiring vengeance for the deeds that were done
To her only offspring, Oogie Boogie.
The grim ghost was called Grendaline,
And she made her home in the muddy mire,
Secluded from most souls in Halloween.
She stalked the streets, searching for the one
That had killed her kin.
Finally she found the famous house,
Daringly broke down the door,
And hurried through the halls.
She snatched her son?s empty sack from the wall,
Before she burst into the couple?s bedroom.
When the woman wandered in
Sally started to scream.
A previously jovial Jack jumped from his bed
Prepared to fight the fearsome female.
Grendaline grabbed a glass vase
And swiftly smashed it so it would be sharp,
Meanwhile Jack managed a mace
And charged toward the terrible troll.
They battled bravely, but soon it was clear
That Jack was the better warrior.
Alas, Grendaline was adamant in her apprehension
And she was determined to have her due.
Tearing herself away from the tussle, towards Sally
She went so fast Jack wist not what happened.
Sally screamed and sobbed hysterically
As she was pulled and picked to pieces.
Her organs spilled out onto the floor,
Before Jack could backlash the bogey.
Sally was strewn all about the space
And Grendaline grinned at the gruesome scene,
Then the evil entity escaped out the window.
Jack stood stunned at the horrible sight
Of his brand-new bride, brutally dismembered.
Slowly he sat down, and began to sob.

The morning after that monster murdered
Poor Sally, Jack?s pretty paramour,
He swiftly sought to see The Mayor.
The Mayor smiled when he saw the skeleton
And not believing he would hear bad news
Asked about the night?s activities.
"Please speak not about pleasure," pleaded Jack
"For mine has been forcefully robbed from me!
My wife was killed in a most horrid way
During the dark hours! A creature dared
To enter my house, with evil intent.
She slaughtered Sally and strew her about,
And also abducted Oogie?s tapestry.
She looked familiar, perhaps from a family
Resemblance to the terrible Oogie."
"My poor Jack!" The Mayor cried, "I may know
Who the murderer was! Oogie?s mother,
A ghoul who goes by Grendaline,
Has been seen here in Halloweentown!
Most of the time she stays in the mire,
And does not distress the town?s denizens."
"Such a terrible deed can not be tolerated!
It?s worse than what her son did, and look where he is!
I vow by the very vorago in which she lives,
She will suffer the same as her son!"

Soon after, Jack set out for the swamp.
Down into the deep dales and
Over steep hills he headed
From the fading forest on towards
The mire, where Madame Grendaline, Oogie?s mom,
Would be waiting.

Grendaline, who grimly guarded the swamp,
Saw someone tall and skinny coming.
Correctly conceiting that it was King Jack,
She hid till he came closer to her.
Sadly he did not see the source of his gloom
And she jumped at Jack, and beat him down.
(Since she surprised him, he was not set to fight.)
The devilish demoness dragged him home,
Much deeper in the mire than he?d meant to go.
She crawled into her cave, clutching him
So tight that though he tried he couldn?t tear away.
Deep inside she dropped him down
Then lifted a large rock, and lunged at him,
Prepared to pound his bones to powder.
But Jack jolted himself just out of reach,
And swiftly searched for any sort of
Weapon which he would be able to use
Against a ghastly ghoul like her.
But sure enough she tried to shab him
Before he was able to arm against her.
She smashed the stone into his skull,
But not so hard as was needed to break it.
The hit still hurt Jack horribly.
He barely managed to move before she made
Another strike. He snatched his own stone
And with all his might whacked her with it.
Grendaline grinned; the stone didn't make a dent.
Jack faltered. He?d figured to have phased her
At least. Lest she try to attack again, he leaped
Further away from the fierce bogey.
Now trapped at the end of the tunnel,
Jack hoped she wouldn't hit him.
As Grendaline gained, he saw hope glimmer.
On her wall was a splendid weapon,
A silver sword, her line?s legacy.
Her father had favored it for
Fighting while flying, being the Bug-man.
It was passed to him by his papa the Puck,
When he withered away from woe.
To trace the terrible line to the start
Would bear us back to the beast, Ard.
Caring not for the cutting-device's chronicle,
Jack grabbed it and gutted Grendaline.
The sword had not seen failure so far,
And did not bargain to begin.
Grendaline's death decided the end
For her families famous line.
Jack was not joyful, just appeased,
Having had revenge for his heartbreak.
He slowly stalked out of the swamp,
Haggardly heading back to Halloween.

SO STOPS HERE THE SAGA OF JACK SKELLINGTON