In Lily’s Garden.

Lily’s Halloween

Under the purple night sky, where diamond-like stars shimmered elegantly, young Lily walked alongside a pumpkin ghost, whose orange glow was gradually fading. In harmony with the brightest light that emerged, matching the backdrop of this realm, the pumpkin ghost’s cloak glowed like a galaxy spread across the night sky, capturing Lily’s gaze. But being a timid girl, Lily only gently tugged at the cloak, afraid of angering the pumpkin ghost.

Unaware that she was stealing starlight from the pumpkin ghost’s cloak, Lily continued to follow it, and after a long while, they finally arrived at the pumpkin ghost’s village. The village was filled with bright, vibrant lights that Lily had never seen before, captivating her so thoroughly that she couldn’t even glance back at the path she had traveled. It was as if Lily had discovered a light brighter than the starlight within the pumpkin ghost’s cloak.

However, Lily soon realized something. The light shining from the pumpkin ghost’s cloak and the lights in the village were different in color, but they shone in the same way. She understood that the starlight on the pumpkin ghost’s cloak was actually glowing because of her own light. Yet, she felt a strange emotion, sensing that there was still something she hadn’t yet understood.

The pumpkin ghost had known all along that a child was following it before they reached the village. The child seemed quite fond of the pumpkin ghost’s cloak. The pumpkin ghost liked the child as well, but there was an old rule passed down in the pumpkin ghost village. No outsiders were allowed.

The pumpkin ghost tried to recall why the rule existed but couldn’t remember at all. It had become a legend, mixed with rumor and tradition, with no real reason anymore.

Upon arriving at the village, the pumpkin ghost hurried to its house, trying to part ways with the child. But the child persisted, following closely until she reached the pumpkin ghost’s doorstep.

“Pumpkin ghost, you can’t leave without me, can you? Right?”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Don’t leave me here alone.”

The child spoke a few words to the pumpkin ghost, but after receiving no reply, she seemed to give up and decided to explore the pumpkin ghost village instead.

The pumpkin ghost was torn between hiding the child’s presence or just leaving her be, but upon realizing there were no other pumpkin ghosts in the village during Halloween season, it decided to quietly watch as the child wandered around.

Lily looked around the village, wondering where to go. No matter where she went, the sophisticated, shimmering lights of the pumpkin village were sure to catch her attention. After thinking for a while, she decided to follow the pumpkin-colored train line that passed by the pumpkin ghost’s house. She arrived at a nearby train station and decided to board the train.

A pumpkin-shaped sign at the station indicated that by placing one candy into a pumpkin-shaped basket, the train would automatically transport passengers to the next station. Since the trains in the pumpkin village only required candy to safely reach the next destination, Lily was delighted she didn’t need to worry about driving the train herself or needing a conductor.

Excited, Lily ran towards the pumpkin-shaped basket beside the train, but soon realized she didn’t have any candy and stopped, disappointed.

It was then that something incredible happened before her eyes.

One of the small, twinkling lights floating around the pumpkin ghost village transformed into a gem in Lily’s hand. Watching in amazement, Lily wondered if this gem could be placed in the pumpkin-shaped basket. Curiously, she put the gem into the basket.

At that moment, the train began to move, releasing steam as if it was ready to depart. Lily quickly boarded, taking a seat by the nearest window and leaning against it. As the train started to depart, Lily thought to herself, ‘So the twinkling lights in the pumpkin ghost village turn into gems when they touch my hand.’