Every Halloween, in a small town, all the kids went trick-or-treating — except down one street.
13 Oak Street.
That house had been empty for more than thirty years. Its windows were boarded up, its door rusted shut, but every year, on Halloween night, a carved pumpkin with a burning candle appeared on the steps.

That autumn, three friends — Matt, Gabby, and Luke — decided that this year, they would go there.
“Maybe someone still lives there, and nobody knows,” said Luke.
“Or maybe it’s just an old lonely man,” added Gabby.

When they arrived, the pumpkin was there as always. But this time, beside it lay three candies, wrapped in old-fashioned paper.
When Matt picked one up, the door creaked and opened.

Inside, it smelled of wax and apples.
On the table sat three small plates and three cups of hot cocoa, steaming as if freshly made.
A large mirror hung on the wall.
And in the reflection, there were four children.

The fourth stood between them, smiling.
His clothes were old and dusty, and his eyes glowed like tiny flames.

— “You finally came,” he said softly. “I’ve been waiting all year.”

When the friends blinked, the mirror was empty.
The cocoa had gone cold.
And on the table, only three pumpkin seeds remained...

Fantasy