It was Halloween night, in the sleepy town of Elm’s Hollow, that Mr. Abernathy’s backyard shed all of a sudden, came alive. Folks swore they saw flickering lights, and heard the rattling of aged tools. Despite their nerves, a group of daring teenagers, led by the Mayor’s own daredevil son, decided to investigate.
Opening the seemingly ancient creaky door, the teenagers let out collective gasps. The shed was filled with holographic pumpkins, floating like eerie apparitions. Each carried a carved face, laughing, snarling or winking. Suddenly, a whoosh rang out and Mr. Abernathy appeared, sporting an old-time magician’s robe and a rather smug grin.
“You’ve discovered my secret, kiddos!”, Mr. Abernathy announced, with a twinkle in his eye. “I’ve been practicing magic, practicing to liven up this year’s Halloween festival!” The teenagers laughed in relief and left feeling more excited than scared.
As the group walked away, a pumpkin strayed, hovering close to Mr. Abernathy, its carved smile moving slightly as if whispering. Mr. Abernathy grinned back, the night’s surprise wasn’t his magic trick afterall. It was his talking pumpkin, Sam. You see, in Elm’s Hollow, Halloween magic wasn’t always…well, human-made.