En was all alone in the house since his brothers went trick-or-treating with the older kids. He chose to stay home, because he didn't like dressing up.
His eyes drifted toward his phone. Noh dressed up like a cute, little bear while his twin was a cat with fangs and disheveled fur. Del was the big bad wolf while Betty was a shepherd lady.
Noh had put a laughing emoji in his text. Del was telling people, "Give me candy or I'll blow your house down!" And he was using his powers to make a breeze to win more candy.
If he'd decided to dress up, En would've been a king. He sighed and shrugged. Candy wasn't good for you, anyway.
En turned his gaze back to his computer screen when he heard a knock at the door.
He pouted. Was it a trick-or-treater? Did the light get left on? Normally, Hannah handed out candy, but she went to help and the others.
He groaned. He didn't want to hand out candy to strangers.
If he stayed quiet, would they leave?
En jumped when the door creaked open.
"It's just us!" Hiko shouted.
Hiko? What was he doing here?
"We come bearing gifts!" Hiko shouted.
"Dad," Lany said. "I'm pretty sure you're scaring En right now."
En exhaled, feeling his heart pound a little slower as the initial shock wore off.
Hiko held a small, cloth-wrapped bundle with a faint smile. The sweet scent of warm cookies wafted through the air.
"Uncle Dill baked these and Dad couldn't wait to share them," Lany explained, as if reading the unspoken question in En's eyes.
En's pout softened into something resembling gratitude. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, pretending not to care. "You didn't have to come all this way for that."
Hiko shrugged dramatically. "It's Halloween! Nobody should be alone on Halloween. Plus, Dill's cookies are legendary. Even the trick-or-treaters would trade candy for these." He handed the bundle to En, who took it hesitantly.
"Thanks," En mumbled, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the cookies. He peeked at Lany, who was now eyeing the decorations inside the house with mild curiosity.
"Want to come in?" En asked, a bit more awkwardly than he intended. He hadn't planned on company, but now that they were here, the house felt a little less empty.
Lany nodded.
"Actually, I have to take my niece and nephew. Can you keep Lany company?" Hiko asked. "He isn't very fond of trick or treating."
En's brows lifted slightly as he glanced at Lany, who was shifting his weight from one foot to the other with a sheepish look. It made sense now why Hiko had brought him along. The idea of sharing the evening with someone who felt the same about Halloween was oddly reassuring.
"Sure," En said, trying to sound casual. He met Lany's eyes and added, "We can hang out."
Hiko nodded. "Great. I'll be back in a bit, then. Make sure he doesn't watch scary movies. Else he will stay up even longer than before."
Lany took a deep breath and smiled a little. "I hope I'm not imposing," he said as he stepped further into the house.
"You're not," En replied, turning toward the living room. "I was just... you know, on my computer. Not doing anything important."
"Perfect," Lany said, his smile growing. "Then we can be bored together."
En chuckled at that, feeling a tension he hadn't realized was there begin to dissipate. He motioned for Lany to sit on the couch. "Want to watch a movie or something?" En asked, walking over to a small shelf stacked with DVDs and game cases.
He shook his head. Suddenly, the lights turned off.
The two jumped.
En held his hand out and formed a flame in his palm.
The soft glow of the flame cast long, flickering shadows across the room. En's eyes darted around, his muscles tensed. Lany's eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open as he took in the sudden darkness.
"Power outage?" Lany whispered, trying to keep his voice steady.
En frowned. "Maybe… but it's weird. We never lose power around here."
A faint sound echoed from down the hall—a soft, almost ghostly rustling. En's heart jumped, and he glanced at Lany, who was gripping the edge of the couch.
"Stay here," En said, his voice low but firm. He took a cautious step toward the hallway, the flame in his hand flickering and stretching as he moved.
"No way," Lany whispered back, standing up and moving beside En. "If you're going, I'm coming."
Before En could argue, the rustling grew louder, turning into a series of rhythmic thuds. The sound sent shivers down his spine. His mind raced, thinking of every possible reason behind the noise, each more unlikely and unsettling than the last.
Suddenly, a small, mischievous laugh rang out. En's flame wavered as he tightened his fist, eyes narrowing. Lany reached out, grabbing En's arm.
"Did you hear that?" Lany's voice trembled, betraying the forced calm he tried to maintain.
"Yes," En whispered, narrowing his eyes. "I think I know why the power went out now."
Lany let out a piercing scream as a hand grabbed him, pulling him into the shadows.
"Lany! Stop this, Atty! It's not funny!"
"Atty? Who is that?" a voice echoed from behind.
En jumped as he saw a transluscent young man. "Ghost!"
Lany screamed as he ran back to him. "A-a fuzzy creature tried to kidnap me!"
The whispers drew closer and closer.
Lany curled into a ball. "Daddy!"
"W-we'll be fine, Lany."
"Atty!" En drew out the last syllable. "Show yourself before I start counting!"
"W-who is Atty?" the child-like voice called out. "I'm cat monster! Give me all your tuna or perish! Boo!"
En narrowed his eyes at his twin. His brain might as well be made out of tuna... His acting skills certainly stunk like rotting fish.
The flame in his hand expanded in size.
Atty laughed nervously under the table.
Lany practically shrieked.
"Relax," En said. "It's just my brother being a doofus."
Lany said, "Oh, I, I knew that!"
"Let the kitty go, boo." His grandpa moaned.
En raised his eyebrows. "Grandpa?"
Lany was still curled up but lifted his head. "Great-uncle?"
Hannah scowled as she came in. "Be nice to my grandson."
En's grandpa rematerialized and sighed. "Hannah, you ruined our trick."
She bonked her brother on the the head. "Stop playing around, E. You got grandkids."
Ethan rubbed his head and sighed. "I was just helping the kitty with his prank."
"Grr!" a voice yelled, making Lany jump. They turned around and saw a smiling bear.
Ethan said, "Noh, it's over."Noh took off his head and sighed. "Aww, me wanted to be scary."
Hannah chuckled. "You're more cute than scary."
"Lany looks scared, though," Atty said.
En narrowed his eyes. "Stop being a bad influence to our cub."
"Me teaching him to have fun. Don't want him to be boring like someone we know."
Hannah wrapped her arms around her grandson. "It's alright, Lany. No more pranks. I promise."
En knelt down and whispered in Japanese, "Let's go eat those cookies. Noh and the others have to change and count their candy."
"Candy!" Noh said, running over to get the pumpkin basket filled with candy.
Star popped his head off and took out his own red basket.
En blinked. "You kept your candy in there?"
"Yup!"
"Why"
"Why not? Some bad guy or ghost might steal it!"
"Can't a ghost phase through the costume?"
The dumb cat's face paled.
Atty really did have tuna for a brain...
Ethan chuckled and ruffled his middle grandson's head. "It's fine, Atty! I'll keep you safe from ghosties. After all, I'm technically one myself."
Atty smiled. "Thanks, Ghostpa."
Lany, still looking wide-eyed but relieved, let out a shaky laugh. The warmth in the room seemed to come back as the playful chaos settled. He slowly uncurled from his ball and stood up, casting glances at everyone in the room. The atmosphere felt lighter now, and the fear that had gripped him was starting to melt away.
"Ghostpa," En repeated, shaking his head with a faint grin. "Only you, Atty."
Ethan straightened, his translucent figure shimmering slightly. "That's right, boys. Remember, a good prank has a little scare and a lot of heart."
Hannah looked exasperated but fond. "Well, that's enough heart-stopping moments for one evening. Let's get this place back to being warm and bright." She walked over and flicked a switch, and, almost on cue, the lights buzzed back to life.
Noh looked up at the lights and then at the candy in his basket. "Does this mean we can eat now?"
Lany's eyes shifted to En, who was holding the cloth-wrapped bundle of cookies. En met Lany's gaze and nodded. "Yes, it does," he said, offering the bundle to Lany first.
Star snatched one of pumpkin-shaped cookies and threw it into his mouth. "Meow!" He reached for another cookie.
En slapped his twin's hand. "Greedy cat..."
Star grinned, crumbs falling from his lips. "A greedy cat who deserves more cookies!" he teased, leaning back to dodge another playful swat from En.
Lany laughed, the sound soft and unburdened. He took a bite of the cookie En handed him and closed his eyes as the rich, buttery sweetness melted in his mouth. The earlier tension seemed like a distant memory, replaced by the warmth of family and friends.
Hannah gathered the youngest ones into her arms and smiled. "Alright, my little monsters, let's sit down and enjoy the cookies without fighting."
Ethan drifted closer, his ghostly form shimmering in the light. "Next time, I'll teach you boys how to prank with style."
En smirked, rolling his eyes. "Let's not." He took a bite of the cookie. "Whoa, these are legendary!"
Hannah chuckled. "Dill has always been a good cook and baker."
"How did you know Dill made them?" Ethan asked.
"How could I not?" Hannah asked. "He was always right there when I was cooking."
So he helped like his twin and Betty do now.
A gust made the house creak, which made Lany yelp.
Hannah said, "We're safe inside, Lany."
Atty gasped and ran to open the door.
Del looked around the room as he came in. "What? It's over?"
En narrowed his eyes. "I should've known..."
Randy chuckled. "Well, Atty did want help with his prank."
En grumbled. Why was he the target?
Del shoved a cookie into his mouth. "Lighten up! It's Halloween!"
He pulled the cookie out and huffed before eating it. Well, he had a point. Maybe he should try to relax. Halloween did only come once a year.