🕯️ Title: The Last Light in Willow Lane 👻
Every Halloween night, the small town of Everhollow fell silent after sunset. Curtains closed, lights dimmed, and not a single child dared to trick-or-treat past Willow Lane— not since the light appeared.
It was said that when the clock struck midnight, a faint orange glow would flicker in the attic window of the abandoned Wren House, where the Wren family had vanished fifty years ago.
Most thought it was just a story.
Until Mara, a curious sixteen-year-old with a love for the strange, decided to find out the truth.
Armed with her phone flashlight and a pumpkin-shaped lantern, she crossed the creaking gate of the Wren House. The air was thick and cold, and the scent of old wood and smoke filled her lungs. She climbed the winding stairs, each step echoing like a whisper.
At the top was the attic door — half open, breathing darkness. Inside, the glow pulsed softly, like a heartbeat. Mara raised her lantern and froze.
A circle of pumpkins surrounded a dusty mirror.
Each one had a face carved in sorrow — their candles still burning, though no wax melted.
Then, she noticed the reflection.
In the mirror, the pumpkins weren’t carved at all.
They were faces — human faces, staring back at her, mouths open in silent screams.
“Mara,” a voice whispered behind her.
She turned.
A little boy stood in the shadows, holding a flickering candle. His eyes were the color of ash.
“Please,” he said softly, “blow out the light before it finds you.”
But before she could move, her lantern flame flared — and every pumpkin turned toward her. Their carved mouths widened into grins. The reflection in the mirror showed a new face forming among them… hers.
When the townspeople passed the Wren House the next morning, the light in the attic window was gone. But that night — and every Halloween since — the glow returned, just a little brighter.
And if you look closely at the window, you’ll see her — Mara, the newest flame in the circle — watching, waiting, and still holding her lantern. 🔥🎃
