Malick reached for the glowing pumpkin lantern on the porch. A sudden gust whooshed through the leaves, and the lantern rolled down the walk. Harry yapped and dashed after it. Nanny Apple called, “Stay close, Malick!”
The lantern’s golden light skipped toward the softly glowing street. Malick hurried after Harry, his small candy pail bumping against his knees. Leaves chased them in little circles. Behind them, Nanny Apple hurried down the walk.
Crooked shadows stretched across the sidewalk. Decorations rattled above the porch steps. When a plastic skeleton clacked awake, Malick froze and gripped Nanny Apple’s hand. Harry barked until the skeleton’s jaw dropped off with a silly clop.
Harry nosed beneath a pile of autumn leaves. Malick knelt to help, brushing aside red and gold leaves with careful fingers. Nothing. Then a ghost sheet fluttered behind a fence, and Malick stepped closer to Nanny Apple. “The night feels very big,” he said.
At the end of the block, the lantern suddenly lifted. It floated above them like a tiny moon. Leaves spiraled upward, forming a glowing circle around Malick, Nanny Apple, and Harry. Harry squeezed between their feet.
Malick reached for Nanny Apple’s sleeve. Harry pressed close between their feet. Nanny Apple looked down and said, “Whatever fright arrives, Malick is safe with us.” Above them, the lantern glowed quietly.
Together, they carried the lantern home. Harry trotted proudly beneath it, tail wagging as leaves clicked along the curb. Nanny Apple’s porch light shone ahead. Malick watched the golden glow bob over their close family circle.
At the door, Malick hung the lantern beside the welcome mat. He knocked once, twice, three times. Harry answered with three tiny barks. Malick laughed, and the golden pumpkin smile brightened the porch.