Part One: The Soft Night
The moon was round and kind. It looked like a big, cozy pumpkin in the sky.
Leaves went crunch, crunch under small shoes.
Three little friends walked on the path.
Mia wore a soft black cat costume. She had velvet ears.
Ben wore a bright red cape. It flapped a little.
Noor wore a sparkly star dress. It shone in the moonlight.
They were about three. Their hands were small and warm.
A grown-up hand was nearby, safe and steady.
They smiled and walked together.
It was Halloween night.
Lanterns glowed on porches.
Pumpkins smiled with silly faces.
Paper bats hung and wiggled in the breeze.
“Do you hear that?” whispered Noor.
“Only the wind,” said Ben.
“The wind says whooo,” Mia giggled. “Like a tiny ghost saying hello.”
Step, step, step. The three friends went down the path.
Their bags rustled. Their costumes swished.
The night smelled like leaves and a little like cinnamon.
At the end of the street, there was a house.
It had purple lights in the window. They were soft and twinkly.
A friendly sign said, Welcome, little friends!
Mia, Ben, and Noor stopped.
They held hands.
Their eyes grew round.
“The door is open a little,” said Ben.
“It looks cozy,” said Noor.
“It looks a tiny bit spooky,” said Mia.
They all giggled.
They could see a warm, golden glow inside.
They could hear gentle music.
They could smell something sweet, like cookies.
“I want to go in,” said Ben.
“I want to go in too,” said Noor.
Mia squeezed their hands. “Together,” she said.
The grown-up smiled and nodded. “I am right here,” the grown-up said.
That felt good and safe.
Part Two: The Friendly House
Step, step, step. Up the porch they went.
The porch had soft cotton cobwebs. They tickled their fingers.
A cat with a purple bow sat by a pumpkin. The cat said, “Mrrr.”
“Hello, little pumpkins!” said a kind voice.
A lady in a green dress stood by the door.
On her head was a funny hat with a big flower.
“My name is Miss Maple,” she said. She smiled. Her eyes were warm.
“Would you like to see my Halloween room?
It is not scary. It is only pretend.”
Mia looked at Ben.
Ben looked at Noor.
Noor looked at the grown-up.
The grown-up waved. “I am right here,” the grown-up said again.
Mia took a breath.
“Okay,” she said. “We can try.”
“Only a step,” said Ben.
“Only together,” said Noor.
Knock, knock, knock, went the door, even though it was open.
Eeeek, it creaked just a little. It sounded like a tiny mouse.
Miss Maple laughed. “My door likes to sing,” she said.
They took one step inside.
Then two steps.
Then three steps.
The room was full of gentle things.
Orange paper lanterns glowed like small suns.
Paper bats hung high, and they smiled. Yes, the bats had smiles.
On the table were glass jars with fairy lights.
The lights blinked, blink, blink, like winks.
A bowl held mini pumpkins with painted faces. One had freckles!
“Wow,” said Ben.
“So shiny,” said Noor.
“So soft,” said Mia. She touched a fluffy spider decoration. It felt like a cloud.
“Would you like to taste?” asked Miss Maple.
She held a plate of tiny pumpkin cookies.
They smelled warm. They smelled safe.
“Please,” said Mia.
“Please,” said Ben.
“Please,” said Noor.
They each took one cookie.
They nibbled. Crunch. Sweet. Cozy.
Miss Maple poured little cups of apple juice. It was warm and gentle.
Suddenly, clatter! A broom fell over.
Mia jumped. Ben gasped. Noor blinked.
Miss Maple picked it up and patted it.
“Oh, broom,” she said. “You are a silly broom.”
She made a funny face.
The children giggled.
A little toy ghost sat on a shelf. It had rosy cheeks.
“Boo?” it squeaked in a tiny voice.
“Boo to you too,” said Ben, and he waved. The ghost wiggled and looked pleased.
There was a soft rug on the floor.
On the rug were stickers of friendly bones people.
They did silly dances. One had a blue bowtie.
“Let's hop on the stickers,” said Noor.
Hop. Hop. Hop. They hopped. They laughed.
The grown-up clapped softly. Miss Maple clapped too.
“We came in!” Mia said. Her eyes shone.
“We were brave!” Ben said.
“We were brave together,” Noor said.
Part Three: A Quiet Share
Miss Maple brought a basket.
Inside were tiny muffins, a little butter, and apple slices.
The muffins were round and golden.
“Let us share,” said Miss Maple.
“Sharing feels good,” said the grown-up.
Mia nodded. “We can share,” she said.
Mia broke her cookie in half and gave a half to Ben.
Ben broke his muffin and gave a piece to Noor.
Noor gave two apple slices to Mia.
They made a little plate for Miss Maple.
They made a little plate for the grown-up.
They made a little plate for the cat with the purple bow.
“Mrrr,” said the cat, very pleased.
They all sat on the soft rug.
They ate together, slow and calm.
The lights blinked, blink, blink, like sleepy stars.
The music hummed, la-la-la, very soft.
The room felt warm, like a hug.
Miss Maple told a tiny, funny story.
“In my garden,” she said, “my pumpkins wore hats today.”
“What kind of hats?” asked Ben.
“Leaf hats,” said Miss Maple.
“Leaf hats!” laughed Noor.
“Leaf hats are silly,” said Mia, and she giggled and wiggled her ears.
They sipped. They nibbled.
They looked at the friendly bats.
They petted the fluffy spider. It was not real. It was soft and kind.
Mia's eyes grew sleepy.
Ben yawned a little.
Noor put her head on the grown-up's shoulder for a moment. Just a little moment.
“Thank you,” said Mia.
“Thank you,” said Ben.
“Thank you,” said Noor.
“Thank you for sharing,” said Miss Maple. “You are sweet friends.”
She gave each child a tiny sticker. A star for Noor. A cat for Mia. A cape for Ben.
“Happy Halloween,” she said. “A gentle, happy Halloween.”
Hand in hand, they stood up.
Step, step, step. Back to the door.
The door creaked a soft goodbye song.
Outside, the moon smiled like a big pumpkin again.
The leaves whispered good night.
The purple lights twinkled one more time.
“We went in,” Mia said.
“We were brave,” Ben said.
“We shared,” Noor said.
The grown-up hugged them close.
They walked home, slow and sure.
Their bags rustled. Their hearts felt warm.
The night was calm.
The street was quiet.
And the three little friends smiled, soft and sleepy, all the way home.
