Twinkling Above

Halloween Wind pressed his small paws against the cool crystal bark of his favorite tree. The orange squirrel's bushy tail twitched nervously as he gazed up at the swirling comets overhead.

"Another boring night in the Skylands," he muttered, adjusting his green witch's hat.

Suddenly, something enormous drifted past the floating island's edge. Halloween Wind's bright yellow eyes widened. It looked like a giant orange pumpkin, but it was floating through space like a ship!

Strange glowing windows dotted its surface, and he could hear faint sounds coming from inside—squeaking, chittering noises that didn't sound quite right.

The pumpkin vehicle slowed near his island, bobbing gently among the crystal trees.

Sparks in the Dark

Halloween Wind crept closer to the floating pumpkin. Through one of the glowing windows, he spotted three small creatures huddled together, shivering.

"Help us!" squeaked a tiny purple koala with sparkly fur. "We're too scared to drive this thing!"

The orange squirrel's ears perked up. "You mean you don't know how to fly it?"

"The Aurora Festival starts in one hour," chittered a blue hummingbird nervously. "All our friends are waiting for us, but this pumpkin ride is too spooky!"

Halloween Wind's tail twitched. The vehicle bobbed dangerously close to a sharp crystal formation.

"Watch out!" he called.

CRASH! The pumpkin scraped against the crystals, sending sparks flying. Now it was spinning wildly through space, completely out of control.