It was that time of year again. The drifting leaves of the trees were in their warm shades of reds and gold, the crisp nip of autumn, and the scent of spiritual energy present especially in that night. The last day of October, the infamous Halloween. Beneath the darkness illuminated by streetlamps and jack o lanterns, children dressed in various costumes and carrying bags of candy ran amok, shrieking and giggling. By the edge of the town the dark forest loomed, the type of forest parents warned their children not to go into, the type that may hold dark secrets. Standing not far from this forest were two children, twins by the look of it, with the same golden hair, bright blue eyes and cute faces. The girl wore a ruffled red dress and maroon shawl, and large maroon witch hat with a white bow adorning it, the boy wearing black shorts and maroon overcoat, a maroon top hat with a red bow and rose. In the darkness, their eyes seemed to glint a shade of red. It was their night. The girl giggled and held her brother's hand. "Well brother, shall we proceed?"

Miku sat by the edge of the forest, waiting. She enjoyed Halloween. She enjoyed its spookiness, dressing up, going trick or treating. At 16, she wasn't too old for trick or treating, was she? She hopefully wasn't too young for going to parties with college kids either. It would be all right, her friends Meiko and Kaito would be there. Meiko was like a big sister to her, and she did have a crush on Kaito. Surely they wouldn't stand her up on their invitation. But she had been waiting for a while and they weren't showing up. She sighed and shuffled her green, old-fashioned dress and readjusted her pigtails.

"Hello!" Miku looked up to see a pair of blond boy girl twins wearing red, smiling at her. They seemed to be a few years younger than her. She recognized them from the crowd of trick or treaters. "Happy Halloween!" " The girl leaned closer to Miku, smiling amiably "What's your name?" "

"My, What a lovely costume you have!" " The boy added, leaning in as well "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, hello!" Miku was a little taken aback, but she returned a smile. "Thanks! My name's Miku. Well yes, I am really enjoying Halloween. Though my friends were supposed to take me to a party, but they don't seem to be showing up."

"Those jerks! Standing you up like that! Well, we have an idea!"

"We're having a Halloween party back at our house. Why don't you join us? It'll be lots of fun!"

"Really? Well, I don't know…" But they didn't seem to be coming after all. And these kids seemed so nice. "Ok then!"

They giggled and took her by the hands "Follow us!" They began to lead her down into the forest. From somewhere within, perhaps they were singing it, a song began to drift out

"Deep, deep within the fog, a captivating voice echoes

Come, come, until you're deeper into the heart of the forest

Hurry, hurry, you'll only get closer if you're quick

Come, come, now isn't it fun?

Let the games begin"

The girl pulled out a cinnamon stick out of her candy bag and handed it to her, and then pulled out a strip of cloth "Now Miku, before we get to our house, there's something you need to do. You need to put on this blindfold."

"It's a game, and what's waiting at our house is a surprise!"

Miku was unsure about this. They were already in the woods, and there were stories. But, she wanted to trust them, so she accepted the blindfold. After making sure she couldn't see anything, they took her hands and went on their way.

"The cinnamon stick is a magic wand

With just one flick the syrup will swell

Into a dream so sweet you'll forget you knew bitterness

Sheltered by the canopy

You'll fall deep asleep"

"It's okay to be lost, mesmerized by mirages

If you loosen the blindfold it won't be fun

Watch your step! I'll take you by the hand

So, right away

Entrust yourself to me"

The way soon because clear, and they came upon a clearing, lights twinkling in the trees, a large old fashioned house cheerfully decorated for Halloween with bats and ghosts. Jack o lanterns scattered the front yard, different colored lights glowing from within. A few pumpkins sat still unlit.

"We're here!" The blindfold melted itself away. Miku was wowed at the scenery. This house was like something out of a fairytale. "Oh, we've forgotten to introduce ourselves! You can call me Rin."

"And I'm her brother, Len" The door opened and they strode into a long carpeted hallway, candelabras and faded portraits lining the wall. "This way!" They led her down the hall; past many doors until it finally reached a grand dining room, long fancy table and chandelier included. Loaded upon the table was a large arrangement of delicious looking food, including many desserts.

"This looks so amazing!" Miku looked longingly at a strawberry cream tart "Is it all right if I have some?"

"Help yourself to anything! It's all for us! " The twins sat down at the table, looking like the image of perfect good children in Halloween costumes. "The adults are having their own thing over in the ballroom. They said we could do whatever we want tonight!"

"Oh, that's great!" Miku dug into her cake, beaming in delight at the tastiness of it.

The rest of the night seemed like a dream as Miku celebrated with her new friends. They ate the treats and played games and sang. Rin was a very cute, energetic girl, and she showed off her interesting vast assortment of dolls, some she said they made themselves, she was even working on a new one that night, and Len was such a sweet, charming, handsome boy and Miku decided that it might be quite nice if she was his girlfriend. As she waltzed with Len in the ballroom she could see some of the adults, all who seemed rather mysterious. She spotted Rin whispering something to an elegant looking lady who had been watching them expectantly. It was a marvelous, worry free night. Miku was having so much fun, she didn't want to leave... and then she fell.

She rubbed her head as she sat up, the blindfold slipping off. The house was suddenly much darker and colder, dust and cobwebs covering the surfaces, giving it the appearance of not being lived in for a long time, yet she could still hear noise of the party. She blinked in confusion and began to look around.

"Rin? Len? Where are you?" Eventually she found herself back in the playroom. This time there were strange markings on the wall, and dolls she hadn't noticed before. They all had blood on them. She realized that some of them resembled children who had been reported missing before, and the two on the top on the pile with the freshest seeming blood looked just like Meiko and Kaito.

"For some time the blade of doubt has been fading in and out

The mercy of love has no place here

Through a slit in the blindfold you peeped

And saw the shadows cast by the lantern

Suddenly, your hair stands on end"

"Oh dear, looks like she's awake. What shall we do now?" Miku whirled around to see the twins standing behind her, their eyes were glowing bright red.

"What's going on?" Miku whispered fearfully, though she already had an idea of their answer.

"You see, every Halloween, there are certain rituals we have to fulfill, and it's important that we invite children over." Rin said simply, sowing a bow onto the doll she was holding. Miku recognized in horror who it was supposed to be. "We were really hoping you wouldn't find out yet"

"My, my, what a wicked child! You're already awake?

If the blindfold came off, then shall I blind you?

Come now, smile! Let's see that precious face

Slip back into your skin

and go back to the show"

"But now that you know, we can't just simply release you." They loomed in closer "So, give me?"

With a rush of terror, Miku pushed past them and ran towards the door. As she ran through the dark mazelike hallways, she could hear laughter as shadows darted around her. She knew they were following her.

"What happened to make your eyes so wide? Your body is trembling

Shall I bring you some warm milk?

Now, now, come inside! It's very warm in here

The stuff from your pockets will be enough in return

Give me something, hurry, hurry

Hey c'mon, right away

Abandon the notion of having a choice

We'll lure you in with lies, so just slurp the sweet honey

Give me some, hey now, hand it over, right now

Right now!"

She was trapped in a corner when they found her. "Don't get us wrong! We really did enjoy your company tonight!" They were grinning demonically and large leathery wings could be seen on their backs. "Trick and Treat!" Miku screamed as their sunk their sharp teeth and claws in.

That night, a pretty doll wearing a green dress and pigtails was added to the collection as one of the unlit pumpkins lit up with her soul.