The moon shone pale and full on Pelican Town. It was Spirit's Eve. Sterling was exited. He put on his skeleton mask and ran after his mom. His sister, Maple, had a witch hat that was too big and covered her eyes. Their mother had made these costumes herself, using their new sewing machine. Now both mother and daughter were running past the big bus and running towards the town. "Come on, Sterling! Let's go! Mommy said we can do the maze this year!" His little sister, at six years old, was excited about everything. Sterling had usually hung out with his father during these festivals. At least he had until a year ago.
Funny how you can remember something vividly and still have it be blurry. That was what happened that night a year ago when Dad had fallen to the ground, clutching his chest in pain. Sterling and his sister ran to find their mother, who was coming home from a trip to the mines. He had tried to forget his mother's sobs, the funeral, with the tombstone reading 'Harvey Greene', and the days without Dad. His 8th birthday had come and went at the beginning of fall, without the tradition of fishing in the lake, no stories about the legendary fish who lived in the log, no trip to the movies or the saloon. "Here we are!" said their mom.
Pelican Town was decked out spookily, with banners everywhere. The hedge maze had been assembled and the residents of the town were already exploring every nook and cranny. A purple-haired young lady was waiting at the entrance. Sterling knew her. She had been his mother's closest confidante since her first year on Snowyfox Farm. "Auntie Abigail!" called Maple, running towards her. "Heya, pipsqueak! Good to see you!" Abigail said, giving Maple an affectionate pat on the head. Sterling quickly said hi, then bolted for the food table. He grabbed some blackberry cobbler. His mom had been in the kitchen all day yesterday, supplying dessert for the festival. Her cobbler was delicious, and she could make some really good jam, too. Full on his mother's contributions, he headed to the maze. Maple joined him, leaving behind their mother, who was checking out the goods Pierre had out. The maze was huge. There were twists and turns and scary decorations everywhere. Sterling was inspecting around a dead end and saw a sign with a question mark. Hm, the maze seemed to end here. Or did it? There was a tiny gap in the hedge. Big enough to squeeze through. Maple noticed this too, and came over. Sterling took a few steps back, and ran head on through the hedge. Maple followed her brother cautiously. Sterling saw a tunnel and ran through it, Maple struggling to keep up. "Slow down, Sterling!" she called. At the end of the tunnel was a treasure chest. Sterling and Maple opened it, and saw a golden pumpkin. Lifting it together, they came back to the entrance of the maze. "Mom! Mom! We found the golden pumpkin!" both children cried in unison. "So you did. Good job!" said their mother, ruffling his hair. Little did Sterling know, this was the moment that his life would change forever.
A piercing cackle broke the night. "At last! I found you, Rasmodius! You tried to hide from me, but I will have my revenge!" Sterling looked up and saw a witch. Green skin, pointy hat, broomstick and all that. She landed in the center of town. A new voice broke the night. "No. Edna, the affair happened years ago. Leave us in peace!" This voice sounded deep and commanding. Sterling recognized that voice. He had met the wizard before. And here he was. He teleported to face the witch. The witch summoned a beam of energy and used it to attack the wizard. The wizard countered with a different beam. The beams collided and pushed against each other. They engaged in this magic duel, while the residents of Pelican town looked on, too stunned to step in. The witch won, and the wizard fell over. Sterling just stood there. His mom rushed over to where the wizard was laying, and bent over. "Starla… the seal… on the mines…" the old wizard said. "Protect… " And he was gone. Suddenly a deafening screech broke the silence. Stone men rose from the ground. "Golems…" whispered Mom. A wet thump got progressively louder. Oozy blobs with eyes and a full rainbow of colors came swarming from both the bus stop and the mountains. "Slimes…" Sterling heard his mother say a little louder. A whole menagerie of terrifying creatures came pouring down from the mountain. Maple began to cry. Starla picked her up and looked around quickly, looking very worried. "Oh no…"
"Oh, YES! This town shall suffer my wrath! Go, my army, destroy them all! Especially the purple-haired one! Rasmodius's illegitimate daughter!" the witch cried, circling through the skies. Sterling couldn't believe his ears, and he couldn't believe his eyes, either. His mother had taken out her Infinity Sword. She had never used it since Harvey died and she had sworn to never go into the mines again. She held it out towards the witch's army threateningly.
"Prepare to die, monsters!"