On Maple Street, everyone loved Halloween—but no one loved it more than Ella, a cheerful 9-year-old girl with big brown eyes and a wild imagination. She spent weeks planning her costume, decorating the house, and telling spooky-but-funny stories to her little brother Sam.
This year, Ella chose to be a Moonlight Witch—a friendly witch who used magic to help people. She wore a shimmering silver dress and a tall hat covered in tiny glowing stars. Sam, only five, dressed as a tiny orange pumpkin and followed her everywhere.
Halloween evening finally arrived. The sun dipped below the houses, and the sky turned purple and gold. Lanterns glowed on porches, spiderwebs hung from fences, and the whole street sparkled with excitement.
Ella grabbed her broom-shaped candy bag.
“Ready for adventure?” she asked.
Sam nodded eagerly.
“Ready!”
They stepped outside—and something strange happened.
A cool wind swirled around their feet. The stars on Ella’s costume shimmered much brighter than usual… and then they heard a tiny voice:
“Excuse me… Moonlight Witch?”
Ella froze. She glanced around. Sam clung to her dress.
From behind the jack-o’-lantern on their porch popped out a little creature—no bigger than a kitten. It ha
“I’m Lumi, a lantern sprite,” the creature said. “And I need your help!”
Ella blinked. “My help? I’m just pretending to be a witch.”
“Not tonight,” Lumi whispered. “Tonight is Halloween—the night when costumes can become real.”
Ella felt her hat tingle. Sam gasped as the stars on her dress floated gently in the air.
“I told you,” Lumi said proudly. “You have real magic until midnight.”
Sam clapped. “Ella, you’re a REAL witch!”
Ella wasn’t sure, but she held out her hand. A soft silver light appeared in her palm like tiny moon dust.
“Whoa…” she breathed.
Lumi flapped his wings excitedly.
“I need you to help me save the Great Pumpkin Light. Without it, Halloween will disappear for the night—and no pumpkin lanterns will glow!”
“That sounds bad,” Ella said.
“Very bad,” Sam agreed.
So the three of them walked down Maple Street together. Lumi led the way, floating like a purple firefly.
They passed houses glowing with orange lights and children laughing in costumes. But at the very end of the street stood the old oak tree, tall and mysterious. Behind it, Lumi showed them a hidden path that no one had ever noticed.
“Follow me,” he said.
The path led to a tiny forest behind the neighborhood. Fireflies danced in the branches, shadows moved like gentle waves, and the moon shone brighter than ever.
At the center of the forest stood a pumpkin as big as a car—the Great Pumpkin Light. But something was wrong. Instead of glowing gold, it flickered weakly.
A small creature sat beside it: a chubby raccoon wearing a tiny wizard hat. He had tears in his eyes.
“Oh!” Lumi cried. “It’s Rocco, the Keeper of Candles!”
Rocco sniffed.
“I—I didn’t mean to ruin everything! I tried to polish the magic candle… but I knocked it over and the flame went out!”
The Great Pumpkin dimmed even more.
Ella knelt down beside the raccoon.
“It’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes. We just need to relight the candle, right?”
Rocco nodded sadly.
“But only moon magic can light it. I don’t have that.”
“So I can?” Ella asked.
“Only if you believe you can,” Lumi said softly.
Ella took a deep breath. She looked at Sam, who smiled at her proudly. She looked at Lumi, glowing with hope. She looked at Rocco, worried but trusting her.
She touched the pumpkin and whispered,
“Moonlight, shine bright.”
Moon-dust sparkled from her fingertips. A soft silver flame appeared—tiny at first, then brighter and brighter. It floated down, rested inside the Great Pumpkin… and with a warm whoosh, the entire pumpkin erupted in golden light.
The forest lit up like a festival.
“You did it!” Lumi cheered.
Rocco hugged her leg.
Sam jumped up and down yelling, “Ella saved Halloween!”
The Great Pumpkin began to hum happily, sending glowing rays of orange and gold over the trees.
Lumi bowed deeply.
“Moonlight Witch, you have restored Halloween. Now every pumpkin in town will glow strong until morning.”
Ella felt proud—and a little sad that the adventure was ending.
But Lumi said,
“You will keep your magic until midnight. Enjoy your night!”
And just like that, the forest faded softly, and Ella and Sam found themselves back on Maple Street.
All the pumpkin lanterns were shining brighter than ever. Children laughed, candy bags filled, and the whole neighborhood felt alive with magic.
Ella smiled.
“Let’s go trick-or-treating, Sam.”
As they walked house to house, the stars on her dress glowed softly, and every pumpkin smiled a little brighter when she passed by.
And though her magic faded at midnight, Ella knew one thing for sure:
Halloween would always be full of wonder—especially on Maple Street.
