“Mae, wait!” called Lester.
He and Amanda sprinted after her, finally catching up behind a green sports car.
“Truck Boy just cut through the alley between the frozen yogurt place and the theater,” Mae whispered before darting into the next row.
“What about our fathers?” Lester asked, following closely, Amanda at his heels.
“I’m sure they’re around here somewhere, but I haven’t seen them,” said Mae.
“Mae,” Amanda said. “He means, what do we do if they see us?”
“Oh. I don’t know,” Mae replied. “I guess we’ll just have to be really sneaky.”
Lester and Amanda gave her a skeptical look. Between her loud voice, louder clothes, and penchant for falling over things, Mae Chase was the least sneaky person they’d ever met.
“No one’s going to notice us among all these people,” Mae said as they continued moving. “Besides, what if what happened to that guy behind the Mortician’s Eye happens to Truck Boy?”
“They wouldn’t try something like that in front of a crowd,” said Amanda.
A thought occurred to Lester. “You don’t think Truck Boy could be a member of the Light, do you?”
“I don’t know,” said Mae. “Which is why I want to follow them. Now let’s go.”
Careful to stay out of sight, Mae led the way, now and then popping up to peer through a car window. When they reached the edge of the parking lot, she sprinted ahead into the mouth of the alley where Truck Boy had disappeared. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she waved for Lester and Amanda to follow.
The space between the buildings was narrow, and their shoulders almost brushed the brick walls on either side as they made their way. Lester kept looking back, sure that he would see his father appear in the slim opening behind them.
Finally, they made it to the end and popped out onto Main Street.
It was like going from black and white to color. The costume contest was over, and a massive crowd had packed into the street in anticipation of the announcement that would tell them if they’d broken the jack-o-lantern record. A rock band, each member dressed as Frankenstein, played the song Monster Mash from a raised stage.
Lester, Mae, and Amanda pushed their way through the revelers, who were dancing and singing along to the music. At the far side of the street, they found a clear spot and began to examine the crowd for signs of Truck Boy. The band was so loud they had to shout into each other’s ears to be heard. How were they going to find anyone in all of this?
Amanda motioned for Lester to crouch down, and she climbed onto his shoulders. He wobbled under her weight as he stood but clung to her legs and managed to stay upright. She twirled her finger, and Lester began to revolve slowly.
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“There!” Amanda shouted. She pointed towards the small park with the large pumpkin display, and they could just make out the back of Truck Boy as he dashed inside.
“And here come your fathers,” Mae said, standing on her tip-toes to see.
Mr. Poole and Mr. North were approaching from the opposite direction. They were easy to pick out among the sea of costumes in their dark suits and matching ties.
“He’s going to run right into them,” Amanda said. She slid off Lester’s shoulders and headed into the crowd.
As the band finished their song, a woman climbed onto the stage. She was dressed in a top hat and tails and carried a lion tamer’s whip.
“Is this thing on?” she said, tapping the microphone and causing a piercing squeal of feedback. “Oh, I guess it is. Sorry, folks.” When the collective groan of those nearby had died down, she continued. “Ladies and gentlemen! Ghosts and ghouls! As mayor, it is my honor to inform you that the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived!”
A cheer went up from the crowd as Mae took Lester’s hand and pulled him after Amanda.
“We nearly beat the record for most lit jack-o-lanterns last year!” the mayor bellowed. “But that wasn’t good enough for us, was it?”
“NO!” came the shouted reply.
Lester and Mae caught up with Amanda, and the three of them followed Truck Boy as he disappeared behind the towering scaffolding packed with pumpkins.
“I don’t know, folks?” the mayor said doubtfully. “Did everyone here remember to bring a pumpkin?”
“YES!”
In the center of the park, among the benches and scattered bronze statues, sat a large ornate fountain. As part of the festival, the shallow pool at its base was full of fresh apples. Dozens of costumed kids knelt around the edge, hands clasped tightly behind their backs. They dipped their heads in and out of the water like ducks, attempting valiantly to grab a floating apple using only their teeth.
A circle of parents stood nearby, laughing and cheering. Several were filming the apple bobbing contest with their phones. None seemed to notice the three out-of-breath kids joining their ranks or the intent way they watched the nervous young man walking across the grass.
“Okay, everyone. It’s time!” the mayor called through the loudspeakers. “Are you ready to hear this year’s pumpkin tally?”
Another roar went up from the crowd, and Lester watched as Truck Boy stopped on the other side of the fountain. Following his frightened stare, Lester spotted their fathers approaching quickly from the other direction, eyes locked on their prey.
“This year’s final, official, lit jack-o-lantern count is — I don’t know if I can say it! I’m too excited!”
Without taking his eyes off of Truck Boy, Lester reached into his jacket pocket. He hadn’t intended to bring the ring to the festival, but today was laundry day, and he’d thought it best to remove it from beneath his sock drawer. Slipping the ring onto his finger, Lester kept his hand low and focused. He centered his thoughts and felt warm energy flow through him.
There was a gurgling sound, and the water dribbling from the top of the fountain suddenly shot out, arching high over the kneeling children, who shrieked and went running for their parents.
“30,581!” the mayor shouted. “We did it, folks! A NEW WORLD RECORD!”
The crowd erupted. There was a series of popping sounds, and orange and black confetti filled the air. The band of Frankensteins launched into a loud rendition of We Are The Champions as ghosts hugged vampires and werewolves jumped up and down, slapping staggering mummies on the back.
In all the commotion, no one saw the two men in suits slip on the icy patch that had inexplicably formed across the grass on which they landed