Perched in the shadows of a vacant plinth at the edge of Forgotten City, where wilderness still reigned but civilisation was making a valiant attempt to assert itself, Rook settled down to think. The magenta imp had sent her collection of eyes zooming across around the local area, and she was busy looking through them whilst she thought about what she wanted to do.

She’d won the coin toss and had to go first, to set the ball rolling in the contest between herself and Nall to import Halloween to their home town. So the ideal situation would be to trap Nall in her mischief; that’d be a win right there. The question was how to start, there were so many facets of Halloween, fun and games, horror and terror, candy and pumpkins, bells and ghosts.

“Too much to choose from,” Rook muttered, leaning back and closing her eyes - well, the two eyes that stayed in her head. She watched through one set of eyes looking along the beginning of streets, buildings of wood and stone, brick and mortar… then there was a large overgrown park that was all creeping vines, stagnant pools and buried masonry. Sitting up, Rook focused more eyes on the patch of overgrown land. The statues had been swamped by vines, buried in forgotten bushes and shrubs, but at the centre the land had been cleared out. Someone had cut back the shrubs, moved some masonry and cleared the muck out of the basin of a fountain. There were funnels of dirt, small growing bushes and flowering plants and as she watched the young grey and white cat tending the makeshift allotment. He was dressed in baggy jeans and a thick hoodie with bare feet planted comfortably in the soil; one white, the other grey with white toes. He looked young and plump and like he’d put a lot of work into growing the various gourds hanging from the vines of his little allotment. There were squash and melons, cucumbers and pumpkins!

“Decorations, yes of course!” Laughing softly, Rook drifted up off the ground and flowed forward through the air towards the park. Her long spade tipped tail and thick black hair streamed out behind her as her black wings twitched and tilted to control her direction. Soon enough she was perched in the branches of a tree above the neat and tidy space carved out of the centre of forgotten chaos. Rubbing her hands together, she spread her eyes out in a circle that centered on the house cat as he worked away with hoe and gloved hands, watering can and trowel.

“Ok let’s do this, Halloween is here...” Spreading her hands she focused her power, drawing on her magic and aiming it toward the allotment below.

-0-

Yawning softly and leaning on his hoe, Felinus admired the rows of neatly organised plants spread out on either side. It had taken months to reach this point but things were finally starting to look ready for harvesting. It would be great, and he couldn’t wait to share with his friends fresh veggies - grown by himself, not bought in a store or summoned into existence through magic or convenience.

Reaching down, the cat curled one grey hand around a heavy squash that was perfectly ripe. He gave it a gently tug, intending to pull it free. It didn’t budge and with a frown he pulled harder, straining with all his strength to snap the stem holding it in place. Dropping his hoe he knelt down in the soft loam, gripped the gourd with both paws, and heaved!

“Ah, fuck, no!” he cursed as he pulled the trellises over and scrambled to hold the cascade of squash vines up as the whole thing threatened to topple. In the end it was no good, and the whole line of vines fell around him, tangling him in their loops and coils, “Damn it,” he muttered as he tried to extricate himself, squirming free of one loop of vine only to fall forwards onto all fours as suddenly the vines constricted around his waist and pulled!

Looking back in alarm, Felinus let out a soft mewl of surprise then gasped in shock as the world went crazy - even more crazy than normal! The vines were alive, his plants were moving, slithering, sliding around his legs, coiling back and forth all on their own. “Help, somebody… HELP,” he screamed, before squeaking in terror as the air came alive!

Flashes of pale blue light flickered, short lines that then irised open. The malevolently glowing eyeballs surrounded him, flowing through the air in a slow circle, their gaze fixed on him as the vines continued to coil and slither their way up his limbs, pulling him back into the warm darkness.

“Let me go! Stop, w-what are you doing, ahhh no…” Felinus's protests rose to a shrill squeal as the vines contracted and the large, ripe squash he’d spent months growing suddenly started to burst, splattering his body and clothes with pulp and juice. It was wrong, very wrong but he couldn’t break free; the vines had hold of him, the outside world was retreating and he was being pulled deeper, deeper beneath the vines. He stared in horror as a large pumpkin eased its way through the mass of writhing vines and slithered toward his head. He screamed and scrambled, pulling one arm free and clawing his way forward. A vine snapped as he threw his strength into reaching through the gap in the plants he’d been pulled through! Clawing at the air, he struggled to find something, anything to grab hold of and let loose a sob of relief as someone suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Hey kid, I gotcha, hold on!”

“Help, please, you have to…” whoever heard his screams for help was strong, they wrapped both their hands about Felinus’s paw and pulled. Vines snapped and uncurled and with a sudden rush the house cat tumbled forwards out of the plants and into a large otters arms. They both went down in a heap but the otter was swiftly back on his feet, pulling Felinus after him and looking around warily at the still eyeballs that were floating around them. He was a big guy with dark red hair and a black eye mask tied around his eyes. He looked like a rogue or a thief or someone on their way to rob stage coaches, Felinus didn’t care, he clung to the big guys arm, just thankful that someone had heard his cries for help.

“So what the hell is causing this, any idea kid?” He asked as he warily looked from side to side at the ring of slithering, coiling vines that had now spread to surround both of them.

“No idea, I was trying to harvest a squash and the plants just came alive, we need to get out of here.”

“Well kid, if anyone can get us out of this it’s me! Name's Quix, stay close and we’ll get out of this.” He pulled a large knife out from behind his belt and charged forwards, and Felinus stumbled after him. The otter was strong, easily able to shrug off the attempts by the vines to tangle his limbs and his knife allowed him to hack his way through the tangled mess and start to forge a path toward the edge of the allotment. For a moment Felinus thought they were going to make it, he was having to kick vines away from his legs and keep an eye on the ground to make sure he didn’t get ensnared - but then, disaster struck.

He saw it coming and screamed a warning but he was too late, the vines had drawn back, letting Quix advance several steps ahead as he slashed and hacked at them - but it was a ruse! A massive pumpkin came sliding over a barrier of tangled, slithering vines and thumped down atop the otter’s head, covering his eyes! There was a sickening squelch and a splattering of pulpy mess spread down his shoulders as he staggered in a circle trying to pull it free. Felinus tried to rush forward and help but the vines tangled around his feet and pulled him down, and all he could do was watch helplessly as the huge pumpkin slipped further down Quix’s head. It claimed his muzzle, covered his nose and mouth and crept along the length of red fur covering his chin before it settled around his neck.

For a moment there was silence. Quix slumped to his knees as the vines coiled themselves around his body, slithering around his arms and legs, tearing his clothing, stripping him of cloth yet weaving themselves in a skin tight mesh of vine and leaf.

“Quix, please… don’t give in, you have to… fight… oh no what are you doing!” he got to watch in horror as the otter’s arm came up and dug his knife into the pumpkin! He carved two slanting holes for eyes, dug out a square shape for a nose, then started to carve a long jagged slash for a mouth. Struggle as he might, Felinus couldn’t pull free of the vines; all he could do was watch as Quix became their puppet. He could just about make out the muffled squeals and protests of the big otter from inside the heavy plant, but the cat was trapped and couldn’t reach him!

The vines finished using the knife to mutilate the pumpkin and Felinius could see them squeeze Quix’s wrist, forcing him to drop the knife before vines slithered around his hand and pulled it in tightly to his side. Whatever magic was in process wasn’t done however, two of the glowing eyeballs drifted down and settled into the eye sockets of the pumpkin and then rolled backwards, burning through the flesh. Suddenly, the entire pumpkin lit up with a flash of blue flame! Quix’s scream rose to a crescendo, joining Felinus’ terrified shriek as the vines covering the otter suddenly constricted! For a long horrifying moment the housecat saw Quix’s body outlined by a covering of vines that writhed and stretched over and around his body, and then the whole thing exploded in a mass of pulpy plant matter and darkness as the fire in the pumpkin went out.

Felinus came back to himself moments later, or maybe it was an hour; he had no way of telling. It was cold and damp, and he was covered in an icky layer of shattered squash and burst, over-ripe vines. Scrambling up onto his knees he groped around in the dark, desperately trying to find some hint, some remnant of the otter who had so bravely come to rescue him.

“Quix… please are you… say something Quix….”

Nothing answered his call for help, the air changed however as the clouds covering the moon blew past and faint silvery light lit the park. Felinus froze at what he was seeing, lying in a tumbled heap a few metres to one side was a mess of shattered, oozing vines and bone white sticks in a tumbled heap. As the moonlight caressed the otter’s bones they started to move, glowing with a faint light, seeming to draw in the silvery light of the moon and let it back out as a dark, purple hint. Bit by bit they rolled and bounced together, assembling themselves into a large, headless skeletal shape with a long rudder-like mass of vertebrae that swished back and forth, sweeping the gooey remnants of Felinus’s plants aside.

The cat fell back as the otter turned skeletal fingers toward him, reaching down and he squeaked, unable to move as he seemed to lunge toward him. But no, those bare bones slipped past his body and closed around a large pumpkin carved with a face lying on the ground to one side. They lifted it up, set it atop the stump of neck where his skull should have been, and then pried off the stalk with a wet squelch. It was like a plug, carved out of the top of the pumpkin and with a hollow fwoompf the skeleton lit the inside of the pumpkin with a deep red flame and popped the stalk back into place.

Felinus couldn’t move, all he could do was stare in horror as the pumpkin’s expression changed. It was so fluid and natural, turning from a jagged gash into a wicked smile that flickered with baleful orange fire. Skeletal hands reached into that smiling visage and drew out a long length of black cloth it tied expertly around its head. The skeletal figure was quite terrifying, with Quix’s eye mask in place over it’s pumpkin head as he loomed above the cat. New vines slithered up and over his body, winding together to form robes that billowed and flowed over his limbs and streamed behind him. He lifted his head to the sky and laughed, hands rising high above him. Then, with a sweeping gesture, he caused the vines to roll aside, racing across the park like a carpet of creeping, eager life.

Pumpkins rose out of the tangled mess, each one carved with a different face that exploded into life as flames inside flickered into existence. One by one they turned to face the centre of the clearing space. The wild overgrown park was being subsumed,covered, swept clear by the supernatural will of the terrifying creature that had possessed and transformed the otter. Soon Felinus was left alone with the creature in the centre of the park, lawns and fountains spread out in all directions, trees decked with glowing pumpkins and each one with a unique face. They lined the paths that wound over the lawns the wide open space in the centre where Felinus and the monster where.

“What… what are you! What did you do to Quix!”

“Ah little cat, I am still me!” He picked up a pumpkin in his skeletal hands, caressing the flesh and flashing his ever-present smile, “I am Quix… you should try this cat, this is… I feel so good. I am… Halloween! But ah, you can still be a part of me, join me… we have a city to decorate.”

“No… no no no…” Felinus tried to bolt, he got three steps before the vines had him! His feet went out from under him and he lay prone before the advancing pumpkin-headed figure.

“Little cat, little cat, you shall join me!” A skeletal hand gripped his chin, tilted his head back, and forced him to stare into the glowing pits of flame that where it's eyes. Beyond the bright yellow glow was a hint of bone, charred sockets. Then there was a flash of light from a long, wicked looking scythe forming out of the air, nestling in his boney grip ready to be used. The pumpkin-headed creature drew back and for a second they paused, poised in the centre of the park, ready to strike down and claim the terrified cat before them.

Jack-o-lanterns spread all around them and beyond the park the vines were spreading, creeping out into the darkness to decorate the city. Then just as the monstrous figure started to swing his scythe, Rook struck with her magic and robbed them of their mobility! Felinus watched them freeze, stone spreading across the Pumpkin Reaper’s body in a sudden ripple of grey. Living vine and spooky skeleton were transformed into carved stone, and although the pumpkin head retained its organic nature the imp's power still wove it into place, freezing the tableau for all to see.

Felinus slowly stood up, slack-jawed, trembling in terror and staring up at the statue above him. He didn’t even notice the eyes floating around, examining the figure - at least not until a magenta coloured creature floated across the park and joined them.

“What do you think of my centrepiece? The Pumpkin Reaper, fierce and full of fire, scythe raised to the world! It’s a traditional Halloween motif.”

“I… you… that was a person,” Felinus mumbled, shying away from the imp as she hung upside down in the air before him. “What… you killed him!”
“Nonsense, I just changed him a little, it was going to be you but that otter, he had such a nice physique, that eye mask, the rugged fur, who wouldn’t want to change him into a roguish monster! I dunno, I think it’s a brilliant motif, and I don't really care what you think, this scene is gonna repeat itself throughout the city. Vines and jack-o-lanterns spreading themselves, claiming others to transform into fantastical demonic statues to line the streets and draw people out onto the streets to experience Halloween!”

“Halloween?” Felinus gulped and backed up a bit. “I don't know if I like the sound of this… "

“Nonsense! It's a celebration, it's fun. Now then, we really should get you a costume. We need people to get in character and dress up if it is going to be a proper Halloween!”

Felinus turned and bolted, racing across the revealed lawns of the park toward the nearest buildings. He had to try and find help, this was magic and madness!

“Good idea, run ahead and let everyone know Halloween is here!” Rook span around and laughed happily, “There you go Nall, top that! Decorations for Halloween,” she crowed to the night sky, her turn was over It was now Nall’s turn to show their enigmatic acrobatic judge what he could do!