Our Town of Halloween | Halloweentown ❥ Ethan

𝟎𝟓: 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧

The bus finally landed in a bright and sunny place. Maisie knew instantly where they were – Halloweentown.

"We're here," Marnie said. 

Dylan asked, "Yeah, but where's here?"

"Obviously Halloweentown," Maisie told him.

They got out through the back of the bus and Marnie walked around taking everything in. Maisie did as well, looking at the buildings.

"Whoa," Dylan said. 

Everyone here was a monster, it was obvious, and Maisie loved it. There was a giant pumpkin statue, and, on the plaque, it said, Halloweentown Est'd Long Ago.... The pumpkin didn't look very warm and inviting like in the book. It was sad.

"I don't get it," Dylan said, coming up to them. "Monsters are just pretend."

"Dylan," Marnie said. "This is it."

"Mom said they were just pretend," Dylan said. 

"We're in Halloweentown," Maisie said, still in awe, looking at everything. 

"Just like the book," Marnie said. 

"Or maybe we just fell asleep on the bus," Dylan said. "Yeah, that's it. It's all a dream."

"That we're all sharing?" asked Maisie, incredulous. She looked at a woman with a pumpkin head. She was holding the hand of a boy with a pumpkin head. 

"The decorations, the goblins, the witches, the ghosts," Marnie said.

"And Grandma – she was a dream too," Dylan said.

Maisie said, "Oh, man, where did she go?" She was to stunned by Halloweentown, that she forgot all about Aggie. She looked around at the townsfolk. Maybe they would helpfully point them in the direction of Aggie.

"Yeah, she's gotta be around here somewhere," Marnie said. 

Dylan grabbed Maisie's arm, and she whirled on him, "What's wrong?" He was looking at the bus as it drove off. "What?"

Marnie noticed them, "What are you two doing? We're gonna lose—"

Once the orange bus moved, there was Sophie standing on the other side of it. She smiled and waved at them before going up to them. 

Maisie was in shock, "Sophie!"

Marnie asked, "How did you get here?" 

"Careful, she could be a mirage," Dylan told them.

"Knock it off already," Maisie said. "You're just in denial. Can't you be open-minded for once?"

"Stop," Marnie told them. To Sophie, she asked, "How did you get here?"

"I followed you onto the bus," Sophie said.

"You were sleeping," Maisie told her.

Sophie said, "I was pretending." She moved to look at the pumpkin statue. She had her dinosaur backpack with her.

Maisie tried to figure out how Sophie got onto the bus without them noticing, or where she was sitting. Maisie was impressed.

"See? You two are bad influences," Dylan accused.

"The pumpkin doesn't look very nice like in the book," Sophie said. 

"You're right," Marnie agreed. "It is different."

"It's the bad thing," Sophie said.

Maisie asked her, "How do you know the bad thing?"

"What bad thing?" asked Dylan.