Poof! The light in the first jack-o-lantern went out. Poof! Out went the second and the third, until all the jack-o-lanterns’ glowing faces were dark. The Pumpkin Festival was over for the night. The food was put away, the craft booths were closed up, and the people went back to their homes. 

Olivia rested her head on her hands as she peeked out her bedroom window which overlooked the gazebo. Suddenly, she jumped up. The jack-o-lanterns lining the gazebo’s railings beamed with light again. 

“Who did that?” Olivia whispered. “I don’t see anyone.” 

Puzzled, Olivia leaned out her window. She thought she heard  music among the rustling of the fall leaves. Olivia shivered as a chilly breeze blew in the window. She quickly closed the window, jumped into bed, and buried herself under her quilt.

The next morning, Olivia couldn’t wait to talk about the mysterious jack-o-lanterns. 

“Did you see something funny in the gazebo last night?” she asked her mother as she gobbled up her pancakes. 

“What do you mean?” asked her mother. 

“The jack-o-lanterns lit up all by themselves!” said Olivia. 

“Oh, I’m sure someone must have lit them.” 

“No.  I looked and looked and didn’t see anybody.” 

“Well, that is a mystery, isn’t it?” 

After breakfast, Olivia put on a warm sweater and went outside. The autumn leaves crunched under her feet as she hurried to her friend’s house. When she saw Marybeth running toward her, Olivia shouted to her. 

“Did you see something funny in the gazebo last night?”  

“You mean the ghost who lit the jack-o-lanterns?” asked Marybeth. 

“Did you see a ghost?” asked Olivia with wide eyes. “I only saw the jack-o-lanterns light up by themselves.” 

“I didn’t see a ghost, but who else could it have been?” asked Marybeth. 

After supper, Olivia and Marybeth sat under a large oak tree and watched all the people at the Pumpkin Festival. When the sky grew dark, they watched as the jack-o-lanterns were lit once more. The friends made a secret pact. That night, they would watch the gazebo.

Once again, Olivia sat and stared out her window and watched as the lights in the jack-o-lanterns went out. She waited and waited. Then she saw the jack-o-lanterns faces’ shining once again. She couldn’t see anyone, but she heard the same music she had heard the night before. Excited, but still a bit scared, Olivia hid herself under her quilt for a second time.

The next morning, Olivia peeked into the cage of her pet mouse, Sweet Pea, and noticed a crumpled bit of orange paper in the corner. She pulled it out of the cage and unraveled a bit of streamer that had decorated the gazebo for the festival. I wonder how that got in there, she thought.

When Olivia and Marybeth next saw each other, they chatted excitedly.            

“Did you see it?” asked Olivia.            

“Yeah! It just had to be a ghost!” said Marybeth.            

“I think you’re right. We need to get closer to the gazebo tonight and see if we can see anything.”            

“I’d be too scared.”            

“We’ll bring flashlights. This is the last night of the festival. If we’re going to solve this mystery, we have to do it tonight.”

“Well . . . okay,” said Marybeth, nervously.

They made plans to meet under the oak tree after the jack-o-lanterns went out.

That night, Olivia watched and waited. When the gazebo was dark, she tiptoed out the front door and sneaked outside. She stood under the oak tree and saw a small beam of light, bobbing up and down, coming toward her. It was Marybeth. As she ran up to Olivia, both girls noticed something small scurry down the sidewalk.