Puff kingdom-Style Halloween!

The tiny inventor sat in the middle of a mountain of equipment, digging through parts and materials as though she were searching for treasure.

Beside her, Biscuit, her Puff partner, watched everything with sparkling eyes, while Alley’s younger sister, Lilly, stood nearby with a camera, carefully capturing the commotion.

Alley picked up one piece and turned it over in her hands.

Then another.

Lilly watched the pile beside her grow higher and higher.

Alley answered with complete confidence before turning toward Biscuit.

Biscuit’s eyes immediately lit up.

Before long, the table in front of them was completely covered in scraps, tools, parts, and equipment. Meanwhile, on the large board behind them was a full-scale, 1:1 costume blueprint of Biscuit that Alley had sketched out on the spot.

Alley turned Biscuit this way and that, carefully measuring everything from her height and the length of her ears to the size of his paws. Then she turned back to the blueprint, jotting down numbers and making detailed calculations.

Biscuit stood perfectly still and obediently let Alley measure her from every angle, without questioning a thing.

Lilly watched the two of them for a while.

Then a small smile slipped onto her face.

Alley’s hand paused in the middle of writing.

Lilly looked toward the large blueprint on the board and gave a soft laugh.

Alley and Lilly grew up with only each other.

Even without parents to look after them, the sisters’ lives were not nearly as difficult as one might imagine.

From a very young age, Alley had been exceptionally quick-witted and unbelievably talented for inventing things.

To everyone else, a pile of discarded junk was just trash.
But to Alley, it was full of possibilities.

She would often rummage through heaps of unwanted things and come back carrying whatever caught her eye, always saying the same thing.

“It still works!”

Using those scraps, Alley created all sorts of inventions. Some were sold to earn money, while others became strange little toys for Lilly.

The sisters may have lived in a tiny, run-down shack, but the moment someone opened the door, they would find the inside packed with all kinds of unusual inventions Alley had built to make their daily lives a little easier.

Until one night...

That’s right.

That night happened to be Halloween.

Alley was busy working on a costume for her little sister to wear out that evening.

Alley’s hands never stopped moving.

Lilly fell quiet for a moment.

Then she spoke softly.

Alley turned to look at her.

Alley thought for a moment before turning back toward the costume in front of her.

Alley didn’t answer.

She made a few more adjustments to the costume, then walked over to the light switch.

Click.

Every light in the house went out.

The two sisters were surrounded by complete darkness.

Alley’s voice came from somewhere in the darkness.

Lilly squeezed her eyes shut and, despite her fear, did as she was told.

And then—

The little pumpkin on top of Lilly’s head slowly began to glow.

The light flickered somewhat unsteadily, but it was bright enough to chase away the darkness around the two sisters.

Alley stood proudly, hands on her hips. 

She grinned and pointed toward the tiny light shining from the pumpkin.

Lilly slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the glowing pumpkin on her head.
Her eyes sparkled just as brightly as the light itself.

She smiled widely.

Alley immediately pointed to another tiny switch on the costume.

That night, Lilly became the star of the neighbourhood.

Everywhere she went, people couldn’t help but notice her unusual costume, which could both light up and take pictures.
To Alley, it was perhaps nothing more than another small invention.

That single spark of light gradually grew into tools, machines, and inventions that became bigger and more ambitious with each passing year.

And somewhere along the way...

Alley’s tastes gradually began to shift from simply... 

“Bright.”

To...

“The brighter, the better!”

And eventually...

Lilly’s sigh brought everything back to the present.

She looked at her older sister, who was still completely absorbed in Biscuit’s costume.

Alley laughed before giving Biscuit’s costume one final turn.

She proudly held up her finished creation.

Biscuit jumped up excitedly.

Lilly, however, narrowed her eyes at the costume in front of her.

Maybe it was because she knew her sister a little too well, but no matter how she looked at it, something about this costume was definitely odd...

Something an ordinary Halloween costume probably shouldn’t have.

Alley pretended not to know what Lilly was talking about, then crouched down beside Biscuit and pointed to a tiny button hidden on the costume. 

Alley grinned.

Biscuit answered confidently, without even thinking to ask what the button was for.

Lilly looked at Biscuit.

Then at the button.

Then slowly turned back toward her sister.

But Alley was already standing up.

At last, the sun sank beyond the horizon.

The glow of pumpkin lanterns lined the streets of Puff Town.

Tonight, Pufflings and their Seeker partners would have to part ways for a little while.

The Seekers returned to their homes, preparing bowls of candy to welcome their tiny visitors, while Pufflings in all kinds of costumes gathered into groups and set off to roam through the town.

Some were so completely disguised that even their own friends had to stop and stare before recognizing them. Some hadn’t even reached the first house before bits of their costumes were already falling off behind them, while others took candy collecting so seriously that they started planning the most efficient routes through town. 

Even Princess Peridot, after hearing about the festival, secretly slipped out of the castle in costume and blended in with the other Puffs without anyone noticing.

Soon enough, knocks began echoing from door to door across town.

“Trick or Treat!”

Candy slowly filled their bags.

Laughter echoed through the streets.

And of course, not every house gave the answer they were hoping for...

Biscuit froze.

She looked down at the button on her costume, then remembered Alley’s instructions.

Biscuit thought for a moment.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

With that settled, her tiny paw pressed the button.

Click.

Nothing happened.

Biscuit tilted her head.

One second...

Two seconds...

And then—

BOOOOOOM!!

A burst of light shot out from Biscuit’s costume with a thunderous bang, then exploded into glittering sparks that scattered across the night sky. 

All the Puffs along the street froze.

Almost in perfect unison, every Puff looked up 

Their eyes sparkled.

The Seekers shouted back almost immediately.

From the middle of the smoke, Biscuit came tumbling out before landing flat on her bottom in the middle of the street.

Her costume was somehow perfectly intact.

But her fluffy fur was covered in black soot.

Biscuit sat still for a moment.

Then she said softly,

A few hours earlier...

Varin, the Strategy Master, known for his impeccable manners and refined way of speaking, had dismissed Alley’s invitation to the Halloween festivities without a second thought. 

He adjusted his glasses.

Alley smiled with unusual sweetness.

And with that, the conversation came to an end. 

...Or at least, that was what Varin thought.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOM!!

A barrage of fireworks shot up into the sky one after another, like dragons rampaging above Puff Town.

Alley and Lilly sat together, watching the colorful bursts of brilliant light paint the night sky.

Alley lifted her gaze toward the sky.

The glow of the fireworks reflected in her eyes, not so different from the little pumpkin light from all those years ago.

Then she smiled proudly.

Alley raised her hand toward the sky.

BOOOOOOM!!

The final firework burst above Puff Town,

making the Pufflings’ very first Halloween shine brighter than any night before.

‘Till the day we find magic…’
 

~ Happy Halloween ~