Page 44 of Something Handsome This Way Comes

He kissed Grievance on the mouth, and relaxed when he finally felt a smile press against his.

The Hollow had somehow become even more crowded overnight.

With Pumpkin Festival only a few days away, MythFolk had begun arriving from towns scattered across the valley—and some, according to the national flags hanging outside the inn, had come from considerably farther away.

October was Pumpkin Hollow’s season.

Everyone knew it. And everyone wanted a piece of it.

Main Street was a river of pointed hats, horns, wings, tails, colorful coats, and floating shopping bags. Witches wandered alongside goblins. A family of trolls posed beneath an archway made entirely of glowing jack-o’-lanterns while someone attempted to convince three excitable pixies that it was in their best interest not to provoke the sleeping cerberus snoozing outside Thistle & Threads clothing store.

Leaves spiraled overhead in enchanted currents of red and gold, occasionally arranging themselves into scary faces before scattering again. Somewhere down the street, a brass band was playing a slightly questionable rendition of Monster Mash.

Milo loved every second of it.

“COMING THROUGH!”

Milo jumped aside as a group of children shot past on miniature broomsticks, their pointed hats nearly flying off their heads.

A painted sign hovered above the street.

JUNIOR BROOMSTICK RACING — HEATS EVERY HOUR!

“Five silvers on the little goblin!” someone shouted.

“He’s six years old!”

“He’s aerodynamic.”

“This is a children’s race, no gambling!”

Milo laughed.

Farther down the road, an enormous pink cloud floated above a booth advertising a cotton-candy eating contest. Milo wasn’t entirely certain how one competitively ate cotton candy, but judging from the purple-faced dwarf currently shoving an entire sparkling cloud into his mouth, Pumpkin Hollow had found a way.

Near the fountain, several enormous wooden barrels had been filled for apple bobbing.

And beyond that⁠—

Milo narrowed his eyes toward a field behind the town hall.

“Is that a maze… made of corn?” Grievance asked.

“You betcha.”

Milo watched a woman emerge from between the stalks, looking furious.

“There is a skeleton in there giving wrong directions! I was stuck in there for hours!”

Somewhere inside the maze, something giggled. Milo rolled his eyes.

“They can’t come up with something more original? Jinxed skeletons giving wrong directions is exactly what they did last year.”

Grievance shrugged. “Seems entertaining.”

“You say that because you can smell your way out. Which is also called cheating.”

“It is problem-solving.”