CHAPTER THREE: HALLOWEEN
The air outside Ogerbeads had turned crisp, and the last golden leaves of autumn rattled against the windows. Inside, the shop smelled of cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and a hint of something…mischievous.
Elvira stepped in, and the little bell jingled like a ghostly giggle.
On a velvet cushion in the display case were two new Mingles, glowing faintly in the flickering candlelight.
The first was FiĂ«sta Lola, a cheerful DĂa de Muertos charm with a sugar-skull face painted in bright colors. Tiny maracas jingled at her sides, and her calavera-patterned dress swirled as if she were already
dancing to invisible music. She wiggled one painted eye at Elvira and whispered, “Time to party!”
Beside her sat Needle Freddy, a stitched-together voodoo doll with a crooked grin and button eyes that seemed to twinkle with mischief. His little pins jiggled as he shifted,
and his arms twitched like they were plotting tiny pranks. “I’m harmless… mostly,” he muttered, though the tiny jingle of his pins suggested otherwise.
Elvira gasped. “Can I mix them too?”
“Absolutely,” came the familiar whisper from the back of the shop.
Elvira’s hands moved quickly. Lola Fiësta’s head landed on Needle Freddy’s body, and immediately the tiny maracas began rattling in perfect sync with the jiggling pins.
Freddy’s head went on Lola’s body, and suddenly her painted smile looked extra cheeky, and one of the maracas started tapping a spooky beat.
From these combinations came new, mischievous characters:
Fiesta Pinster, a tiny dancer with a knack for startling anyone with a sudden jingle, yet always with a cheerful twist.
Dancing Freddy, a pin-toting party-goer who spins, twirls, and sometimes leaves a harmless poke or two behind.
The two new Mingles giggled, cackled, and jingled together, and the room seemed to shimmer with Halloween mischief. Their spooky antics were funny rather than frightening,
Needle Freddy tried to sneak up on Lola Fiësta, only to trip over his own pins and land in a tiny heap,
while Lola spun around laughing, maracas jingling.
To be continued…
