On Halloween, Lena Street smelled of pumpkin and smoke. Paper ghosts twinkled on the windows and the pavements rustled with leaves. Lena carried a tin lantern, painted with cat's eyes. In her backpack she had sweets and a folded map of the estate. A black bat cape fluttered on her shoulders. Baton the cat stuck his head out of the basket and meowed quietly. - 'One more house and we're back,' Lena whispered to Baton. At the end of the street stood an old villa by the pond. No one lived there, but one pumpkin was on fire today. It had numbers carved into it: a huge thirteen, crooked as a smile. On the step was a bell with a string and a card. The card said: Knock only once if you believe in courage. Lena swallowed her saliva and knocked once, very gently. The door swung open, as if listening for the night whisper itself. The hall smelled of dust, vanilla and old ink. On the shelves stood jars with strange labels: Echo, Silence, Curiosity. Baton slipped off the basket and put his paw in the doorway. - 'Hello, is anyone here? - called out Lena, clutching the lantern tightly. She was only answered by a soft thud, as if someone was stepping on the carpet. The light in the pumpkin blinked three times and went out right behind her. And then from behind the shelves, very close by, someone whispered her name. The door moved behind her back, like a heavy curtain. The torchlight trembled and cat's eyes danced on the wall. Lena saw a small envelope with a purple seal on the table. The seal was in the shape of a paw, identical to Baton's. - 'Don't touch it,' muttered Baton, although his muzzle did not move. The envelope popped off by itself, as if someone had snapped in the air. A blob of light was left on the tabletop and began to move.