In the lakeside town, lanterns dangled on railings and leaves rustled underfoot. It was Halloween, so everyone wore disguises and the streets smelled of pumpkin and caramel. Fourteen-year-old Nina, wearing her grandmother's black cape, already had a full bag of candy. Maks and Ola laughed at the plastic bones, but her laughter was uncertain. Instead of another house, she dreamt of something a little more real. Then someone mentioned the Astronomer's Tower, an old tower on a hill above the bay. They agreed that the brave would light a candle and return with a souvenir. Legend had it that an astronomer would set up a telescope on someone's window on ghost night. Not to peep, but to warn of something that was coming. After the parade, they slipped out of the market and headed up the path, clutching their torches. The mist lay low, as if someone had spilled milk over the grass. The door to the tower was ajar, though the padlock dangled closed on a chain. Inside it smelled of dust, metal and something sweet, like burnt sugar. A winding staircase climbed upwards, and rust creaked underfoot. On the steps someone had carved constellations and dates, including today's date. When they reached the platform, they found the telescope, still facing the lake. Next to it stood a hollowed-out pumpkin with a new candle, ready to be lit. On the desk was a brass disc with moving rings and the inscription: "31 October, ask the sky". Nina touched the disc and the rings moved of their own accord, making a quiet click. The lights of the town twinkled, as if someone had suddenly held their breath for a moment. The telescope whirred and very slowly rotated, stopping at the windows of Nina's house. A luminous outline of a sky map appeared on the wall, pieced together from the windows and lanterns. One star moved stubbornly until it stopped a faint reflection on them. In the silence, a tapping sounded, rhythmic and short, from under the boards right next to their feet. Maks picked up the pumpkin, and at the same moment someone knocked from underneath for the third time.