The rest of the evening was picture-perfect. Mom and Enyd went down to the town council, where the local potluck was held. Dad and Saoirse joined them later, and everyone helped themselves to delicious home-cooked food. 

The four of them tucked themselves into a corner where they could people-watch, and for the first time in years, Enyd got to experience a sit-down dinner with her parents and her older sister.

After that, Mom and Father had to stay back to talk to the Mayor about their potential new jobs, so Saoirse walked Enyd back to the house before popping off down the road to chat with some of her friends, who had also been at the potluck.

Back home, Enyd took a shower, washing away the dirt and leaves from being in the woods. Darkmoore Lake was hidden from view now, but the memory of the forest's twisting paths and the unseen watchers still lingered.

After showering, Enyd dressed into a pair of comfy pyjamas, slipped into her bed, and sighed in relief as her body was exhausted from the strange journey earlier that afternoon and the potluck and socialising she had enjoyed in the evening.

It just happened that Enyd's room faced the direction of Darkmoore Lake, and as her room was on the second level of the house, she could gaze out at it from her bedroom window as she lay in bed. 

While looking at the dark lake, shimmering as the moon's light danced on its surface from a distance, she couldn't help but feel like she had left something behind in the woods. Or perhaps something had followed her out.

Enyd suddenly sat up straight! The jack-o-lantern bucket! Hadn't it been in her hands? Where was it now?

Enyd threw off the covers and dashed downstairs, looking around the house for it. 

The front door opened as she searched the living room, and Saoirse came in looking grossed out.

"Hey Enyd, can you not leave your toys on the patio? Someone could trip over them," Saoirse said, holding out a dirt-covered Halloween bucket to her, her nose shrivelled up in disgust.

Enyd smiled, relieved. " Thank you!" she said, eagerly taking the bucket from Saoirse.

Enyd went to the bathroom and cleaned off the dirt and soil from the bucket. The grinning face of the jack-o-lantern didn't seem as uncanny as before, and there was no longer any glow about it, inside or out. It started to make Enyd feel like the afternoon was all just some silly dream.

Finished cleaning up the bucket, Enyd went to her room; the jack-o'-lantern bucket clutched tightly in her hands. Setting it down on her desk, she turned to get ready for bed, but something caught her eye as she moved. A small, strange mark on the inside of her wrist—so faint she hadn't noticed it before. It was a delicate symbol, almost like a spiral, etched into her skin like an invisible hand.

Her breath caught in her throat. She rubbed at it, but the mark didn't fade. It didn't hurt, but it thrummed with quiet energy, a reminder of the riddle she had solved, of the world she had glimpsed beyond the veil.

For a moment, Enyd stood frozen, staring at the mark. Then, with a shiver, she turned away and climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. 

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, and she swore she could hear the faintest sound of a purring cat somewhere, deep within the woods.

The End