Rick, a small, lonely child with tangled hair and threadbare clothes, wanders aimlessly outside. His eyes catch a glimmer of orange amid the gray, a pumpkin far larger and darker than any he’s seen before, sitting oddly in the middle of the patchy grass. He kneels beside it, fingers trembling with curiosity and a hint of hope.

Rick tries to cry out, but his voice is muffled as the world spins and his skin ripples, draining of color and turning velvety black. His limbs tingle and shrink, his face smooths into a young child’s grin, and his feet balloon and lengthen, toes rooting into the soil beneath him. The sensation is both frightening and exhilarating, a rush of youth and energy flooding through him.

Jack The Jack-o’-lantern stands up, a playful spirit burning in his chest. With a snap of his fingers, his old, tattered clothes vanish into thin air, leaving him unburdened and light. The pain and loneliness of his former life seem to unravel and drift away like autumn mist.

Each movement Jack The Jack-o’-lantern sends flecks of dirt flying, his feet growing grubbier, blending into the rich, dark soil. The night air is filled with the soft thud of his steps and the gentle laughter that escapes from his glowing mouth. Free from sorrow, Jack’s playful energy seems to pulse out into the world, making the shadows dance with him.

Jack The Jack-o’-lantern finds a patch of loose earth, kneels, and burrows down, letting the soil envelope him up to his ankles. All that remains above ground are two blackened feet, splayed in the dew-kissed grass, unmoving as the sun climbs higher.

Beneath the ground, Jack dreams of laughter and moonlight, knowing that when the world grows dark again, he will rise to dance and play, forever free as Jack The Jack-o’-lantern , the spirit of the night soil.