Juno’s Moon-Loop Game — Every night before Halloween, Juno rode in the old parade pickup and called out her Moon-Loop Game: one point for a bat, two for a star, three if the moon seemed to move first. Read the full story →
Every night before Halloween, Juno rode in the old parade pickup and called out her Moon-Loop Game: one point for a bat, two for a star, three if the moon seemed to move first. The truck smelled like hay, cold leaves, and pumpkin rind. Its wooden bed rattled with jack-o’-lanterns and the scarecrow’s sleeve went slap-slap in the wind.
Until one night, Juno shouted, “Three points!” and the crescent moon slid behind the branches like it had heard her. Because of that, she added a new rule: follow whatever answers back. Because of THAT, the pickup turned down the orchard road, where pale ghosts bobbed over the ditches and bats zipped ahead like arrows. The pumpkins blinked brighter at every fork, lighting a path no map showed.
At last, the road curled into a perfect loop and brought them to the town square just as the Halloween bell began to boom. Juno laughed so hard her scarf snapped behind her. Next time you spot the curved road under that big moon, see if you can trace the game that ran away with her.
