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The City has been lit up for the Star Festival with banners and twinkling decorations strewn off the windowsills of shop fronts and windows. The gardeners at one particular park have put their heart and soul into creating a fairy's paradise: Fairy lights have been carefully dangled from trees to make strings of stars, little beaded jewels have been hidden among the hedges, and even the old cobwebs have been sprayed with just a touch of glitter. The park is open to everyone and the citizens of Destiny City have been invited to respectfully explore the hidden wonders that have been placed throughout. The park is magical enough on its own but there have also been reports of a strange, ethereal and shimmering stranger in the park. The glimmer of a beautiful costumed figure fluttering through the park has been passed around as rumor, and no matter what anyone claims to see, no one can take a picture of it. As if simply seeing some magical figure isn’t mysterious enough, there are also reports of mischief and small pranks being played at the same time this figure seems to appear.
The fastest way to get Myles to do anything was to bribe him with something sweet, something shiny, or dogs.
Tonight, it was shiny.
He had been in Destiny City for so long that he thought he wasn't going to find something new and beautiful like this, but the city had been decorated for the Star Festival and he was smitten. He was already out for longer tonight than he had intended--which wasn't a big deal; Jeremy was working so he'd have to go home and spend the night alone anyway.
This was far superior. Instead of sitting at home with a microwavable dinner and bad television, he was exploring the park--with all it's beautiful, shimmering decorations. He could tell how much love and care had been crafted in its design and he wasn't going to let this go to waste. There was something so much more magical about experiencing it in person--the wind, the smells, the way the light reflected off of everything so magically.
Pictures couldn't capture this.
And the decorations weren't going to be up forever.
The downside to everything was the Myles had a tendency to get lost.
Usually in dangerous places, and without letting anyone know where he was going. He had texted Jeremy though, just in case--and sent him pictures.
Just in case.
All these years alive, who could say Myles wasn't getting smarter about it all?
He'd been to this park before, but in the dark of night, decorated like some magical garden?
He could live here.
He was afraid of touching anything, though; in addition to his ability to get himself lost, his clumsiness often was a source of problems for other aspects, as well. The last thing he wanted to do was break something that someone had spent so much time and effort working on, to make beautiful.
The little star charm that had fallen on the ground must have belonged to someone, but it was late and there was no one around--and really, these things were everywhere, so...
Myles reached to pick it up, surprised when it suddenly disappeared into the tall hedge next to him.
Certain that he hadn't imagined it, he paused and glanced around. Briefly, he thought he saw someone behind the hedge, but when he blinked, the billowing white figure was gone. The star charm wasn't--suddenly it was protruding on a branch next to him, as if being offered.
He tilted his head and reached for it, only for it to be abruptly pulled back in.
"Is this a joke...?" he asked to no one, unsurprised when no one replied.
He pursed his lips and, figuring it was best to let whatever children play, he turned to walk.
...Just in time for the charm to fall atop his head.
The sound of giggling echoed around him and he frowned, looking around quickly.
There were no children. There was no one. (And if there were, how would they have gotten to the top of the hedge without making any noise?)
The only possible answer was that the park was haunted.
With ghosts.
He looked down at the star charm in his hand and figured it was as good of a prize as any, but he wasn't going to stick around so he could get haunted.
"Um. Thank you," he said, to the once again silent park.
Something moved in the distance--not threateningly, but enough that it sent goosebumps down his spine.
He had enough problems in his life, a ghost following him home wasn't going to be the newest.
