Hello, hello, and welcome to Story Nori.
You're listening to Jana, and I'm back with a mousy Halloween story.
Halloween at the Café.
The door of the seaside café creaked open, ushering in a gust of chilly wind, as a regular customer stepped inside.
It was October.
Days were shortening and the air was already tinged with a bite of autumn.
Judith Mouse shivered.
She sat as still as possible on a shelf behind a large jar of black tea, barely daring to breathe.
Her ears twitched as she listened to the conversation between the customer and the cafe owner.
How's business? the customer asked.
Tomorrow night's going to be wild, replied the owner.
Ghosts, witches, the whole town's turning into a sugary nightmare.
We're even expecting pirates, you know.
Pirates?
What's all that about? the customer asked.
Raising his eyebrows.
Not just any pirates.
Ghost pirates.
Decorations, sweets, costumes.
It will be anarchy, I'm telling you.
Ghost pirates?
Judith could hardly believe her mousy ears.
Rodina Mouse, hiding behind the fridge, had overheard the same conversation.
She shivered and not just because of the cold.
Later, as they huddled behind the skirting board, Rodina squeaked.
Did you hear ghost pirates?
Judith nodded.
I feared I'd imagined it.
Nothing like this has ever happened at the cafe.
Word spread quickly among the mice, and Grandpa Mouse soon called a meeting.
His head wobbled as he addressed them.
Pirates are bad enough, but ghost pirates?
Even worse.
Maybe some smelly cheese like Limburger could ward them off, but that's no guarantee.
Judith's eyes lit up.
Remember the old pirate legend, Grandpa?
One ghost pirate was kind to Mice when they kept him company in prison.
But another despised Mice.
He kept ten cats on his ship just to get rid of all the mice.
We need to find out which crew has come to town.
That's a mission for a brave mouse, said Grandpa.
All eyes turned to Jimmy Mouse.
Oh, not me again, groaned Jimmy, though he knew arguing was pointless.
All right, all right, i'll find out if they're here for something in particular or just to scare everyone.
I'll figure out if it's the friendly pirate or the one who hates us.
That evening, jimmy mouse ventured onto the streets.
The town was transformed.
Lights flickered in shop windows.
Strange shadows danced across the cobblestones.
And the usual smell of baked bread was mixed with something sweet and pumpkin-y.
Jimmy's heart pounded as he crept along the base of buildings.
Every shadow seemed to hide some lurking danger.
A sudden gust of wind sent leaves skittering across his path like skeletal fingers.
He took a deep breath and pressed on.
At the town square, an eerie melody filled the air.
The centrepiece was a towering figure in front of the old clock tower, a colossal ghost pirate with a tattered coat and a glowing eye patch.
Its mechanical arms swung a massive cutlass, casting long, menacing shadows.
Suddenly, the pirate's eyes flashed red, and a booming voice echoed.
Beware!
All ye who enter here!
Jimmy's fur stood on end as he darted behind a pumpkin display.
He nearly bumped into a carved jack-o'-lantern, whose wicked grin made him jump.
As he dashed into an alley, glowing eyes appeared from the darkness.
A black cat emerged, its bright green eyes locking onto him.
Jimmy didn't hesitate.
He bolted, weaving between decorative tombstones and dodging rubber bats.
He dived into a drain just in time, tumbling into the darkness.
When he finally made it back to the safety of the skirting board, he gasped.
The mice held an emergency meeting.
Some were ready to flee the cafe and the town altogether.
We can't just run, Judith insisted, though her voice trembled.
This is our home.
We need to understand what they want.
Maybe they'll leave us alone if we do.
Raisin with Ghosts? squeaked Henry.
And monster cats?
What could go wrong?
After much debate, the mice decided to hide, leaving Jimmy behind to discover the truth.
Poor Jimmy, who had faced many dangers before, found waiting for the ghost pirates the scariest challenge yet.
While the others evacuated through a pipe to a garage behind the cafe, Jimmy cautiously watched from a crack in the wall.
In the early evening, ghost-like figures started to flood in.
They were dressed in all manners of costumes.
Pirates with swords, witches with floppy hats and little goblins clutching bags of sweets.
At first, Jimmy's heart raced.
Ghosts, he whispered, his fur standing on end.
But as he watched, something didn't quite add up.
One ghost pirate's cutlass wobbled as if made of rubber, and another tripped over its own boots.
One of the witch's hats were far too big and flopped over her eyes.
Slowly, realization dawned.
Oh they're, they're human kids.
Jimmy muttered, blinking in surprise.
He noticed that the giant ghost pirate was now stationed at the cafe entrance motionless, except for the occasional swing of its mechanical arm.
Children laughed and posed for pictures beside it.
One of the mums brought the black cat from the alley.
It turned out to be a large stuffed decoration, its eyes glowing from tiny bulbs.
Meanwhile, the small ghosts and ghouls, who were actually the human kids, were busy stuffing their faces with cakes toffee, apples and chocolates.
The mums and dads had actually given up trying to wipe the chocolate and jam off their children's faces.
And the cafe owner was hunched in a corner with her fingers in her ears.
She watched in horror as the kids took turns playing bob the apple, while her cafe floor was getting increasingly soaked by the game of apple bobbing going on.
The children's shrieks and laughter were deafening with no imminent signs of becoming quieter.
Jimmy smiled to himself.
I wonder what's worse?
Being haunted by ghosts or hosting a kids party.
I bet some people would rather have ghosts than kids any day.
But amid all the chaos, there was plenty of opportunity for a brave little mouse to dart out and grab some crumbs without being noticed.
And when eventually the party came to an end and the last little monster had left, there was a wonderful, delicious sticky mess all over the cafe's floor.
Even better, the owner was far too exhausted to mop up and went to bed with a headache.
Jimmy rushed off to report his findings to the mice hiding in the garage.
Grandpa Mouse greeted him with open arms.
Well done, Little Jimmy, on being alive.
You survived once again.
Cats can't get our Little Jimmy.
Traps can't get our Little Jimmy.
And ghosts can't get our Little Jimmy.
What horrific fur-tingling story have you got to tell us this time?
It's a mess!
The most frightful mess!
Crumbs everywhere! he exclaimed.
Wonderful!
Wonderful!
Wonderful!
Wonderful!
That's amazing!
Yes, I love it!
Wonderful!
Wonderful, squeaked all the mice and even better, we've got all night clear to eat up all the crumbs, added jimmy, but are you sure there aren't any ghosts?
Asked regina mouse.
Oh yes, i'm sure they're all gone.
You're a hero, Jimmy.
Come on, everybody, let's hurry back to the cafe, declared Grandpa Mouse.
And the mice had a great time cleaning the delicious crumbs at the cafe.
They were thankful that human kids are far messier than real ghosts.
The only problem was that Henry suffered from a sugar high and had to lie down.
Otherwise, they all had the best Halloween ever.
And that was Halloween at the Café, read by me, Jana, for StoryNori.com.
Trick or Treat!
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Bye for now.
Give us sweets or you'll regret it.
Hand them over or you will get it.
Winter fly, winter fly, winter fly.
He didn't mutter, give me treats or I will scratch you.
Give me sweets or I will smash you.
Winters fly, winters fly, winters fly up on high.
They fill the skies with bonsai, evil-eyed in their eyes.
One odd hallows evening, dropping down from a tree, a gang of goblins all in green, wickedest creatures you did see.
Give us treats or we will spell you, give us sweets or we will tell you.
All hallowed evening, I reply to all those brats.
Here's what I've got to give you.
You won't like it, little rat.
Half a toffee and a chewed gum.
Take it now, it's time to run.
Where to fly, where to fly, where to fly?
Bye.
Bye.
Bye.
