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Brother!

A small, clear voice called out, causing a fourteen-year-old boy who was watching the sheep grazing to turn around at the call filled with fear.

“Claire!” The soft voice of his older brother answered, echoing in panic. A young man in heavy winter clothes placed the wood he had prepared for a fire on the ice-covered grass.

A thin figure ran through the thick pile of snow on the ground towards the source of her younger sister's frightened voice. A young boy ran across the white, freezing winter scenery towards a wide lake where the water was covered in a sheet of ice.

“Ben! Brother!” A clear voice rang out along with a shriek. A girl in a heavy winter coat clings to the edge of a crack in the ice. Her body was submerged in the cold water, frozen to the bone. Only the face beneath the fur hood emerged to breathe. A small arm in a thick shirt clung to the ice, which cracked wider and wider. She was about to drown.

“Claire!”

The young boy woke up in a warm, soft bed. His eyes widened in fear at the sight he saw. The boy's thin body with dark brown hair was drenched in sweat. Panting in panic

“Are we dreaming here?”

A soft voice said as he looked around the room. The wooden room was located in the attic of the house, which was the young boy's bedroom. Beside the bed was a wooden table with an old alarm clock that had stopped ticking. and the boy's toys were scattered around. The blurred glass panes let in stray light.

It indicates that the sun has reached the surface of the earth.

The thin figure pushed himself to sit up. Before his sea blue eyes scanned the room again, To make sure he was truly awake, everything in the bedroom looked the same as he had ever seen it before. A tall figure stood up and walked down from the attic through the rickety wooden stairs.

The red brick house had a rough surface and looked slightly tilted. An old faded wooden table stood in the middle of the house. Beside the wooden table is a chimney that was once lit to provide warmth on cold nights. The weather was warmer than in the previous dream, which made Slim's body feel a little lighter.

“Did you come down, Ben?”

A warm voice said hello from the kitchen. A plump woman with golden-brown hair was vigorously stirring flour in a bowl. Her beautiful face had a little wheat flour stain on it. The young man walked straight into the kitchen. The wooden table had many kitchen utensils arranged in a very irregular manner. The fire-lit oven was smoldering, waiting to bake the cakes the fat woman was making.

“What are you doing, Mom?” Ben said, looking down at the cake flour and cream curiously.

"Mommy is going to make dessert...today I'm making soul cake too," a warm voice said with a smile on his face.

“Soul cake or…”

“Yes… Soul cake is a dessert for the soul. We do it for the soul so that it can go to heaven.”

“So… today is Halloween?” a soft voice said in surprise.

“Yes…October thirty-first. If you don't believe it, go outside and take a look."

The warm voice of his mother Ben walked towards the thick wooden door of the house. Before it opened wide with the creaking sound of an old door. The late autumn sun shone brightly. The golden glow of the beautiful rural scenery emerges. Beyond the white wooden fences of the houses, a stone road runs through the middle of the village.

When walking past the wooden fence and onto the road Ben looked straight down the street where many houses stood. Many of the pumpkins are carved into the familiar faces of ghosts. They are lined up and decorated in front of the houses of almost every house. The village is decorated to match the atmosphere of Halloween. Many young men and women hung pumpkin-shaped lanterns on wooden poles along the side of the road.

Many young children were running around excitedly and having fun.

Ben smiled happily. The night that many people have been waiting for is coming. A fun and exciting Halloween festival tonight. It must have really impressed him.

“Ben?”

A low voice called out to the boy from behind. Ben turned around at the sound of his voice. There was a tall, burly middle-aged man in agricultural clothing that was slightly stained with mud. Pushing a cart full of huge pumpkins. before stopping the pumpkin cart under the shade of a tall tree on the other side of the house.

He walked over to a tall man with dark brown hair who was using a white cloth draped over his shoulder to wipe away the sweat from his face. Under the shade of a tree, the tall man took off his straw hat and waved his fan to feel cooler after being there. In the sun for a while

“Yes, Father,” Ben greeted his father as he entered under the shade of the same tree.

“Good…come help me,” Father said, carefully lifting the pumpkins and placing them on the ground near the base of the tree.

“Carve a pumpkin?!”

“Yes…when I finish here. I'm going to go put up lamps around the house again...but let's do this one first."

"I'll do it myself, Dad."

Ben said confidently. Before taking the large pumpkin from his father's hand and placing it on the pile of other pumpkins, Ben gently picked up each pumpkin and placed it at the base of the tree.

“I'm sure,” the father said, standing with his feet on his hips and watching his son's actions.

“I'm sure.”

Ben said immediately after lifting more than ten pumpkins and placing them all on the ground. and prepared to push the cart to bring more pumpkins from the farm behind the house.

“Good…then Dad, let's go put up the lamp.”

“Wait, Dad,” the young boy's soft voice called out, causing his father to look back under the tree again before walking away.

"How is it going"

“Have you seen Claire?”

“Claire? I saw you playing with your friends in the grass over there. You took VeeVee with you.”

Father said, pointing out to the green fields to the east. Among the meadows, there were many low grasses and pure white grass flowers that beautifully decorated the meadow. Masses of brightly colored butterflies hovered around the flowers in patches.

“V-V?” A soft voice said with doubt.

“A new lamb.”

"oh"

“I'm going,” Father said, turning and walking out from under the shade of a tree and into the house.

“Yes, father.”

The young boy's voice trailed off. The skinny figure pushed the heavy cart towards the pumpkin field behind the house. Many large and small yellow-orange pumpkins decorated the dark ground with beautiful green ivy growing on their stems. Ben walked into the farm and picked up the golden puppies, one by one, and painstakingly put them back in the cart.

Every time I walk through dry soil Flocks of butterflies will flutter together, creating an amazing sight. Ben loaded the cart with more than ten pumpkins until it was full. And it was difficult to push the heavier cart back to the shade of the tree. Before carefully lifting the pumpkins and placing them in a pile at the base of the tree.

Ben raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. and he let out a loud sigh after successfully lifting the last pumpkin from the cart. Before that, a white spotted puppy ran towards him, looking excited.

“Lord Vale!”

Ben sat down. The puppy looked excited when he met his owner. Vale rushed over and licked Ben's face and hands like crazy. along with shaking his tail frequently

“What's wrong with you? You haven't seen me for one night. Act like I'm already dead.”

Ben rubbed the puppy's head familiarly. When Lord Vale began to calm down It lay down next to a pile of pumpkins that Ben and Dad had brought. The young boy started using a knife from inside the house to carve pumpkins into the shapes of various faces, including the faces of ghosts. Some puppies have star- or moon-shaped eyes.

The late afternoon sun began to sink down. Ben has been able to carve over twenty pumpkins. There are only a few left and it's almost finished. Pumpkin fillings piled high on a cart next to a tree. The young man shifted his seat in the direction of the shade of the tree. Beside him was a sleeping puppy. Breathe in and enjoy the music from an old radio.

A picture of a green field starting to turn gold under the shadow of the sun. It creates amazing beauty in a small village.

“Ben!”

A clear voice called out for the young man to look up. A petite girl with short, curly golden hair that was only four feet tall was holding a little lamb covered in mud almost all over. The small owner sat down next to the elder. His eyes showed surprise and excitement at the sight he saw.

“Hey Claire.”

“Did you do all of this?” Claire said, looking impressed by the rows of jack-o-lanterns. Even though it hasn't put the lights in yet. But just this is very beautiful.

Claire released the lamb from her embrace. He walked away before lying down on the grass and wiping the mud on his body and the base of a tree. Instead, the girl picked up a large pumpkin with a devil's face and hugged it.

“Yes…it looks good, right?”

“Awesome...I'd like to do it too,” a clear voice said excitedly.

“Take it.”

The boy handed the smallest pumpkin and a small knife to the girl. before turning around and carving a large yellow-orange pumpkin in front of him.

“Forgot to introduce it...that's Vee Vee. Dad just bought it at dawn today,” a clear voice said as he extended his hand towards the dazed, tired-faced lamb.

“Did you get this dirty on the first day?” Ben said, staring at the lamb's mud-covered body. Its fur was hard and curled into a strange brown mass.

“He was very naughty…chased a butterfly until he fell into a pile of mud.”

“I miss you Mar too. That old sheep that died two days ago.”

“That's right...but we have a new member. Is that right…Little Wee Wee?”

The two brothers chatted intimately as the sun began to sink until it almost disappeared from the horizon. The sky turned dark purple. There are beautiful gold and pink cloud petals decorated.

“Are you going trick-or-treating tonight?” Ben asked as he carefully carved a large gold orb that filled his lap.

"I'm definitely going...do you want to come play together?"

The little girl who was rolling around playing with the sheep sat up before addressing her brother. A small hand combed through his messy hair after playing mischievously. before pulling the wool-stained lamb into his arms

"I'm an adult now...I don't want to play."

“I don't see it growing at all. Just this one,” a clear voice said with a sullen face, wanting his brother to go play with him.

"I'm more than a foot taller than you."

“Height has nothing to do with growing or not growing.”

“But Brother Fifteen...I don't play anymore,” the soft voice of a young boy said before he bent down to carefully carve the last pumpkin.

“Isn't it fourteen?”

“Fifteen already…I was born in April.”

“Wow…but in any case, you won't believe it. Jake is nineteen and still playing.”

Claire let out a regretful sigh. before happily stroking VV's rough, muddy fur. She had finished carving her pumpkin into the shape of a distorted face.

The sky became devoid of golden light from the clouds. Only purple and bright stars remain. The atmosphere around us was surrounded by darkness. Looking back at the village The lights from the many decorated orange jack-o'-lanterns glowed beautifully. The golden light emanating from the many carved pumpkins illuminated the village amidst the darkness of the universe.

“It's dark already,” a soft voice said, looking around after he had finished carving the last pumpkin.

“Will the ghost come out?” Claire said, looking a little frightened. She was sure she saw someone dressed as a vampire walking down the street.

“Come out…the ghost will come and take the naughty child away,” Ben said, teasing his sister to try and frighten her. But Claire immediately felt at ease.

"Luckily I'm not stubborn."

“Ha…you crazy girl,” Ben laughed at his sister's innocent expression. He could guarantee that Claire was already the naughtiest child in the village.

Ben and Claire helped light candles and place them in the carved pumpkins. Before placing them in various places in the house, including the front of the house, the back of the house, the fence, and the base of trees, many golden lanterns beautifully illuminated the house.

When the two brothers entered the house The red brick house has candles lit in various places throughout the house to match the Halloween atmosphere. Many of the sweets that mother had baked were placed on the wooden table. There is candy prepared for trick-or-treating by the village children.

“Aren't you going to get dressed, Claire?” Mom asked Claire. It made the girl startled.

“Go now.”

Claire quickly ran and disappeared up to the second floor of the house. Followed by a loud noise from above the room. The fat woman looked behind her daughter before looking back at her son who was standing anxiously looking at the various shaped cakes.

“Do you want to go with your sister?”

“No,” Ben replied, looking up.

“Let's be friends with you, son...you don't have to play with your younger sibling,” the father said. Ben paused and thought before agreeing because he was afraid that Claire would be too naughty.

“…Alright.”

“He's going to have a ceremony at the bonfire in the middle of the village...Ben brought the torch back and lit the fireplace at home,” Mom said.

“Yes, mother.”

The young boy's voice trailed off. The girl in the purple witch costume also walked down from the second floor in less than a minute after disappearing. This made Ben feel quite surprised.

“It's finished,” a clear voice said.

“Too fast…little witch.”

“Hurry up…let's go.”

Claire walked over and picked up the wooden basket that she had prepared. Before walking quickly, Ben disappeared from the house. Ben ran after his sister, who didn't wait for him at all, with Ben's puppy, Vail, also running after her.

When walking out onto the stone road of the village The lights of many pumpkins shine brightly in the darkness of the night. Many villagers dress up as ghosts according to their beliefs. Groups of children ran around knocking on doors to trick-or-treat. and got candy from the villagers The fun and beautiful atmosphere of the night made Ben feel quite joyful.

“Aren't you going to play with them?”

"I'm meeting Jake and Gwen at the campfire."

The two brothers walked towards the center of the village. Dozens of villagers gathered here. where there was a wide stone field There was a large pile of smoldering goons that were blazing with flames. The lights drown out the darkness and coldness of the night. It creates a warm atmosphere. The villagers threw fruits into the goon pile according to their beliefs.

Before lighting a piece of wood from the goon as a torch to bring it back to the fireplace at home.

Ben stood watching the ritual in front of the sacred fire, forgetting to look for his sister. When he turned around, Claire had disappeared. Only the Vale was left, who was digging the ground like crazy. Ben felt a little nervous. But I felt more at ease when I looked out at the cluster of houses. Claire and a group of friends are seen having fun trick-or-treating in front of a house.

Ben let out a small, warm smile. On Halloween he had been afraid of as a child. Today it has become a fragment of happiness in life. Pictures of villagers coming out to have fun playing together. The light of jack-o'-lanterns and beautiful traditions It made Ben feel elated.

The young man stepped into the vicinity of the garland. before lighting the torch at the end of the stick that had been brought from home. A fire blazed at the end of the tree, bright and beautiful. Ben would light it at his fireplace to bring good luck to his family.

After Ben looked up from the torch in his hand, His sea blue eyes looked at the village graveyard. There was some attraction that called him there. The cemetery in the distance made him unable to see the things there clearly. So decided to take a closer look.

“Let's go…Vail.”

Ben said to the tame puppy. The thin figure walked Lord Vale towards the cemetery. His legs walked slowly with excitement in his heart. Ben crossed paths with many villagers who were all heading towards the goon. Darkness began to fall when there weren't many lights in this place. Only a dozen pumpkin head lanterns could not evenly illuminate the entire cemetery.

When arriving at the entrance to the cemetery Ben looked deep inside. The atmosphere is lonely and gives goosebumps. But the feeling of attraction still had a strong effect on him. Vale let out a soft moan before Ben walked straight into the graveyard.

The atmosphere is quiet. Completely different from the atmosphere around Kongkun. The dirt path made it difficult for Ben to walk. Ben stopped in the center of the cemetery. Looking around, there were only graveyards and graves. A few jack-o'-lanterns and owls were enough to give the cemetery a little something different. His eyes were drawn to a stone tomb that looked newer than the others.

It is located at the end of the road in the cemetery.

Ben walked towards the cemetery sign. The young boy planted a torch on the ground nearby as he arrived and crouched down next to the grave in the cold atmosphere. His eyes read the letters engraved on the stone and his heart dropped into his eyes.

Benjamin Crimson died on December 31, 1948.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw his own name on the gravestone. His lips trembled in shock. His body trembled uncontrollably before he sat down next to the grave. Vale, who was hiding behind, howled like a dog. before running out of the cemetery and leaving Ben alone.

Ben reread the message on the gravestone. Inside, I still couldn't believe what I saw. He died last winter. He had been dead for nine months. But how is it possible? Since today he still talks to his mother. Still helping dad carve pumpkins And still plays with my sister and Prince Vale.

A trembling hand lifted it from the dry ground and struggled to touch the gravestone. As soon as his hand touched the characters on the gravestone, Images of past memories replayed in Ben's mind.

“Brother!” A small, clear voice called out, causing a fourteen-year-old boy who was standing there watching sheep grazing grass to turn around at the sound of his voice filled with fear.

“Claire!” The soft voice of his older brother answered, echoing in panic. A young man in heavy winter clothing placed the wood he had prepared for a fire on the ice-covered grass.

The thin youth ran through the thick pile of snow on the ground towards the source of his younger sister's frightened voice. The young boy ran across the white, freezing winter scenery towards a wide lake where the water was covered in a sheet of ice.

“Ben! Brother!” A clear voice rang out along with a shriek. A girl in a heavy winter coat clings to a crack in the ice. Her body was submerged in the cold water, frozen to the bone. Only the face beneath the fur hood emerged to breathe. A small arm in a thick shirt clung to the ice, which cracked wider and wider. She was about to drown.

“Claire!”

Ben called out to his younger sister in alarm. The thin figure ran onto the slippery ice of the lake before colliding with his sister. A slender hand grabbed her younger sister's arm and tried to pull her up. But when you move, the edge of the ice sheet cracks even wider. Ben released his grip on his sister's arm and backed away so he wouldn't fall into the cold water.

“Brother…”

The younger sister's soft voice said as her face began to lose hope. Ben was shocked by the sight in front of him. His sister is in bad shape. Slim decided to step into the water next to his sister. The ice-cold water was too deep for two legs to reach. Ben swam, struggling to keep himself afloat in the ice-cold water until he felt pain down to his bones.

Ben pushed Claire's body up with all his might. When the little girl's body scrambled up to the surface of the water, The small body curled up and trembled on the ice. Ben pushed his sister's body as far away from the edge of the ice as possible. to prevent her from falling again. The girl's small body rolled on its side, moving away from the crack in the frozen lake.

Seeing that Claire was safe Ben tries to climb onto the ice. But when you tense your muscles to support yourself in the water, The boy's legs cramped. The pain had caused the bones to compress in his legs to the point where he could no longer move both legs.

Ben let out a cry of pain. The thin body used the strength of his arms to lift himself out of the water. But it's useless. The more the muscles tense inside the freezing water, the more The pain surged in, hurting Ben more and more.

“Brother,” Claire stood up and walked towards her brother uncomfortably.

“Back off! Go up…on the shore now, Claire!”

Ben cried out loudly to Claire. He was in so much pain that even speaking he had to use all his strength. Slowly, his thin body sank deeper into the cold water, but it painedly tried to cling to the cracked ice sheets. Only faces emerged from the water to breathe.

“I'm going to call dad!” The girl said before rushing out of there to find someone to help.

Ben gasped, his body shivering from the cold. The muscles in his arms and shoulders became so tense that he was unable to move. His thin body slowly fell below the surface of the water. His face, soaked by the cold water, was so numb that he could hardly feel that his eyes were open.

Ben tried to catch his breath and scrambled with his last, but it was too late. The current beneath the ice was causing his body to slide beneath the ice, further and further away from the crack.

Ben used his strength to break through the ice blocking air above him. but useless The last breath he had been holding was almost gone. It caused a feeling of tightness in the chest. The cramping pain and tense muscles squeezed him once more, like he was pressed under a giant boulder.

Before the thin body stops moving, stay calm.

Only silence was his friend now. The image of his beloved family flashed one last time in Ben's mind. A feeling of emptiness that no longer caused suffering in the heart. His sister is safe. Ben let out a soft smile before closing his eyes under the ice that separated his life.

The mind that was still bright was silently extinguished and could not be rekindled again as before.

Clear water droplets flowed down his cheeks from both eyes. Ben removed his hand from his own gravestone. The picture he had seen was not just a dream. But it's true. The last truth he had when he was alive, he had left his father, mother, and Claire a long time ago. The thin body bent down and hugged his knees, crying for the loss.

Losing one's life forever His body was the pale color of a soul without a coarse physical body.

Everything that happened today made it seem like he was living again. He felt at home like every time he was home. But it all ended very tragically.

Ben raised his head and stared at the nearby torch. A slender hand slowly reached out to touch it. The flame was bright and devoid of heat. Not even the slightest bit of warmth. There was only a cold feeling that hugged him. A slender hand passed through the torch as if it didn't exist. But in reality, it was him who didn't exist.

No longer exists The flame at the tip of the torch extinguished as soon as his hand passed over it.

The thin figure stood up. There was not even a feeling of fatigue at all. The boy raised his arm to wipe away tears from his pale face. before walking sadly out of the cemetery He could no longer bring the fire from the sacred goon back to the house as he had told his mother.

Among the many people surrounding the troupe No one saw him at all. Not a single pair of eyes looked at him. The thin figure walked straight and resolutely, intending to return to the house. The home that was once warm for him Now all he had was the coldness of his extinguished life.

“Let's go to that house.”

A girl's clear voice said. She walked with two friends. before the girl bumped into and passed Ben. The girl turned around as Ben looked back at her. Ben looked into the little girl's eyes. But the girl couldn't even see him feeling.

“What's the matter?” asked the clear voice of the friend of the girl in the ghost costume who walked past Ben.

“Nothing…I just feel cold.”

“Are you crazy? Winter hasn't arrived yet. Let's move on.”

Ben listened to the group of children chatting with a look of sadness in his eyes. That girl reminded Ben of Claire. his sister Today both Claire Father and mother both talked to him. But now they might not be able to see him. It was all just a dream of one ghost.

Ben walked back to the wooden fence of the house. Before meeting father His mother and Claire were waiting for him at the front door. His father and mother's faces smiled warmly at him. Unlike Claire in her purple witch costume with tear stains on her face. The two pets stood staring at him with fearful expressions.

“Can you see me?” Ben said, staring at his beloved father and mother. Tears fell again when I met my parents. He is sad that he will no longer be with you.

“We see,” Mother said in a warm voice.

“Why…” a soft voice said with a trembling voice. Uncontrollable tears will overflow.

“Because of love...we are a family,” Mom said with a smile. Both of their eyes were filled with clear water beneath their smiles woven with strength.

“Why haven't I gone yet?”

“Every soul that has died…will leave this world together on Halloween,” said his father's deep voice. Dad's face trembled slightly when he spoke to Ben.

“So today is my last day?”

Ben said, more tears streaming down his face than before. Dad just nodded at him in response. Ben will never come home again. I won't be able to embrace my mother. I won't help my father. Won't get to play with Claire again. The changes that were taking place were so rapid and severe that it was impossible to conceal the hidden weakness.

“Claire…”

“You helped me…” a clear voice said tremblingly. Two small hands came up and held onto his chest, feeling pain. “I'm sorry I had to be you instead of you...even though you said that the spirits would come and take away the naughty child. But I still…”

"After this you can stop being stubborn...I don't have an older brother to protect you."

Ben said, his voice shaking with sobs. Claire nodded and wiped the tears from her face. Claire hugged her mother's waist and buried her face in her apron before letting out a loud cry.

"Father...Mom...I want to take care of you too," Ben said with a smile on his father and mother's face.

“We will raise Claire to be the best child we can,” her mother responded with tears she couldn't contain as well. A firm hand rubbed her daughter's head to comfort her.

“And… forget me… I don't want anyone to be hurt…”

“We won't forget...we love you,” the mother said, wiping away tears. Before father hugged mother tightly Feelings of mourning for the loss of the child who was like my heart. Too much suffering to hold back tears

“What about you…”

Ben turned to address Claire. The girl was still crying very sadly. Claire's innocence may be able to hold back her regrets. Claire pulled away from her mother's warm embrace and turned back to her wonderful brother.

“If I don't forget...will you trick me?”

The girl's sobs stopped. Ben couldn't help but laugh at his sister's idea. The thin figure swallowed before raising his tear-stained face to address his younger sister.

“I won't trick you…if you treat me…” Ben paused with a sigh and smiled warmly at his sister. causing a feeling of relief “Trick or treat…”

"raise…"

A clear voice said and smiled. The little one sniffled and bent down to pick up the soul cake that his mother had prepared. before walking towards his brother's unrecognizable figure outside the fence. Ben's body was pale and translucent to an extent that she was unfamiliar with. It was as if it were just a picture in a dream. Claire offers Ben a Soul Cake that will grant her brother heaven.

“Happy Halloween.”

Ben said before holding out his hand and waiting to receive the Soul Cake. But as soon as Soul Cake touched Ben's soul, The last bit of the young man's spirit instantly vanished into the darkness of the night.

Claire, who had only made eye contact with her brother for a few seconds, lowered her head and cried out in pain. Her brother had actually left. The girl clenched her hands tightly. Before raising his tear-soaked face, he spoke in a voice that couldn't control his sorrow.

“…Happy Halloween.”

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