Dara woke to a song.
“Good morning, Balloon Town Run!”
The voice floated through her window. It sounded bright and bouncy, like a bell wearing tap shoes. Dara opened her large hazel eyes and smiled. Her dark brown curls sat in two puff ponytails, still tied with orange ribbons from yesterday.
Beside her, Robbie snored softly.
Then he hiccupped.
Then he snored again.
Dara giggled and sat up. She wore her purple hoodie dress with bright orange pockets. Her black-and-white striped leggings lay ready beside the bed. Her yellow sneakers waited underneath, pointing toward the door.
“Robbie,” Dara whispered. “Morning is singing!”
Robbie opened one round brown eye. His short dark curls stuck up like tiny leaves. He wore his green pumpkin sweater, blue overalls, red sneakers, and tiny orange cape.
“Is it singing for breakfast?” he asked.
“It might be singing for Halloween.”
Robbie popped up at once.
“Halloween!”
His orange cape fluttered behind him. It caught on the bedpost, and Robbie spun around slowly.
“Look,” he said. “I am a cape-shaped pumpkin!”
Dara laughed and helped him loose the cape.
Together, they hurried to the window.
Balloon Town Run stretched below them in warm autumn colors. Balloon-shaped homes bobbed gently along the candy-striped streets. Some houses were pumpkin orange. Some were candy pink. Others shone lemon yellow, leafy green, sky blue, or soft purple.
Every house had a round roof and a little waving flag.
Every door had a smiling decoration.
Every window sparkled like sugar.
“Good morning, Dara!” called a neighbor below.
“Good morning, Robbie!” called another.
Dara and Robbie waved with both hands.
The balloon homes sang together.
One house sang, “La-la-la!”
A candy cottage answered, “Tra-la-la!”
A tall blue home hummed, “Mmm-mmm-mmm!”
Then all the houses joined in.
“Good morning, Balloon Town Run! Wake your feet and face the sun!”
The song made the curtains wiggle. It made the spoons in the kitchen drawer tap together. It even made Robbie’s tiny orange cape sway from side to side.
“Do houses always sing?” Robbie asked.
“In Balloon Town Run,” said Dara, “houses sing when they feel happy.”
“Then every house must feel very happy.”
Downstairs, their mom was busy in the kitchen.
The room smelled like cinnamon, warm apples, and toasted sugar. A big bowl sat on the table. Beside it rested red apples, golden apples, and green apples. Each one gleamed in the morning light.
“Good morning, my little pumpkins,” Mom said.
“Good morning!” Dara and Robbie answered.
Robbie sniffed the air.
“Something smells like a party.”
“It is a party,” said Mom. “Or almost a party.”
Dara looked at the apples. “The Halloween celebration?”
Mom nodded. “The fall celebration is coming soon. We have a lot to prepare.”
Robbie reached toward a shiny red apple.
Mom gently moved the bowl closer.
“These apples are for the candy apples,” she said. “Later, we will dip them in sweet, sparkling coating.”
“Can mine have extra sparkle?” Robbie asked.
“Your apple may sparkle enough to wink.”
Robbie leaned close to the apple.
“Please wink,” he whispered.
The apple did not wink.
Robbie waited.
Dara waited too.
Then Robbie blinked at it. “It is being shy.”
Mom smiled. “Perhaps it needs a Halloween hat.”
Robbie grabbed a tiny paper leaf and placed it on top.
“There,” he said. “Now it feels fancy.”
Outside, a soft breeze rushed past the window.
Flutter-flutter!
Dara turned.
Orange Halloween banners waved above the street. Purple streamers curled from roof to roof. Yellow ribbons danced around lamp posts. Little paper bats swung gently from candy-cottage porches.
Pumpkins sat everywhere.
Some pumpkins had triangle eyes. Some had round eyes. One had three sleepy eyes in a row.
Robbie pressed his nose to the glass.
“Look! That pumpkin has a funny face!”
“It looks like it just tasted a lemon,” said Dara.
The pumpkin decoration smiled wider in the breeze.
Mom tied a small star-shaped party badge onto Dara’s hoodie dress. The badge glittered purple, gold, and orange.
“You will need your party badge today,” Mom said. “The town helpers are getting ready.”
Dara touched the star.
“What will we do?”
“First, we need to look around. We must see which decorations are ready and which ones still need help.”
Robbie lifted one finger.
“I can help with one decoration.”
“Only one?” asked Dara.
He lifted another finger.
“Two decorations.”
Dara smiled. “Perhaps we can count them together.”
After breakfast, Dara put on her yellow sneakers. Robbie tied his red sneakers twice. His first knot looked like a little noodle. His second knot looked like a little pretzel.
“Ready?” Dara asked.
“Ready!” said Robbie.
They stepped outside.
The candy-striped path felt warm beneath their feet. Pink and white stripes curled between the houses. Lemon-yellow lanterns hung overhead. Each lantern had a smiling face and a tiny bell.
Ding-ding!
“Good morning!” chimed the lanterns.
“Good morning!” called Dara and Robbie.
The path gave a soft bounce under Robbie’s sneakers.
Boing!
At the corner, a round purple house bobbed beside a candy cottage. The two homes leaned toward each other like old friends sharing a secret.
“Did you hear that?” Robbie asked.
The purple house hummed low.
The candy cottage sang high.
Together, they made a tune that sounded like a spoon stirring hot cocoa.
Dara tapped her toes.
Robbie shook his orange cape.
Soon, the two children were dancing in the middle of the path. Dara twirled once. Robbie twirled twice. On his third twirl, he landed in a basket of soft autumn leaves.
“Ta-da!” he said.
The leaves clapped in the breeze.
A neighbor waved from a pumpkin-orange doorway. Another neighbor leaned from a pink candy cottage. Everyone was carrying something for the celebration.
Some carried ribbons. Some carried paper lanterns. Some carried baskets of apples. One neighbor carried a stack of purple plates that wobbled like jelly.