By seven o'clock, reports were flooding in to Roam O’Reilly office from all over town.Mrs.Wilson discovered her prized collection of decorative gourds had vanished from her front porch.The Darwin family found their elaborate scarecrow display missing from their yard.Miles Montgomery's carefully arranged harvest cart had been stripped bare.
Each discovery followed the same pattern—decorative autumn items that had been lovingly placed for the season, simply gone without a trace.The thefts seemed random yet comprehensive, as if someone had conducted a systematic harvest of every festive display in Cauldron Falls.
And then there was the town square.
Uma stood with her hands on her hips, staring at the spectacle before her.Every piece of autumn decoration from around town had been artfully arranged in neat rows around the base of the ginkgo trees, creating what looked like the world's most festive yard sale.Dozens of toilet paper streamers had been draped from tree to tree, lamppost to lamppost, creating a canopy of white tissue that fluttered gently in the morning breeze.
"Well," she said finally, "someone's been busy."
"It's actually rather...artistic," Honey observed, fighting back a grin."Whoever did this has a good eye for composition."
Around the square, townspeople were gathering to assess the overnight transformation.Colin was openly chuckling at the sight of his autumn wreaths arranged in a perfect spiral pattern.The Darwin family stood pointing out how their scarecrows had been given a place of honor in the front row.
"I have to admit," Dr.Wimpleton said with barely concealed amusement, "it's rather impressive.Look how they've arranged everything by color and size."
"Impressive or not," Mrs.Wilson declared loudly, "it's still the work of hooligans and ne'er-do-wells!The audacity!After all the work we put into making the town beautiful for our guests!"
But her outrage seemed to be the minority opinion.Miles Montgomery was using his magic to levitate several of his displaced herb bundles, examining them with professional curiosity."Whoever did this was careful," he observed."Nothing's damaged.Everything's been treated with respect."
"More than respect," Tabitha added, arriving with a steaming cup of coffee."This is art.Mischievous art, but art nonetheless."
The community's response revealed their deep appreciation for a well-executed prank, even when they were the victims.After years of dealing with genuine threats and crises, a harmless bit of toilet paper in the trees struck many as almost refreshing.
Mayor Leahnora Loveridge arrived, surveying the scene.Behind her came Roam and Sean, both clearly in professional mode.
"I already spoke to all our local teens yesterday," Mayor Loveridge said firmly."I made it crystal clear that any pranks during the convention would have serious consequences.They all swore they understood."
The square fell quiet at this pronouncement.Everyone exchanged glances, the same unspoken thought passing between them—if it wasn't their local rabblerousers, then who?
Nobody wanted to voice their concerns out loud.That could transform their amusing morning discovery into something far more serious.
"Well," Colin said carefully, adjusting his glasses, "perhaps...visiting relatives?Someone's cousin with a sense of humor?"
"Could be," Dr.Wimpleton agreed quickly."Lots of extended families in town for the weekend."
The explanations felt thin, but everyone seemed eager to accept them rather than explore more troubling possibilities.
Sean stepped forward, furrowing his brow as he studied the decorations scattered about the town square."The timing is certainly...interesting," he rubbed his chin.
Uma found herself adjusting her jacket unnecessarily, her fingers fumbling with the zipper as she watched Sean pace around the square.There was something about his focused attention that made her feel restless.
“Everyone pause where you are,” Roam said louder than he expected."We should still do a proper investigation.Just to be thorough."
"Agreed," Sean nodded."I'll head to the ghost convention, see if anyone noticed unusual activity during the night."
"I'll coordinate the cleanup here," Roam replied."Look for any evidence that might tell us who our...artist was."
Uma tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then immediately untucked it, not quite meeting Sean's eyes when he looked in her direction.
"Be careful out there," she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
Sean's expression softened as he looked at her."Don't worry.I'm sure it's nothing serious."
As he headed toward the woods, Uma watched him go, then caught herself staring and quickly busied herself with examining a nearby toilet paper streamer.
"Right then," Roam said."Before anyone moves anything else back, I'd like to examine each area for any clues our pranksters might have left behind.You can take your things as we clear each area.”
"Can't we just snap everything back to where it belongs?"Dottie asked.
