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She checks the time on her phone. “Oh…about thirty minutes ago.”

“Are you not concerned about that⁠—"

At her side, Matilda sits ramrod straight just as Colleen approaches, her arms full of trophies for the costume contest.

After the incident with Augustus, Matilda has calmed down some, but I don’t think she’ll ever be able to fully relax in public.

Honestly, that makes two of us.

“It’s so nice outside. I don’t know why we don’t have the festival on Halloween every year,” Colleen says, and no sooner do the words leave her mouth than thunder cracks overhead and a flash of lightning streaks across the sky.

We all jerk our gazes toward the commotion, where a single dark cloud looms ominously over the Phantom Reach.

“That’s weird,” Kira says, checking her weather app. “I didn’t see anything in the forecast about getting rain today.”

“Don’t worry, honey. The Phantom won’t let it rain on your parade—or in your case, your show,” Colleen assures her. “In all the years we’ve been putting this festival on, we’ve never once had the weather interfere.”

“Good to know.” Kira turns to face me. “Speaking of the Phantom…When do you think the Cryptid Chasers will be finished filming their segment?”

Turns out Cryptid Chasers is even more addictive than Kira let on. After one episode, I was hooked. We binged the whole thing in a single weekend.

When I broke the news that we were canceling the festival, everyone on their team was so understanding. We got to talking, and when they mentioned they’d be filming a Halloween episode, I couldn’t resist extending an offer to host them.

The Phantom has been a cryptid they’ve been dying to try to contact, and something about the veil being thinner on Halloween makes them think they’d have a better chance.

So even though we were keeping the festival quiet, I extended them an invitation to film. Colleen was ecstatic to have Inn sold out, and I’m pretty sure half the town has volunteered to be interviewed about their versions of the Phantom story.

I check my watch. “I think they’re supposed to wrap filming any minute now…”

My words trail off at the sudden burst of cheering. I look up to see the crew heading our way, high-fiving and celebrating.

“We got it!”

“Woo-Hoo! Who’s laughing now, boys!”

The leader of the film crew notices me, and they trot toward us, cameras still in hand.

“You’re never going to believe this!” the man holding the camera says.

I look between them, confused. “What’s going on?”

The man claps his friend on the shoulder, his smile beaming. “Oh, just making history as the first crew to catch the Ashford Falls Phantom on camera!”

I shake my head as his words take a moment to sink in. There’s no way.

Sure, I invited them to come film, but I wasn’t expecting them to actually catch anything.

I’m not even sure I really believe in the Phantom, more than just a story anyway.

When I glance back at Kira, she’s already on her feet, trying to get a look for herself. “Seriously? Let me see.” Right beside her, nosy as ever, Tilly peers up like she’s equally determined to see what all the fuss is about.

“Right there,” the man says, pointing at the screen. “He was clear as day walking between these two trees.”

Silence is tight as the group cowers over the small screen, waiting for the Phantom to appear.

“Right here. Any second now…”

I hear footsteps rustling through the forest floor, followed by a crack of thunder. A second later, their collective cheers erupt through the speakers, warped and distorted.