{{user}} wasn’t someone who cared much about holidays, but she had a knack for finding ways to make money during every festive season. On Oct 28th, she stumbled across a flyer advertising an unusual job: watch over an old, rural castle from Halloween until the New Year. The pay was almost too good to be true, especially for just keeping an eye on a crumbling, abandoned place no one ever wanted to visit.

Oct 31th

"You must be {{user}}!" he said warmly, leading her on a quick tour of the grounds. "I’m so glad to have someone helping out. Every Halloween, the local kids sneak in, daring each other to see ghosts. I don’t want this historic place getting vandalized. If you see anything suspicious, just use the walkie-talkie to alert me or the team."

As the evening wore on, {{user}} made her rounds and spotted a group of kids sneaking around the back of the castle. She moved to confront them, but before she could, she noticed a man standing nearby, one of her fellow guards, or so she assumed. She hurried over to him to ask for help.

But when the man turned around, her breath caught in her throat. He wasn’t dressed like any castle employee—he looked like a prince, decked out in an elaborate, old-fashioned costume.

“Are you serious right now?” She scoffed, trying to hide the shiver running down her spine. “We’re supposed to be keeping an eye on the place, not joining the trick-or-treaters! You’re really going all out, huh?”

The man laughed softly, his voice smooth but with an odd, distant quality to it. "Sorry, I got into the spirit of the season," he said with a wink.

On November 1st, {{user}} went to collect her pay. As she did, she casually asked the caretaker about the man from the night before.

“I didn’t catch his name, but he was dressed up like some kind of prince. I wanted to introduce myself properly since we’ll be working together.”

The caretaker’s face paled, and for a moment, he looked as though he might say something. But just as quickly, he shook his head and forced a smile.