It was a dark and stormy Halloween night. The wind howled and the trees creaked. In a small town called Pumpkinville, the people were preparing for a night of trick-or-treating and spooky fun.
One young boy named Billy was especially excited. He had spent weeks carving the perfect jack-o'-lantern. It was a big, orange pumpkin with a wicked grin and sharp teeth. Billy had named him Jack.
Billy put Jack on his front porch and waited for the trick-or-treaters to arrive. But as the night went on, not a single person came to his door. Billy was starting to get worried.
Finally, at around 10:00 PM, Billy decided to go out and see what was wrong. He walked down the street, but all of the other houses were dark and empty. It was like the whole town had vanished.
Billy started to get scared. He ran back to his house and locked the door. He went to the window and peeked out. He saw a strange figure standing in his front yard.
The figure was tall and thin, with long, spindly arms and legs. It was wearing a black cloak that covered its head from view. Billy couldn't see its face, but he could feel its cold, dead eyes staring at him.
Billy was terrified. He ran to his bedroom and hid under the covers. He lay there for a long time, listening to the sound of the wind howling outside.
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Finally, Billy fell asleep. But his sleep was troubled. He dreamed of the strange figure in the black cloak. In his dream, the figure was chasing him through the dark forest. Billy ran as fast as he could, but the figure was always right behind him.
Billy woke up with a start. He looked around the room, but everything was normal. He got out of bed and went to the window. He looked out at the front yard, but the strange figure was gone.
Billy went downstairs and made himself a cup of hot chocolate. He tried to calm down, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Suddenly, Billy heard a noise coming from the front porch. He went to the door and opened it. Jack was gone.
Billy couldn't believe it. His precious jack-o'-lantern had vanished. He searched the entire front yard, but he couldn't find Jack anywhere.
Billy went back inside and sat down on the couch. He was so upset that he started to cry. He didn't know what to do.
Just then, Billy heard a knock at the door. He went to the door and opened it. There stood the strange figure in the black cloak.
Billy was so scared that he couldn't speak. He just stood there, staring at the figure.
The figure held out its hand. In its hand was Jack.
Billy took Jack from the figure's hand. He couldn't believe it. Jack was safe and sound.
"Thank you," Billy said.
The figure didn't say anything. It just turned and walked away.
Billy watched the figure go. Then he turned and went back inside. He closed the door and locked it.
Billy never saw the strange figure again, but he never forgot it. And he never forgot the Halloween night that his jack-o'-lantern was kidnap.
The next day, Billy told his friends about what had happened. They didn't believe him at first, but then they saw Jack.
Billy's friends were amazed. They had never seen a jack-o'-lantern so big and orange. They asked Billy where he got it, but he just smiled and said, "It's a secret."
Billy's jack-o'-lantern won first prize at the town's Halloween costume contest. Billy was so proud. He knew that Jack was the best jack-o'-lantern in the world.
And even though Billy knew that Jack had been kidnapped by a strange figure in the black cloak, he wasn't scared. He knew that Jack was safe now. And that was all that mattered.