We had set out with the goal from Substack of creating a collection of Halloween Stories, but we need more than one story to have a true “collection,” wouldn’t you agree? So this is the second story in that collection. Pay close attention because there will be a clue to our next project!

Part I: The Costume of Becoming

In the hush of autumn’s turning, Ernest the ginger cat watched Pearl the hen draw parables in chalk. She held the stub in her beak like a quill, scratching spirals and symbols into the garden path. Ernest, silent and still, observed with reverence—but also longing. He had no beak, no way to draw.

Then came the costume.

Pearl, ever the lover of ritual, stitched the costume from molted chicken feathers mixed with songbird feathers and linen scraps. It was a chicken suit, soft and strange, with a felt beak and a rustle of grace. “For All Hallows,” she said, “and for drawing.” Ernest stepped into it, and something shifted. With chalk in paw, he began to draw—not words, but memory. Spirals. Suns. The curve of Gracie’s wing. His voice, once silent, now bloomed in dust and line.

Thanks to all of our Friends, Family, and Fans for reading, liking, and sharing! We will keep you in our prayers!

Sincerely,

John and Pearl, (with fond memories of Gracie, Bessie, Blanche, Emily, and Amelia) and our newest Little Buddy, Ernest