I rubbed my eyes groggily, trying to shake off the fog that clung to my mind like a stubborn ghost. The sharp jarring of my phone against the nightstand pulled me further from the depths of sleep. The screen flickered to life with an unmissable glow, Night Veil Co. blinking insistently, as if eager to awaken me from my reluctant slumber. The company that had leased the land behind my bungalow to construct their "Spooky Trail"—a labyrinth of shadows, cobwebs, and haunting illusions meant to send shivers down unsuspecting spines. 

I had no real interest in Halloween, ghosts, or ghost stories; no desire to indulge in the theatrical masks and fake blood that seemed to drape every corner of October's bizarre festivities. Costumes? They could be tolerable, even amusing, but after pouring all my energy into a grueling deadline, I was too drained to even lift myself out of bed.