The Ghost Who Was Afraid of the Dark
Gus was a ghost, which was a bit of a problem, because Gus was afraid of the dark. He lived in the attic of the old Maple Town library, where moonlight came through a round window and made everything silver and soft. During the day, Gus practiced floating and saying "Boo!" in the mirror. But when night came and the lights went out, Gus hid behind the biggest book he could find and trembled. "Ghosts are supposed to LOVE the dark," he sighed. "What kind of ghost is afraid of it?" On Halloween night, something unexpected happened. A big wind blew through Maple Town and knocked out all the streetlights. Trick-or-treaters in costumes stood frozen on the sidewalks — they couldn't see the houses, the doors, or even their own candy bags. Gus peeked out the round window. The whole town was dark. The children were scared. And then something strange happened. Gus noticed that HE was glowing. A soft, silvery light came from inside him — not bright, but steady. It was the same glow he'd always had, the one he'd been too afraid to notice. Gus floated out the window and down the street, lighting the way for every trick-or-treater. Children followed his gentle glow from house to house, and nobody was afraid anymore. "Thank you, friendly ghost!" a little boy in a dinosaur costume called. Gus smiled. He wasn't afraid of the dark anymore — because he realized he WAS the light.
