I’m new here this year, but I’ve heard the stories and was warned of the storm to come. Smashed pumpkins. Egged houses. Decorations torn down. Mailboxes destroyed. An idyllic little town put to siege in late October. Not by thieves or monsters, but by anonymous pranksters. But then, I suppose those are a kind of monster of their own. In recent years, their reign of terror has extended beyond merely so-called Mischief Night to a whole Mischief Week, likely to avoid the more watchful eyes that come out October 30.

No one knows who, exactly, the mischief makers are. Theories abound, from a local fraternity or bored high schoolers to more colorful ideas, like Soviet agents, ghosts, or aliens. I myself suspect jealous homeowners trying to sabotage each other’s decor.

And as the air cools, the sun sets, and my little adopted town prepares for a flurry of minor property damage, I’ve decided to step in and provide a little help the locals have never had before: actual magic and a watchful eye. And what will happen to these pumpkin bashing brutes? I have a variety of appropriate punishments at the tip of my wand, and you will have to wait and see.

And who am I? Well, this year, one might call me ‘Miss Mischief.’