Candle Eyes tripped as he approached the counter. He retracted some of the vines he used as legs, and although his glowing smile grew broader, the flame inside his face flickered with embarrassment.

"Hey, See Through!" he recovered, greeting his ghostly pal who had been handing out roller skates behind the counter. See Through gave Candle Eyes a little salute and passed a pair of size nines to Six Gun.

From the back office arose a cheerful cackle. Cauldron Lady shook a bag of silver coins, their muffled clinking almost drowned out by the woman's exuberance.

"Thirty-one tonight!"

On the skate floor, Rag Doll and Crow Spooker held hands as they glided around the rink. They parted to avoid Headless Ballerina, who scrambled like a cartoon cat before finally falling on what might have been her face, if only her head could be found. Arr Matey shifted his patch to his other eye and roared laughter.

Nibbling candy corn at a table in the far corner of the snack bar, Little Bobby sat by himself. He watched Rag Doll and Crow Spooker couple skate to Eternal Flame.

He thought, "They never kiss."

They never did. They skated together all night, every night, but never kissed. See Through never spoke to Candle Eyes, and Arr Matey only ever hung out with Six Gun. Cauldron Lady didn't speak to anyone; she just muttered spells from the back office. Nobody talked to Little Bobby.