A few additional people boarded the trailer, mostly parents with young children. No one sat next to her, and the trailer wasn’t full when they began to drive forward.

  Daphne took a breath of the chilling air. The sun was on the horizon, and the sky was beginning to rapidly darken. Jack o’ lanterns lit up the pathway though the corn field, shining brightly in their various facial expressions and designs. As the trailer got further into the field, Daphne saw scarecrows that were placed throughout the field wearing a variety of different costumes and lit up with little Halloween lanterns. Some were meant to look scary, others silly and whimsical.

  Daphne found herself giggling at the decorations and enjoying the cooling night, the stress of being with her family starting to ebb away. Everyone is so noisy. I wish that I didn’t have so many siblings. She looked up at the night sky in hopes of seeing a shooting star. There were only a few stars that were starting to come out. I can’t wait until I no longer have to live with my parents.

  The hay bale ride came to an end, and Daphne got off the trailer, and went back to the area where she had sneaked away, near the ticket taker. She looked around, scanning the area for any sign of her family, only to find them nowhere.

  Huh. It must be a long haunted house.

  She went back up to the teller and handed him another ticket. “Another ride?” he asked, and she nodded. “Your parents still at the haunted house?” He couldn’t hide the skepticism as well on his face the second time.

  “They are,” she confirmed. “They said they would come and get me when they are done.”

  “Alright,” the teller replied, grabbing her ticket and letting her through to jump back up on the trailer.

  By the time the second ride began, the sun had fully set, making it more difficult to see some of the decorations that Daphne had been able to see during the daylight.

  Still, the pumpkins glowed happily, and off in the distance this time, Daphne could see an enormous Jack O’ lantern, lit up, brightening the field in the night. She looked up again, and couldn’t see any shooting stars. I wish I could make a wish on one, she thought.

  The ride ended a second time, and Daphne once more got off, and looked around for her family. The population of the pumpkin farm was beginning to dwindle, signaling that it was possible the farm would be closing soon. The iceberg in her stomach had long since melted, but she could feel her insides starting to freeze again.

  I’m sure it’s fine. It’s not like they would leave me. I’m sure Oliver or Maggie would say something if I didn’t get in the car with them.

  Daphne walked back up to the teller. “You again?” he asked as she handed him her last ticket. “You sure your parents went to the haunted house?”

  Daphne’s stomach tightened at his words. “I’m sure,” she replied anyway.

  “It’s the last ride of the night,” he told her, gesturing to the hay bale trailer. “So, if they are still missing after, I’ll help you find them.”

  “Thank you,” Daphne replied with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll be looking for me after I’m done.”

  He nodded, but still didn’t look as though he believed her. She, too, was beginning to question herself.

  She hopped back up on the trailer, the air starting to nip at her skin through the light jacket she’d chosen to wear earlier in the day. She huddled into it, pulling it tighter around her body.

  Surely, they didn’t leave me here. The ride started again, this time with only Daphne on it. They couldn’t possibly have abandoned me, right?

  Daphne thought of her father’s warm gaze, looking down at her earlier when she had chosen her pumpkin. Dad wouldn’t forget about me, right?

  Her stomach growled, which meant it was nearing dinner time. They’ll notice if I don’t come to the table, right? They’ll send someone to check my room, right?

  It wouldn’t be the first time that Daphne had been forgotten for dinner, if they didn’t, though. Her stomach was beginning to roll, and nausea was setting in. The pumpkins and scarecrows that had looked cute only two rides ago, now looked as though they were trying to scare her.

  She tightened her jacket around her even more. It’s going to be okay, Daphne told herself, feeling her eyes prick. I don’t need to cry. Mom will have Viola on her chest, looking for me after I get off the ride. Maggie and Cy will be fighting again. Ollie will talk to me about playing cars. Dad will be relieved when they find me.

  Doubt was beginning to pervade every corner of her mind. She was starting to wonder if her little disappearance act would end up putting her mother over the brink for the day.

  Daphne started to shake, not only from the cool air, but from the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. She should be in a good mood from the haunted house, right? Oh God, why did I do this? I should have just stuck it out through the haunted house. It probably wouldn’t have been that scary, right? Oh, why did I do this?

  Daphne felt ill, as once again, the hay bale ride came to an end. She scrambled off the trailer and looked around near the entrance of the hay bale ride. She looked all around her, and the pumpkin patch was deserted.

  “No parents seem to be found,” the teller said, walking up behind Daphne. She recognized his voice, but still whirled around, her heart thundering ini her chest. “Would you like to go together to find them?” he asked.

  Daphne looked up and closely examined the ticket taker. He smiled at her. “You ought to be wary,” he told her. “That means your parents taught you well, even if they seem to be missing in action right now.”

  “Where will you take me to go look?” Daphne asked cautiously.

  “First, we’ll go check the haunted house area and see if there was maybe some mix ups in the instructions and they are waiting for you over there,” he said, holding up one finger at her. He popped up a second one. “Next, we will check the pumpkin patch area. Third, we’d check the parking lot. Finally, if it seems like their vehicle is no longer on the lot, we’ll go to the office and give them a call on their phone. How does that sound?”

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  Daphne squinted at him, thinking of the few interactions she’d had with him. He seems trustworthy. At the very least, he seems nicer than Mom.

  “That sounds good,” she said.

  “Alright,” he said. “I’ll lead the way.” He turned and started walking towards the area where her family had continued walking earlier in the day. They walked past the food area, where the sellers were shutting down for the evening. The teller walked up to one that advertised it had caramel apples and Daphne’s stomach growled. I wish I was an adult. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about parents, and I could buy my own food…

  She watched as the teller paid for an apple. It got handed to him on a stick and it looked gooey and delicious. Daphne felt her mouth watering at the sight of it.

  “Here,” the teller said. “You’re probably really hungry.” He reached out to her, offering the apple.

  “Thank you,” Daphne said, before taking a large bite into the apple.

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “But try to keep up, okay? We don’t need you getting more lost than you already are.”

  Daphne nodded, taking another bite into the apple as the teller began to briskly walk towards the haunted house. At times, Daphne had to run a little to keep up.

  Finally, they made it to the haunted house’s teller. “Sorry, we’re closed for the night,” she announced as Daphne and the hay bale teller walked up.

  “It’s me,” the teller said to the haunted house ticket taker A look of surprise crossed her face.

  “Kevin?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”

  Kevin gestured at Daphne. “This girl was riding the hay bale ride while waiting for her parents to finish their jaunt through the haunted house. Are there any parents or families who are looking for a lost child?” Kevin asked.

  The haunted house teller shook her head. “Unfortunately not,” she replied in the same tone of gravelly voice she had used when she’d told Kevin she was closed. “No one has asked about any missing children tonight either.”

  Kevn frowned as Daphne took another bite of the apple. She could feel her heart sinking into her chest, and she was hoping that the sweetness of the apple would subdue some of the pain of having been abandoned at the pumpkin farm. But it did not.

  Tears stung in her eyes again, warning her of their desire to fall. I can’t cry. I don’t want Kevin to think I’m scared.

  “Alright, kiddo,” Kevin said, looking over at Daphne. “Let’s go check the pumpkin picking area.”

  She nodded, taking another bite of her caramel apple. “Okay,” she murmured.

  Kevin began walking briskly towards the pumpkin patch. Daphne continued trying to keep up with Kevin’s long legs. They walked for several minutes before they finally made it to the deserted pumpkin patch. Daphne’s heart clenched in her chest.

  They literally left me here. They didn’t even notice that I wasn’t with them. Daphne’s heart shattered into smithereens, thinking of her father’s face only hours ago when he’d found her with her pumpkin. Am I really that invisible to them?

  “Well, it looks like they aren’t here either,” Kevin said as Daphne took the final bite of her apple.

  She nodded. “Where to next?” she asked.

  Kevin squinted his eyes at her. “You’re not sending me on a wild goose chase, are you?” he asked. “Just pulling my leg and your parents are somewhere nearby?”

  Daphne looked at him blankly. “What would I do that for?” she asked.

  “You just don’t seem all that upset,” he pointed out. “Most kids who have gotten separated from their parents are usually crying by this point.”

  Daphne felt her eyes widen a bit. That’s a normal reaction? It was the kind of reaction that she had inadvertently erased in an attempt to keep the peace with her mother.

  Externally, she shrugged a little at Kevin, despite the waves of crushing sadness crashing through her heart. “My parent’s don’t seem to notice me most of the time, anyway,” she said. “Why would this be any different?”

  Kevin made a face as if she’d physically wounded him, and he nodded. “To the parking lot for a quick check, and if they aren’t there, we’ll go back to the office to give them a call, okay?”

  Daphne nodded. “Okay,” she agreed.

  They quickly walked, straight to the parking lot. It was deserted, save for the few employee vehicles that were parked further away than where her family had parked earlier.

  “It looks like they left,” Kevin said. “So to the office we go.”

  Daphne’s legs were starting to ache from all the walking. They burned trying to keep up with Kevin. But still, she did not let herself cry.

  The office was not as far of a walk as Daphne was worried it would be. Kevin turned a key in the lock, and they walked into the dark building. Kevin flipped on the lights, and strode over to the secretary’s desk, and pulled out a phone book.

  “What’s your last name, kiddo?” he asked, flipping the phone book open to a random page.

  “Woods,” Daphne replied.

  Kevin pulled open the back of the book. “Do you know your parents first names?” he asked.

  How old does he think I am?

  “Kimberly and Ian,” she replied, sitting down on a dark leather loveseat that was close to the door. There was a cool draft coming in, but the room was far warmer than it had been outside.

  Kevin was running his finger down all the names of Woods who were in the phone book. “Found them,” he exclaimed, picking up the receiver. “What was your name again, kiddo?”

  “Daphne,” she replied.

  Her heart sank further into her chest. Not only did they leave me in the first place, but Mom is going to be furious that she had to drive back out here to pick me up.

  Daphne chewed on her lip, thinking back to how sensitive her mother had been before Cy brought up the haunted house.

  Maybe I should have just stayed the night here. Or actually ran away.

  “Hello?” Kevin said into the receiver. Though Daphne was sitting across the room, she could hear her mother’s shrill voice through the receiver.

  “Yes, my name is Kevin and I’m calling from Patchwork Pumpkin Farm…” Kevin paused, and Daphne could hear her mother responding through the receiver. “…yes, yes, I’m so glad our pumpkins were such high quality for you and your family.” He paused again. “I’m so glad you all had a great time today.”

  Daphne choked. She hasn’t even noticed that I’ve gone missing. Or she doesn’t care and is happy to be rid of me.

  A knot was welling up in her throat. If Viola hadn’t been born…Would Mom still love me?

  She shook her head at her thoughts. As much as I wish that were true, Mom has never loved me. I must be the problem.

  “Yes, so I’m calling because I have Daphne here at the pumpkin patch. It seems as though you may have accidentally left her behind.”

  The phone in Kevin’s hand fell silent. “Daphne?” she could barely make out her mother calling. There was a beat of silence.

  “Sure, yeah, I can hang on a second,” Kevin replied with a nod only Daphne could see. He looked over at Daphne and smiled awkwardly.

  “Sorry,” she murmured softly. “My Mom is a little difficult,” she added.

  Kevin shook his head at Daphne. “It’s no problem,” he said, muffling the receiver.

  Across the room, Daphne could hear her mother’s shrill voice again. It didn’t feel as though her heart could sink any lower, and instead, her chest was beginning to feel tighter and tighter.

  “Yes?” Kevin said. “Yep, she’s here with me. Twenty minutes? Yes, I can wait with her for you to get her. Sure. Yep. No problem, Mrs. Woods.”

  The phone clacked against its cradle as Kevin put it down. He looked over at Daphne with a smile. “Your mom said she will be here in twenty minutes.”

  She’s going to be furious. And I’m going to suffer until Halloween is over and one of my other siblings messes up big time. She swallowed hard. I hate Halloween.

  Twenty minutes passed too quickly, and Kevin walked Daphne to the parking lot again. Her mother was there, with a smile on her face that Daphne knew immediately was one of the fake ones.

  “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience,” Kim said, handing Kevin a few dollars. “We have a big family, so it’s hard to keep track of all the kids.”

  “No problem,” Kevin said. “It’s happened before. You’re not the first parent to have left their child.” He smiled at Daphne’s mom, while she reached down and tightly gripped Daphne’s hand, nearly causing pain. “Have a good night,” Kevin said, turning to walk away.

  “You, too!” Kimberly replied, yanking Daphne towards the car as soon as Kevin’s back was turned. She lowered her voice. “Get in the fucking car,” she hissed.

  Daphne could barely breathe. She was going to be in the car, alone, with her furious mother for twenty minutes.

  “Now,” her mother commanded more firmly from Daphne’s hesitance.

  “Yes, Mother,” Daphne replied, climbing in the back seat, and clicking the door shut.

  As soon as her mother’s door slammed shut, all hell broke loose.