Reaper Bliss

DARK MAGIC IS AFOOT THIS NIGHT . . .

For a few extra bucks, Bliss Moonbeam Cornwall dresses up as the Grim Reaper to scare the kids and hand out candy at the Belcourt Nursery's Halloween gala. So far, so good.

Until the clock ticks toward midnight, and Halloween becomes Samhain. Wrapped in her Reaper robe, Bliss accompanies the local coven to the abandoned Darkwood Burial Ground for the pagan holiday celebrating harvest's end. There's food and mead, a bonfire and dancing. The festivities are in full swing when Bliss notices a few of the old gravestones are icy to the touch – and glowing in the fog-shrouded cemetery. She remembers too late that, during Samhain, the lines between the physical and spirit worlds blur.

The coven is thrilled – will they finally witness departed souls crossing the thinning Veil to visit and share their feast? Since Bliss is the township's Cemetery Inspector, she's responsible for the integrity of the...