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n the bustling atrium of the Herttoniemi mall, preparations for the annual Halloween festival were in full swing. Suspended high above the shoppers, a massive, smiling pumpkin balloon, affectionately named ‘Jack’, bobbed gently. Below, a young woman named Elara, dressed in a slightly frayed witch’s costume, was preparing her small booth for the “Magic SA”…

Mark was humming a tune, totally engrossed in his Saturday morning ritual of cleaning his ears. He wasn’t particularly “playful” in nature; in fact, he was quite a serious fellow. As he gently guided the cotton swab into his left ear canal, he felt an unexpected, sharp jolt. He froze. Suddenly, a tiny, glowing, blue…