smiling ghost, a minimalist silhouette of soft yellow against a dusky, dark brown backdrop, stands resolute. Its form, smooth yet subtly textured like aged wax, occupies the central vertical space, radiating a faint, inner light. One rounded arm is raised, not with a sword, but in a gesture of innocent greeting, a stark contrast to the menacing shadow it casts. This shadow, large and distorted, dominates the composition, its exaggerated clawed hands and grinning mouth, sharp as shattered glass, a focal point of stark black against the textured, vertically striped wall, like wispy clouds against a twilight sky. The small, flickering candle, a simple cylindrical shape, provides the only illumination, casting this dramatic shadow play, a shadow puppetry of fear against a backdrop of muted reds and deep purples, hinting at the Halloween theme. The ghost's two small black dot eyes and curved smiling mouth maintain a semblance of childlike innocence, a Ghibli-esque touch against the somber setting, but the shadow's looming presence evokes a sense of unease, a hidden darkness. The scene, devoid of other details, focuses solely on the ghost and its monstrous shadow, creating a sense of isolation and introspection. The stark simplicity, reminiscent of a children's book illustration, invites viewers to contemplate the duality of innocence and fear, the playful and the menacing, the cute ghost and its terrifying, distorted double, a minimalist Halloween narrative steeped in melancholy and a touch of Tim Burton's dark humor.