A dark cloud filled the sky with gloom, and spread an uneasy shadow over the town of Acornburg like a chilling blanket of blackness. The usually sweet and scented air that would fill the surrounding areas with cherry blossom petals and fireflies at night seemed to be all but gone, and left in its place a thick and chilled atmosphere, that sent all the animals scurrying back into their various homes and holes. The cherry blossom leaves crumpled up, their vibrant coloring turning to a sickly brownish black as they slowly withered and fell from their trees. It was as though all life had suddenly abandoned Acornburg, leaving its former glory to lay to rest among the ashes. Not a sound could be heard from anywhere in the ghostly town, all the houses silent, waiting for some sign of the Acornburg they used to know. The fountains stopped churning water, the plants stopped growing, the businesses stopped their sales, all at once everything had come to a halt and nobody would ever know why. The usually bustling streets of Acornburg had practically fallen to rubble overnight.