This is a great question, because the mood of the villagers is the eeriest aspect of the story, in my opinion. 

First, the children gather. Jackson says that the children were boisterous. They just finished school, and there was a sense of liberty in the air. The mood of the children was one of excitement. Here is a quote that shows this point:

The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat...

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