October

         “That’s a big pumpkin! Are you going to make it into a jack o lantern?” Carly asked.

         “No, this one is for pies,” her mom told her. “Want to help me?”

         “I guess so.”

         “Then spread out the seeds on the oilcloth to dry.”

         “Eww! They’re gooey!”

         “Just spread them out. We’ll save some to plant and roast the rest. Grandpa likes roasted pumpkin seeds. Be careful. You’re dropping seeds. Get the broom and sweep them up.”

         “How will you make pies out of this?” Carly wondered.

         “First I have to cook it. Then I mash it and strain it and put it in the freezer in Tupperware. Then any time I want to bake a pie I thaw some of it, add eggs and milk and molasses and spices and there you are!”

         “There are a lot of seeds in one pumpkin.”

         “And there are a lot of pumpkins in one seed.”

         Carly thought that over as she washed the pumpkin juice off her hands. She sat down to watch her mother cut the pumpkin into pieces and peel away the skin. Her black kitten jumped into her lap. Outside the October wind was blowing chill into the air and sending the yellow leaves dancing across the ground. Inside the kitchen it was warm, with the woman working and teaching, the child watching and learning, and the small, black kitten purring.


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