Quill's 31 Days of Halloween

Day 29

Pumpkin Carved!


Darwel grew up in a remote little patch. He was planted late in the season, far to late to become a good large pumpkin in time. But still he tried, and greedily drank all he could from his Mother Vine. In vain, for a winter front rushed in from the north and damaged his home plant. Darwel was not a fully matured pumpkin like the others around him. Like all unmatured pumpkins, he was small and green, with a mottled undertone of orange color.

He wasn't ready for his Mother Vine to leave him, and he cried out to her to wake up, and turn green once more. But Mother Vine just layed there, blackened from frost and cold, leaving little Darwel all alone.

The other pumpkins laughed at little Darwel, for crying out to his mother. They were big and strong pumpkins, who didn't need their vines anymore. Their orange color mocked Darwel, who no longer had a mother to bestow upon him his color.

"Please!" he called out, "What can I do? Help me!"

One pumpkin ansered. "No one will pick you now, you are to small for any person to pick you for Halloween. You will rot." The orange pumpkins just turned away, ignoring the forsaken child pumpkin.

Pickers came out and expertly threw all the pumpkins ito a truck. One of pickers paused beside Darwel.

"Hey boss, you a wanting the small pumpkins as well yea?"

"I want all of them, this frost will ruin my payday unless we sell them all!" came the disant shout.

Darwel was picked up and tossed with the others.

He was certainly relived he wasn't forgotten. He didn't know where they were going, bu the other pumpkins seemed excited.

"Time to be picked, time to be picked." They murrmered together, all through the bumpy ride.

Soon, the truck stopped and all the pumkpins were unloaded. They were leaned against haystacks and layed out in the grass. Darwel was lucky enough to be carefully set on a bale, so he had a lovely view. It was some sort of gathering, and children rushed by laughing and screaming.

Several families came and looked the pumpkins over, admiring them all. As the day passed, fewer and fewer pumpkins were left on the bales. Darwel began to despair. Why were all the other pumpkins picked but he?

He saw a small family come close. They wandered over and looked at the pumpkins left. They quickly oicked what pupkins they wanted except for the small girl.

"Do you want this one Sally?" the father pointed at a large pumpkin. The girl simply shook her head and kept looking.

"I want this one!" she shrieked, pointing straigt ant Darwel.



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Darwel had enjoyed the ride to his owners house, it was much more comfortable than the truck had been. These people were even nice enough to set him out on some comfy paper!

The little girl came running out to him with a bright glinting object in her hand.

I wonder what that is for, Darwel wondered.

Just as she raised her hand, her mother came in.

"Sally! Where did you get that knife! We agreed, no cutting the pumpkins until your older. Go set your pumpkin in the window,you can help mommy with hers."

Darwel was set in the window, and watched in horror as they dissected a pumpkin outdoors.