literature

The Pumpkin

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Halloween is my favorite time of year. The weather is nice and crisp, the leaves are turning on the trees, and spooky everything is everywhere. Jack-o-lanterns, spiders, bats, skeletons, ghosts, witches. You name it, it’s spooky, it’s here. And it’s so much fun.

My favorite thing to do is decorate my house. The theme changes every year but I always have one jack-o-lantern on my porch. It takes up a lot of space but it’s always amazing. It creeps people out and I often get great comments on it. It takes a long time to make just right but it’s worth it.

I always start with hunting down the perfect one. Searching through places and studying each one carefully. You have to have a good base to be able to create a good jack-o-lantern. I take my time and choose what one I’ll be using for this Halloween. Getting it home can sometimes be difficult but I manage.

Once home, I take it down to my basement. It’s easier to think here, to plan out what I’m going to create this year. Besides, I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for my neighbors and the rest of the neighborhood. I keep all my tools down here too. They’re all in one spot and in their correct places.

I start with giving my new pumpkin a good wash. You never know what it might have picked up traveling around in the world. I like having a clean canvas. Then I start by slicing it open and sooping out the sticky innards. It gets messy but I’m used to it. The smell is something else I’ve gotten used to and have started to anticipate each year. It’s warm and musky and is just more proof that Halloween is finally here.

After discarding the innards, I clean up again. First the pumpkin, sluicing it down to get rid of the sticky mess, then my hands, and finally the table. Once that’s finished, I take some time to study my canvas again. Each one is different and often gives clues to what the final result should be. I wonder if this was how Michelangelo felt, staring at a block of marble before taking hammer and chisel to it.

Eventually, my pumpkin speaks to me and I decide how I’m going to carve it this year. I choose the first knife from my tools and get to work. This knife is for the big cuts, the basic design. It’s far too big for fine detail but it works to start the design. I’m careful with it, dragging the knife through the lines and curves of my design. I’d cut myself a few times when I first started carving pumpkins and I had no desire to repeat the experience. Sometimes, some of the sticky innards cause my knife to slip. Never bad enough to ruin the design because I carve slowly but it does make things interesting at times.

Once the basic design is finished, I choose a smaller knife and get to work on the finer details. Any loops or whorls are roughed in now. I start working in on the design, cutting out the pieces to create the final shape. This takes longer, and sometimes the knife slips, but I keep at it with steady hands. A grin pulls my lips back from my teeth in a pleased grin. The scent from the pumpkin is stronger now, still warm and musky. Maybe before I put the candle in, I’ll sprinkle some cinnamon inside it. That sweetens the smell.

After finishing with the details I can do with my second knife, I choose the smallest one I own. This knife is for the most fine and finicky of details. As I carve, my tongue pokes out between my teeth in concentration. I can’t mess up now, I’ve come to far. And getting another pumpkin as perfect as this one to be my canvas would be difficult. I put the finishing touches on my design and step back. It looks just as good as I’d hoped. I let out a satisfied sigh and start cleaning my knives. After putting them away, I start digging through my collection of candles.

I have so many different types and shapes of candles. Some pumpkins can be odd-shaped inside and each one needs a different type of candle. This pumpkin had plenty of room so I chose a fat, short candle. It would light the inside, providing a warm, golden light that would make my design pop out.

I tuck the candle into the pumpkin and haul it outside. All of my other decorations are up, having been put up during the few days I was searching for the perfect pumpkin. This piece was the last of my decorations, the crown jewel of my spooky design. I set it on my porch, moving it here and there and rearranging it. The placement had to be perfect to display my hard work.

As I finally found the right place for my soon-to-be jack-o-lantern, a few neighbors had gathered outside my fence. They waited, talking quietly with each other and pointing out decorations here and there. The conversation stilled as I pulled out the candle and checked the wick. It didn’t need trimming so everything was ready. I set it back inside the pumpkin, striking a match and lighting it.

My neighbors clapped as I stepped back and set my hands on my hips. I watched for a moment, making sure the candle would stay lit and that the light spilled out from the cuts in my design. It was perfect, just as I’d hoped it would be. Just as it had been for the last fifteen years. I joined my neighbors at the fence, smiling and thanking them for their compliments. It really was one of my best yet.

I just wish they’d call it a jack-o-lantern and not a carved corpse. I made a jack-o-lantern and it’s been the same thing every year for the past fifteen years.
I wrote this story for the Halloween writing contest at Sixpenceeestories.com. Enjoy and, as always, comments are :heart:
© 2016 - 2024 remanth
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HaganeSora's avatar
I didn't expect the twist at the end. I enjoyed it! :iconpumpkinlaplz: