Porch Pumpkin
written by: Phyllis Souza
Jack comes to life on Halloween—a round, orange pumpkin. His hollow eyes can see, his triangular nose can breathe, and his open mouth smiles, showing two upper teeth and one lower tooth.
From a porch covered in spider-webs, Jack surveys the landscape.
With no insides—just an unlit candlestick where his heart should be—he watches quietly, taking in his surroundings.
Meanwhile, just outside the porch, Max the cat paces back and forth, trying to decide whether Jack is an animal or just another Halloween pumpkin. He hisses, and his ears perk up.
Jack watches Max anxiously, a sense of helplessness radiating from him. He needs to act—chase the cat. How can he do this? After all, he is a pumpkin.
Max is going crazy. He’s chasing his tail in circles. He rolls on the ground, jumps into the air, and lands on the porch. The cat must—must—catch Jack—tease him, roll him around.
Suddenly, lightning strikes, igniting the candle inside the hollow pumpkin. Jack screams, thinking, I’m going to burn. But he doesn’t. Instead, he begins to glow.
And so, Max needs to be smart, think carefully, and study this, Jack, who now becomes a kind of lantern.
As night deepens, Halloween isn’t over yet, and Jack’s candle still burns. Jack’s fear hides behind his carved mouth.
Max brushes moon dust off the porch with a belly sweep as he heads toward Jack. His focus stays steady — in slow motion, he moves closer to Jack. Wack!
The flickering flame goes out. Now what?
Jack cracks. He’s falling apart.
Max walks away.
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