Once upon a time, in the flickering candlelight of All Hallow’s Eve, sweet young Martha discovered a peculiar looking pumpkin. She decided to carve it and make it the centerpiece of her Halloween decorations.
Martha diligently scraped out the pumpkin’s eerie guts and began to etch a chilling face onto the surface. Suddenly, she felt a shiver, as if an icy wind had kissed her spine. She froze, glanced around, but saw nothing unusual.
Undeterred, Martha continued her task. With the face carved, she placed a candle inside, casting a spooky glow onto walls. She smiled, quite pleased with her creation.
Hours later, as trick-or-treaters were out in full force, Martha heard a strange noise. The candle inside her pumpkin began to flicker wildly. Squinting at the pumpkin, she saw her carving come to life, its hollow eyes staring maliciously back at her.
Martha swallowed hard, gathering every bit of courage to fight this fierce oddity. She lunged forward and blew out the flame. As the smoke dissipated, she saw to her relief that her pumpkin was just a pumpkin.
But down on the table, where the pumpkin previously sat, lay a tiny slip of a paper. It read, “See you next Halloween!”
“Oh gosh!” Martha gasped, “Looks like I’ll switch to fake pumpkins next year!” She chortled, her fear turning into a giddy thrill. After all, what’s Halloween without a little bit of fright?