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Halloween Writting Contest Entry

The following story was submitted as an entry in The Wanderer's third annual Halloween Writing Contest.

"The Pumpkin Glasses" by Emma Higgins

Jane and Jack were excited, very excited! They were going to the Halloween Hollow Pumpkin Farm. They were walking down the street, Jane screamed! Right there in front of her was the biggest tarantula they had ever seen. Jack looked around; he spotted Billy the Bully giggling. He was hiding a stick and the rubber spider dangled in front of them. "That wasn't very nice," said six-year-old Jane to eight-year-old Billy. Billy replied, "That was the point." Jack had, had enough! He started to roll up his sleeves, he was 10 after all and Billy had pushed too many times. Billy's face was frightened now and he ran away as fast as he could.

Jane and Jack continued along the way and finally reached the farm. They strolled through the entire pumpkin patch. Too small, too tall, too brown, too scary, too hairy, too squished and too squashed. "There is no perfect pumpkin," said Jane, "Can we go to the gift shop?" Jack shrugged okay to his sister and they went inside. "Jack, look!" exclaimed Jane, "Pumpkin glasses! Can we pleeease, please get them?" There were only two left. "Okay, Okay," said Jack handing the man the money.

"Watch out," said the salesman, "these glasses let you see HALLOWEEN LEGENDS."Take this manual," he said. "It will help you." Jane said, "Thank you," as they left. The manual said that the glasses will allow you to see things that no one else can, such as: The Headless Horseman, the ghost train, spirits re-entering, endless ghosts' spirits, and the list continued.

They began their walk back home for dinner. This time it was Jack who screamed, but it wasn't Billy this time - he had gone home. "GHOST TRAIN!" he shouted. Behind them a pale, white train headed toward them at full speed. A ghost conductor sat at the head of the train. They started to run, Jane fell behind. Just then the ghost train went right through her. She laughed and laughed, it tickled her bones. Jack ran towards the train so he could see what it felt like to be inside it. He couldn't breathe in it, he eventually fell, his glasses fell off and the train vanished. Jane stood waving. "What are you waving at?" he asked. She said, "the ghost train; don't you see it?" Jack put his glasses back on. "I do now," he laughed. "Come on, we will be late for dinner," she cried as she got a head-start towards home.

After dinner, the two children sat on the front porch sad with defeat. "We never found the perfect pumpkin," said Jane sadly. Just then, Jack looked up and said, "Jane put your glasses on!" She saw it too; it was raining pumpkins right in front of them. Jack said, "Quick! Grab one!," and they both did at the same exact time. Soon all the other pumpkins vanished.

"Let's make sure these two are for real," suggested Jane. So both Jack and Jane removed their glasses, and yes they were not only real but perfect pumpkins. "We can carve them at the party tomorrow morning."

So the next day when they were walking to the party with their pumpkin glasses on, they saw right in front of them the Headless Horseman, and spirits rising from the graveyard. They raced to the party as did the spirits of heroes and heroines of the past including Clara Barton, Dr. Seuss, Thomas Jefferson and many more.

This story is dedicated to my Daddy on his Birthday.

Happy Birthday, Love you, Emma