THE PUMPKIN EATERS
 

                                                                            by
                                                                        claudia
 

 

 Mark ran down stairs Halloween morning humming a happy tune because this was
the day he would carve his big pumpkin.  Halloween on a Saturday was great because
there was no school and he could spend the whole day getting ready for Trick-or-Treat.
He ran in the kitchen and looked on the long counter where he had put the big
pumpkin the night before along with his carving tools and newspapers to catch the mess.

The pumpkin was gone.  He looked in the laundry room, maybe his mom had moved it.
Not there.  He looked on the back porch, the front porch, the living room, no pumpkin.
His dog Moot, followed him around as if asking, "what in the world are you doing running
around so fast on a Saturday morning".

Suddenly he heard a yell from upstairs and went running.  His sister Jill was
coming out of her room, her hair all messy and her feet bare.

"Okay you big turkey," she yelled at him.  "What did you do with my pumpkin?"

"Your pumpkin?" he yelled back.  "What did you do with my pumpkin?  I saved
for weeks to buy such a big one."

"I had my little pumpkin on my dresser and now it's gone.  You must have sneaked
in my room while I was sleeping and stole it," Jill said.

"I did not," Mark answered.

"Then where is it?"

"I don't know."

Jill grew quiet and a serious look came over her face.  "We must have been robbed
in the night," she whispered.

Mark laughed.  "What crook is dumb enough to break in the house and steal only
two pumpkins.  We've got lots better stuff to take.  Besides, Moot would have barked his
head off if anybody came in."

"Then where are the pumpkins?" she asked sensibly.

Mark shrugged.  "Go get dressed and we'll go outside and see if we can find any
clues."

"Okay," Jill answered and went in her room.

Mark went down stairs and into the kitchen.  He looked sadly at the newspapers
with the carving tools sitting neatly on top.  Who ever it was hadn't wanted any carving
tools, he thought.  He poured himself a glass of juice and looked out the kitchen window.
He saw his mother kneeling in the garden planting bulbs.  She was up early today to get
the gardening done.  Maybe she had seen something.

He waited impatiently for Jill and when she arrived he handed he a glass of juice
and told her to hurry up and drink it so they could go outside and investigate.  Jill gulped
down the juice and wiped her mouth.

"Let's go," she said.

Jill and Mark walked out into the chill air and over to where their mother was
working.  Gold and red crisp leaves littered the yard and Mark hoped she wouldn't remind
him it was raking time.  Not right now.

"Kids," their mother said.  "You're up early.  Isn't it a beautiful day?  And it's
Halloween too."

"Mom," Mark began.  "Did you see my big pumpkin anywhere?  Did you move it
or something?"

Mom looked puzzled.  "No, of course not, I know you were planning on carving it
this morning.  Is there something the matter?"

"It's gone," Mark said.  "I can't find it anywhere."

"Mine too," Jill added.  "It disappeared from my dresser in the night."

"That's really strange," Mom said.  "Are you sure you didn't put them somewhere
else?"

"No, we're sure somebody stole them and we're going to find out who," Mark said.

"Oh my," Mom said.  "Be careful."

Mark and Jill walked down the driveway and looked down both sides of the street.

"I don't see anything different," Jill said.  "Do you?"

"No, but I don't think the pumpkin crooks are going to leave us a trail,"Mark
answered.

"Look," Jill cried.  "There's Becky, let's see if  she has any ideas."

Mark looked down the road toward Becky's house.  She was just walking out her
front door and looking around as if  she were searching for something.

"Becky," Jill yelled.

Becky looked up and ran towards Jill and Mark.  Before they had a chance to
speak Becky cried, "Somebody stole my pumpkin."

Jill and Mark looked at one another.  There was definitely a pumpkin crook lurking
around the neighborhood.  "Ours too," Mark said.  "Disappeared in the night."

"My goodness," Becky said.  "Who do you suppose could be doing such a thing?"

"We don't know but we're going to find out," Jill answered.

The three children walked slowly down Mayfair Street looking in one yard after
another for signs of pumpkins.  None were there.  At the end of the street sat Golden Park
where the kids could play on the swings and climb trees and have picnics.  The leaves had
turned golden and red and the sun shone brightly on the wide path leading into the path.

"Let's check out the park," Mark said.

The girls followed Mark down the path into the trees.  The fallen leaves crunched
under their feet.  Suddenly Mark held out his arm and stopped walking.  "I hear
something," he said.

"What?" Jill whispered.

"I don't know but it sounds funny, kind of like squeaking or something."

Jill and Becky listened.  "I hear it too," Jill said.  Becky just nodded.

"Let's be quiet and sneak up on who ever it is," Mark said.

The children walked quietly to the edge of the trees and looked toward the swings.
Sitting on one of the swings was a strange looking little kid.  In back of him pushing with
all his might was another strange looking kid.

"Who are they?" Jill whispered.

"I don't know," Mark replied.  "But look what's in back of the swing set where
they're playing."

The girls looked and saw what looked to be the remains of orange pumpkins.
Hunks of stringy pulp and piles of seeds were littered on the ground.

Mark grew angry and charged ahead to the swing set.  The girls followed.  They
stopped short once they saw the two kids up close.  They weren't kids, they weren't
anything like Mark or the girls had ever seen before.  They had big orange heads and small
bodies with thin arms and legs.  Their eyes were big and black and where the nose should
have been there was a big empty hole.

The strange creature sitting on the swing jumped off and ran to his companion
making funny squeaking noises.  They looked frightened.  Mark approached carefully.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The two creatures looked at each other.  They fiddled with something attached to
the belts they wore around their waists.   From out of their crooked mouths came words
the children could understand.

"I am Crula.  This is my friend Ding.  We come from far away in your sky, another
planet called Xwubhy.  The closest translation in your language would be.....Pumpkin."

"My goodness," Becky said.

"Wow," Jill said.

"Are you the ones who stole all our pumpkins?" Mark asked feeling silly because
he was sure he all ready knew the answer.

Crula and Ding hung their heads for a moment as if in shame.  "Yes we did," they
said together.  "But it was for a good reason."

"Oh," Mark replied.

"Our ship was running out of fuel and we landed here to find more.  The only thing
we could find that was closest to our needs were pumpkins.  When the wonderful
pumpkin fruit that grows here on your world is squashed and whirled in our machines it
serves as fuel for our ship.  Without it we would never be able to go home."

"I understand," Mark said.  "Have you found enough pumpkins to make your
fuel?"

"Oh yes, the machines are squashing and whirling right now.  We should be able to
leave in a few moments," Crula answered.

"Could we see your spaceship?" Jill asked.

Ding shook his head.  "We have made it invisible so no one would see it and report
us to your authorities.  We were afraid."

"I'm glad you were able to find something to make your ship go.  You must be far
away from home," Becky said.

"Yes," Crula answered.  "Very far and we are lonesome for our orange world.

Your world is beautiful with all its colors and sights but we want to go home."

The children watched as Crula and Ding walked away in the directions of the
woods.  They turned and waved their thin arms in good bye.  The children waved back.
Soon they heard the rumble of an engine and looked to the sky even though they knew
they wouldn't be able to see the invisible ship.

"That was certainly something," Jill said.

"It was," Becky agreed.

"This will be a Halloween we'll never forget," Mark said.  "I'm glad our pumpkins
helped Crula and Ding get home.  We can always get more pumpkins but I don't think
we'll ever meet space travelers again."
 
 

                                                         the end