Just for fun from Old Turtle …

Ablaze with color the pumpkin patch shimmered under the Full Hunter’s Moon. All the pumpkins, large and small were preparing for the great festival. The giant pumpkins were deep orange and spoke in deep squashy voices, while the middle sized pumpkins spoke in mellow, medium tones and the little pumpkins sang out in tiny chirpy bird tones. For their part in the festival they planned a great pumpkin chorus and they were busy practicing their parts. The neighborhood owls promised to fly over and join their hoots in time to the great oompah sounds of the Giants. It was to be the highlight of the celebration.

Faces were being carved, artistically, on the wonderful piles of orange produce filling the fields. The local crows sat on the fences and heckled the carvers. Bus loads of children and visitors kept arriving to select their Jack-O-Lanterns. It was exciting to watch the scene. The scarecrows were having a ball do-si-do-ing in the cornfield dancing around to keep the pesky crows out of the corn crop.

There were baskets of apples everywhere and the local kitchens were full of the delicious smells of apple and pumpkin pies and ginger bread men, cooling, waiting for hungry children to come and feast. Even barnyard animals were excited. They knew they’d be included in the feast so they stayed close to their food troughs anticipating Halloween treats.

There was a nip in the air as the giant pumpkin boomed in his big oompah voice, tuning up to lead the chorus. The Full Moon was just rising as he started to sing. Thirteen black cats came in to add their music. Slinking in to form a chorus line, tail to whiskers, they danced out onto the field with backs arched and hissing their approval of the catnip sandwiches the witches were serving along with the snips and snails and puppy dogs’ tails soup.

Out in the fog banks, beyond the breakers, the local ghosts were practicing their scariest looks and boos. After all, they had an eerie reputation to uphold. Spooking was a serious business.

So they shook their sheets and flew about practicing their three point landings, scaring the seals and making the pelicans fly in the sky. The gulls, less gullible continued hunting for leftovers, squawking loudly to scare away the other scavengers. The little fishing boats lined up at the pier and bobbed merrily in time to the music. The waves slapped gently against their sides with a rhythmic whoosh … whoosh … all adding to the music of the pumpkin’s chorus which was flowing out over the waves to the fog bank inspiring the ghosts to greater efforts in their spookiness.

The witches stirred the snips and snails with vigor adding more puppy dogs’ tails for flavor. The Moon climbed higher filling the area with a soft golden glow. The children in costumes, carrying their trick or treat bags, paraded around ringing door bells and filling their bags with goodies to be shared later at the witches broom ball. The music of the chorus filled the night air sending echoes into the mountains waking the local hooters who quickly joined in the fun with their flapping wings and hoot-hoo-hoos. The music was lovely and everyone was enjoying the rhythm, dancing and chanting and clapping hands, when suddenly a horrible screech penetrated the air ruining the lovely sounds of the night. Everyone stopped … they were listening to the irritating noise. The witches grabbed their brooms, the cats sharpened their nails and arched their backs higher. The scare crows lifted their hoes and the ghosts swept up their sheets, scarily, even the dogs started to howl and everyone stopped the music.

The great pumpkin, in his deepest oompah voice asked, "Who is that?"

The littlest pumpkin, in his little bird voice said, "I think I know."

Big Oompah said, "Speak up, who is it?"

Littlest Pumpkin asked, "Who mailed the invitations? Did they remember Ole Grandpa Screech Owl over in Piney Woods Hollow? It surely sounds like him, when he’s upset and he never likes to miss a party."

"Oh, Oh!" said Miss Pearly Pumpkin, Big Oompah’s secretary. "I completely forgot about him! What can we do to shut him up?"

Everyone was quiet. The screeching was louder and angrier as Ole Grandpa Screech Owl screamed at everyone. The dogs were still howling.

"Oh, " said Miss Pearly, "It’s all my fault, everything is ruined, he’ll never shut up!"

"I think I can help," said Little Hoot, the barn owl. "Let me try. I’ll need some pies, some gingerbread men, some soup and a big table with some nice, mice ice cream."

When everything was ready, they lit the candles on the table with the food. Little Hoot flew high in the sky until he was right beside screechy old grandpa. He told him about the meal and grandpa stopped his screeching and said, "Where’s the soup?"

With that he and Little Hoot flew down to his dinner. While everyone watched, he ate and ate and ate and when he finished the nice mice ice cream, he was much too full to screech.

So … the party resumed and everyone had a happy Halloween and Miss Pearly Pumpkin said, "Next year, I’ll invite him first."

The Great Pumpkin Chorus invites you to have fun on Halloween.

HO!

Old Turtle
For another Halloween story by Old Turtle, click here

Bunny and Old Turtle thank BlueMountain for the animated Halloween treats.

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