Timothy and the pumpkin - a short childen's tale for Hallow's End.

by **Darilas** Fri Oct 18, 2013 1:29 pm

"It was a dark, windy night and everyone who was in their right mind stayed inside by the fire. Little Timothy mcDuff was sleeping soundly in his warm and cosy cod, when suddenly he started, wide awake for no apparent reason. He looked around the room and his gaze fel upon the pumpkin head filled with candy he had gotten for Hallow's End. He smiled, but suddenly, the object didn't look nice to him anymore. It grinned most evilly."
"The eyes were glowing. Smoke came from the holes in the pumpkin. Timothy screamed 'Fire!Fire!' And his parents ran in, alarmed. 'What's going on?!' His mother demanded. But when Timothy pointed at the pumpkin, it had gone back to normal. Mister McDuff took the pumpkin away out of Timothy's room, and his mother comforted him, assuring him it had all just been a bad dream. And soon, Timothy fell asleep again. Only to be woken by the sound of hollow, evil laughter..."
Timothy was too afraid to move, or make a sound. His heart was beating loudly, too loudly. Whatever was out there surely was after him. He tried to hide under his blankets, and after what felt like hours, he finally fell asleep when daylight was dawning. He woke again to the sound of birds. The house was quiet. Worried, Timothy went looking for his parents. He finally found them, out in the cornfield, burned to death. The pumpkin was sitting next to them, unscathed and friendly like the day before.'
"Timothy was taken to an orphanage, the pumpkin destroyed. A year went by and nothing disturbed little Timothy in his sleep. Except his own pondering about what had happened. How did mom and dad end up in the cornfield? How come they got burned and nothing else? He cried about them when nobody could see him. The other kids would tease him if they knew. Sometimes, Timothy had nightmares. He would wake up screaming, but he never remembered his dreams. The other kids teased him about screaming 'fire! fire!' in his sleep and sometimes one would make the sound of a crackling fire just to startle him. But the matrons were strict, and it soon died out. When autumn came again and the nights once again got windy and chilly, Timothy started to feel more and more apprehensive of a terrible horror, lurking around the corner."
"The matrons had placed a traditional large pumpkin in the main hall of the orphanage to celebrate the autumn feasts of Hallow's End. Timothy, of course, had protested against this, but had been punished for speaking up. So he would lie awake in his sleep each night, terrified of the pumpkin down in the hall. For the first two nights, nothing happened and Timothy started to believe the pumpkin was harmless. But on the third night, he was so tired he fell asleep and at the bell of midnight, was awaken by the hollow sound of hoofs outside the orphanage window. Suddenly, the sleeping halls were alight with the blaze of a scathing fire, and all the orphans were screaming in panic."
"Timothy jumped out of bed, hollering: 'Destroy the pumpkin! Destroy the pumpkin!' But nobody could hear him over the panicked screams of the other orphans. It was all the poor children could do to jump out of the windows in the hopes to safe themselves. Outside, they watched how the large building burned down to ashes. Not one of the matrons made it out alive."
"Little Timothy grew up, and when he got older, he came to understand that it was the Shade of the Horseman who haunted him at night. He made sure not to sleep in houses he shared with others during Hallow's End, and never got himself a pumpkin anymore. One day, when he was old enough, he decided to seek out the Headless horseman and destroy him so he could live without the fear of fire. He heard tales of attacks on a nearby village, so he took his sword and shield, and went on his way. When he was all alone traveling over the road to the village, the air suddenly darkened, and he thought he could smell smoke. Behind him, he heard the distinct sound of a hunting horn. It was only then, that Timothy realised he was travelling through a pumpkin field."
"Timothy started to run for his life, but all around him, pumpkins came to life and sprouted flames. Behind him, he heard that chilly, hollow laugh again, and the sound of hoofs, and a hunting horn nearing in on him. When he looked over his shoulder, Timothy saw the grey shape of the Horseman galloping towards him, hollering one of his horrible rhymes: "Thou fled me twice, three times' a charm, My vengeful blade, like flames it'll burn!" Timothy tried to fight the horseman off, but he was closed in by his blazing helpers and the flames soon reached his ankles. Suffocating in the dense smoke, poor Timothy fell down to the ground. All went black. The next morning, he was found by the farmer. The body of the warrior was completely charred, but the field itself unharmed."

by **Charlie Blazesong** Thu Oct 24, 2013 1:12 pm

This gave me the chills. A very nice read indeed. I loved it, I don't read many stories on the forums but today was different. Would recommend this to anyone that reads stuff.

Timothy and the pumpkin - a short childen's tale for Hallow's End.

Timothy and the pumpkin - a short childen's tale for Hallow's End.

Re: Timothy and the pumpkin - a short childen's tale for Hallow's End.