Pumpkins

By Top Writers Block

Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes. You'll be surprised just what shape they take in this collection. Sci-fi, mystery, fantasy, comedy and even modern romance have their say in 'Pumpkins!'
Writers from around the world have contributed to this sometimes scary, sometimes amusing collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Top Writers Block
• Release date: Dec 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310919015

Top Writers Block

Top Writers Block is a diverse and eclectic group of talented writers who decided to write stories together - just for the fun of it! Our collections are usually written with one theme or genre in mind. Each author contributes when they have the time, so some of the collections have as many as twelve authors participating. Every collection has something new, with stories and poems ranging from romance, drama, and adventure to mystery, fantasy, and horror.

Book preview

Collection of Short Stories

by

Top Writers Block

based on the theme

'Pumpkins'

Copyright©November 2013 Top Writers Block

Published by Top Writers Block at Smashwords

ISBN: 9781310919015

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

http://suzystewartdubotbooks.weebly.com

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Credits

Book cover photo : Elizabeth Rowan Keith

Book cover design : Suzy Stewart Dubot

Table of Contents

Fair Play or Foul? by Suzy Stewart Dubot

The Halloween Man’s Omnibus by Melissa A. Szydlek

My Little Pumpkin Likes Water by John Muir

Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth Rowan Keith

Pumpkins by Don Bick

The Pumpkin Carvers by David H. Keith

Goodbye Miss October by Anna Scott Graham

Q-bits by Barnaby Wilde

Fair Play or Foul?

by

Suzy Stewart Dubot

An Anglo/American, who has spent most of her life in France, she now finds herself back in London, England for a short period. She took up writing seriously after a poorly written Regency novel convinced her that she could do better. She has been trying to prove that she was right ever since. A vegetarian and supporter of animal rights, she is an admirer of William Wilberforce, an English abolitionist.

Copyright©2013 Suzy Stewart Dubot

1960, USA

The Harvest Festival was the highlight of the year for the farming town of Hampton, where most of its citizens prided themselves on being vegetarians.

Of course Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas had their places within each family home but the Harvest Festival drew everyone out into a celebratory, community get-together.

It was the full Harvest Moon that determined the date for the celebrations; sometimes in September, sometimes in October. In bygone days, before modern machinery, its bright light allowed harvesting after sunset, explaining its name.

The weekend nearest to the Harvest Moon was automatically set aside for the town's Harvest Festival Fair. It was the moment of the year where bragging was at its best and was even expected when someone earned the first prize of a blue ribbon. The check accompanying it was secondary.

There were contests for just about anything.

Outdoor performances would test who could lift the heaviest crate, who could reduce a tree to firewood in the fastest time or who could dig the deepest hole in ten minutes.

Indoor activities for the Best in each category included quilts, cakes, pies, bottles of preserves, pictures made from harvest seeds etc., while the contest for the Biggest or Weirdest vegetable drew just as many entries and hopeful contenders.

The tent with the quilts was always a great favorite with tourists.

The 'Hampton Hand-Stitched Quilts Exhibition' had gained a reputation through the years as being on a par with the 'Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta,' so was covered by the media with hundreds of photos being taken, some of which ended up in glossy magazines. Everyone agreed that there was really no other aspirant who could to match either event.

Another tent was put aside for different categories of vegetables. Of course, the largest cucumber, carrot, potato or pumpkin were just a few that competed. Any exceptionally large garden produce was accepted.

The section with the strangest looking vegetable was also sure to attract a lot of attention, especially if it looked like Jesus or male genitalia.

Winners or losers all took the contests in their stride and with good humor because if one didn't win this year, there was always next year to look forward to. A good lot of socializing and fun made up for any minor disappointments.

There was no doubt, however, that the high point to the festival, the one that attracted the crowds on Sunday afternoon, was the cake and pie tasting event. No one wanted to miss that! Once the winners were declared, anything that was left over would be divvied up and served to the public free of charge. The fact it was a serious contest guaranteed the products would be of the highest quality. It also guaranteed each winner the satisfaction of having so many people there to witness their triumph.

The Hampton Women's Guild had supplied the majority of baking champions thus far. In fact, it had been many years, longer than one could remember, since someone from outside the guild had won a blue ribbon. The judging was done as fairly as possible as each entry remained anonymous, simply labelled with a number and description (as though there could be any doubt what the product was).

Mrs. Vernon Nungester had won last year's cake baking blue ribbon for her angel food cake, which had been acclaimed 'heavenly' by the head judge, causing a lot of people to cringe with the cliché.

Mrs. Alan Andersen had won the blue ribbon for her luscious pecan pie and was duly complimented, amid spectators' groans, by the judge saying he'd 'gone nuts for it.'

The judge's lame humor was all part of the fair's tradition.

Mrs. Albert MacFarlane's arrival in Hampton had heralded her intention of competing in their festival. There was no other reason, the Hamptoners figured. She had a reputation for winning the pie contest wherever she went. Pumpkin pies were her specialty and her recipe had been honed to perfection over the years.

One of the strict rules for entering a community competition was that one had to have lived in the area for at least one year. Mrs. MacFarlane was a widow with no family attachments to keep her anchored to one place and so, because dates fluctuated between September and October for Harvest Festivals, she was able to move on to another town at the end of a festival with the intention of competing in the following year's fair. It meant yet another cup, ribbon, and pecuniary recompense as well as the illustriousness of winning.

The Women's Guild had spent an afternoon discussing tactics as they really didn't want an outsider to steal the limelight by winning first prize. They knew that Mrs. MacFarlane was perfectly capable from her reputation alone.

There had been feeble suggestions of bribing the judge, of sabotaging her pie (there were ways of determining which one was hers) and of even bribing her not to participate.

Each one of the women had been tempted, but in the end, the morality of the Guild wouldn't allow cheating of any kind.

It is quite possible that knowing that Mrs. MacFarlane was in Hampton had drawn even more visitors than usual. It was obvious she would be a blue ribbon contender, forcing standards to their summit.

The largest tent, devoted to the pies, cookies and cakes, accommodated bleachers for the various supporters as well as the inquisitive. The rows of tables, adorned with the already sampled desserts, were center court and highlighted with spot lights. There was a small table on the sidelines stocked with all the paper plates, napkins and plastic cutlery needed to use for the handouts after the prize-giving was over and people were ushered out.

The whole tent was soon vibrating with anticipation. The local press was naturally present but there were also other newspapers’ representatives who had made the effort to come because of the excellence of the entries.

Years of showmanship had the judges drawing out the suspense by announcing the runners-up first. The applause for each person receiving a ribbon and a check was encouraging and flattering.

Unable to linger longer over naming the first place winners, the head judge began by naming the blue ribbon cookie-baker.

Everyone applauded enthusiastically but stopped more abruptly than was their habit, no doubt wanting to move on.

The cake champion was indeed just that as Mrs. Vernon Nungester once again took first place with her angel food cake. If the look of it was anything to go by, it was a given, and few were surprised by the choice. It looked as though it had been swathed in white clouds on its way to its annual heaven.

The applause was worthy of Mrs. Nungester's exquisite culinary talent. Cameras flashed as she was presented her due.

Suddenly, there was complete and utter silence in the tent as everyone waited for the last winner to be announced. There was no need to whisper. It was either going to be Mrs. MacFarlane or it wasn't. There was certainly an amazing variety of pies in the competition so perhaps she wouldn't carry off the prize after all. The number of superb works of gastronomic art certainly reduced her chances, but nothing would be certain until the final triumphant contestant was named.

The judge began by saying how very difficult it had been to decide - the usual spiel to let the losers down gently.

No longer able to drag his feet, he cleared his throat and said,

The winner for her pumpkin pie is Mrs MacFarlane!

Everyone knew just where she was seated and turned to her as cameras flashed for about five minutes. She was spotlighted by the T.V. film crew's camera as she went forward to receive yet another accolade. Everyone was talking and discussing their views on an outsider winning. She would be in tomorrow's paper alongside the other first place winners but it would be her interview that would appear in the columns.

She naturally refused to give away all the ingredients and the quantities used in the pie but in the bright lights of the press, she did reveal, for the first time, that her secret was that she always grew her own pumpkins. It stood to reason that if the pumpkins were flavorful before she began her pie, she stood a better chance of winning.

All those fortunate enough to have a piece of her pie (never had a pie been divided into so many pieces!) swore that they had never tasted anything to compare. There was an indescribable quality that had them talking and guessing for a good few days after the Hampton Harvest Festival Fair was over. Mrs. MacFarlane had already moved on to unknown parts in preparation of the next pumpkin pie contest.

Andy, the rooky newspaper lad, who was from farming stock himself, was intrigued.