Pumpkin[HWC2013]

He sat in the woods, watching the road from the cover of the tangled branches, listening intently. An old streetlight barely lit up the area where the wagon would pass in front of him, turning left and slowly making its way uphill and then back down to the festival. It was his favorite time of the year. Autumn !
It was "Fall Festival" time, with multi-colored leaves falling everywhere. With cider and donuts aplenty. And apple-bobbing, and costume contests for the younger ones. And for the older crowd, a traditional yet always romantic hayride. A long trailer stacked with bales of hay, pulled by a quiet, old John Deere tractor. And it was the hayride's approach that now kept him in the shadows.
(He thought to himself . . . SHE BETTER NOT BE ON THERE ! )

But she was. And of course she wasn't alone. As the wagon/trailer made its way towards him he could see that she was with . . another! A guy he'd never seen before ! And they were kissing ! And he was putting his hands all over her ! And she was letting him, and laughing !
(He thought to himself . . . NOW SHE HAS TO DIE ! )

He watched as the hayride made its way out of sight, finally running out at the last minute to do what ?
Holler ? Scream ? Get mad ? He didn't know. The branches had cut his face as he tore out into the road, and he stood there now silently, feeling the blood drip onto the front of his shirt, dampening and dis-coloring at the same time, yet feeling . . . necessary. (Yep, she was a goner as far as he was concerned).

So when they had the big Halloween bash two days later he was ready.

She was dressed as a gypsy, he as a cowboy. And although she randomly kissed him on the cheek from time to time, and nestled up close to him, he could tell by watching her eyes that it was all for show and nothing else. She had lied about the hayride and she was lying now ! But he ignored the signs and took as much pleasure in the nearness of her as he could. He loved her with a passion, that was a fact. It was just too bad she didn't love him. Oh, she said she did. She said a lot of things. But he knew now that it was all make-believe to her. A game.
(He thought to himself . . . so let's play. Game on! )

And when it came time to sacrificially burn the "Great Pumpkin" he smiled and stepped back into the crowd. It was a huge, 6-foot high pumpkin, about 4-feet in diameter. It was always burnt after the last slow dance of the night on Halloween, as a symbol of defiance against evil Jack-o-Lanterns and ghostly spirits.
Ha . . this year it would be different, wouldn't it ? He'd snuck up on her and hit her over the head and tied her hands together and stuffed her in the pumpkin earlier, when nobody was around, and now he just watched as strange-clad party-goers began to light the fire.
(He thought to himself . . . "Talk about your pumpkin recipes!" )

(He thought to himself . . ."Peter,Peter, Pumpkin-Eater ")

As the fire caught, screams came from inside the pumpkin, blood-curdling screams! He smiled .

And then the gypsy was beside him again, holding his arm tightly. And she was screaming too ! Screaming for someone to put the fire out ! And she was crying ! God she was pretty when she cried.
"I thought it was part of the show" she yelled at him. "But those screams . . are too real!"

He broke his stunned silence and asked "Where have you been?" "What the . . .?"

Gripping his arm even harder, she replied,"I was out looking for your sister, she's dressed like a gypsy just like me, have you seen her ?"