The Pumpkin Patch

The Pumpkin Patch - A Scary Story for Ella Mae on Her 8th Birthday

Many years ago, long before you were born, there was a man named Earl that lived right here in this area. Earl worked hard at the local factory to provide for his family. His wife had died when the kids were little, so Earl spent all his free time raising his kids all on his own. Once the kids were grown and gone, Earl decided that it was finally time to pursue his dream of having a little farm.

In the Spring, Earl tilled the land and planted his seeds. He worked the land every day when he got home from the factory. In Summer, he had a bumper crop of tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumber, peppers, and watermelons. He picked more than he could eat, so he canned them. He picked more than he could can or save, so he gave them to friends and neighbors.

As Summer moved to Fall, most of his plants started to fade and die out, but one part of his farm was just getting started. The Pumpkin Patch. Earl had loved pumpkins since he was a little boy. He could still remember the taste of the pumpkin pie that his mother used to make. He had gotten a little carried away in the planting and now there was a whole field of pumpkin vines sprawling this way and that. As the weather started to get cooler, pumpkins could be seen hidden among the leaves. Earl waited patiently as the pumpkins got bigger and began to change colors.

One morning, Earl put on his coat as he ran out of the door for work. As he drove his truck down his long dirt driveway, he slowed to a stop in front of his pumpkin patch. He thought to himself, “It’s finally time. When I get home today, I’ll pick my very first pumpkin of the season and carve it up.” He smiled at the thought and drove off to work.

But Earl didn’t come home that night. Or the next. Or ever again. That day at the factory, there was a tragic accident. It was nobody’s fault, but, by the end of the day, Earl was gone from this earth. That big pumpkin never got picked. None of them did. The whole patch rotted where it laid until snow covered the field that winter.

The death of their father brought all the kids home for the first time in a while. They had a service and buried him out in the field that he loved. After putting their father to rest, the kids went back to their busy lives and the farm sat empty. Every fall, the pumpkin patch would grow up again from seed from the previous season.

After a few years had passed, the kids finally sold the old homeplace to a nice young family that was new to the area. The new owners weren’t really gardeners, but they couldn’t help but notice all the pumpkins that started coming up in the old patch. They watched as vines grew up from the soil and eventually started hiding little pumpkins under their leaves.

One cool morning that fall, the family was driving down the long dirt driveway in their van. The parents were taking the kids to school before heading into work. As they passed by the pumpkin patch, the boy said, “Look at that big pumpkin!” The whole family looked out the window. “Can I pick it?” asked the boy.

“Not right now,” said the dad. “We’re already running late.” The boy looked down in disappointment. The dad continued, “But you’re right, son. That pumpkin does finally look ready to pick. Let’s pick it tonight when we get home.”

The day ran long between work and school and sports practice. A little after twilight, the family pulled down their dirt driveway tired from their long day. As they pulled past the pumpkin patch, the little boy yelled out, “Dad, the big pumpkin!”

“Oh, son,” he said. “It’s too late. It’s already dark outside.”

“But you promised,” the boy said. “It’ll only take a minute.”

His mom looked over at the dad, “You did promise.”

“Please,” said his sister.

“Okay, okay,” said the dad. “But we don’t even have a flashlight. You won’t even be able to see it.”

“That’s okay. I know where it is,” said the boy.

The dad stopped the van and put it in park. “Alright, let’s go.”

The family got out and started to walk over to the patch. They couldn’t hardly see a thing at this time of night. The boy led the way through the field with the vines and pumpkin leaves up to his knees.

“Are you sure it was that far in the field?” asked his mother.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m getting close.” The boy started to feel around on the ground for where he thought the big pumpkin should be. “Where is it? It should be right here.”

“I think you’re in the wrong spot,” his sister said.

“No, no, I’m sure this is it,” the boy said.

“Honey, why don’t you go turn the van around this way and shine the headlights into the field?” asked the mother.

“Oh, good idea,” replied the dad as he turned and started walking back to the van.

The mother and the boy and the girl gathered around the spot where they thought it should be. They heard dad turn on the engine of the van and back it up before moving the headlights in their direction. The lights were almost blinding, so they had to look down at the ground. When they looked down, they saw a big round bare spot in the dirt and a broken stem near it that was freshly dripping.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” said the boy. “It should be right here.”

“Do you think an animal could have taken it?” asked the girl.

“I don’t know, honey,” said the mom. “I’m not sure any animal could haul away a pumpkin that big.”

They all sat puzzled. “Well, it’s getting late,” said the mom. “Let’s go. We can come back and take another look in the daytime.”

The girl and the mother started to walk back, but the boy kept feeling and looking around in the dirt.

“A pumpkin just can’t roll away on its own,” he whispered.

He started to crawl on the ground on his hands and knees moving away from the van. Then, he stopped suddenly as his hand landed on a bloody work boot. As he slowly looked up, the boy saw his big pumpkin in two rough hands. It was being carried by an old man in work clothes that were covered in dirt and blood. The work shirt had a name stitched on it: “Earl”. The boy was frozen in fear.

The old man looked down at him and spoke, “The first big pumpkin of the year belongs to me. You can have all the rest, but never pick the first big pumpkin.”

The boy could do nothing or say nothing, but just silently nod. The van horn honked and his dad called out, “Come on, son. Let’s go or we’re leaving you out here.” The van inched forward a few feet.

“You better go, son…” the old man said as he began to turn and walk away. He stopped and looked back at the boy, “…unless you want to spend the night out here with me.” The man began to laugh as the boy ran as fast as he could back through the pumpkin field even losing one shoe before jumping into the van and closing the door.

“We’ll come back in the morning to look for your big pumpkin, son,” said the dad. The boy didn’t answer. He just sat in his seat as white as a sheet staring out the window. The dad tried to cheer him up, “It’s okay, son. I think that I may have saw an even bigger one growing out there.” The boy said nothing. His dad continued, “You know, thanks to old Earl, there’s always plenty of pumpkins to be picked here at Rocky Top Farm.”