Nina and the Pumpkin Man

     There was a point where Neovia went from being quaint and charming to downright creepy. For the Faerie Xweetok, that had been somewhere between seeing a Plushie pet with her head sewn on the wrong way around, and a passing Zombie Aisha’s eye falling out of his head and straight into her soup.

     (There had been apologies on all sides, but Nina didn’t think she could taste tomatoes without thinking about steaming eyeballs ever again.)

     And now this angelpuss. Were those beady little eyes supposed to be cute? Well, compared to the depressing miniature paintings around it, she supposed they were. And Nina did want a souvenir.

     She reached out.

     The angelpuss hissed.

     Nina shrieked, and the angelpuss skittered down the shelf, kicking up little puffs of dust and snarling at her over its shoulder all the way. At the end of the line, it stopped and shoved an unmoving porcelain faerie to her untimely, shattering death. Then it bared its teeth threateningly at her.

     “Faerie pets,” someone tutted behind her. “So faint of heart.”

     She whirled around with a paw over her heaving chest, to find the shopkeeper, a Spotted Kacheek, looking at her disapprovingly. The dark patch of fur over the Kacheek’s eye was unusual— elongated and bent, the tapering ends making it almost crescent-shaped. It was strikingly unique against her very classical Neovian dress, and her greying hair was pulled back in a severe bun.

     “I’m not faint of heart!” Nina protested, even as she felt said heart thudding in her chest. “I was just surprised.”

     The shopkeeper squinted at her as she pushed past and grabbed the still-hissing angelpuss to toss it in a drawer. Nina noticed that the miniature paintings were moving now, too. They were laughing at her.

     “Don’t you have any normal souvenirs?” she asked, annoyed.

     The shopkeeper looked her up and down for a second, squint deepening— making the patch look even more moon-shaped— before pulling a book from one of the shelves. She all but shoved it into Nina’s hands.

     “Perhaps you will be the one to read this,” she muttered, and headed back to her counter in a shuffle of skirts; without waiting for an answer.

     Nina watched her go, mouth pursed. What a weird way to make a recommendation. She looked down at the dusty book in her hands. Despite a splendidly gilded cover, it looked fairly worn; its pages were well and truly browned.

     “A Night with The Pumpkin Man,” Nina mumbled, looking at the embossed title. “Some kind of faerie tale?”

     She flipped the book open. The first page repeated the title, then below it, in a smaller type: “A Youthful Adventure on All Hallow’s Eve.” A black-ink illustration of an unidentifiable pet with a pumpkin for a head was under it. The carved eyes were rendered as dense, scratched black lines. Its jagged mouth was cut into a wide grin.

     Nina swallowed, eyes lingering on the drawing. It was more unsettling than that angelpuss— she had half a mind to put it back on the shelf. But she was curious now.

     She turned the page.

     Now there was a little Kacheek, dressed in Neovian attire, complete with suspenders and a newsboy hat. He had the fluffiest tail and was barefoot, standing in a moonlit field of white flowers. Nina marveled at the illustration; at how the black ink gave the impression of a hazy glow, reflecting off of the petals.

     In a town far, far away, there is a field of flowers. No one knows who tends to it, or how it came to be, but strange things do happen there, on All Hallows Eve.

     On the next page, a figure appeared behind the Kacheek. Nina held her breath. She didn't know why it made her as nervous as it did, it was just an illustration… but there was something ominous about the taller figure— it was too shadowed to make out fully, but it seemed to be the pumpkin-headed pet from the title page.

     “Little one, there is a line between bravery and foolishness, and I fear you have crossed it.”

     “One of courage, no one would say that of me. Pray tell, are you the Pumpkin Man? The one who grants wishes, are you he? I need medicine for my beloved sister, all of three. For her, I must be brave.”

     Nina turned the page. The figure was clearer now, and it indeed was the pumpkin-headed pet. He was dressed in a suit that had obviously once been very smart, but was now in tatters. She still couldn’t tell what species he was.

     “Is it truly a wish, if there is always a price to pay? If what I give is only that which is needed, not any old thing you say?”

     “Pumpkin Man, I do fear your price will be too dear, but I cannot wait another year. The medicine is indeed needed. Tell me, what is the cost?”

     “The field of flowers is very lonely, and I do get tired of being the only. My price, little one, is time spent in my company. We shall play a game of my choosing. Let us hope you will not be losing!”

     The next picture showed the little Kacheek beaming at the Pumpkin Man.

     “I have to return when the moon begins to set, for my sister needs me there, but a short spell amongst the flowers seems a lovely time to share! Yes, I accept your price.”

     The Pumpkin Man’s eyes glowed with a dark magic. Nina whispered for the little Kacheek to run, run as fast as he could, back to his sister. But he could not hear her.

     “You have so spoken. Your word is our contract, and it cannot be broken.”

     Nina gasped. Cold dread filled her chest. She took deep, heaving breaths that misted the now icy air. The lights in the shop flickered.

     “Welcome to the field of flowers, where there is no strife. We can sing and dance forever, together in a never-ending twilight!”

     The lights went out. Before Nina could shriek again, a single lamp — the one on the front counter — came back on. But the Spotted Kacheek wasn’t there anymore.

     “H-hello?” Nina called out, afraid to make a noise in the oddly still air. “Ma’am? Are you there?”

     As if in mocking reply, the solitary lamp went out once again.

     The Faerie Xweetok dropped the book and ran for the door, her hips and legs slamming into every shelf and table on the way in the darkness. The bell over the door rang out, incongruently sweet, as she threw the door open.

     “Oh, sweet Fyora…” she whispered, when she saw what was waiting for her.

     Outside, the twilit streets were deserted. Mist covered the ground, an inch deep as it rolled past her ankles. There wasn’t a light to be seen. No streetlights, no lamps in the windows. Not even a candle.

     But it wasn’t dark.

     The world was lit by faintly glowing blue flowers. They were growing everywhere. Delicate vines covered every building and poured over the cobblestones. They grew thick over signboards and windows, and stood fresh and tall in the street. As if no one had been here for years.

     And strangest of all was the sky— pitch black, save for a full moon. It was scarlet red.

     Nina giggled hysterically.

     No way, she thought to herself. I did not just read a cursed storybook from a weird shopkeeper in a creepy old antique shop. That would be so cliché.

     She took a shaky breath and looked up the long street. As these things usually went, a monster would be appearing somewhere over there, in order to chase her. Not that that would be happening here, of course.

     Because she was not stuck in a cursed storybook, she simply wasn’t.

     “I’m not afraid of you!” she said, not entirely sure who the ‘you’ was, and in a voice that she’d meant to come out as defiant, but had ended up a little choked.

     “Be quiet! He’ll hear you,” someone hissed.

     Nina choked again. She clapped her hands over her mouth and whirled around.

     Oh wow, she thought, That sure does look like the Kacheek from the book. But that doesn’t make sense of course, because I most certainly did not read a cursed storybook. Nope. No way.

     The little blue Kacheek, quite inconsiderate of his imaginary status, grabbed her by the wrist; his small paws very warm and very real. “He’s coming. We have to hide.”

     “Who’s coming?” Nina asked, though she already knew the answer.

     He leaned in close and whispered. “The Pumpkin Man.”

     Then his eyes went wide, as he looked over Nina’s shoulder. As much as she didn’t want to, she followed his gaze. Someone was standing at the end of the road. Someone with a weirdly huge head.

     Okay, maybe this is real.

     Nina and the Kacheek both took an involuntary step back as the figure began to advance. The flowers glowed a little brighter wherever he passed. And then the figure spoke. They shouldn’t have been able to hear him. But the words were as clear as if he had been right in front of them.

     “Oh, little one, you have made a friend! What fun we shall all have together, in this night that won’t end! Newcomer, welcome to the field of flowers. I will have you know, you will lose count of the hours!”

     He was close enough now to make out his strange, large, pumpkin-head.

     Nina felt the hysterical giggles coming back. He really does speak in rhyme.

     “Run!” The Kacheek screamed.

     He yanked her away. Nina followed, her feet catching in the vines. Together, they ran through the streets and alleys, all covered in those glowing blue flowers. It all felt familiar, and yet, there was no way the neighbourhood she had been in was this large.

     No matter how far they ran, the Pumpkin Man’s voice, with its teasing rhymes, floated all around them. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from. But every now and then, the flowers near a street corner seemed to glow a little brighter. They never stuck around to see if he would appear from behind it.

     “A game of hide and seek can be fun, yet I must admit I am rather glum! I believe if we were to play chase, that would be more to my taste.”

     Nina and the Kacheek burst back onto the main street.

     “No! It’s too open, he’ll see us!” Nina cried out, panting.

     The Kacheek shushed her, and pulled her further along. “In here! He never looks in here.”

     He had brought her to a newsstand. The little bottle green kiosk was covered with newspapers, but when Nina looked closer, it was all gibberish. None of the pictures made any sense. Looking at them gave her a headache.

     The Kacheek leapt over the counter, and Nina clumsily followed, gasping for breath. They hunkered down inside, knees pulled up to their chests, making themselves as small as possible. It wasn’t long before the glow from outside became stronger. A smoky cinnamon scent filled the air.

     Nina clamped her paws over her nose, holding her breath.

     The Pumpkin Man’s sighing voice floated through the air, wrapping itself around them. “This night… is endless.”

     She waited for the rhyme.

     It never came.

     The light faded, as did the smell of cinnamon; and outside was silence.

     After an eternity, Nina breathed out.

     The little Kacheek began to sob. “I just want to go home. I just want to see Willa again, and I won’t even go trick-or-treating; I’ll stay with her all night! Please, please, let me go home.”

     Nina desperately shushed him. “Calm down— he’ll hear— hey, hey, look at me. Look at me! I’m Nina. What’s your name? And tell me about… Willa, was it? Tell me about her. Quietly.”

     The Kacheek sniffled. “I’m Theodore,” he said, lip wobbly. “Willa is my little sister. She’s sick, so our parents didn’t want to let her go trick-or-treating. She told me I should be brave and go see the Pumpkin Man to wish for medicine for her. This is her fault. Stupid Willa.”

     “Stupid Willa,” Nina echoed, grateful that he’d stopped making so much noise.

     But that seemed to set Theodore off again. “No!” he wailed. “I should have known I wasn’t brave enough for this. She’s not stupid, she's only little! I’m the stupid one!” And then he was sobbing once more, mercifully softer this time.

     Nina awkwardly patted him on the shoulder. “You uh, love your sister, huh?”

     Theodore nodded miserably. “She’s so cute. We’re all Blue, but she’s Spotted. And she’s got this patch over her eye. People tell her its ugly but I think it looks like the moon. She’s the cutest.”

     Nina swallowed back a gasp.

     This didn’t make any sense. A moon-shaped patch? Willa was the shopkeeper? But the old Kacheek wasn’t little by any stretch of the imagination. And Theodore didn’t talk about her like he knew her from a long time ago.

     “Theodore,” she asked breathlessly, a sickening realisation dawning. “How long have you been here?”

     Theodore sniffled. “I don’t know. The moon hasn’t set even a little. But it’s been so long.”

     Yeah, I’ll bet. Nina thinks. I am SO not going to be trapped in here for decades. Think Nina, think.

     “Oh, why oh why did I try to be brave?” Theodore moaned.

     Why did the shopkeeper have this book? Why did she want me to read it?

     “He said he wanted a friend, but I should have known a monster would make a monstrous friend!”

     Shut up and let me think, kid!

     “And to try and blame my sister, when she only wanted to make sure I had company on the scariest night of the year. I am a wretched, wretched little thing!”

     Who says ‘wretched’? Should I just take my chances with the Pumpkin Man? Wait, hang on—

     Nina grabbed his shoulders. “Theodore, what happens if he finds us? Did he say anything before he started chasing you?”

     Theodore shook his head. “All he said was that he wanted to play a game of catch. And then the moon turned red, and I was so scared I started running.”

     A cowardly little Kacheek.

     A game of catch turned to hide and seek. (Oh Fyora, was the rhyming contagious?)

     An endless night. The sentence without a rhyme.

     Suddenly, it hit her.

     “Theodore, I think I know what we have to do.”

     “I don’t understand why you won’t do it.” Theodore said. “If you’re so sure about it.”

     Nina huffed in frustration. “I told you, it won’t count if I do it!”

     They were back where it had started— for Nina at least. The street outside the antique shop. (This wasn’t strictly necessary, even if Nina was right about what Theodore had to do, but she figured this way, things would round out nicely. Cliches and all.)

     “Can I change my mind? I think I want to change my mind.”

     “Shut up—” Nina cut herself off as the scent of cinnamon filled the air. “He’s coming.”

     Theodore spun in a wild circle, head jerking to look in every direction.

     The Pumpkin Man’s voice filled the air, impossibly loud. “There you are, my friends under the stars!”

     That wasn’t very good. And there are literally no stars here, Nina thought. You don’t have to try so hard with the rhyming thing!

     The Pumpkin Man stepped out of an alley. The flowers around him glowed like a halo. Lit from behind like this, his pumpkin mask looked even more grotesque; its ridges and the jagged edges of his mouth harshly exaggerated.

     The Pumpkin Man threw his arms up jubilantly. “Let us have our game!”

     Theodore was shaking. “Nina, I can’t!”

     “You have to!” Nina cried, unable to stop herself from panicking as the Pumpkin Man slowly strolled towards them. “Uh, Willa is waiting for you! She’s waiting for her big brother!”

     “Willa is waiting…” The name seemed to make Theodore steel himself. He blew his nose and straightened his hat, even as fat tears rolled down his face. “Willa is waiting, and I am tired of running.”

     Theodore ran full tilt at the Pumpkin Man, arms flapping, and yelling incoherently at the top of his lungs. He was still yelling when he crashed into him, and they both fell to the ground.

     “Tag!” Theodore sobbed, his face aglow with the light from the flowers. “Y-you’re it!”

     There was a beat of silence. And then the Pumpkin Man’s carved grin grew bigger, the mask cracking as his face adjusted. He squealed in delight. A cold wind blew, and the smoky cinnamon smell changed to something more sugary.

     “Well played, well played! With this, my debt to little Miss Willa has now been paid!”

     Theodore threw himself off the Pumpkin Man and stumbled backwards, bumping into Nina, who had run up behind him. “H-huh?”

     Nina put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “This was never Theodore’s wish, was it? It was Willa’s. Willa wanted medicine, but she also wanted him to learn how to be brave.”

     The Pumpkin Man jumped to his feet. In a blink, the moon turned blue. The same glowing blue as the flowers.

     “Absolutely right! If it were up to me, I would give every child unlimited candy.” He tapped his pumpkin head. “But this magic is not mine to command; it does not always behave as you demand. And once the deal is struck, I am out of luck!” Now he performed a theatrical bow. “I could not let the boy leave, even if I so desired.”

     Nina was struck with inspiration. “Not until… the game expired? Until he did something to be admired?”

     The Pumpkin Man looked at her.

     Another beat of silence.

     Nina felt sweat beading at the back of her neck.

     And then he burst out laughing, doubled over and holding his stomach. “Oh, oh, very good! Very good indeed! Ah, I am so glad to have made you my friend, but sadly, our time is at an end.” He reached up, and snapped his fingers.

     Fog began to roll in, swallowing the buildings and snuffing out the light from the flowers. Nina gasped, and grabbed Theodore to hold him close as the thick clouds began to close around them. The Pumpkin Man’s voice now sounded far away.

     “Farewell, lovely pair! I shall leave you both in each other’s care!”

     It was impossible to see. Nina looked up. There was no sky, no moon. What was this? Had she been wrong? Were they truly trapped now?

     The Pumpkin Man’s voice sounded again, now faint and distorted. “No need for a fright, look toward the light!”

     In the distance, somehow cutting through the fog— a warm yellow light blinked into existence.

     Nina didn’t know how she knew, but she did. It was the antique shop.

     She ran, Theodore in tow.

     For one scary, interminable second, it didn’t feel like they were getting any closer. And then all at once, they were bursting through a door, stumbling over themselves and falling belly-first to the ground. Nina screwed her eyes shut as she went down. The wind was knocked out of her.

     A bell chimed.

     Nina cracked her eyes open.

     They really were back in the antique shop. Theodore was tucked under her arm. She was vaguely aware of the noises in the street behind her. The old Spotted Kacheek shopkeeper— Willa— was staring at them, a blank expression on her face. She was holding a book.

     The book, Nina realised.

     But before she could get out a word, the shopkeeper tossed it into the fireplace. Nina shoved herself up onto her elbows, watching in shocked silence as the pages blackened and curled. Beside her, Theodore stared at the moon-faced Kacheek in awe.

     “It took me a terribly long time to find that book,” Willa said, to no one in particular. “Welcome home, Theodore. Let’s go trick or treating tonight.”

     The End.