The Pumpkin Head Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Jessie tapped her pencil on the pad. “Is there anyone else who could be causing the problems?”

  Henry finished his turkey sandwich. “Jason knows the farm well and he lives nearby. He could be behind the hauntings in the fields.”

  “But why would Jason do that?” asked Violet.

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. “I can’t think why he would want the farm to seem haunted. It’s just that…”

  “Look!” Benny exclaimed. He pointed out the window. “Isn’t that Bessie?”

  “And Mr. Bolger!” Jessie said.

  Bessie had just come out of an office. A sign above the door said Bolger Construction. She looked nervously up and down the street. Mr. Bolger leaned out the door.

  “Anything else, kids?” asked Kim, stopping at their table.

  “No, thank you,” Henry replied.

  The waitress placed the check on the table. “I hope you enjoyed everything.”

  “Yes, we did,” Jessie answered. When she turned to look back out the window, Mr. Bolger was handing an envelope to Bessie. Bessie slipped the envelope into her purse. She got into her car and drove away.

  “What was Bessie doing?” asked Benny.

  “I don’t know,” said Violet. “But she seemed happy that Mr. Bolger gave her that envelope.”

  Jessie looked at her watch. “It is getting late,” she said. “We should get back to the car. Sally will be there soon.” Before she left the diner, Jessie added Bessie’s name to the list in her notebook.

  CHAPTER 6

  A Haunted Hayride

  Violet could not stop laughing. Benny had found a scary skull mask. He was running around the barn making ghostly noises. Jessie pretended to be scared, but she was smiling at her little brother.

  “Here you go,” said Jason, walking toward them with a bundle. “These are the rest of the costumes. You can each choose whichever ones you want.”

  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny were in the barn. Jason was helping them to get ready for the haunted hayride. He laid all the costumes out on top of some bales of hay.

  “Do I look scary enough, Jason?” Benny asked from behind his mask. “Do you think the people on the haunted hayride will be afraid of me?”

  Jason frowned. “I suppose,” he said. “But that’s not what I’m worried about.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Henry, trying on a long, black cape.

  Jason leaned against the tractor. He took a deep breath. “Don’t you know? There is something haunting the fields of the Beckett farm. I’m worried it will come back tonight when you children are out there in the dark. It’s very frightening. You shouldn’t be here. You should go home.”

  Benny took off his mask. He stood close to Jessie.

  “But that’s crazy,” said Henry. “There’s no such thing as a real haunting. It is all pretend. That’s why we are dressing up in costumes.”

  “At first, I didn’t believe it either,” Jason said. “But you will see what I mean. Whatever it is, it wants people to stay away from this farm. There was even a story in the paper about it.”

  “We heard that,” Jessie said. “But we still don’t believe in haunted farms.”

  “Suit yourself,” said Jason. “But remember that I warned you.”

  After Jason left the barn, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny went through all the costumes. Henry chose to be a pirate with a long, shiny sword. He put a black patch over one eye. He wore the long, black cape. Jessie was a ghostly bride with a big white veil. Benny liked the mask he had been wearing earlier. He found a skeleton outfit to wear with it.

  “Can’t you find anything, Violet?” asked Benny.

  Violet sat on a bale of hay. “I am a little nervous about tonight,” she admitted.

  “You don’t have to work at the haunted hayride,” Henry said. “You could help Bessie with the tickets instead.”

  “No, I want to do it,” Violet said. “I know it’s silly, but Jason’s talk frightened me a little.”

  “It’s not silly,” Jessie said. “Someone is trying to scare everyone around here. We are all a little nervous.”

  “Let’s go out and walk the route of the haunted hayride,” Henry said. “That way we will know what everything looks like before it gets dark.”

  “That’s a great idea,” said Jessie.

  The sun was getting low. Shadows crept across the fields. The children stayed close together. They followed the tractor path through the cornfields. The wind whistled through the dry stalks.

  “Look at that!” Benny cried.

  Scary scenes were set up in places along the path. Benny ran toward a small haunted house. A ghost swayed on the front porch.

  “It’s just a sheet hanging on a rope.” Benny pulled the sheet over his head. “Whoooo!” he called.

  Violet laughed. “Look at this,” she said. “This is not a real house after all. It has no walls.”

  “You’re right,” Henry said. “It is a fake house. It only has a front that is held up by wooden posts in the back.”

  “I see another scary scene,” Benny called. He ran up the path.

  Four scarecrows sat around a table having tea. One scarecrow had no head.

  “That scarecrow sure is fat,” Violet said. “He must have had too many cakes with his tea.”

  “How could he eat?” Benny asked. “He doesn’t have a head!”

  Henry took a closer look at the scarecrow. “I used to have a shirt just like that,” he said. “I wonder…”

  Just then there was a loud rustling in the corn. Something was stomping around! The children stood close together.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” said Jessie. “But maybe we should go back now. It is getting dark.”

  Before she finished talking, a large goat burst out of the cornfield. It almost knocked over the scarecrow tea table!

  Henry caught the goat by its collar. “Looks like someone escaped from his pen!” “I’ll help you, Henry,” said Benny.

  The goat did not want to be caught. It struggled, but Henry and Benny led it back home.

  Darkness now covered the fields. Warm, yellow lights filled the windows of the farmhouse.

  Mrs. Beckett stood in the kitchen. “You’re just in time!” she said when she saw the children. “I’ve just finished baking the cookies for tonight. You can try a few for me to see if they turned out okay.”

  Benny lifted a warm cookie from the tray. He popped it into his mouth. “These are more than okay!” he said. “They are great!”

  “I’m glad you like them,” Mrs. Beckett said. She filled a small bag with cookies. She handed it to Benny. “You might need a snack tonight while you are outside scaring our customers.”

  Jessie and Violet helped to put the warm cookies into baskets. Henry lifted the big jugs of apple cider. Two long tables were set up outside the barn. Mrs. Beckett covered them with orange cloths and the children set down the cookies and juice. Benny brought the cups and napkins.

  Mr. Beckett and Jason were lighting a bonfire in a clearing across from the barn. Sally and Bessie straightened up the farm stand and turned on the lights in the booth. Soon cars and buses began to fill up the gravel parking lot and the big grass field.

  “Looks like a big crowd is coming!” Sally called.

  Mrs. Beckett smiled at Violet. “I think your fliers worked. I’ve never seen so many cars!”

  While Bessie was selling the tickets, the children hurried into the barn to change into their costumes. They heard Jason starting up the tractor.

  Henry looked all around the barn. “I can’t find my black cape,” he said. “I was sure that I left it here right next to the sword.”

  “You still look scary,” Benny said. “I don’t think you need the cape.”

  “Thanks, Benny.” Henry handed each of them a flashlight. “Let’s stick together,” he said. “Ready?”

  Violet had chosen a scarecrow costume. She stuck a few last pieces of straw in her hat. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny
hurried through the dark fields. They stopped at the little haunted house. The ghost on the rope creaked back and forth in the wind.

  Henry shone his flashlight on a red switch. “This turns on the spotlight,” he said. “We’ll hide behind the fake house. When the hayride comes by, I’ll turn on the light.”

  “And I will jump out,” Jessie said. “Do I look scary?”

  Violet shivered. “Yes, you do! You look like a ghost bride.”

  “What can I do?” asked Benny. “I want to scare people, too.”

  Henry handed Benny an old tape recorder. “Mr. Beckett gave me this. There are screams and scary sounds on here. When Jessie jumps out, you push the play button.”

  Soon, they heard the tractor rumbling up the path between the cornstalks. When the hayride came to the old house, Jason stopped the tractor. Henry hit the switch and suddenly the haunted house lit up. Benny pushed the play button on the recorder. The ghost hanging from the porch seemed to shriek as it swayed back and forth.

  Jessie glided from behind the house in her costume. She raised her arms and pretended to grab at the people on the hayride. Many of them screamed and hugged each other. Then the tractor pulled away and the children could hear the people laughing.

  “That was fun!” Benny said. “Let’s go scare them again!”

  The children took a shortcut through the cornfield. They came out next to the scarecrows having tea.

  Violet shined her flashlight around the table. “Weren’t there four scarecrows here earlier? Now there are only three.”

  “The fat one is gone,” said Benny. “Maybe it went to look for its head!”

  “I will sit in that chair,” Violet said. “I will pretend to be a stuffed scarecrow. When the tractor comes by, I will jump up and scare everyone.”

  The hayride was soon there. Henry turned on the light and Violet sat very still. Suddenly, she jumped from the table, waving her straw arms in the air. Benny turned the recorder on and ghostly sounds filled the night. People screamed again and laughed as the tractor moved on.

  “Finally, it’s my turn,” Benny said. The next scene was a pretend cemetery. Benny decided to lie on the ground and jump up when the tractor stopped. “I’ll be a spooky skeleton,” he said. “And you don’t have to turn on the recorder. I can make lots of scary noises all by myself.”

  When the tractor pulled up, the motor turned off. “Sorry, folks,” Jason called. “The tractor seems to be broken!”

  Just then, Benny leaped to his feet. He growled and snarled at the people in his skeleton costume. There were lots of screams and plenty of nervous giggles from the hayride. Benny’s hollered so much, his voice began to get hoarse. Benny finally lay back down on the ground. But still the tractor did not move on to the next scene.

  “What’s happening?” whispered Violet. “Why are they still here?”

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. “I will go check with Jason to see if everything is all right.”

  But when Henry shone his light up on the tractor, it was empty! Jason was nowhere to be found.

  CHAPTER 7

  Benny Disappears

  “What’s going on here?” one man yelled. “Why aren’t we moving?”

  Henry climbed up on the tractor. The key was missing. “I’m sorry, everyone,” he said. “Perhaps the tractor is out of gas. I’m sure the driver will be right back.”

  “I thought it was part of the joke to scare the riders,” Jessie whispered.

  “I thought so, too,” Henry replied. “I don’t know how the tractor could have run out of gas. The hayride has only just begun.”

  “Maybe the engine is not working again,” Violet said.

  The tractor sat just at the edge of the cornfields. The large pumpkin patch stretched out in front of it. The sky was cloudy and the pumpkin patch was dark. Suddenly, a screeching noise came from the darkness. It was very loud and creepy.

  “What was that?!” Violet grabbed Jessie’s arm.

  “Look!” Henry cried.

  In the back of the pumpkin patch, a glowing pumpkin head floated through the field. It had a very scary face.

  “Is this part of the show?” asked Violet. Her hands were shaking.

  “I don’t think so,” said Henry.

  The pumpkin head floated closer. An eerie voice drifted over the field. “Beware! Leave this farm in peace!” the voice screamed.

  The pumpkin head got very close. It seemed to float in the air with no body beneath it.

  “How is that possible?” asked Jessie. “It is really floating!”

  Benny tugged on Henry’s shirt. “It’s Sam!” he cried. “It’s my scarecrow! Sam!” Before Henry could answer, Benny took off. He ran after the pumpkin head into the dark fields.

  “Benny! Come back!” Henry yelled. But it was too late. Benny had disappeared.

  Henry and Violet turned on their flashlights and hurried to find Benny. “Benny! Benny!” they called. The glowing pumpkin head had vanished into thin air and Benny with it!

  Jessie shivered. She stayed with the customers on the hayride. She assured them that everything would be okay. But some were grumbling.

  “Was that pumpkin head part of the ride?” a man called. “How did it float in the air like that?”

  “I didn’t like it,” a young girl said. “It had a mean voice.”

  Before Jessie could answer, she saw a bright light coming toward them on the path.

  Sally walked up to the hay wagon with a big flashlight. “I’m sorry, folks,” she called. “It seems that the tractor is not working tonight. I hope you don’t mind walking back with me. It is not too far. There will be free apple cider and fresh baked cookies. We have a nice bonfire burning as well. You are welcome to toast marshmallows and warm yourselves.”

  Sally and Jessie helped the customers down from the wagon. Sally shone her big flashlight along the path and everyone followed.

  “Where are your brothers and sister?” asked Sally.

  Jessie explained about the screaming pumpkin head. “Benny ran after it,” she said. “Henry and Violet went to find him. I hope they are okay.”

  “Oh my!” said Sally. “I did see the pumpkin head. It was here last night as well. It seems to float over the ground. I can’t figure it out.” She turned to look at Jessie. “But why would Benny run after it?”

  Jessie stared nervously into the dark fields. “He thinks it might be his missing scarecrow.”

  Sally put her arm around Jessie’s shoulder. ”I’m sure your brother will be all right,” she said. “When we get everyone back safely, I will help you to look for him.”

  “Thank you,” Jessie said. “I am worried about him and Henry and Violet, too.”

  Back at the barn, the customers quickly lined up for the cider and cookies. Many sat on benches around the crackling bonfire. Bessie was busy selling pumpkins and corn. Mrs. Beckett poured the cider and refilled the cookie trays. She waved to Sally and Jessie.

  “What happened out there?” Mrs. Beckett asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jessie said. “Jason told everyone that the tractor was broken. We thought it was part of the show, but the tractor didn’t move. When we looked for Jason, he was gone.”

  “Poor Jason,” Sally said. “He must feel so bad.”

  Mr. Beckett limped over on his crutches. “I don’t understand what is wrong with that tractor,” he said. “First the wires on the motor came loose. Now something else seems to be wrong. I’m sure I checked it just this morning.”

  “Excuse me,” Jessie said. “I need to go look for my brothers and sister.”

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Sally said. “Why don’t you run into the barn and grab another big flashlight. There is one on the shelf in the back.”

  Jessie ran into the barn. She quickly found the flashlight. She was standing in the dark corner taking off her bride costume when she heard a noise. Someone else was in the barn! It was Jason. He pulled off a black cape and threw it behind a bale of hay. Then he grab
bed a gas can and ran from the barn.

  Jessie did not have time to think about what she had seen. Sally was calling her name. She dashed outside. They had to find her sister and brothers first!

  “Ready?” Sally asked. “I think I see some flashlights shining in the cornfields. Let’s head that way.”

  Jessie and Sally walked through the fields. The dirt was soft beneath their feet. They did not see Benny or Henry or Violet.

  “Maybe we should stand still for a minute,” Jessie suggested. “Perhaps if we are quiet, we will hear them.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Sally said.

  They stood quietly, but the dried cornstalks rustled loudly in the wind. They were about to move on when Sally held up her hand. Something was moving. It was coming toward them.

  Sally gripped Jessie’s hand. “I do not believe in ghosts,” she said. “But I am afraid of mice. If it is a mouse, I might scream.” She shone her flashlight on her feet.

  “It sounds too big to be a mouse,” Jessie answered.

  Suddenly, someone burst through the stalks.

  “Bessie!” Sally cried. “What are you doing here? You nearly scared us to death.”

  Bessie was so frightened she dropped her flashlight. She put her hand over her heart. “Oh my!” she cried. “I’m sorry. I…I…was just trying to see what was going on out here. I thought maybe I could help.”

  “But who is taking care of the farm stand?” Sally asked.

  “You’re right,” Bessie replied. “I should get back to the booth.”

  “Have you seen Benny?” Jessie asked.

  “No,” Bessie answered. “But I think I heard your sister and brothers on the path a few minutes ago.” She pointed to her right. “If you run that way, you should be able to catch them.”

  “Thank you!” Jessie ran through the stalks. She was not afraid of mice, but she did not like being in these dark fields all alone. She remembered the warning of the shrieking pumpkin head. Finally, she came to the path. She shone her flashlight up ahead. She could just make out three figures walking close together.