Legend of the Pumpkin Thief

by Charles Day

  “I didn’t touch your stupid cereal. Stay away from mine, or I’m telling Mom. Hurry up or I’ll miss the bus, and don’t call me Sam.” Samantha jiggled the doorknob some more. Nick knew she was doing it deliberately, just to make him mad.

  “Yeah, yeah. Keep playing with the knob, Sam, and I’ll take longer.”

  “Stop calling me Sam! I’m not a boy, like you. My name is Samantha, Samantha, Samantha!”

  Nick ignored her barking and finished getting dressed. He squeezed a little gel into the palm of his hand, then mixed it up really well before applying it to his wet hair. His hair spiked up, and he smiled into the mirror, happy with the way he looked.

  Time to open the door and let his sister in. He knew she was either waiting on the other side or snooping around his room. He unlocked the door, then quickly opened it. His first choice was proven right. There she was, still in her Winnie the Pooh pajamas, arms folded, face all red, and her left foot tapping against the polished wood floor.

  “It’s about time, stupid. Now it’s my turn. Get out.”

  “You’re such a Sam,” Nick said as he shuffled past, hoping to avoid her fist, which landed a sharp punch on his right arm.

  He laughed as he made his way to his room and closed the door. He opened his closet and grabbed his hooded sweater and his Spiderman mask. His thoughts focused on what Lou had said to him last night.

  Nick had almost forgotten about the party tonight, the one he knew was most likely set up with one intended purpose: to get him in the clutches of the bullies for a beating. The real question was, how would he get out of the predicament? He closed his closet door, grabbed his backpack, and ran downstairs for a quick breakfast before catching the bus.

  When Nick arrived in the kitchen, his father had the morning paper open on the table while munching on some toast. Sam thundered in behind, dressed in a white frilled shirt and blue jeans. Nick, then ran to the cupboard, climbed the stepstool, and went to grab her cereal.

  Mom scrambling eggs at the stove, using her favorite wooden spoon. She turned her head only once, to glance over at the kitchen table. Nick guessed she wanted to be sure all her family members had arrived ready to eat eggs, with a side of toast and jelly.

  “Glad you both made it down on time.” Mom paused before sending a terrifying stare at Nick’s sister. “Samantha, put the cereal away. I made you a hot breakfast. You can’t always eat that sugary stuff. If this continues, I’m going to stop buying you Trix or Fruity Whatever Pebbles, and start getting you back on Raisin Bran or Corn Flakes.”

  “Ma, I promise, I promise, just today.” Samantha produced her usual whine. “Nicky always gets to eat his cereal when he wants.”

  “That’s not true. Now put the box away, Samantha, I’m not going to tell you again.”

  Nick knew his mother was strong when she had to be, and he could see by the look in her eyes she was not about to give in to her daughter’s whining. In fact, he knew she would throw the cereal in the garbage can and go buy Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, or any other cereal that tasted like cardboard if Samantha didn’t listen. That would mean he’d have to eat the same awful cereals as well. Therefore, he didn’t second-guess Mom when it came to eating a healthy breakfast today. ,

  Nick thanked his mother as she placed a plate of hot scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. Without hesitating a second, he buttered his toast, then added jelly, taking a couple of bites of the steaming yellow eggs while he focused on Samantha’s pout, a clear sign she was upset. If his sister kept up her whining any longer, his mom wouldn’t hesitate to grab the worst cereal a kid could get—Kashi When Mom placed a plate full of eggs in front of her, she waited until Mom turned toward the sink and then pushed her dish away. Dad witnessed her defiance and gently pushed her plate back toward his pouting daughter, with a smile to seal the deal.

  Nick caught it all and saw his moment, a chance to set her on the edge. “Samantha, eat your eggs like Mom said. Don’t you want to grow up strong so you can beat up your brother one day?”

  “Dad!” Samantha yelled out.

  “Nicholas” Mom shouted.

  Nick raised his voice. He was being singled out, like always. “What? I was just saying, if she wants to grow up with strong bones, she’ll need to eat right.”

  “That will be all, .” Mom stared at everyone, clearly done with all the arguing.

  Samantha smiled at her father before glancing over at Nick with an evil smirk on her face, a look that let him know soon, very soon, just a few more years, and she’d be coming to get him. She’d unleash all the strength she’d gain from years of eating eggs and show no mercy for her brother. She would beat him to a bloody pulp. He needed to discourage her from eating eggs. The thought almost had him laughing out in front of his family. Instead, Nick only smiled back, impressed that his little sister seemed so determined.

  He finished breakfast along with his sister, and then they hurried to the bus stop at the end of the block, directly across from Mrs. Needlewhitter’s yard.

  Nick saw the yellow school bus coming. As it came closer, he heard a bus full of screaming ghouls, Snow Whites, Cinderellas, and other kids costumed for today’s holiday. Some poked their heads out the bus windows.

  Nick looked at one of the kids hanging out of the window as the bus slowed to a stop. He had on a Spiderman mask, the same one Nick was going to wear.

  Nick crushed his mask and pushed it into his backpack while waiting for the bus driver to open the door. That kid couldn’t buy a Black Venom Spiderman mask, or maybe another superhero altogether? No, he just had to buy a Spiderman mask. Now what am I going to do? Forget it. I’ll find something else to be for Halloween.

  “Come on, let’s go!” Samantha yelled.

  Nick realized that he’d drifted off into an almost hypnotic state. The door was still open, waiting for Nick to step on, and Samantha had to push her brother with both small hands to get him to take the first step. “I’m going, I’m going,” he said.

  Nick finally climbed aboard and walked past Ollie, the bus driver with a skin problem—too many zits on his red face. Nick sat by Jenny, a girl he knew only by name.

  Samantha never sat with Nick. So, he never offered her a seat with him. Even if there were no seats left on the bus, she’d beg Ollie to change someone’s seat or find her another arrangement, before sitting next to Nick.

  He laughed at the thought, then got a quick glance at Mrs. Needlewhitter’s old Victorian home as the bus rolled down the street, past her house, to make a left. And then, to his surprise, he saw something that made his skin shiver.

  Somehow, some way, her yard was clear, all the evidence gone. The pieces of pumpkins, along with the orange mush, had disappeared. The bitten and chewed pieces, evidence he should have collected last night—vanished. Only brown leaves, some dirt, and yellowing grass cluttered her yard. No pumpkins.

  He tried to get a good look again, but the bus had already turned the corner, on its way to pick up another group of kids before heading to his school.

  Nick stood up and looked out the rear of the bus, trying to get one last glimpse of Mrs. Needlewhitter’s yard.

  That is, until Lou got out of his seat and blocked the rear emergency door exit window with his large body. “Nicky boy. You’re coming to the party tonight, right?” Unfortunately, since the middle school and junior high were attached, Lou was still riding the same bus. Nick just couldn’t get away from him. Well, eventually, when Lou entered high school, Nick would finally be free of the bully for most of the day.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there.” Get your fat body out of my way, and no, I don’t want to go to your stupid party. I know you’re up to something, so pick on someone your own weight, like an elephant!

  “That’s great, Nicky.”

  Trevor peeked from the last row of seats. His buzzed haircut sported a yellowish, dyed tint. “Yeah, great, great!”

  Nick knew something was not right with Lou’s brother.
He acts more like a sock puppet, always repeating whatever his brother says with his little voice, small head, and fast lips.

  He’d hoped to catch Lou alone in school later so he could come up with an excuse as to why he would not be going, but since Lou put him on the spot with all these costumed kids on the bus staring at him, he really had no choice. He wasn’t stupid, though. He knew Lou confronted him on purpose, deliberately putting him on the spot. What was he going to say? No, I have a better party to go to, Lou.

  As the bus rolled along, Nick sat back down in his seat and looked at Jenny, who was staring out the window.

  Nick thought she looked kind of cute, with her blond hair in a ponytail and her small gold earrings shining in the sun’s rays. She also had smooth, tanned skin. However, a white cheerleader outfit, apparently her Halloween costume, covered most of it.

  Nick knew she wasn’t on the cheerleading squad. He guessed she wanted to be, but hadn’t passed the tryouts. Oh well, better off. Those girls can be real mean.

  He continued to stare, but remained careful not to get caught. Then he turned his attention to school as the bus parked in front of the entrance. He grabbed his backpack, watched his sister run off and into the crowd of kids entering the large brick building, and wondered how he would deal with everything later today.

  Another day in school, another day listening to the teachers babble about stuff I’ll never remember. Whatever. Nick didn’t want to be in school. There were more important things to do on his detective list, like nailing Mrs. Needlewhitter for her criminal activities of sneaking around at night to steal her neighbors’ pumpkins and then feed them to Baxter. The thought made him cringe. It’s not possible. It’s just weird.

  Samantha walked ahead of her brother, skipping and blending in with a few other girls her age as they filed into the large building. All Nick could see through the small crowd going through the double doors were her pigtails, swaying and bopping in excitement. And then she disappeared.

  Nick sighed in relief that his sibling responsibility was on hold for the school day. She was in the trusted hands of the school, the teachers, and her little female buddies.

  Nick threw his backpack over his right shoulder and walked inside, down the hall, and past the angry-faced hall monitor and a few kids who were dragging their feet. They were taking their sweet time to be late on purpose so they could spend less time in a boring math or biology class.

  “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” the hall monitor shouted above the loud conversations from excited kids.

  Unlike many of his peers, Nick liked one class. Science. The others, he could live without.

  But learning about the natural sciences was like an early lesson in forensics, lab work, and deciphering clues with the latest technology. Sure, he had to learn how photosynthesis played a key role in the development of a plant or something like that, but looking at chemical reactions to certain substances or dissecting a frog and studying its internal organs excited him. Am I a nerd?

  Nick walked into his homeroom class and headed for a seat in the far back. He usually tried to snag one of those seats, unless, of course, he was late, because then Ralph, Byron, or Norm would have grabbed his chair, forcing Nick to sit up front with a few real nerds who loved to be at the head of the class. He guessed they were just warming up for their real classes; homeroom was set aside for attendance, intercom announcements by Principal Lynch, and a quick snack, if you were lucky enough to have packed something before catching the morning bus. Nick sat down and watched Norm and Byron from junior high make their appearances, stepping in just before the bell rang. He wondered where their pal Ralph was. The final bell rang, and then the door closed.

  “Okay, students. Please be seated. I’ll be calling out your names, so be prepared to stand and wait until I have fully identified you before proceeding to sit back down.”

  Mr. Morgan, the tall, skinny homeroom teacher, had joined the military when he turned eighteen and spent many years serving his country. The problem was, he still believed he was fighting the enemy overseas. Nick felt he treated his students like they were his soldiers in training. He ran his homeroom class like his own personal boot camp, and Nick hated it. He was thankful it only lasted fifteen minutes. At the bell, Nick and the other students would always race to see who’d beat the rest out of Mr. Morgan’s crazy world and on to their first class of the day.

  Today was different, though. Nick saw that Ralph was still not in his seat. Unless he was out sick, or had a good excuse that Mr. Morgan would accept, Ralph would have to report to the principal’s office and explain his reason for being late to Mr. Lynch’s secretary. Nick knew this because on a few occasions, he’d been late to homeroom, and no matter what he’d said, Mr. Morgan refused to open his door one second past the time his students were to be in their seats.

  Then, Nick saw him.

  Ralph finally showed up and knocked on the door. He waved through the door’s small, rectangular window, but Mr. Morgan ignored his stare.

  Nick could see Ralph cursing under his breath. And then Ralph looked straight at Nick, like he was responsible for Mr. Morgan’s actions. Ralph gave him the Stare of Death, and Nick didn’t like it. What do you want me to do?

  Norm stood up and spoke above the chatter of students. “Mr. Morgan, Ralph is at the door. The bus driver wouldn’t let him off because he alleged that Ralph left one of the back windows open.”

  Mr. Morgan looked at Norm. “I don’t care what excuse he has, Normy. Ralph is late, and late students need to report to Principal Lynch’s for further investigation. Now sit down, or you’ll be next.” Mr. Morgan then called out names, starting with, “Applegate, Henry Applegate.”

  Nick watched Ralph give one last look his way, a look that made him feel uneasy. He wondered what was on that guy’s mind.

  “Carpenter, Frank Carpenter.” Mr. Morgan continued his roll call as Nick thought about what this soldier-teacher had said about further investigation.

  Nick had his own further investigating to do, with the old lady and pumpkin thief, Mrs. Needlewhitter. Tonight, when he was done with school, dressed in costume perhaps, and able to avoid Lou’s Halloween Party. His first order of business would be to find hard evidence that the old lady was his culprit.

  “Singleton, Nick Singleton.” Mr. Morgan had to repeat it since Nick was lost in his thoughts, as usual. His parents had told him, on numerous occasions, that he daydreamed too much. Nick always shrugged it off. That’s what makes a great detective. You always need to be problem-solving.

  Nick stood at attention and shouted, “Yes, here I am, Mr. Morgan!”

  The teacher’s eyes suddenly bulged.”Mr. Nick Singleton, when you’re in my class, pay attention. No daydreaming while you’re under my supervision.” Mr. Morgan pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. He looked straight into Nick’s eyes like a lion stalking prey. “Now, let’s try this again. Singleton, Nick Singleton.”

  Nick knew what the appropriate response was, and that he’d blown it the first time, but he blurted it out now in a voice that almost sounded like a rat squeaking. “Yes, sir.”

  Mr. Morgan expected that from all the students in his class. If a student was dumb enough to say, “Yes, Mr. Morgan,” as Nick had mistakenly just done, he or she had better be prepared for the consequences. One torturous punishment in his homeroom was to write yes and sir on the chalkboard a thousand times. And if the student was trying to anger Mr. Morgan, and he caught on, the stupid student could expect a hundred pushups with one arm behind the back. Standard procedure.

  “That’s more like it, Nicky boy.” Mr. Morgan walked around his desk, and with his long pointer that looked like a pool cue snuggled under his armpit, he approached Nick.

  Mr. Morgan stepped in closer, so close that Nick was able to tell what the drill sergeant had eaten for breakfast from the air huffing out of the teacher’s nostrils and pursed lips.

  “Why is it tha
t you want to push my buttons, Nicky boy? You’ve been with me since September, so that makes a solid month and a half, if you take out all the unnecessary holidays you runts get off from school. Except, of course, Veterans Day, which is about two weeks away. I expect you all to observe this holiday with complete honor and dignity. Observe and remember. Remember all those who fought for the freedoms you take for granted.”

  Why, Nick thought, why is he in my face? Why did he choose to pick on me today? Nick wanted to push him away, but knew that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, he had to deal with Mr. Morgan’s fantasy of still being in control at his personal boot camp.

  “Don’t you look at me like that, Nicky boy. Stand at attention and explain yourself. Explain to your fellow soldiers—I mean, classmates—why, why you would be dumb enough to forget to address me as sir.”

  “Sorry, sir. Won’t happen again, sir.”

  “That’s right. As for the rest of you, let this be a lesson. If you happen to call out my name, it better end with sir. Yes, Mr. Morgan, sir.”

  The school bell sounded, and Nick saw his chance to be done with a totally awkward moment. So long, sir. Have a nice day, sir. .

  Nick ran for the door first, exiting as the others followed closely behind. Boot camp had ended and the fun was about to begin.

  Lou decided to skip first period. Home economics no longer appealed to him. Especially after reading a text message his buddies sent, which let him know they’d managed to get hold of a fresh pack of Marlboros from some kid selling them in the school bathroom. Since no one in Lou’s gang was anywhere nears eighteen yet, getting smokes was a real challenge, and he was in the mood for a smoke right about now.

  Lou’s friends, Ralph, Byron, and Norm, were at their special spot—behind the town’s water tower—to partake in the unlawful activity. He hurried to join them, cutting through the football field, then over the school’s fence to the spot just ahead of where they were hiding.