Pumpkinus
A Wizard professor gathers his young students for a very special lesson.
Pumpkinus
D. A. Ratliff
Professor Rath gathered his students before the schoolhouse, his excitement as palpable as the apprehension he witnessed in their young eyes. His favorite event of the year was the night the children met the wizard of Halloween.
The professor smiled at his charges. “My children. You have reached the age of indoctrination into the most delightful time of the year. In two nights, our world merges with the mortal world, and we are free to interact with humans. Our friends observe our most sacred day as one for fun and frivolity. It is our duty to remind them of the serious intent of the day. That of honoring the dead and the apparitions they leave behind. Tonight, you will meet the great wizard Pumpkinus, who will teach you the history of Halloween.”
Seeing excitement rather than fright on the children’s faces pleased him. “Two by two, hold each other’s hands and form a line behind me.” Rath led the children into the dark forest to the secret pumpkin patch where Pumpkinus resided. Reaching the patch, he placed the children still holding hands in a circle surrounding a stone dais and retreated to the edge of the patch, waiting for the wizard’s arrival.
An intense yellow glow appeared above their heads, and the wizard Pumpkinus emerged, towering over the children. He possessed a body made of branches and a pumpkin for his head. His eyes and mouth glowed as he spoke.
“I am the wizard Pumpkinus. My children, it is time to learn of the first Halloween.”
Pride filled Professor Rath as, once more, the youngest generation of wizards stood before the master of Halloween, discovering their heritage.
Written for a Halloween prompt with a 300 word count limit.
About the Creator
D. A. Ratliff
A Southerner with saltwater in her veins, Deborah lives in the Florida sun and writes murder mysteries. She is published in several anthologies and her first novel, Crescent City Lies, is scheduled for release in the winter of 2025.
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The Devil Gets What He Wanted
“Hello Old Scratch. My name is Glabon. I assume you know why I am here?” “Of course, Glabon, as you no doubt know, I know many things, most in fact.” “Well, despite that I am required by my superiors to inform you of my intentions in any case.” “And, you always do what you are told don’t you my friend Glabon?” “Of course, and I am not your friend, nor are you anyone’s friend, but that matters not for purposes of this discussion.” “No need to hurl insults, it was only a figure of speech. I would suggest you lighten up, but I assume your superiors would find that objectionable, and my guess is you are not capable of it. Do you ever even smile Glabon? Or laugh? No, I presume not.” “Mr. Scratch I am not here for banter or games, I am here for your interview. As you know a select group has been commissioned to write your biography for the historical record.”
By Everyday Junglist4 days ago in Fiction
Comments (7)
🎉 Congratulations on hitting Top Story on Vocal! 🏆 Your hard work and creativity truly shine through, and it’s so well-deserved! 🌟 Keep up the amazing storytelling—this is just the beginning of even more success! 🎈📖🙌
Lovely story. Congratulations on top story.
I enjoyed this. It’s such a good Halloween read. 🎃
I ❤️ this.
This is almost like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown but with a happy ending. Good work and Happy Halloween!
Nice, Halloween story
Excellent story!!! Well done!