Pumpkin Seeds (Pt. 1)

“Dammit Calcifer! Careful with those seeds!” 

Moribold screeches at him as one of the seeds falls from the bucket to the stone floor, crushing itself on the pointy end. Cal scrambles to balance the basket on his knee while picking up the errant seed, barely keeping from dropping several more as Moribund flops his nose at him and walks back towards the new hole.


“Yes sir, I'll be more careful sir.” As soon as old Morry's back is turned Cal wiggles his nose up and down at him and snorts through all four nostrils, whispering slanderous words under his breath.


“What a cranky old jerk. Don't give him any mind Cally.” Sneezle whispers out of the side of her mouth. “He's just cranky 'cause he woke up on the wrong side of the moss this morning.”


“Still he's such a jerk. So I drop one seed, big deal! It's not like they taste any different if they're dented up. I bet it gives 'em character!”


“Is that why you still like me, even though I'm kind of dented up?”


Cally looks at Sneezle's big round snub of a nose, vaguely scarred so unlike any other face he's ever seen. He sidles up close to her, careful to keep the basket balanced in his spindly arms. “Exactly.” He smiles and runs the tip of his nose over her nub affectionately, watching the frown that had been growing on her tiny mouth grown into a smile, her eyes widening in pleasure.


“Oh Cally, you're so sweet.” She giggles and he pulls away, his dark black skin flushing purple.


“I just like you, that's all.”


“Hey you two, get back to work!” Moribold's wrinkly nose pops out of the top hole in the pumpkin, his ears bent back as he tries to force his head through to yell at the youngsters.
“And don't drop any more seeds!”


“Yes, sir!” They chime in chorus, followed by more whispered slander.


The stump isn't far ahead anyway and the loads aren't that heavy. They both make it back with their bushels intact and dump them into the little oven by the back door. Calcifer grabs a jar of the herbs Morry told them to use on the seeds and covers it in with a glistening drop of water, fresh from the drizzle yesterday. It'll be another couple of hours before the pumpkin seed bread is ready, and the oven is full. Hopefully this will be the last batch for the day.


“I guess old Morry will want us back at that silly pumpkin anyway, even though we took all the seeds. I still think it's strange that we found it carved out like that, with all the guts scooped out. Kind of creepy to me.”


“Yeah, but you know Old Morry. He won't pass up any opportunity for easy food.”


Calcifer sniffs at the air as the pumpkin seeds begin to warm in the kiln. “Mmm. . . I do love the smell of pumpkin bread though.”


Sneezle's frown from earlier quickly returns. “Aw, Cally, I wish I could smell it too. I wish I had a normal nose like everyone else.”


Calcifer quickly wraps his arms around her as a single tear begins to form at the edge of each eye and runs the end of his long pointy nose over her ears and face. “But Sneeze, you have such wonderful ears to make up for it. And I'd love you either way.” He smiles his biggest smile and hopes it will work.


“Are you sure?”


“Of course.” He kisses her on the forehead, hoping she will cheer up. In the last few months she's been so much happier; it would be such a shame to see her sad again. “And besides, maybe we could dally a little before we go back to help with the pumpkin. I can think of a few fun things to do . . .”


“Oh stop it you!” Now it's her turn to blush a deep purple. “We really have to get back. Come on! Last one there is a rotten froozit!”

She wraps her arm through his and pulls him through the door and they both run breathlessly through the moss back toward the pumpkin. They're both gasping for air when they get back, Moribund's head quickly popping out again to look at them. “Now that's what I like to see! Not so much goofing off, eh! Eager to get back to work. Good kids, both of you. Now come on up and help me scoop out what's left of the meat. There'll be enough here for all winter, I tell you!”


Calcifer and Sneezle take a few more deep breaths and begin to climb the long ladder leaned up against the side of the pumpkin, climbing in through the large triangular center hole. Suddenly it reminds Calcifer of the shape of a nose, with two giant round eyes above it. He's afraid to mention though, with Sneezle there, and lets it lie. They both climb through the hole and ascend towards the top up the crude stairs which Moribund carved into the inside meat of the pumpkin. “Hey Morry, haven't you wondered why this thing is here? I mean, have you ever seen anything like it?”


“Now Calcifer, one does not look a gift froozit in the mouth. We should be grateful for all gifts the universe chooses to give us.”

“But it seems so odd, almost too good to be true.” Sneezle can't help but chime in for Cally. “What if it's a trap?”


“A trap? A trap you say? That's just silly. It is a bounty from the gods and we should see it as such. Besides, just wait 'til everyone else comes back from their fall harvests and sees what we have! We'll be the talk of the village!”


“I guess. Something just doesn't seem right about this whole thing, that's all.” Calcifer walks over to the edge of one of the top holes to the outside, the ones he's started thinking of as windows.


“Oh poppycock. Get your head out of the trees and focus on the work that's to be done. This basket's almost full and it's not going to carry itself back to the stump by itself!”


“Sure Morry, we'll get it.” He looks out of the window and rests his arms on the ledge, noticing that the very edge of the cut pumpkin's skin is beginning to curl in as it begins its slow decay. He's startled out of his reverie though, as Sneezle cries out, “Cally, look!”