The Night Before Halloween Story

   It was the night before Halloween as Pierre and Bentley started off to Ye Ole Pumpkin Patch. Even though they had waited until the last minute to pick their perfect gourd for carving into a jack o’ lantern, they weren’t worried. This was the time that all of the pumpkins get slashed by 75%. Since they are cheap money conscious, it is a great time for them to shop. Besides, they only had time to carve one so they were sure finding a single pumpkin wouldn’t be a problem.

   As they walked closer to the field where the pumpkins lay scattered about, Bentley felt the hair on his back rise. Something was wrong, his hair never made a mistake. Pierre bounced along without a care in the world. “Do you hear that?” Bentley asked anxiously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about," Pierre replied, "the moon is full, trick or treating starts tomorrow and we are about to pick out the perfect pumpkin. All I feel is excitement from the tip of my black nose to the tip of my white tail. Come on, let’s hurry.”

 
  Bentley tried to match his friend’s enthusiasm, but he couldn’t shake the idea that something was horribly wrong. He held his paw up in warning. “Shhhh, listen. Do you hear music? It sounds like someone singing.” Pierre cocked his head and strained to see if he could hear anything.  “Nope, sorry but all I hear are the dogs at the shelter across the street. We will have to take some of our treats and a few extra blankets to them for the cold weather. That always makes my tail wag.” Bentley couldn’t help but smile. Pierre was always thinking of ways to help the less fortunate dogs in town. That didn’t diminish the fact that his Hound Dog ears heard the mournful tune. “You go ahead and start looking for a pumpkin. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. I need to sniff out where this noise is originating. It sounds as if someone is very sad. They might need rescuing.”
   That is when the two friends parted ways. Pierre trotted over to the bright lights of the pumpkin patch. He immediately began to scour what was left for the perfect plump pumpkin. Bentley shuffled towards the darkness and the singing. The closer he got, the louder the song became. “Who is there? Come out, come out wherever you are!” Just as suddenly as the music began, it stopped. He rubbed his paws over his eyes and squinted into the night.

   Bentley saw off in the distance, a lone pumpkin. He crept closer and sure enough, he heard the poor thing singing softly about nobody knowing the troubles he’s seen. “Why are you so sad? Is there anything that I can do to help?” The rotund pumpkin sniffed and sighed. “All of my friends were picked and will get to celebrate the holidays with people. They will have jolly faces carved in them to show their true personalities. I was left here to rot because I am lopsided. Nobody wants a crooked jack o lantern. Especially one named Fred instead of Jack. I mean how stupid is that for a name?”
   Hound Dogs are known for their kind hearts and Bentley is no exception. “Don’t fret; you can be my jack o lantern...I mean, Fred o’ Lantern! I’ll make you a very happy face and put a nice candle inside of you. We will set you on the front porch so you can see all of the children dressed up in their costumes. Besides, lopsided is one of my favorite shapes.” The pumpkin rolled out of the garden toward Bentley. “Can you snap my stem? Be sure to leave enough on it so I can have a handsome topknot. I want a big smiley mouth with maybe a couple of teeth. It is very difficult to talk without a mouth, you know.” Bentley took his paws and managed to free his new friend for the vine. “I can believe that! You will be a perfect addition to our Halloween. Let’s go back to the pumpkin patch and I’ll introduce you to my pal, Pierre.”

   Fred couldn’t walk because, let’s get real, pumpkins don’t have legs. Bentley rolled him with his snout back towards the pumpkin lot. Pierre was pacing nervously. “It is about time that you returned. I couldn’t find a pumpkin that really spoke to me. I’m afraid that we may not have a jack o’ lantern this Halloween.” Bentley couldn’t help but snicker. “I don’t think that is a problem. I’d like to introduce you to Fred.” Pierre looked at the wonky pumpkin and grimaced. He was about to tell his friend to forget it when the impossible happened. “Hiya, Pierre! I can speak to you, literally!”

   Once they revived Pierre from his sudden fainting spell, the three headed back to the bayou. Sure enough, Fred made a terrific jack Fred o’ lantern and they enjoyed a Spooktacular Halloween. He may not have been the perfect shape that everyone wants, but sometimes you have to look deeper than outward appearances. After that, I never turned my back on another pumpkin because it didn’t look perfect at first glance. Have a happy Halloween and enjoy your pumpkins!
*It'd be a real treat if you'd tweet this:

Enjoy the fun of Friday fiction on our #Halloween Spooktacular for all ghouls and goblins! https://t.co/HJtfqFFRtF pic.twitter.com/olC2oaetk5

— M. K.Clinton (@mk_clinton) October 30, 2015

We are joining several blog hops today. You can find other blogs that are participating in each one by clicking on the hosts' names.

The first hop is Stanley and Murphy's Fractured Fryday Hairy Tails.

We were given a sentence to include in our story. This month's inclusion was:

"After that I never turned my back on another pumpkin."

We are joining Dory's Backyard for her Halloween Treats for Shelters. They will be donating $ for blogs joining that mention ways to help shelters. Pierre wants to donate treats and blankets in our story. Shelters always need these as the weather turns colder.

Today is the Pet Parade Blog Hop!  Join the fun with Rascal and Rocco, Bionic Basil’s Blog, Love is being owned by a Husky, and me to celebrate.  Grab our badge and hop along! 

It is finally time for our HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR!

Sugar the Golden Retriever and I are co-hosting this fun hop so that everyone can share their Halloween posts in one convenient location. One lucky blogger will win a prize package from our sponsor Dr. Harvey's. You can join through Sunday, November 1st!