I have pumpkins to protect! - Theo/Eloise
It wasn’t every day that one saw a twenty seven year old woman pulling a wagon through town, but that was exactly what was happening that day. The squeaking of the old wheels and the rhythmic thump of the wheels as they passed over the seams in the sidewalk followed Eloise Goddard down the main street through town.
“Where are you off too, Miss Eloise Goddard?”
Eloise stopped at the corner of East Street and Maple Drive, a small grin slowly growing on her face as Theo Byron approached her from the crosswalk.
“I have pumpkins to protect,” Eloise explained as Theo made a move to poke around the contents of the wagon she was currently pulling behind her.
“First... this wagon has my name on it. Did you steal my wagon?” he asked, pointing to the side where his name was indeed scrawled in a childish font, including a backwards “e” in his name.
“And secondly, I’m not entirely sure what you’re referring to, Miss Goddard... Especially since I think I spy your famous pumpkin roll in that tin and baking a pumpkin seems like the exact opposite of protecting it.”
“Well, first, yes this is your wagon but no, I did not steal it. If you remember, I won it fair and square riding it down Penn Hill without crashing it when we were eleven,” Eloise began, having reminded him of this event at least once a year when she pulled the old wagon out of her garden shed for any number of reasons.
“Right! Of course. How could I have forgotten that historic moment in our town’s history?” Theo proclaimed dramatically.
“And I”m not on some mission to protect all pumpkins,” Eloise continued. “Just the jack-o-lanterns the children carved today from the--”
“Fenton Brothers,” the pair said in unison.
Fall, as anyone might expect in a town such as Fate, was a busy time of the year. The lead up to Halloween was peppered with events and many of those were organized by Eloise herself. The second Saturday afternoon in October was when she hosted a pumpkin carving event on the front lawn of the library. As dusk approached, the pumpkins would be lit and decorate the front of the library for the remainder of the autumn season. At least, that is what Eloise had hoped would be their fate.
The second Saturday evening in October is also when the Fenton Brothers, two terrible teenage boys with no manners (in Eloise’s opinion) would come smash the recently carved gourds, leaving a mess of orange carnage in their wake that would have begun to turn an unsightly brown by the time Eloise arrived to unlock the library the next morning. She’d hoped the pair would grow out of these childish antics, but it seemed as if age only further their resolved to bash the hard work of Fate’s young pumpkin artists into the gutters.
“I’m planning a stake out,” Eloise explained, pulling back the blanket that covered the contents of the wagon so that Theo might examine it more thoroughly. “Hot chocolate. Flashlights. A pumpkin roll-- well spotted!”
“I am known for identifying baked goods from miles away,” Theo interjected.
“Blankets. This camping lantern my mother sent in case the power ever goes out.... a deck of cards to amuse myself with solitaire. Assorted other items for eating... silly string.”
“For giving those Fenton Brother’s a taste of their own medicine should they dare to step foot on the library lawn!”
Theo was silent then, observing her supplies and Eloise waited for what she assumed would be a harsh dose of reality. Yes, she was well aware that even if her stake out deterred the Fenton Brothers for one evening, it was just as likely they’d be back the next night to wreck havoc as always. But even so, just letting the creations have one night would be enough for her.
“Have you supplies enough for two, or should I make a quick trip home?” Theo asked. The tension she realized she’d been holding in her shoulders waiting to be told her plan was silly was suddenly released. Of all her friends, she should’ve known that Theo would be the most ready to accompany her on an evening such as this.
“I think I’ve got more than enough for the pair of us,” Eloise held out the handle towards him. “I’ll even give you the honor of pulling the wagon.”
“Oh yes, what an honor to pull my wagon that was stolen from me!” Theo laughed, but took it from her anyway as the pair headed down East Street towards the twinkling lights of the (yet undisturbed) jack o’ lanterns at the library building.”
“I won fair and square, Theo Byron, so stop trying to make it seem otherwise!”
“I’ll play you for it. Round of poker, winner takes all... any by all, I mean the wagon,” Theo proposed.
“I’ve no earthly idea how to play poker,” Eloise countered.
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