{The Perfect Pumpkin} Claire & Open
Claire loved autumn. Though she adored winter even more, autumn was the season that slowly eased into it. The heat was finally dying down, and the winds were picking up. It was nearly impossible not to get into the spirit of the season when there were so many beautiful colors to see and festive things to do.
Claire had noticed that the local orchard had just opened up. She had been hoping to get some pumpkins for the holidays, though she wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do with them. They were beautiful enough to simply display, but she considered carving them as well. Sure, it was an activity children did, but one was never too old to carve pumpkins.
When she arrived, she was slightly overwhelmed at the acres of large, perfectly orange pumpkins that were spread out before her. She wasn’t sure what sort of size or shape she wanted, so she found herself aimlessly walking down the rows of vegetables. It quickly brought back memories of when she worked as a farmer. It was hard not to think about it, especially around that time of year. Autumn always produced the most incredible harvests.
She stopped suddenly, spotting a single pumpkin. It stood slightly isolated, with only two or three smaller pumpkins near it. It was large, mostly in width, and it had so much character to its shape. She stepped over, deciding that was the one she wanted.
Clearly underestimating its weight, she carefully placed her hands under the vegetable and pulled. It barely moved an inch. She sighed, knowing she could simply pick another pumpkin… but she wanted that one. It was perfect.
With another attempt, she pulled as hard as she could. She managed to drag it a few inches, but she couldn’t really lift it. She pressed her lips together, looking around a bit desperately. She suddenly realized she should have brought someone with her. She thought, though, that someone may possibly be willing to help her.
