Pumpkin Life: Show Not Tell

 As my students continued to practice the concept of Show Not Tell in their writing, they became a personified pumpkin a couple of weeks before Halloween.  Their job was to write a story about the last day of their life, with an emphasis on Show Not Tell writing styles.  How would it feel to be carved?  Baked?  Dropped?  Forgotten?  My students did such an amazing job with this that one of my students said, "I will never carve a pumpkin ever again after this assignment!  I feel too bad!"

Enjoy these entertaining stories!

My Story, by Lucas (3rd grade)

        Hi, my name is Desert Horn Viper, and I am a happy, big, round, green pumpkin.  I have a story to tell you about my last day of my life!

        Today is Halloween, and the craziest thing happened earlier today.  First, Michaela carved into my top, and I felt fierce.  Next, SCRAAAAAPE!  A mean person scooped my seeds out.  I looked at them, and they were disgusting.  I saw goo and seeds all over the plate!  Then, someone started to carve a hole in my right eye and then my left eye.  He carved a nose and mouth as well.  I got to finally see everything! Meow.  I saw a cat eating delightfully.  Finally, a weird person placed a strange stick-like thing in me, and I felt warm.  But in a while, I felt hotter and hotter, until CRACKLE!  I was on fire!!

        I was burned to death.  The firefighter came and put out the fire.

        So now, here I sit in a big, round puddle.  My life was etremely funny.  Why couldn't I have been a black mamba instead?

The Dirty and Rotten Day I Die, by Zivah (5th grade)

        Here I am, sitting on a counter, ready to be carved by despicable humans.  I am wasting my life to be carved for this "fun" holiday called "Halloween."  It is like humans have no common sense at all.  Life is boring.  It always will be.

        As I grumble on the counter, a dwarf human approaches me.  "Look, a pumpkin!" 

        "Oh wow, how surprising," I say with obvious sarcasm.  It doesn't matter though.  No one can understand me.

        The tall and annoying human comes up to me.  "Time to carve this little pumpkin!" I say.  Don't call me "little," you hairy giant!  She smiles.  I start to ponder if humans have brains.

        With the sharp blade on the evil knife, the giant slices my head off.  The pain rushes to my face.  I see my sticky orange guts splatter on me.  My heart hurts even more than my head.  I feel my life has been snatched out of me.

        Once the despicable giant is done scooping my guts, they put some useless candle inside me.  Did I really lose my life to have a candle put inside me?  I want to say no.  The giant puts me on a crowded porch.

        The giant lights the candle in me.  Something happens.  I feel a change in my heart.  I smile.

        Halloween arrives, and everyone loves me.  I finally feel special.  "Look at the pumpkin!" says the dwarf kid.  Maybe life isn't boring.  Maybe you have to change the way you see it.

December 25: D-day, by Audrey (5th grade)

        At least I survived Halloween and Turkey Day. I’m glad that I wasn’t the big orange kind of pumpkin that everybody wanted to carve. On Turkey day, I was relieved when I wasn’t made into pie. Life would be fine if not a little bit boring. I was safe unlike my cousin, the squash, who got made into an appetizer.

        The living room table. Tell me about it. Uhhh! That navy blue color is so ugly, I would do anything to not be stuck there. Day after day, month after month, the children running by, the mother telling them to stop running. 

        The worst part was when the family started decorating for “red and green day”. They got it totally wrong! Nothing could go even worse.

        Dang it! I probably jinxed it. They started putting up a pine tree right in front of my eyes. It didn’t even look real! Even worse, they were putting red, green, and gold balls on the tree. For heaven's sake, gold. Seriously? GOLD out of all colors. 

        Interrupting my misery, suddenly horribly cheerful music blasted out of the kitchen. Oh, this day couldn’t get any worse! I tried to zone out but the music was just too loud. 

        Wait, did I just wake up from a nap? The sky was already dark. Now the family was eating ham and mush. That same cheerful music was playing again. That was definitely not music to my ears. 

        One moment later the children were up and running again. I think they were playing tag. They were running around the ugly blue table that I was on. Three short minutes later, the children were running so fast like the wind, I was afraid I was going to meet my death. I was right! The next thing I knew, I was tumbling off the table. 

        Those mere three seconds seemed like eternity. Oh the pain! I was pretty sure I broke 17 of my bones. All of my orange and gooey insides had become outsides and the children were screaming. Then the mother came over and picked me up and tossed me into an endless hole. I got quite dizzy when the mother tossed me into the pit of doom. When I finally hit the ground I was actually surprised I was cushioned by some rotten lettuce. I asked them where we were and they said something that sounded like smash jam. What?!

         Then I felt quite different. My brain was getting really fogged up. The last thing I comprehended was that I was in a smash jam which could also be called the endless hole of misery and death. At least I can get my boring life published in a journal. 

        Well, maybe.

Personification: My Life as a Pumpkin

 I love this assignment that teaches students how fun it can be to explore the concept of Personification: Giving non-human things human traits.  First, we study the life cycle of a pumpkin, from seed to final cut from the stem.  We talk about how it would feel to be a tiny seed, a vine with a yellow flower, a big or small pumpkin, and how our life would end.  After we study and discuss, we story map three chapters of our life, and then present a rough draft of our story.  Finally, after some editing, we create a beautiful final copy with pictures and three chapters.  Enjoy these samples across the grades!

By Vivia, 2nd grade

by Joon (2nd grade)

My Life as a Pumpkin

By Dana (4th grade)

Ch. 1

   I woke up as just a little seed in a giant patch of  squishy soil in late spring. I saw a man staring at me. What’re you looking at? He seemed old. I was afraid that his big, black boots would crush my delicate self. If they did, I would not be happy. Anyway, I was surrounded by grass and pebbles. And bugs. Ew! I was scared. I was trapped. What was going to happen?

   I sat there for a few hours. The man disappeared. Then I became super thirsty. Where was the watering can? I needed water! I waited. And waited. And waited. I waited for so long I became quite impatient and unhappy. 

   At last, the man came back with his watering can and I was glad. He poured the water over my head and left. I just hoped he would come back soon.

   Before long, the moon was out and the air became foggy. I was cold. I tried to sleep but the crickets would not let me. Who knew crickets were so annoying? Rain began to pour. Just as I was beginning to fall asleep, a little leg sprouted off of me. Soon came a little umbrella to help with the rain. Yay!

    Finally, the morning arrived. I felt the fresh air against my face. The sun came out and the rain ceased. My umbrella was not needed. Go, umbrella, go! It did not go. As I began my exploration, I realized that I had neighbors! We talked for a while. There was Bob, Stewart, and Tom. They were all fairly nice. Except for the one to my right. He was the naughty one from the moment his seed was buried in the dirt. He was Joe. I was no longer afraid of the big, weird world. I was excited!

Ch. 2

   Days passed and summer began. My neighbors and I had few visits with the old man, but enough that we never starved. My unnecessary umbrellas seemed to grow. The times were uneventful. Until the day when my arms arrived. They stretched out into a tangled mess around the lawn. 

   Soon enough, my neighbors got them, too. We wrapped around rocks, tree branches, pipes, and even an old chair. Joe and I decided to arm wrestle. It was a terrible idea. We had fun with our new arms. Summer was not quite over.

   Many days later, we received yellow hats. They were great for summer. I guess they were so attractive that the bees swarmed around them, collecting the strange dots. I guess they wanted some style, too. 

   It was fun, but Tom told me that the stingers were dangerous. I guess he was right because the second they poked the old man, he began to howl. Poor guy. I guessed he had to be given time to recover because an old woman took over his job of watering us.

   Night came and the last heavy rain fell before the drought. I had the weirdest dream ever that night. My beautiful green color turned orange. I became big. I grew a stem. My arms wrestled no more. I had become a pumpkin. Ha!

Ch. 3

   When I woke up, I was terrorized. My dream…wasn’t a dream! I was an actual pumpkin!

   Fall came. I had a bed of crunchy, dry leaves. But not for long. A new man with a top hat and a suit came and took me and my neighbors (who were also pumpkins) away to this giant mansion. He set me on the windowsill and took my friends somewhere else. Bye, guys!

   Later that day, a big black bulldog charged at me. His head pushed me off the windowsill into the yard! Ack! I was falling through the air. The sky seemed to grow smaller and smaller. Wind rushed past me. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the end. 

   But it wasn’t the end. I landed on familiar dry leaves. I was very dizzy, but I managed to pull myself together. The sky did not shrink anymore and the friendly breeze continued. Relief filled my mind.

   I looked around. There was Tom, Joe, Bob, and Stewart! Yay! The happy neighbors were together again.

   We grew old. Like, really old. Joe became mature. I started to, well, rot. And my last words (well, more like thoughts) were “Goodbye, world! My life was great!”

My Life as a Pumpkin, by Charlotte (5th grade)

        I started my life as a small, beautiful pumpkin seed.  I felt the warm sun shine on my white rough skin.  The tulips and daffodils leaned on my light, white body.  I saw an old couple holding hands walk out of the small cottage near me.  I felt my mouth start to move.  I started to smile, grinning from ear to ear, thinking about being baked into pumpkin muffins.  My cozy garden around me brightened in the clam, glistening sun.

        I felt my vine leaves cover my greenish, hazel eyes.  Bees were buzzing and coming extra close to my proud face.  "I am gonna be a muffin!" I whispered to myself excitedly.   I heard birds chirping and saw butterflies flying over my head.  Jocelyn poured cold water on me, making me shiver.  

        Days and days had passed.  Suddenly, I noticed long tendrils coming out of me.  They grasped onto the pretty tulips and daffodils held them hard.  "Let go of me!" the flowers say in a small, squeaky voice.

        My flowers danced around while one stayed on my head, like a sun hat.  Small brown bunnies hopped around me; their cute eyes met mine, and my heart fluttered.

        Months and days had passed.  It was November, and I was in a hot box.  It was an oven!  Suddenly, the oven opened and I saw Jocelyn greet my beautiful orange muffins with a warm smile.

        Jocelyn carried me out onto a long wooden brown table, with smiles all around.  Laughing and chattering filled the happy room.  The big turkey next to me winked happily, and so did the plates and utensils.  Happy tears filled each of my muffin's small eyes.

        "I had a great life," I thought gratefully.

I had a group of students in grades 4-8 that received a similar, but different, assignment.  Their job was to explore the concept of "Show not tell."  This is a crucial skill to learn in order to achieve that next level of writing.  An example of telling is:

"They put a candle inside me."

An example of showing is:

"After my smiling face was carved, my owners placed a chunky red candle inside my newly hollowed-out orange cranium.  The warmth of the flickering candle brought me comfort, and I felt happy."

As you can see, it is challenging to write in this way.  Enjoy these samples!

Pumpkin Life, by Siwon (4th grade)

        I am a we-be-little pumpkin, and I am in the horrifying kitchen on Halloween eve!

        The owner is getting ready to slice and carve me!  The wonderful owner's wife is getting her songs ready for this horrible "trick or treating."  Then I feel and hear a big "snap" from my body.  The blood drips from my body!

        He paints me, cuts and slices me, and scoops and hammers me really hard!  I am screaming inside out.  Now the giant lifts me to the wonderful porch and puts a royal blue candle in me!

        An hour later, I start burning to death.  Good-bye earth!  I cross over the rainbow bridge.

Life as a Pumpkin, by Alex (8th grade)

Surrounded by pumpkins, I am just one of hundreds lying on the ground, ready to be taken wherever pumpkins go. Giants are roaming about the land, and every so often one of my fellow pumpkins that I have known for many of my miserable pumpkin-years is kidnapped and then never heard of again. Everyone here knows that they will eventually be snatched, and it is only a matter of time until each and every one of us disappears.

Suddenly, the ground drops away as a pair of huge hands lifts me into the air; it is now my turn to go. I am jerked around as the giant carries me toward the skyscraper where every pumpkin disappears. I am dropped roughly on the flat surface, and the giant that grabbed me and the giant at the skyscraper have a verbal exchange. Then, I am lifted off the skyscraper roof and carried over to a giant metal machine. I am thrown in the back and, as the door shuts, the last bit of sunlight disappears.

One pumpkin-day later…

The door opens, waking me from my sleep as a beam of blinding light lances into my enclosure. I am grabbed yet again and lifted many pumpkin-feet off the ground as I am carried to a gigantic house. The giant puts me down on the towering grass in front of the concrete steps and, to my surprise, I see three of my pumpkin friends who had left a couple pumpkin-days before.

The entrance opens, and out comes three more giants, each wielding a sharp metal object that gleams in the sunlight. Each of the four takes a pumpkin; I am lifted off the ground yet again, and carried a pumpkin-mile to another portion of the grass, where I am put down and the giant leans over me. I think about my life, have I lived enough? Was it worth it? Then, a blinding flash of pain, and I find out what happens to every other pumpkin that I have seen grabbed before my eyes.

I feel searing heat around my stem as the top of my head is removed. Then, a scoop comes in and starts scraping out my brain. I don’t feel any pain except from the hole in my head, as my brain does not have any nerves. It is still a weird feeling though; I can see what is going on, but I don’t feel. These final seconds are relatively painless, and my passing is swift.

The Life of a Pumpkin by Brody (8th grade)

Surrounded by darkness and my fellow pumpkin siblings, I sit in the cardboard box that will carry me to my Doom. Honk! Honk! I feel myself flung across to the left side of the box as the truck I’m in does a sharp turn. The truck makes another sharp turn swinging me to the right. My stem hits the side of the box pushing the flaps open and ripping the tape. I feel air rush against my orange skin as I get flung into the sky before landing gratefully onto a padding of lush green grass.

I sit there for a couple pumpkin hours watching the autumn leaves fly by when suddenly I get picked up by a giant creature who has probably taken interest in me, scanning my body with huge brown and white eyes. I get brought inside a gigantic house by the giant.. I get placed on a dark brown table by the Giant. Finally feeling safe, I decide to take a nap,  happy and cozy in this new home.

Rudely awakened from my slumber, I feel a stinging pain in the top of my head slowly sneaking its way around my stem. Just like that the top of my head vanishes. Before I can comprehend what just happened, an arm reaches inside my body, pulling out all of my pumpkin organs and pumpkin children. I look up and see a giant arm toss my guts in a bin like garbage. I don't feel pain, only large amounts of sadness. The giant takes my pumpkin children and spreads them out on a pan and shoves them in a hot metal box. 

My sadness turns into anger, directed at the giant who lured me into a false sense of security before cutting me open, burning my children alive, and scraping out my guts. Now I feel empty and angry. In my pumpkin rage I rock back and forth, my stem like a metronome, until I fall off the table and splat on the hardwood floor leaving a mess of pumpkin fragments and orange goop.

In my dying thoughts I think about how my life as a pumpkin was not the best, but my childhood was nice, sitting in the fields of green grass eating up the sunlight and water like a ravenous bear. Oh well, at least my children will provide happiness to the giant.

Final Days, by Kyle (8th grade)

My pumpkin friends lie next to me in the field. The big, yellow circle is at its peak in the sky. Humans roam the patch, each about two pumpkins tall. A tall man, about two and a half pumpkins tall, snatches my friend. “Nooooooooo!” I yell. “Not Ben!” Ben was my best friend. We've known each other for five whole days, which is the longest I’ve known any pumpkin. 

Ben gets taken over to a big, blue metal monster. The monster has four circular black things on the bottom, keeping it from touching the ground. The man magically opens the back, and Ben gets tossed inside. 

A few hours later, the big, yellow circle isn’t as high, and it’s my nap time. Right as I’m falling asleep, a miniature human runs up, pointing a chubby little finger at me. He makes the same, weird human noises I often hear. Another, normal sized human, grabs me with both hands. He brings me over to another human. This human is a bit shorter than usual. They exchange pieces of green paper. Because, apparently, I’m only worth pieces of green paper. The human takes me over to another big metal monster. The back half of the monster swings outward, and the human puts me inside. The cushion under me is soft and bouncy, perfect for a nap. My eyes soon close, and I’m drifting off to sleep.

When I wake up, I find myself lying on the steps to a huge house. The sky is magically pumpkin orange again, and the big, yellow circle is shining directly at me. The wind picks up, blowing leaves and twigs onto my face. A black bird perches on my stem. It drops off something white and sticky on my head, before flying away into a tree.

The man that brought me to this horrid place, brings out a very, long green snake thingy. All of a sudden, water shoots out of its mouth, splashing me very rudely. The snake stops shooting water at me, and the human takes out something metallic. It reflects the yellow circle in my face, temporarily blinding me. I open my eyes, and I see the human leaning overy me. Pain suddenly flashes through my head. Black overcomes my eyes, as the pain knocks me out.

When I come to my senses, the sky is black, splattered with a few white dots here and there. In the sky, the big, yellow circle is replaced by a smaller, white semi-circle. I see a few small humans walking up the steps, and then they stand in front of the wooden door. One of the small humans is wearing a black robe, along with glasses, and he’s holding a stick. On the black robe, there is a red and yellow patch, displaying a lion. They press a yellow button on the side of the door, which makes a very loud sound. The door magically disappears, and the man who took me, takes out some brown and red rectangles to give to the small humans. 

Ah, I remember this. This is Halloween! The pumpkin elders told me about this event, where small humans walk up to big humans’ houses, demanding the big humans to give them rectangles. Humans have some very weird traditions. I see many small humans come and go, until eventually, they don’t come anymore. I drift off to sleep again. (What? A pumpkin sleeps a lot, okay?)

When I wake up, the big yellow circle is back, and the sky is back to its normal blue color. The man walks out of the magical door, and then he picks me up. He takes me over to a green box, which is next to a blue box and a black box. He magically opens the top (still don’t know how they do it), and drops me inside. The bottom is very squishy, with a bunch black, plastic bags, filled with stuff that I don’t know, nor want to know about. He closes the top, and now I know: I will never see the sky again.

Personification: My Life as a Pumpkin

     It is time for our biggest project of the semester!

     The "My Life as a Pumpkin" story incorporates a lot of fun steps.  First I showed the students pictures of the stages of life of a pumpkin that my children and I had planted.  From seed leaves to vine leaves, from tendrils to flowers, and of course, the final pumpkin product, the students learned about it all.  I also read them a book about the process of growing pumpkins.

     When the science lesson was over, we then imagined what it would be like to be a seed, a vine, and eventually a pumpkin.  Would we be nervous?  Excited?  Optimistic?  Pessimistic?  Grumpy?  Scared? These were all moods that came to mind for my students.  They were so creative!

     The older students were challenged to pick a mood out of the bag and match their story to that mood.  This was an excellent challenge for my returning students who had done this project before, as well as any student who wanted to get pushed outside their usual comfort zone with voice and style.

     Once our mood was decided, we story mapped the 5 W's (who, what, when, where, and why) of each of the three chapters: Seed, Growing, and Pumpkin.  Once story maps were checked for clarity, rough drafts were written.  On the third week, final copies were getting turned in!  This was a big assignment, and one that many students enjoyed.  I hope you enjoy reading these samples from across the grades!

My Life as a Pumpkin

by Tyler (1st grade)

I started as a seed.

     I started my life as a cool and fantastic seed.  I got planted in spring.  I was with Drew, Brady, Zach, Daddy, and Mommy.  I got planted in dirt and seven days later, I had a green sprout.

  I began to grow.

     Then I became a huge vine.  I was in a dirt patch in Mommy's and Daddy's garden.  It was July.  Drew, Zach, and Brady were next to me.  My vines got big.  My vines got tangled with my friends.  My yellow flower got so big that it took all the sun from the other plants!  Then my flower got pollenated by five bees.

     Then, I became a pumpkin.

     I ended my life as a pie and a prize jack-o-lantern.  It was October.  I was the biggest pumpkin!  Mommy baked me into a pie, and I ended my life in her tummy.

My Life as a Pumpkin

by Alyssa (2nd grade)

I started as a seed.

     I started my life as an excited and tiny seed.  I was in a Hawaiian garden in Spring on a sunny day.  My best friend was with me.  A girl named Alyssa squished me in the brown and stinky dirt.  That hurt!  Then it rained, and I grew and grew and grew into a green sprout.

     I began to grow.

     Then I became a twisty and swirly vine.  I was still in Alyssa's garden.  It was June.  My friend and I played catch with dirt.  Then I grew into a big, tall, and golden flower.

  Then I became a pumpkin.

     I was at home on Halloween on a spooky night.  Alyssa was with me.  Finally, I was pumpkin cake.  I felt warm and happy.

     At first, I was green, but then, I became a real, big, orange pumpkin!

My Life as a Pumpkin

by Ridley (3rd grade)

Chapter One

     I am going to tell you about my good life as a pumpkin.  I started out as a seed in a pumpkin.

     I was discussing a plan with my brothers and sisters about when we get out of our mom.  Just then, something cut right into our mother’s stomach!  We were all terrified at the sight of the object right in-front of us.

     It started to go around as it cut our mom in half! Then hands came in.  They grabbed us, and pulled us out of our mom. 

     Outside the sun was very bright.  It really hurt my eyes.  The hands lifted us up and put us into the soil.  In the soil, it was cold.  I was a bit scared.

Chapter Two

     Oooh, I had two little leaves above me.  They were so small and cute!  Woah!  I looked up at the other vines. They were huge!

     A few weeks passed and then I had this yellow flower on my head, which was a small green ball!  It was very pretty.  It got a bit looser than a week ago.  I hoped it wouldn’t fall off!  I had grown very fond of it.  If it did fall off, then I wouldn’t have my umbrella!  I started to get sad and scared a bit.

     After I talked to myself a bit I got tired, so I went to sleep.

Chapter Three

     Ahhhhh!  Hey stop that!!!!  The farmer was pouring water on what used to be my tiny little leaves, but now they are huge leaves.  Anyway, he was pouring icy-cold water on my head!!  When that was done, it felt like my vines were frozen!

     The farmer suddenly walked toward us!  He stopped at me, (like I said, I am the oldest of my brothers and sisters.)  For once, being the oldest was a bad thing.

     A razor sharp knife cut into my vine!!  It hurt so bad!!  Soon enough I was off the vine.  I heard the farmer say that I was off to a fair! Since I was huge, I might just win the contest!

     Then somewhere I heard something about Halloween.  I might end up as a decoration on Halloween!  I hope I won’t be carved.

     When we got there, the farmer opened the car door.  He lifted me off the seat and outside the car.  I could see the fair.  It looked really cool.  There were ferris wheels and clowns!  There was a place for the competition.  I was placed on a square wooden place.  The judges judged us very carefully.  I hoped I would win 1st place.

     A few minutes passed.  The judges finally announced who had won the prize.  It was…..US!!!!  We were so excited.  I wished my brothers and sisters were there.  They’ll have their time.

     It was Halloween night and I was outside on the porch.  All the people who drove by would not have seen us outside if it was not for the candles in our heads.

     We were now all big and oranges like creamsicles!  I was so excited, but now I must end my life story.

My Life as a Pumpkin

By Sammie (4th grade)

Chapter 1: Starting as a Seed

      “Ouch!  That hurt!” I said.  “That sun is very bright,” I thought.  Suddenly, I got gently placed into the planter box by Laura, Tyler, and Sammie.  Then I felt warm water sprinkle on me.  My seed coat was getting wet, so I knew that it wouldn’t be long until I would grow. 

       I was in the planter box with my best friend Anjalia Seed.  I talked with Anjalia a lot because there was really nothing else to do.  Then I finally got little legs.  I knew I was growing!

     Three days later, I got little seed leaves.  My legs also got bigger.  I was actually becoming a real pumpkin plant!  What an exciting day!

     That night, it rained a lot.  In the morning, I felt the wonderful warm sun.  I felt like I was growing!

Chapter 2: Growing Up

     A week later, I felt different.  I felt taller and stronger.  My vines and leaves were getting bigger.  My was also becoming very curly.

     One morning, I noticed a little green ball, and a golden dress on me.  “What is this green ball?” I thought.  Then Tyler started to water me.  It felt very good, because it had been hot for the past few days.

     Two days later, I felt very dry.  I realized that Tyler hadn’t watered me yesterday,  “Oh no!” I cried out loud to Anjalia.  “I can’t lift my arms!”  Anjalia said it would be okay.  That’s what best friends are for.

     Then she told me she saw Tyler coming to water us.  Phew!  I was rescued!  He dumped the water on me.  It felt very refreshing to take a bath.  Lucky for me, I was feeling all better.  “Yippee!” I exclaimed.  I am saved!”  My arms shot up in the air in happiness!

     The next morning, I saw a paint brush coming into my dress.  It tickled a lot!  I was being pollinated by Laura!  She was gentle and sweet to me.

     That night, my dress closed.  I felt sad because my flower dress had made me look extra fancy.  And now, it was all crinkly!

     Over the next week, my pumpkin ball got bigger.  But something else terrible also happened.  My flower dress completely dried up and fell off!

“Oh no!” I gasped to Anjalia.  I feel so exposed!”

     Anjalia replied, “It’s okay, Sammie.  My flower also fell off a few days ago.  It just means that we’re starting to become real, actual pumpkins!”  That made me feel much better, and grown-up!

Chapter 3: Making New Friends

     Because I had vined out so much, I met two new friends named Isabel and Sophia.  I told Anjalia that I met two other pumpkin plants, and she became friends with them, too! 

     We talked and played Volleyseed with each other.  We played with an old seed that Sophia found in her planter box.  We all had a great day.

     Later that evening, someone hurried through my front gate.  He slammed the gate, and it hit my planter box.  “Aaaahhhhh!” I exclaimed.  It’s an earthquake!”

     Finally, the shaking stopped.  I felt like I was going to be sick.

     Then Anjalia said, “What was that?!  That dude was in a hurry.  I don’t want to be around him when he is mad like that.”

     I looked at the house.  The man that stomped through the gate went into my owner’s walkway.  “What is he doing?” I thought.  He put something into a box.  Then my owner came to the door and said, “Thanks for the mail.  Next time, please be more careful with the gate because of our pumpkins!” 

     “Okay, I will,” he answered.

     The next day, I felt bigger.  Anjalia also looked bigger, but she was asleep.  I was very thirsty.  I knew it wouldn’t be long until Tyler watered me.  I also knew that if I kept on eating a balanced diet, I would get bigger and bigger, and eventually change color!

     Suddenly, I was Tyler with a hose.  The water felt excellent.  But Anjalia was still sleeping, and the cold water that felt fantastic to me, woke Anjalia up with a fright!  She was not happy.  But I said it was good because she was going to grow!

     A week later, part of my body was orange.  I was very excited!  I looked over at Anjalia, and saw she was also a little bit orange.  But, she was smaller than me.

     Later that morning, we were playing Volleyseed.  But when Sophia did a spike, the seed cracked in half.  “So much for that game,” muttered Isabel. 

     “I think Sophia is too strong!” I told my friends.

     “Thank you, thank you very much!” said Sophia.

     “What are we going to play now?” asked Anjalia.

    “I have an idea!” exclaimed Isabel.  “We could play Volleyleaf!”

    Sophia asked, “How are we going to play that?”

     “It’s simple,” explained Isabel.  “One of you has to tear off a leaf to play with….”

     “NOOO!” we all screamed.  “We need our leaves to get sunlight to keep growing!”

     Five days later, I looked over at Anjalia, and she was frantic.  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

      “I have bumps all over me.  What’s wrong with me?  Do I have chicken pox?!” she exclaimed.

     “I’m sorry, I don’t know,” I admitted.

     Then Laura came out and said, “Look!  We got a lumpy bumpy Goosebumps pumpkin in our garden!”

     This was good news to us.  “It’s okay, Anjalia.  That’s just how you were meant to be.  That is your variety.”  My news made her feel better.

     “Okay, I trust you,” she said, as she breathed a sigh of relief.

     Two weeks later, I was getting more and more orange.  I was very excited.  I looked over at Anjalia and she looked very bumpy and beautiful.  We knew that Harvest Time was coming, and we would get picked soon!

    

Chapter 4: The Time of My Life

     It was five days before Halloween, and all of my friends and I were going to get cut from our vines.  Just the thought of getting cut by those sharp shears gave me nightmares!  I wondered what it would feel like to be off of my vine after being attached there for my whole life.

     Then one day, I saw Isabel and Sophia getting picked and put on to the walkway.  I knew it wouldn’t be long until it was my turn!

     The day I got picked was a very happy day.  Sammie and her mom came out of their house with some pointy shears.  Then I saw them bending down to pick me.  “Aaaaaahhhh!”  I exclaimed.  “I’m going to get cut!”

     Then, all of a sudden, I heard a “SNAP!” and I was off the vine.  I was surprised and thankful that it actually didn’t hurt! 

      Then Sammie picked me up and almost dropped me because I was very heavy!  When her mom saw that Sammie was struggling, she took me instead.  I felt safer then!  Once they put me on their porch next to Isabel and Sophia, I saw them bending down to pick Anjalia.  She looked very scared, but once she was off the vine, she saw me and looked happier. 

     Suddenly, they picked up Sophia and Isabel, and brought them inside.  I wasn’t sure what was happening to them while they were in there, but there was no screaming for help, so I figured they were okay.

     The door opened, and out came Isabel and Sophia.  Isabel’s white skin had a bunch of holes, and in the holes, Laura and Sammie had stuck lollipops for the mysterious people that they called trick-or-treaters!   (We had no idea what “trick-or-treaters” meant.)  Sophia was carved with the word “BOO!” on her peach skin.   I was devastated to see that the insides of my friends had been hollowed out.  That must’ve felt very weird, and I didn’t want it to happen to me!

      That afternoon, I got taken into the house and got put on the table.  I was wondering what my owners would do to me!  Sammie approached me with a skinny tool with bristles on the end.  Then, I felt this thing tickling me.  I was getting a massage, and it felt very relaxing!   

     I must’ve dozed off, because when I awoke, I saw I had been painted with a cat’s face on me!  I thought I looked very dazzling!

     So here is where my story ends.  My friends and I are all dressed up for Halloween.  We have seen many trick-or-treaters coming up to the door and taking the lollipops out of Isabel’s head tonight.  I feel very proud because all of the kids are saying how superb we look.  We are all different varieties with different designs, but we are all great friends.  I wish Halloween could last forever!

On May First.

By Bette (5th grade)

Chapter 1- A Seedling

It was May first, and I thought that I was the most excited seed ever alive. I was finally being bought from the store. Also, I wasn’t alone, so that made me even more excited. I had never actually seen dirt so I was a little bit curious.  

Finally we had made it to the house. They took us out of the shopping bag and failed to rip us open. The tallest, (which I am guessing is the mom) went to the knife producer. She took out a pair of scissors and snip!  We were open. The 2 girls poured us into each of their hands. I wound up in the dark haired girl's hand. She walked a little and then poured us into the soft soil. It felt like a soft blanket wrapping around my body.  I decided that I would get a snack and then I would sleep for the rest of the day!

“Ah!” It felt like heaven being watered for the first time. It was a sunny Saturday, and the twins had come out to feed us with fresh water. I love how we get all of this extra food. I am getting bigger and I overheard someone saying something about us sprouting a flower soon.

Chapter 2

A Flower

They were right, I have just sprouted a beautiful yellow flower. I have a small green ball at the end of it. Today I have started to grow vines. They are long, green and prickly. They tend to like to touch everyone around me. I am gathering sunlight and water for my dress (flower).

Today I saw something. It was big and it was yellow and black. I have seen it coming to other flowers around me and landing on their flowers. I have heard that it’s called “pollinating”. The twins came out today and were fighting over who would water us. They dropped the water and it spilled all over me. It made me feel cold and drowsy. I have been wilting ever since. Their mom came out to see the other day and said that I was being “Over watered.” It made me scared until today when she said that all the twins have to do is not water me for a little bit. I have been waiting for the creature to come strike me. All of neighbors have been hit and I am hoping that today the creature will come!

Tonight I have my eyes open for “It”. I can see it in the far distance, and it is getting closer by the second. Finally it is here and it is like a dragonfly; it just keeps buzzing. It has landed on my flower and it is putting something into my dress. I looked up. It was “pollinating” me. I was so scared the next day because my flower has started to shrivel up and my ball is getting bigger!!

Chapter 3

A Grown Pumpkin

    I have said goodbye to my dress and my ball is huge; by that I mean it is the size of your hand. I am not drowsy, and I have been really happy, because they said that once I am “A full grown pumpkin.” I get to be put for sale at the farmers market.

Apparently, a holiday called “Halloween” is coming up. They want to put me up for sale for someone to buy me and carve me into a jack-o-lantern. I am happy but sad since I have to leave all of my friends. I am growing to an orange color, and now I am the size of a soccer ball. They said tomorrow that I would go on sale at the farmer’s market.

Today is the day that my friends and I will go into someone else’s world. I am in the truck on the freeway and we are passing a lot of cool buildings. I am so excited that I get to see the outside world.

We finally made it to the farmer’s market. They took us out and put us on a shelf. We cost $5.00, and we had an extra carving set for $2.00. I had stayed there for three days when someone finally bought me. She had a son named Jack and had long blond hair. I was in her car when I realized that she had bought the carving set as well. Now that I think about it, she is going to cut my top off and cut a face into me. This was like having plastic surgery…. but for a pumpkin!?!

When the family and I got home they put me inside. They ripped the carving set open and got to work. My top was cut open, and all of my guts were spooned out. When they were done, I had 2 triangle eyes and a smile for a mouth. I was put outside.

My life ended the day after that. Her son had thrown me on the ground since he was mad he didn’t get to have a playdate with his friend Joe. My last thoughts were that I hoped that if my seedlings are planted, they have a better ending of their life.  I had a great life and I hope that all of my seedlings do too.  

Pumpkin Story

By Adam (5th grade)

Chapter 1: Seed

    “Where am I?” I thought. One moment I was having the time of my life. I was riding on a strange black thing that I heard was called a conveyor belt. Then I was in a strange vehicle with many wheels. I decided to take a nap, but the ride kept on bumping, so I couldn’t sleep. I soon slept without realizing. When I awoke, I was in a weird place with many giants, all of them different sizes. There were little giants that were very tiny compared to the large ones.

    Soon, a mini giants hand zoomed in to my bag, which my friends and I were in. The mini giant grasped my body, and I could hardly breathe. One of the mega giants were poking holes in the ground, and throwing my friends and I in them! I was outraged. I tried to escape, but I had no time, and legs. The mini giant released the grasp, and threw me in the hole. In a matter of seconds, I was buried.

    I couldn’t see, hear or feel anything. They separated me from my friends. Why would they do this to me? I am so paranoid! I then started to feel we. The water from above has finally reached the under-earth that I called home. Yet, the water wasn’t enough. I wanted to shoot at it, but I had no mouth. Why was my life killing me? What did I do Mother Nature? Let me live. As if on cue, I started to grow legs. My seed coat fell off, and I was rising. I could barely see the bright yellow sun.

    Finally, I was green, a nice fresh green. Although I was a blue seed, I was green. Thank you Mother Nature. I could see of my friends, rising out of the ground. Life is amazing. Now all I need to do is stay alive.

                     Chapter 2: Growing

   

    It was great to finally be able to see the world. The sun was a very amazing feature to have in life. Yet I was still nervous. All these mini giants would always crowd around me. I always have the feeling they’re planning a secret way to pull me out of the ground. But I knew that couldn’t be true. Yet they would always watch me from a distance with those devilish eyes. I wanted to yell at them and tell them to go away, but only my mad neighbors heard my complaints.

Soon the mega giants came outside to escort the mini giants back to the strange room they would hide in. As they went one by one into the strange room, I was think of taking a nap, but in the corner of my eye, I saw on remaining mini giant. It stared into my soul with its devilish eyes. I tried yelling at the mega giants, but only my frustrated neighbors could hear me again. I had never felt more stalked in my life.

The mini giant started to approach me. I was freaking out. What if it killed me? I looked for any possible escapes, but there weren’t any. It now started to run. This is not how I wanted my life to end.

I soon lost hope. My life would end here. I knew it. But then there was a miracle. The mini giant tripped, and some strange red liquid oozed out of it. A terrible noise came out of the hole in its face. Water was coming out of its eyes. That should teach it a lesson, I thought. The mega giants escorted it to a different room. I felt a little bad, but it was going to kill me so we are even.

As the days went by, I started to grow more features to my body. First my arms started grew up out of the ground, and many vine leaves as well. Then my hair started to grow. It was a funky yellow. I was confused because I was a blue seed with yellow hair. But when I looked at my friends, they all had the same yellow hair I had.  So I was satisfied.

The worst type of days that I experienced were the hot ones. I heard from my neighbors, that too much heat would end you. I decided that I would like the cold better, so I wouldn’t have too much heat and die.

The worst time of day is when it is so dark. Legends say it is called night. At night you would see dark and spooky things. But I never saw any dark and spooky things, at least not until October 21.

I was taking a nap, my looking a fresh yellow, when I had heard a small rustle in the bushes. I immediately woke up and scanned the area. A yellow and black figure appeared. It bolted towards me. I was as scared as a pumpkin that was about to die. I closed my eyes waiting for the pain to strike at me. Nothing happened. I looked up and saw the “thing” walk on my hair. It sucked some strange yellow bits in my hair. Then it had left like nothing had happened. Frightened, I went to be. I had a dream of me as a seed in my bag, having a normal life.

Later that day, I woke up by the sound of my own snoring. How embarrassing I had thought. It was a sunny day, I was looking up at the sun when my hair started to curl together. At first I thought it was my imagination, but then my magnificent yellow hair fell off, right in front of me. I was outraged, why would this happen to me I had thought. Later, I forgot the whole thing because I was growing tall. I was proud.

                    Chapter 3: Death

I was a blue pumpkin, a vivid blue pumpkin. To my pumpkin friends I was an astounding blue pumpkin, but to the giants, I was food. It was a normal day. I was getting ready to rest, but then a mega giant’s hand grasped my blue body, and yanked me out of the ground. I was frightened, as they took me into the room.

Mega giants are stupid, I had thought. They had put me the pumpkin, in a warm box, hoping to make me into pumpkin pie, so sad. They carried me into a room with many giants, mostly mini giants. They carried me to the strange box, and placed me inside it. I was so worried. They were no escapes. I then started to spin as the mega giants touched the box in different places. Each second the box got warmer and warmer, I was boiling. The heat was so strong, that it had killed me. What a horrible way to die.