NaBloPoMo is arguably the happiest time of the year. Children and adults alike look forward to the magic that happens every year around this time. That is what makes this so hard. I didn’t want to start off like this, but I don’t have a choice. Someone else made the choice for me, and had they taken the small amount of time it would have taken to consult me, they would have found out that I would not have made the same choice they did. It is with a heavy heart that I write this post.
Last night, October 31, 2007, a coward among cowards did the unthinkable. Someone, or something, stole one of my pumpkins. I’ll give you several minutes to soak that in and deal with the flood of emotions that has no doubt washed over you at this time. Take as much time as you need. 30 full seconds if you have to. I’ll be here waiting semi patiently.
Ok, now I need a minute to gather myself. You see, I had just carved the kidnapped pumpkin this afternoon. I was too tired to do it yesterday, so I saved it for today. I was worried that it would be harder than the first one I carved, so approached it cautiously. Little did I know that all of the prep work the day before (which was all done by my mother, thus making the crime that much more horrifying) would make the actual carving that much easier. I was actually quite proud of what I did. No, it will never match my girlfriend’s carving of the previous year, but few things in this world could. So I was content with what I had made. I looked forward to nightfall when I could take a picture of my glowing pumpkins. Alas, that picture would never be taken.
All I have left are a few baby pictures from when the pumpkin was freshly carved. There’s no dancing candlelight to really bring the pumpkin to life. I’ll never get that chance, and it makes me sad. I’ve attached a photo below. Please do me a favor and hum Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” followed by the long version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” as we, the world, mourn the loss of this great pumpkin.
