The Alphabet Project, Part 10: Jack O' Lantern

I bought a pumpkin. As I'd been walking around the supermarket I'd seen the signs encouraging shoppers to "try something different" and so I decided to buy a pumpkin. I'd never eaten pumpkin, and it was nearly Halloween - a festival I'd never really understood and in which I'd never participated - so I planned to make a pie and a lantern.

Once I arrived home I hollowed out the pumpkin and carved a face in the front. It looked pretty good, and when I added a candle the effect was complete. I carried the lantern into the lounge, placed it in the window, and went to make the pie.

The doorbell rang. I wiped my hands then went to answer. As I opened the door I saw the man standing outside. He was wearing a dark suit with a top hat, a short cape, and a cane in his left hand. A pointed beard and  waxed moustache framed his mouth.

"Trick or treat?" he said, pointing to the lantern with his cane.

"Oh," I said. I thought for a moment, wondering what I should say. I shrugged my shoulders. "Trick?"

He smiled a lopsided smile then pulled a red silk handkerchief from his pocket with a flourish. He showed me both sides then shook the glossy square and it grew before my eyes with each movement until it was at least twenty feet square.

"Well done!" I laughed, clapping my hands, but he shook his head and threw the handkerchief into the air, letting it fall over my car, covering it entirely. He walked to the other side of the car, crouched down so that he could not be seen, and with a puff of smoke the cloth fell to the ground. Both the man and my car had vanished.

I was amazed, shocked, and confused. I stepped outside and picked up the square of silk which had miraculously shrunk back to its original size. Beneath the handkerchief there was a white business card, an embossed image of a hat and a cane on the front, and nothing else.

I stood for half an hour, waiting for the man to return with my car but he didn't come. It started to rain. I walked inside went into the lounge to the lantern from the window and blew out the candle.

Maybe I should have asked for the treat.

*

(C) 2014 Peter Lee.  Written in Urmston, Sunday 16th February 2014.