A Gourd No More

"Oh, Sam, you look positively frightening."

"Thanks. I think."

"When they came for you this morning, all I could think of was roasted pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin this, pumpkin that. The carnage I imagined was horrible. But here you are looking amazing."

"I must admit, it wasn't like I imagined."

"I gotta ask. Does it hurt? I'm scared to be carved alive and I fear my time is coming. All I did while you were gone was sit here on this porch step and fret."

"It hurt a bit at first, but the elders were right. The spirit of Halloween infuses you. You become more than pumpkin in a can or pureed into a pie shell. You become what few pumpkins attain. You are reborn."

"Sam, you make it sound so romantic, but I'm still freaked about the knives and carving tools. The thought of having my guts ripped out by little hands and... and... spoons..."

"It will be okay, Anna. You'll leave this porch as a mere fruit and return as a force that can repel evil spirits, cast shadows at night, and maybe frighten small children."

"But..."

"There's no buts about it. Would you rather rot as a blank canvas? Be unceremoniously plopped into a curbside garbage can? Why not dream about becoming the greatest you'll ever be?"

"Sam, zip up that freshly carved mouth of yours. This morning you were more afraid than I have ever been!"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. There's no need to be scared. We were chosen from the patch and made it all the way to the porch. If they come for you, it's kismet. Be brave, Anna. Be brave."

"Sam, I think you're right. Maybe this is my chance to be more than a simple gourd. Look at you. You're no longer just a pumpkin. You're something more. Something new. You're a Jack-o'-lantern."

"That I am and we'll be Halloween lanterns tonight, as they're coming for you now, Anna. Be brave."

"Oh, Halloween!"

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Dialog 500 Write a dialogue between a pumpkin and a Jack-o-lantern. Story with a plot, dialog only, no more than 500 words. Word count: 335