Pepo's Escape
By Elizabeth Muster
Word Count 200
Pepo and the other pumpkins gathered among the hay bales behind the shed as Gourdon took his place upon the stump. Pepo admired the self-proclaimed leader, who was ripe with knowledge and brandished with cuts and bruises. Pepo was the youngest and smallest, and unsurprised when the others voted him to go into the pie this year.
As the others returned to the patch, Pepo hid among the hay bales to hatch an escape plan. Pumpkins turning into carriages only happened in fairy tales. Just when Pepo thought his anxious insides would turn to mush, the boy came with his bag of newspapers. He spotted Pepo, picked up the pumpkin, and placed it, too, into the basket. Pepo bounced along until the bike stopped at a house where the boy handed Pepo – and a newspaper – to a pretty, pig-tailed girl.
Overjoyed by the present, the girl went inside and got to work. The strokes of her brush tickled Pepo’s thick skin. When she sat Pepo on the front porch, he felt ridiculous with his new goofy grin, wide eyes, and crooked nose. But despite it all, he straightened his stem a little taller. He had escaped the knife twice today!
