Eric placed a heavy orange vegetable on the long wooden table that was polished just recently, "This is a pumpkin."
"It's huge...how do you eat it?" I asked after tapping the hard dirty surface. Eric just smiled at me and patted my head. Without an answer he uncovered a bowl and picked up a sponge. I simply watched as he scrubbed the rough surface. After a while the vegetable was started to look more yellow than brown. Soon after we both sat down and discussed how their were seeds inside Louis came in with a selection of knives. Eric eyed them carefully. After picking one up he placed the time on the top of the giant hard orange. I took a step back.
Changing his mind he gave it to Louis who made a quick and clean cut around the stem. Off it came and the raw scent of something close to pumpkin spice invaded my sensitive nose. I scrunched up my nose and wiped my hands on my blue dress. Simply sitting and watching as Eric actually stuck both hands into the thing and dug out orange goop.
"It smells funny." I pointed out. He smirked and scraped out the insides as Louis rushed back and forth from the kitchen to the table carrying all sorts of items. Awaiting my prince to finish I stayed and stared in amazement. His skin began to turn a slight pink color on his hands and by the look of it: Itchy.
"Ariel, what should I carve?" Carve? Eric was going to carve it?
"Uh...a leg?" I've seen Louis carve a chicken before but never a pumpkin. He always saves the skin for me so I can feed the fish out by the water. Eric looked a bit concerned but then simply laughed, "No silly. We carve a picture, like a face." I raced over to his side and stared at the pumpkin. IT HAD A FACE?!
"I...don't see the face."
"Well it's not there yet, that's why we have to carve it out." He pat my shoulder and picked a small pointed tool. He handed me a bucket to pick all the seeds out of the goo from.
"It feels warm and weird almost like algae." Eric kissed my cheek and continued with his large vegetable.
A little while passed and once I picked out the last seed I tried one. It tasted awful! Eric stared as I scrunched up my face and coughed.
"We...have to cook them first, silly." I guess that made sense. I looked back at the pumpkin. I couldn't help but accept a smile onto my face when I realized that there was a cute smile on it. It was a happy vegetable. What did he call it again? A pumpkin?
Louis took away the seeds and soon enough the castle came alive as his singing echoed through the walls. Eric placed the pumpkin on a table with a white cloth on it. Candles, cakes, and drinks were laid about it.
"We...are we having a ball?" I questioned excitedly. He just nodded and I gave him no time to hug me as I raced upstairs to get ready.
The maids interrupted me getting ready and had prevented me from getting dressed at all. They brought in a new dress that was orange. Like the pumpkin. Yet this dress had a thin fabric named tulle around the skirt. This tulle was kind of itchy but beautiful. It was black and sparkly. Scrunched up and hung around my dress in bows and ruffled made it stand out.
I bit my lower lip and held my right cheek as I gazed into the mirror. My red hair was pulled up and my bangs brushed. Exotic perfumes were sprayed as my face was powdered and shoes slipped upon my feet. All of this was so strange but wonderful!
When the maids had left and escorted me down stairs the hall was already stocked full of people wearing masks and odd outfits. A princess I recognized from a neighboring kingdom was wearing an outfit that made her looks like a character from a children's book Eric read... Rapunzel! That was the book.
The night was made up of dancing, music, games, and an explanation of why we celebrate this holiday. By the end my feet were killed me and I was very sleepy. Sebastian instructed my dancing from blending with my hair as Eric guided me as well. I was very successful and oceans of fun. One day I would like to celebrate this 'Halloween' again. (Perhaps less dancing however.)