A/N: Hey guys, all you readers who have stuck by me for so long; this story's a little different than the others. Something I thought of one night, as I was watching Peanuts. Something that just seemed to resonate with me, so I wanted to write it down before I forgot. If you start reading this, though, I ask that you give it the benefit of the doubt at least until the end; it's important that you read the whole thing, or the story is sad and depressing instead of what I hope to be uplifting. I hope you guys enjoy this little story of mine, and God bless. :)


He had turned thirteen only a few days ago, this October. Everyone in the neighborhood had come to celebrate; Charlie Brown, Violet, Peppermint Patty, Franklin, Freida… all the gang was there. It had been an enjoyable enough party; Linus van Pelt had known the significance of his thirteenth birthday. It was the day that he passed the inevitable line between childhood and maturity; the beginning to his next stage in life.

And it had only been a few days, but those few days had been filled with thinking and expectations for the newest pre-adult on the block. Linus was thinking deep, adult-ly thoughts as he saw them. The world was now a new world for him to explore; the world of adulthood. He had begun his journey to grow up, and with it he felt as though the world had begun to make a little more sense than it had before.

The date was October 31st, and Lucy barged into his room, almost scoffing as she saw Linus sitting at his writing desk, pencil and paper set before him and ready to write. His annual letter to the Great Pumpkin, no doubt. But the paper was blank, and the pencil sat unmoving upon the desk; Linus's hands were at his sides as he seemed to just be staring at the paper for some unexplained reason. Something felt wrong, almost.

"Not again," Lucy scoffed, absently checking her nails. "Another letter to the Great Pumpkin? What are the others gonna think, Linus?"

Linus seemed to almost barely acknowledge her presence; just a little head-nod in her direction. That got her attention a little more. She walked over, making sure that indeed, the letter was blank.

"Well… what are you doing then?" she asked, almost annoyed. He almost looked like he was… waiting for something, or someone.

"I…I think I'm finally—finally starting to get it. He's—he's not coming this year, is he?"

"What?" Lucy asked, almost not even caring what he was talking about. Now she'd hedged herself into another conversation that she realized she had no patience for. Yet she might as well see this thing through. "Who's not coming?"

What Linus said next shocked her almost to her core.

"The Great Pumpkin."

Lucy's eyes widened, and her mouth might've dropped open, if she hadn't been so annoyed just a moment ago. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I… I guess I realize that it sounds kinda silly; something a child might've made up," Linus said, almost absently. His mind seemed to be moving faster than his mouth, anyways, as he sat and narrated his thoughts for his older sister to hear. "A pumpkin who flies through the air and brings toys to all the good little children. Almost sounds like I just wanted… just wanted another Santa Claus for Halloween, huh?" Linus chuckled, but there was almost no humor. Like he didn't want to believe he was saying this stuff, but was saying it anyway.

Inside, Lucy was rejoicing. Finally, finally, she could stop being the laughingstock of the neighborhood by the time Halloween came 'round. For the first time since he'd heard about this stupid Great Pumpkin from who-knows-where, she could actually hold her head up during this spooky season. She had a little grin on her face as she flicked a black lock of hair over one shoulder.

"Of course he's not coming, I'm glad you finally realized it," Lucy said almost snottily. "Only took you long enough."

Having said her piece, she left the room feeling much better than she had before. Finally, her brother would move on past that silly little fantasy he'd clutched onto so tightly as a child. Finally, he'd learn to grow up.

For Linus, it was a painful process. He felt as though the child he had been had no place in the "real world". That Linus was something to keep away inside himself, set on display but not to be interacted with anymore. After all, this was a new Linus. An adult Linus, not some insecure child.

Despite the fact that he was determined to grow up and act his new age accordingly, there were some things too ingrained in his head to let go of all at once. His security blanket had still never left his side for more than a few moments. And it was onto this old piece of blue fabric that he clutched tightly, as he felt himself giving up on the fantasies of a whimsical youth. A pumpkin who could fly. Good grief, how silly he'd been for believing in such a thing for so long!

At the same time, he could feel the child that was still in him, unwilling to let go of the hope, the faith, the belief that one day, he would see the Great Pumpkin. He would finally see him, rising up out of a pumpkin patch. That child Linus did not want to grow up; and it clutched on tightly to what had defined him in his youth. But now it was time to put away childish things, in the new, adult-Linus's opinions. He'd indulged in the fantasy long enough, and with that he'd remember it fondly as no more than a silly dream, there for the entertainment of his youth.

There was a small piece inside that still wanted to believe. To want to continue hoping. But Linus forbade it from doing so. It was not an adult thing to believe in anymore. Linus's world was changing, and if he wanted to keep up then he had to change too. No more of this Great Pumpkin nonsense, then. It was time to grow up.

These thoughts Linus repeated to himself, over and over. It is time to grow up. No more of the Great Pumpkin. It is time to grow up.

So why did it hurt him so much? Why did it feel like he was burning a piece of himself away?

Linus stared a few more moments at the piece of paper, before carefully putting it back in a drawer in the writing desk, putting away the pencil, before getting up and walking out of his room. He needed a costume; he wanted to try this "trick-or-treating" that Lucy was always going on about. Free candy didn't sound too bad.

Everyone noticed Linus, as he walked to the store; the old Linus van Pelt would've been heading the other direction, towards the old woods in search of the most "sincere" pumpkin patch to sit in for the whole night, or whatever "sincere" meant in this scenario. The old Linus van Pelt would've been singing pumpkin carols, putting up welcoming signs for the Great Pumpkin in the pumpkin patch that he thought would be the most "sincere". He would've been bogged down with snacks and drinks and signs and already heading to the pumpkin patch.

But this was the new Linus van Pelt. He was going to get a costume, and go trick or treating like other thirteen-year-olds. He was going to go to that famous Halloween party Violet hosted every year. He was going to learn how to bob for apples. He was going to carve a jack-o-lantern. He was going to do all sorts of things he had missed out on as a child.

Even the staff at the grocery store looked surprised as he walked in, marching over to the costume selections. They had only a few left in stock, but Linus didn't mind. It was a mental note to make for next year; come sooner to get more costume options. But there was still a ghost costume he could purchase, and he did so.

Having his necessary costume for the evening's activities, it eventually came time for him to prepare for the aforementioned activities. After having received some idea of what he was to do to trick-or-treat, he confidently followed Lucy out into the streets, where they met a horde of their friends also ready to go trick-or-treating. Charlie Brown was wearing a vampire costume, but his cape kept getting caught around his ankles on the buckles of his boots, causing him to stumble every now and then.

Linus had fun trick-or-treating, and seeing all the other creative or clever costumed kids walking around, toting filled sacks of candy and sweets and treats of all sorts of different kinds. He felt excited; it was the first time he'd had his own Halloween candy.

He had to admit, he was having a lot of fun, actually. Even the child, the old Linus van Pelt, would've admitted that. But unlike the new Linus, the child in him still insisted that it should not give up just yet on hoping that the Great Pumpkin would appear.

'Nonsense, utter nonsense, that's what it was,' Linus thought to himself, shaking his head. 'It's time to grow up.'

Linus went through the motions of the night, having more fun than before at Violet's party. There was music by Schroeder, games, prizes, contests, friends… Linus had a really swell time at the party as well.

He and Lucy went home, where there had already been set out two pumpkins for him and Lucy to carve. He gingerly held the sharp carving utensil in his hands as he watched Lucy cut into her pumpkin, studying her. This was the first time he'd ever carved a pumpkin, and he wanted it to look good.

After being satisfied he could really do it, he looked back to his own pumpkin, and raised the knife a little, to begin cutting open the top to remove the innards.

But as his hand dipped down to strike the blow, he faltered. The knife's tip rested against the soft orange surface of the pumpkin. Lucy almost looked over at him, inquisitively.

"What's the matter, can't think of a good design? I normally just do the classic jack-o'-lantern, y'know?" she said, not really paying attention.

"Yeah, I just," Linus said, almost trying to force himself to understand why he suddenly felt a horrified sensation at the idea of cutting open the pumpkin. He lowered the knife, setting it against the table. "—I don't know, I guess it would look better painted."

"Painted?" Lucy asked, scoffing. "Sure, if you wanna go the wimpy way."

Linus got up, fetching brush and paints. To cut open the pumpkin seemed… unnecessarily cruel. Surely it had to hurt when Linus stabbed it with a dagger-like knife, and he didn't want to—

Wait… that was still the child in him, wasn't it? Linus frowned. Why couldn't he even carve out a jack-o-lantern? It was a silly dead fruit, after all. It didn't have feelings.

But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Sighing, the adult Linus decided to let this one go; it really didn't matter, and the insides of the pumpkin were probably icky and goopy and gross to touch; not that he'd ever really wanted to feel the insides before anyways.

So he carefully painted a face onto the pumpkin; nothing too fancy, it being his first pumpkin. Wasn't half bad, though, for being his first time painting a pumpkin. It was a semi-classic pumpkin style, with circles for eyes, a triangle nose, and an inviting grin that seemed to make the whole face look as though bemused. Linus just smiled at the silly picture of the happy face before him. Lucy rolled her eyes, but did not really comment.

There was… just one other thing he really wanted to do, tonight. He may have grown up, but that didn't mean he couldn't still appreciate what he had done for nearly every Halloween so far that he could remember.

Linus went out for a walk. It was dark, for sure, but he wasn't going far. There was a little pumpkin patch pretty close to his house, actually, that he had used to go to all the time in his youth. Not necessarily just for waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

But this time, he wouldn't be staying out all night. This time, he just… wanted to say goodbye. To that silly little dream that he had had as a child. It was time to put away childish things.

Linus stood with his jacket on the crest of the hill, looking down into the patch of vines and orange pumpkins. The moonlight glistened slightly on the ripe and round orange pumpkins, ready for carving. Of course, now that Halloween was technically over, they'd be prepared for pumpkin pie and other such things for Thanksgiving.

Linus van Pelt sighed. "So long, then," he mumbled to himself, as he turned to go.

But something very strange seemed to happen. Something he had not expected.

He heard a rustling behind him.

"I can hear you, Snoopy," Linus said. "Thanks, but I think it's high time I was finished with this."

"Linus," came a whisper, almost as though it was just a figment of his imagination. But it was so unexpected in the lonely and darkened streets of his neighborhood, it couldn't have been anybody around. Everybody should've been in bed long ago.

Linus froze, almost frightened as he slowly turned around.

There was nothing behind him except the pumpkin patch.

Just to be sure, he double-checked over his shoulder again to make sure that he wasn't having a bad dream. Nothing scary seemed to be in the vicinity. Had he imagined the whisper? It felt too real. But before he could even question whether or not he had heard the first one, a second whisper called out to him, grounding him in the belief that there was in fact someone or something calling his name.

He looked out over the pumpkin-patch again. The voice was coming from the pumpkin patch, he could hear it clearly. It was almost like the voice was coming from right before him.

There was another rustling, and Linus scanned the pumpkin patch to search for the movement causing the noise. Nothing seemed to be moving.

At first.

Roughly in the very center of the pumpkin patch, though, Linus suddenly saw something very small; the slightest shiver from one of the roundest pumpkins he could see. Slowly, he stepped a few paces forward as he watched on.

"Charlie Brown?" Linus whispered. "Lucy? Is that you?"

If they were just messing with him again… the thought made him start to get angry. "Look guys, I get it. It was a really weird thing to believe in for so long, and I finally got it. I've grown up, and you can stop making fun of me, alright? Just—"

But his words were halted, his tongue was frozen, and his eyes widened slowly, as the pumpkin began to rise. There was nobody lifting it, no way that it could possibly be floating right there, since they were out in the open. There were no strings he could see in the moonlight, yet the pumpkin continued to hover mid-air.

Beneath the pumpkin, acting almost as though possessed, the vines began to tangle upwards, creating a rather crude shape; a pair of leafy legs, a stick-thin torso, and two long arms with leaf-hands. It almost looked like some kind of creature that may have appeared from a cartoon. With a pumpkin head, and a body formed from pumpkin vines, Linus was ready to start shivering in fright. But then he heard the same whisper as before, and this time he knew where it had been coming from.

"Linus," the pumpkin figure said, and though the creature did not appear to have eyes, Linus could feel its gaze as it rested on him.

There was no malice nor ill-will in the way the whisper carried itself to Linus's ears. In fact, quite the opposite. It sounded almost like it was excited, even happy, to see Linus. The tone that the word carried with it was filled with a warmth and cherished pleasantry, despite the outlandish and unnatural image the creature seemed to possess.

Linus only stood frozen as the creature's pumpkin head bent down, looking towards its vine-like feet. It moved one leg, then another, carefully stepping over pumpkins and vines as it made its way slowly and non-threateningly towards Linus van Pelt, who was quivering in his socks. What kind of creature was this?

The creature walked until it had come to stop only a few feet away from Linus, its pumpkin-head tipped down to look into Linus's eyes.

The creature was tall. It stood at nearly nine feet. It did not feel imposing, despite its considerable height. In fact it almost felt… friendly. Linus, knowing in his heart what he was seeing yet unable to believe it in his head, was all but speechless, as the pumpkin figure continued once more, this time speaking more than just one word.

"Linus," the pumpkin figure said once more. "You didn't come to the pumpkin patch this year?"

It was said almost sadly, by the figure before him. He looked around. Nobody was within sight, and all the lights in the houses were off. He looked back at the figure before him.

"I—" he began, unable to really find his words. "I—thought it was time—time to grow up…"

"Time to grow?" the pumpkin figure said, tilting his head. "Oh my dear Linus, when the time comes to grow, you'll know it. But in your haste to grow, you've instead weeded out some of the crop you were producing in the first place."

Linus was almost shaking. But whether it was from the initial fright he had felt from the pumpkin-creature or from the biting cold, he couldn't say anymore. "What do you mean?"

"Linus van Pelt," the creature said, and if he had had a mouth Linus would've sworn that the pumpkin-creature was smiling as he spoke. "You were the only other one who ever believed in me. I noticed you sitting in my pumpkin patches, every year, waiting for my arrival. Don't think I never saw you. You were my only companion, and the only reason I even had to exist. You made me who I was, Linus.

"It is true, in this world you must grow; but take it from a pumpkin—" the pumpkin creature said, putting a leaf-hand to his vine-chest, where his heart would've been if he had one. "—Growing up is about getting bigger. Like a plant, you've got to thrive under the light of the Sun and flourish. Sometimes you have to change and adapt to your surroundings, but here's the trick; do not change what you are growing inside of you."

The pumpkin creature leaned down and reached out, gently pushing a leaf-hand over Linus's heart, and holding it there for a moment. Despite only being a leaf, the creature's hand held warmth in it. After a moment, the creature removed his hand from Linus's chest.

"I may just grow seeds inside, myself," the pumpkin said, standing back up. "But you grow the Fruits of the Spirit in your soul. Your fruits have yet to fully blossom, but when they are ripe you will do great things for your own Creator. Do not change what you grow midseason, you are meant to grow your own fruits. A pumpkin plant grows neither strawberries nor squash, but more pumpkins. Do not change what is growing inside of you even still."

The pumpkin creature stepped forward once more, placing a leaf-hand on Linus's shoulder.

"Never lose your faith of a child, Linus, no matter what anybody else may tell you," the pumpkin creature said. "Don't get too busy growing up that you forget to see the magic that is still there, all around you."

With these last words, the pumpkin reached down, clasping Linus's right hand with both of its leafy ones. When it let go, Linus felt something small in his hand. He looked down and saw that he was holding a little wooden figurine; a toy.

Linus looked back up, to see the pumpkin walking a short distance away, back into the pumpkin patch. After a few steps, he leaned down and seemed to grip something.

Drawing upwards to his full height again, the pumpkin creature hoisted a somewhat large sack onto its back, and two humongous leafy wings sprouted out of the creature's back. He turned back around and looked towards Linus one last time. Linus could almost see a grin on the creature's featureless orange face.

"I believe in you, Linus," it said, before spreading the two massive leafy wings and flying into the air, toting his sack of toys into the dark sky of Halloween night.


HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D