Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy for being your always awesome selves. You're the best, ladies!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you for your amazing support! It is always appreciated.
Hope you enjoy!
Master Carvers (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"I want dis one," Angie announced decisively, draping herself across the largest pumpkin in the field.
At her words and Steve's answering snort, Catherine and DJ turned to look from a few yards away where they had been searching for their own perfect pumpkins. Catherine shook her head. "Of course you do."
They approached the four-year-old who beamed up at them as Steve snapped a picture on his phone.
"You said 'any pumpkin'," she reminded them.
Steve glanced at Catherine. "We did say 'any pumpkin.' "
She shook her head. "Rookie mistake." Folding her arms in amusement, she turned back to Angie. "Baby girl, it's almost bigger than you are."
Angie nodded, clearly thinking that was the pumpkin's major selling point. "I love it."
DJ bit his lip, looking at the giant pumpkin and then at the wagon they'd gotten from the corral at the front of the pumpkin patch. "I'm not sure it'll fit in the wagon," he said.
"Daddy can carry it," Angie said matter-of-factly.
Catherine pressed her lips together, fighting a smile, and looked at Steve.
He quirked an eyebrow at his daughter. "Does that mean we're going to share this pumpkin?" he asked.
She twisted her lips for a moment, thinking about it, then shook her head. "No, you can find you' own pumpkin, Daddy."
It was Catherine's turn to snort and DJ covered his own giggle with a hand. Steve sighed and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Well, buddy, have you found your pumpkin yet?"
"Not yet," he said.
"Are you looking for a round one or a tall one?" Catherine asked. "Maybe we can help."
"A round one," he replied. "I think that will work best for my design."
He'd been working on a special design of his own for his pumpkin this year, but hadn't told anyone what it was yet.
"How about one of these over here?" Steve said, squatting down next to a few rounder pumpkins.
DJ joined him and examined the pumpkins, biting his lip thoughtfully. "Mm, I'm not sure …"
"Dat one, DJ!" Angie said, pointing to a pumpkin a few feet from where she stood, guarding her own choice.
He went over to the pumpkin she indicated and his face lit up. "Yeah!" he said. "I think this will be perfect!"
"Yay!" Angie clapped.
"Thanks, Angie," DJ said as Steve helped him lift the pumpkin into the wagon.
She beamed. "You' welcome." She pointed to her parents. "Mommy, Daddy, you pick you' pumpkins now so we can go home an' make dem jack a' lanterns!"
"I think this one will work for me," Catherine said, lifting one of the pumpkins from the group Steve had located.
"What about you, Daddy?" DJ asked.
Steve grunted a little as he lifted Angie's massive pumpkin. "I think we're going to be a three pumpkin family this year." When Angie opened her mouth to protest, he said, "That's the deal, baby girl. Share the big pumpkin or pick a smaller one."
They waited while she mulled over the choices before her. Finally, she smiled. "Okay, Daddy, we can share."
"Good girl," Catherine said, bending to kiss her head. She picked up the handle of the wagon and smiled. "Let's get going. These pumpkins aren't going to carve themselves."
"Who remembers what's first?" Steve asked after they'd spread newspaper on the deck and placed their pumpkins on them.
"We've gotta get the seeds out," DJ said.
"That's right. Mommy and I will cut the tops off, you two get ready with your big spoons."
Angie, on her knees in front of her pumpkin, grabbed one large spoon while DJ took the other. "Ready!" she said.
Her brother grinned. "Me, too!"
Catherine and Steve used serrated knives to cut a circle around the stem of each pumpkin. Catherine was able to get hers and DJ's finished by the time Steve finally got the top of the big pumpkin cut.
"Look at all those seeds!" DJ exclaimed, pointing to the seeds attached to the pulp strings hanging off the tops.
"And there's plenty more inside," Catherine said. "Put as many as you can in the bowls there. We'll wash them later and roast them."
Having the pumpkins on the deck rather than the tables proved to be a good decision as Angie in particular had to reach way down inside to scrape all the pulp and seeds out. Steve held her waist as she leaned all the way inside before pulling her out, beaming with two fistfuls of pumpkin pulp and strings of it in her hair.
Catherine chuckled, leaning over to pull as much out as she could as Angie dropped the seeds into the bowls between them. "I knew there was a reason we saved baths for tonight."
Once they'd gotten all the seeds and pulp out and scraped the insides down to make for easier carving, they washed their hands off and started on their designs. DJ showed Catherine the paper he'd been working on, but wanted to surprise Steve and Angie when it was finished.
"I love it, honey," Catherine said, kissing his head. "It's going to look great."
"You're gonna help me with the carving, right?"
"Absolutely," she promised.
"All right, Angie, what are we carving on our pumpkin?" Steve asked.
She picked up a jack o' lantern art project she'd made in preschool earlier in the week and handed it to him. "You hold dis, Daddy. I'll make it." She went to reach for the knife on his other side but he stopped her.
"Ah ah ah, we talked about this. You draw what you want on the pumpkin and I'll carve it."
She looked crestfallen and he sighed.
"You can help me, but knives are dangerous, remember?"
She nodded, willing to settle for helping, and picked up a black marker.
He took a look at the picture, which was a standard jack o' lantern face with triangles for the eyes and nose and a wide mouth with square teeth. "You're sure this is what you want to do?" he asked.
She nodded. "Dat's a jack a' lantern. Mr. Frederick said."
Steve grinned, a memory coming to him. "Uncle Danno will love it. This is what he'd call a classic jack o' lantern. I'm sure it's going to look great."
She beamed, happy at the thought of her beloved uncle liking her pumpkin.
"This is a big pumpkin, though, so make the eyes nice and big," he said, tracing with his finger on the pumpkin. She nodded, tongue poking out from between her lips as she concentrated with the marker.
Across from them, DJ was also concentrating hard, using another black marker to carefully draw his design onto his pumpkin. He glanced over to where Catherine was drawing on hers.
"That's really cool, Mommy!"
She smiled. "Thank you, honey. Not too scary?"
He shook his head. "Not too scary."
Angie decided to color in her jack o' lantern's features with the marker, even after Steve pointed out that they were going to get cut out, so everyone started carving around the same time. Catherine helped DJ with his while Steve covered Angie's hand with his own as she sat in his lap and had her put her other hand on her head to keep it out of harm's way, which made her giggle.
"I'm doing it, Mommy!" she exclaimed as they finished cutting out the first triangle eye.
"I see, good job!" Catherine said, grinning as she snapped a picture of Steve and Angie and then of DJ.
They continued diligently carving until everyone was done and ready to reveal their finished pumpkins.
"You can go first, Angie," DJ said.
She leaned against her pumpkin, trying to turn it to face them. Steve chuckled and helped her.
"Ta da!" she said, throwing both hands into the air. "It's a jack a' lantern!"
"That looks great, baby girl," Catherine said. "It'll be the biggest jack o' lantern on the street."
"Maybe the whole island!" DJ added.
Angie straightened excitedly at the thought.
"Do you want to go next, DJ, or do you want me to?" Catherine asked.
"You can," he said. "I want to go last."
"Okay," Catherine said, and turned her pumpkin so Steve and Angie could get their first look at it.
"It's a ghost!" Angie squealed, though not out of fear as the fairly friendly looking ghost had a definite smile on its face. She moved in for a closer look and pointed to the letters beneath the ghost. "It says B-o-o."
"Good job, baby girl," Catherine said proudly.
"That's Boo!" DJ provided helpfully.
"Boo!" Angie repeated approvingly. "Da ghosts say boo and trick or treat and den dey get candy."
Catherine laughed, pulling her into her lap for a quick cuddle. "Is that what they do?"
Angie nodded, snuggling into her mother's arms.
"Isn't Mommy's so good, Daddy?" DJ asked.
"It is," he agreed. "Mommy is definitely the master carver in the family."
"Oh, I don't know," Catherine said, smiling. "Wait till you see DJ's."
"Your turn, buddy," Steve said, nodding at him encouragingly.
DJ bit his lip and turned his pumpkin so that Steve and Angie could see it for the first time.
"It's Pumpkin!" Angie said immediately, eyes brightening in delight at DJ's design. He'd carved the silhouette of a cat standing on a crescent moon on his pumpkin.
He smiled broadly. "I thought it would be cool cause her name is Pumpkin and now she's on a pumpkin."
Steve grinned. "That is cool. And Mommy's right, you are also a master carver. Great job, buddy."
DJ beamed, full of pride.
"All right, should we move these to the front porch?" Catherine asked, looking between the two kids.
While DJ nodded, Angie shook her head. "No. I'm taking my jack a' lantern to school for show-an'-tell."
Catherine and Steve exchanged an amused look.
"I don't think it'll fit in your backpack, Angie," DJ said, giggling.
She shrugged and smiled up at Steve. "Daddy can carry it."
He laughed and bent over to scoop her up, tossing her in the air and catching her as she squealed in delight and Catherine and DJ laughed. "Ohh no, baby girl, I draw the line at lugging the giant pumpkin to preschool." He settled her on his hip and surveyed the three finished pumpkins.
DJ smiled. "I think we're all master carvers this year."
Catherine tugged him closer and wrapped an arm around him. "Me, too."
Angie threw a hand up in the air. "Me, too!"
Steve grinned. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
Hope you enjoyed!
Note: The original pumpkin carving scene is in The Old Secret Costume Trick, part of our first set of REAL World Halloween stories!
Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website: marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll
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