"Just the right size," she said to herself.
Judy set the heavy pumpkin she was carrying into the red cart beside her, where several more, a bit smaller than the one she had selected, were sitting. She scanned the rest of the pumpkin patch she and Nick had been walking through.
Many more gourds could be seen around them. Some of them laying in different spots on the ground, and others were decoratively positioned on top of some straw bales. A majority of the ones that they were both looking at, though, were on the much larger side. The kind that they found were just the right size: Not too big, but not too small either.
"I think these ones are pretty good," Judy said, looking at the pumpkins in the cart again before looking over at Nick. "Now we just gotta take these up to pay for them and get them back to the truck."
She started to make her way back the way they came, and Nick started to push the cart forward. One of the wheels on the back of it squeaked as he pushed it through the remainder of the patch. It probably did that because it had been used year after year at this event, which had been going on here for quite some time.
As they neared the tent where the carts were given out and produce from another farm was sold, the sounds of the Tri-Burrows Pumpkin Festival started to become clearer. The ringing bells coming from game vendors, the delighted squeals of folks on some of the small rides, and the distant music of a bluegrass band playing at a not-so-distant bandstand all greeted their ears. The layout of the festival had quite a few similarities to the Carrots Festival that was held in Bunnyburrow earlier in the year, but the size of it was much larger in comparison.
The cart that Nick continued to push hit a divot that was naturally in the path, and something else that had been inside of it started to tip out of it. Alongside the pumpkins the two of them had just picked was a gigantic plush bunny.
"Watch the prize," Judy warned.
The moment he saw the huge plush hanging out of the cart, Nick immediately straightened back up the way they had it before. "Close call there," he said.
"Still can't believe you managed to win that," Judy replied. "That bottle ring toss is basically impossible to win. You seem to be quite a pro at it."
He smiled and let out a small chuckle at his bunny's compliment. "All it takes is a little finesse. That and it helps that I know the secrets on how they set it up."
"My little sister is gonna be so excited when she sees it," the doe beside him said.
"Always glad to make someone happy," Nick replied.
The two took their pumpkins up to the stand and paid for them before making their way through the festival crowd, heading towards where they had parked the Hopps Family Farm's truck. It seemed like the festival now had twice the number of visitors present than it did when they just arrived. But how could anyone say no to going out to the vent on a day like this? The afternoon weather was perfect.
Just as they were about to turn right, a wooden sign posted next to a tall white tent, not too far away, managed to catch Nick's attention. "Oooh, Carrots, check this out!" he said excitedly. "It says the largest pumpkin in the Burrows is in there."
"Oh, yeah, I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you about that," Judy said in reply. "They select a farmer each year to be given an award for growing that."
"Well, let's go check it out!"
With that, Nick, still pushing the cart behind him, made his way over to where the tent was, and Judy followed him. The two slowly stepped inside through the entrance, immediately being met with the year's prize-winning crop.
Nick's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of the pumpkin, which was many times larger than anything he had ever seen in his entire life. Carrots wasn't kidding, he thought.
The sign staked into the dirt ground beside the giant crop said that its weight was just over thirteen-hundred pounds. The number, in the fox's mind, almost seemed impossible. Had he not seen the pumpkin in the flesh himself, he wouldn't have believed it.
"My goodness," Nick said in awe. "I wonder who managed to grow something so big."
Right after he asked that question, a beige-wooled sheep entered from the opposite side of the tent. There was a medallion hanging around the ovine's neck, and a button with the word "Winner" on it pinned onto his plaid shirt.
Judy immediately recognized the farmer, and found herself in a state of surprise upon seeing him. "Gareth?" she asked.
"Judy?" the sheep said in response. "Gosh, it's good to see ya again. How long have you been back in the Burrows?"
The rabbit answered, "Just got here the other day and thought I'd stop and see the Pumpkin Festival." She turned away from the ovine and looked over at her fox. "Nick, this is Gareth. He's been a good friend of mine since we were little."
"Pleasure to meet ya," Gareth said to the vulpine, tipping his hat slightly.
"So you grew the prize-winning pumpkin?" Nick replied.
The sheep nodded his head and answered, "Yes, sir. It was a labor of love, but winning the prize this year made it all worth the while."
"Now just how do you get it to grow this large?" the tod asked out of curiosity. "The pumpkins they sell at the stand back in the city have nothin' on this."
"There's a little more to it then waterin' it regularly and givin' it enough sunlight, I'll tell y'all that much," said the ovine. "One thing I learned is that pumpkin skin's mighty delicate, so ya gotta make sur' it don't get too dry and get cracks in it. But what's most important is startin' with some good seeds."
"Well, this was definitely from a good one, Gareth," Judy said. "I think this one's larger than any other one I've seen here over the years."
"I know it ain't the world record, but it's truly somethin' t' get this 'ere prize," Gareth replied. "Never thought it'd happen, but 'ere we are."
While Judy and the sheep continued talking in front of him, a thought entered Nick's head as he looked back over at the pumpkin: If only it were possible to grow blueberries that size. That would be heaven!
Author's Note: I would just like to let you readers know that I will be taking a short break from writing, as a beloved family member passed away recently. I'll be back in time, though, for Thanksgiving to share some of the other stories that I already had planned.
On a much lighter note, I hope you enjoyed this story. Pumpkin picking is a nice fall tradition, so I thought I would write something with that in mind. The concept of the prize-winning pumpkin was placed into the story after watching a show about how some farmers grow these massive pumpkins and haul them to competitions at fairs. The one that Gareth grew though is smaller compared to the one that, in real life, holds the current world record. I believe the holder of that record grew one that weighed almost 2,400 pounds, if I remember correctly.
Anyway, let me know what you guys think of this little story here. As always, your thoughts, good and bad, are gladly appreciated. :)
'Til next time!