#happyfally'all2024

[katlyntheartist]

Of course they wanted the biggest and most expensive pumpkin in the patch.

Made this for @welcome-to-green-hills for "Happy Fall, Y'all"!

[mama-qwerty]

Haunting Memories

Okay, this popped into my head for @welcome-to-green-hills Happy Fall Y'all event.

My brain feels like mush right now, so hopefully this makes sense. 😆

~~~~~

A light breeze blew through the changing leaves, bringing a sigh that was almost a hiss as they shivered. The trees around the MacPherson house boasted a colorful range, an almost constant shower falling as they were broken loose from their hold on the branches.

Three pumpkins lined the steps of the deck off the kitchen, and Callie spread newspaper on the wooden planks. Knives and various carving tools sat to her left, as she sat cross-legged on the floor, a few towels nearby for any mess.

“Okay,” she said, checking over her supplies once more to make sure she had everything at hand. This was the first Halloween with Knuckles in her care, and she wanted to show him some fun traditions. “Do we have everything?”

“Think so,” Wade said as he hauled a pumpkin up and placed it in front of her. “This’ll be fun! I haven’t carved a pumpkin in forever.”

“Did you do it when you were a kid?”

His face clouded slightly, as he gave a shrug. “We tried. But Wanda usually ended up smashing mine and smearing the guts either in my hair or down my back, so I kinda quit wanting to for a while.”

“Oh.” God, his sister sounded like a real piece of work.

“Did you carve them for Halloween?”

She gave a tight-lipped smile. “My mother and I would. But when she died I . . . didn’t really feel like doing it anymore.”

“Oh.”

An awkward silence settled over them then, and Callie gave herself a little shake. This was supposed to be a fun activity, something for the three of them to enjoy, and the mood had already tanked pretty severely.

She glanced to her right, and found Knuckles standing farther away, his brow drawn down and eyes glued to the pumpkin before her. His quills bristled just a hair.

“You okay?” she called, and he jumped slightly. He blinked, and flicked his eyes around him, as though looking for something.

Eventually his eyes found their way back to her, and he dipped his head toward the pumpkin. “Why do you have those?”

His voice was low and tight. If Callie didn’t know better, she’d swear he was afraid.

“It’s tradition.” She used a wet towel to clean the rind. “We carve faces into pumpkins around Halloween for a fun decoration.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “A long time ago people believed they helped ward off evil spirits.”

The pinched look on his face intensified. The quick glances around him increased. “There are evil spirits near?”

Her brow furrowed. “Not that I’m aware of. It’s just an old superstition. What’s wrong?”

Knuckles pulled himself up to stand tall, rolling his shoulders back as he pushed out his chest. His “proud warrior” pose. But his fur was a bit fluffed out, and his quills were still bristled, and in fact looked a little pokier than before. “I must do a patrol. To search for these evil spirits.”

Callie blew out a huff. The whole reason she was doing this was for his sake and now he wanted to go off and do his warrior thing. “No you’re not. Come here. What’s the matter with you? You’re going all poofy and pokey.”

The echidna flicked his eyes to Wade, his brow furrowing slightly, before focusing back on her. He took a hesitant few steps closer, but watched the pumpkin with a narrowed gaze.

“In my travels throughout the galaxy, I was given information that indicated the Master Emerald may have been on a planet with many of . . . those.” He gestured toward the pumpkin with a fist. “They were much like your tradition, with faces carved into them. They glowed from inside, and . . .”

He paused, pulling his lips tight as he took another few looks around them.

“And?” Wade coaxed. “C’mon, don’t leave us hanging.”

Knuckles’ muzzle wrinkled. “. . . and their eyes seemed to follow me as I searched.”

Wade and Callie stared at him for a moment, before the deputy gave a little shiver. “Oh, freaky. I just got goosebumps!”

“Maybe it was a trick of the light,” Callie said, although she could see the tension in the boy’s shoulders. The way his jaw clenched. He was really scared. “When we’re in a strange place, our minds can play tricks on us. Especially if it’s dark, too.”

His fists clenched. “It was no trick. They watched me, grinning.” His quills bristled even more. “And they did not keep the evil spirits away.”

The hairs on the back of Callie’s neck began to prickle. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“I mean the evil spirits there did not take kindly to my presence. I was attacked by foes I could not see. I barely escaped with my life.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, and Callie and Wade exchanged a glance. Wade turned to Knuckles, swallowing before speaking. “You were attacked by ghosts? Like, for real?”

Knuckles gave a stiff nod. “For real.”

Wade looked back to Callie, and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She looked down at the pumpkin before her, her shoulders dropping.

This whole thing had turned into a disaster in record time. Between her own issues after the loss of her mother, to Wade’s memories of his sister’s abuse, and now the discovery that Knuckles apparently associated pumpkins with the time was nearly murdered by ghosts, the idea of carving these things was quickly losing its appeal.

Maybe she should have asked them first. It hadn’t occurred to her that something so innocent could conjure such unwelcome memories.

She tossed the towel in her hands over the pumpkin, as if hiding it from view would make the awkward cloud that had settled over them dissipate.

“Sorry guys,” she said, her voice soft. “Guess this didn’t turn out quite like I’d envisioned.”

The silence stretched on for a moment, before Wade moved closer, dipping down to try and catch her gaze.

“Hey,” he said, coming to sit on the top step facing her. “You’re not gonna let something like a few horrible memories and attempted ghost murder ruin the moment, right?”

She didn’t respond for a moment, her gaze focused on the towel-covered pumpkin before her. Why exactly had she suggested this in the first place? She wasn’t one to decorate for, well, any holiday, let alone Halloween. Usually she turned her lights off and snuggled up with some creature features before heading to bed early. Her house was too far away from the main part of town to get any trick-or-treaters, and aside from a few teens looking to TP her car, she’d avoided any real trouble.

This seemed to be a bad idea from the start.

Movement from her right as Knuckles moved closer. He spoke softly, his voice calmer now. “This ritual. It is important to you.”

A weak smile curled one side of her mouth, and she shook her head. “I remember carving pumpkins with my mother. It’s one of my favorite memories. Picking the perfect pumpkin, choosing a design, clearing the goop out, carving it. It was an all day thing for us, and even when the pumpkin came out looking like crap, which was most of the time, it was still some of my best memories of her.”

Wade smiled. “That sounds really nice.”

She nodded, her smile fading. “The first Halloween after she died felt so . . . empty.” She pulled her lips tight. “I guess I just wanted to try and do something fun with the two people who mean the most to me. Try to . . . recapture some of those feelings. Kinda dumb, I guess.”

Silence returned, and Wade moved a little closer, now sitting on the other side of the pumpkin, opposite Callie.

“When I was about eleven or so, my mom had to take Wanda to a dance recital. Wanda did not want me there, which was fine, I didn’t wanna go anyway.” He leaned to one side, bracing himself with an extended arm. “It was gonna last a few hours, so I got an idea to carve my own pumpkin while they were gone. Something I could do for myself. So after they pulled out of the driveway, I pulled out the pumpkin I’d bought a few days before and went to work.”

A little smile curled his lips at the memory, and Callie couldn’t help but smile back. “How’d it go?”

“Terrible.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Took me forever to get the top cut off, the guts made a horrible mess, and I couldn’t get through the rind. My mom was so mad at the mess when she got home, and Wanda ended up destroying the pumpkin anyway.”

Callie’s smile faded as she dropped her head again. “Cripes, Wade.”

“But it was nice to try,” he said, his voice still soft. “Ever since I left home I always promised myself I’d try doing a jack o’lantern again, and every year I either talk myself out of it, or just . . . don’t. Like there wasn’t much of a point. Not if I was doing it all by myself.”

“Your words may be true,” Knuckles said, moving to sit cross legged next to her. “Perhaps it was my mind playing tricks, before.” He paused, eyes flicking to the covered pumpkin. “Must the carving be a face?”

She turned slightly to him, a little smile curling one corner of her lips. “No. We can carve other shapes in. Maybe we can try an outline of the Master Emerald, if you want.”

He seemed to consider this for a moment, before giving a sharp nod. “Yes. I would like that.”

Callie offered him a smile, before turning to Wade. “Wanna try carving a pumpkin that won’t be smashed by an overly aggressive sister?”

A smile spread on Wade’s face. “You had me at ‘Hey, Wade! Wanna come over and carve pumpkins with me and Knux?’”

She snickered, pulling the towel off the pumpkin before her. “Then let’s make some new memories, huh? Maybe some nicer ones.”

Man and echidna both nodded, and scooted forward as they began work on the first pumpkin.

[mama-qwerty]

In honor of @welcome-to-green-hills Happy Fall Y'all event! (I'm thinking of a new little bit to write for this prompt, we'll see if my brain will cooperate.)

#happyfally'all2024

Pumpkin carving with cousins! Everyone had a good time!🎃

...except for Knuckles. He's never doing this again. (Also his pumpkin is supposed to be his fist)

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Ohhhh❤️🥺❤️ Callie is so sweet! This is adorable!

Haunting Memories

Okay, this popped into my head for @welcome-to-green-hills Happy Fall Y'all event.

My brain feels like mush right now, so hopefully this makes sense. 😆

~~~~~

A light breeze blew through the changing leaves, bringing a sigh that was almost a hiss as they shivered. The trees around the MacPherson house boasted a colorful range, an almost constant shower falling as they were broken loose from their hold on the branches.

Three pumpkins lined the steps of the deck off the kitchen, and Callie spread newspaper on the wooden planks. Knives and various carving tools sat to her left, as she sat cross-legged on the floor, a few towels nearby for any mess.

“Okay,” she said, checking over her supplies once more to make sure she had everything at hand. This was the first Halloween with Knuckles in her care, and she wanted to show him some fun traditions. “Do we have everything?”

“Think so,” Wade said as he hauled a pumpkin up and placed it in front of her. “This’ll be fun! I haven’t carved a pumpkin in forever.”

“Did you do it when you were a kid?”

His face clouded slightly, as he gave a shrug. “We tried. But Wanda usually ended up smashing mine and smearing the guts either in my hair or down my back, so I kinda quit wanting to for a while.”

“Oh.” God, his sister sounded like a real piece of work.

“Did you carve them for Halloween?”

She gave a tight-lipped smile. “My mother and I would. But when she died I . . . didn’t really feel like doing it anymore.”

“Oh.”

An awkward silence settled over them then, and Callie gave herself a little shake. This was supposed to be a fun activity, something for the three of them to enjoy, and the mood had already tanked pretty severely.

She glanced to her right, and found Knuckles standing farther away, his brow drawn down and eyes glued to the pumpkin before her. His quills bristled just a hair.

“You okay?” she called, and he jumped slightly. He blinked, and flicked his eyes around him, as though looking for something.

Eventually his eyes found their way back to her, and he dipped his head toward the pumpkin. “Why do you have those?”

His voice was low and tight. If Callie didn’t know better, she’d swear he was afraid.

“It’s tradition.” She used a wet towel to clean the rind. “We carve faces into pumpkins around Halloween for a fun decoration.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “A long time ago people believed they helped ward off evil spirits.”

The pinched look on his face intensified. The quick glances around him increased. “There are evil spirits near?”

Her brow furrowed. “Not that I’m aware of. It’s just an old superstition. What’s wrong?”

Knuckles pulled himself up to stand tall, rolling his shoulders back as he pushed out his chest. His “proud warrior” pose. But his fur was a bit fluffed out, and his quills were still bristled, and in fact looked a little pokier than before. “I must do a patrol. To search for these evil spirits.”

Callie blew out a huff. The whole reason she was doing this was for his sake and now he wanted to go off and do his warrior thing. “No you’re not. Come here. What’s the matter with you? You’re going all poofy and pokey.”

The echidna flicked his eyes to Wade, his brow furrowing slightly, before focusing back on her. He took a hesitant few steps closer, but watched the pumpkin with a narrowed gaze.

“In my travels throughout the galaxy, I was given information that indicated the Master Emerald may have been on a planet with many of . . . those.” He gestured toward the pumpkin with a fist. “They were much like your tradition, with faces carved into them. They glowed from inside, and . . .”

He paused, pulling his lips tight as he took another few looks around them.

“And?” Wade coaxed. “C’mon, don’t leave us hanging.”

Knuckles’ muzzle wrinkled. “. . . and their eyes seemed to follow me as I searched.”

Wade and Callie stared at him for a moment, before the deputy gave a little shiver. “Oh, freaky. I just got goosebumps!”

“Maybe it was a trick of the light,” Callie said, although she could see the tension in the boy’s shoulders. The way his jaw clenched. He was really scared. “When we’re in a strange place, our minds can play tricks on us. Especially if it’s dark, too.”

His fists clenched. “It was no trick. They watched me, grinning.” His quills bristled even more. “And they did not keep the evil spirits away.”

The hairs on the back of Callie’s neck began to prickle. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“I mean the evil spirits there did not take kindly to my presence. I was attacked by foes I could not see. I barely escaped with my life.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, and Callie and Wade exchanged a glance. Wade turned to Knuckles, swallowing before speaking. “You were attacked by ghosts? Like, for real?”

Knuckles gave a stiff nod. “For real.”

Wade looked back to Callie, and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She looked down at the pumpkin before her, her shoulders dropping.

This whole thing had turned into a disaster in record time. Between her own issues after the loss of her mother, to Wade’s memories of his sister’s abuse, and now the discovery that Knuckles apparently associated pumpkins with the time was nearly murdered by ghosts, the idea of carving these things was quickly losing its appeal.

Maybe she should have asked them first. It hadn’t occurred to her that something so innocent could conjure such unwelcome memories.

She tossed the towel in her hands over the pumpkin, as if hiding it from view would make the awkward cloud that had settled over them dissipate.

“Sorry guys,” she said, her voice soft. “Guess this didn’t turn out quite like I’d envisioned.”

The silence stretched on for a moment, before Wade moved closer, dipping down to try and catch her gaze.

“Hey,” he said, coming to sit on the top step facing her. “You’re not gonna let something like a few horrible memories and attempted ghost murder ruin the moment, right?”

She didn’t respond for a moment, her gaze focused on the towel-covered pumpkin before her. Why exactly had she suggested this in the first place? She wasn’t one to decorate for, well, any holiday, let alone Halloween. Usually she turned her lights off and snuggled up with some creature features before heading to bed early. Her house was too far away from the main part of town to get any trick-or-treaters, and aside from a few teens looking to TP her car, she’d avoided any real trouble.

This seemed to be a bad idea from the start.

Movement from her right as Knuckles moved closer. He spoke softly, his voice calmer now. “This ritual. It is important to you.”

A weak smile curled one side of her mouth, and she shook her head. “I remember carving pumpkins with my mother. It’s one of my favorite memories. Picking the perfect pumpkin, choosing a design, clearing the goop out, carving it. It was an all day thing for us, and even when the pumpkin came out looking like crap, which was most of the time, it was still some of my best memories of her.”

Wade smiled. “That sounds really nice.”

She nodded, her smile fading. “The first Halloween after she died felt so . . . empty.” She pulled her lips tight. “I guess I just wanted to try and do something fun with the two people who mean the most to me. Try to . . . recapture some of those feelings. Kinda dumb, I guess.”

Silence returned, and Wade moved a little closer, now sitting on the other side of the pumpkin, opposite Callie.

“When I was about eleven or so, my mom had to take Wanda to a dance recital. Wanda did not want me there, which was fine, I didn’t wanna go anyway.” He leaned to one side, bracing himself with an extended arm. “It was gonna last a few hours, so I got an idea to carve my own pumpkin while they were gone. Something I could do for myself. So after they pulled out of the driveway, I pulled out the pumpkin I’d bought a few days before and went to work.”

A little smile curled his lips at the memory, and Callie couldn’t help but smile back. “How’d it go?”

“Terrible.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Took me forever to get the top cut off, the guts made a horrible mess, and I couldn’t get through the rind. My mom was so mad at the mess when she got home, and Wanda ended up destroying the pumpkin anyway.”

Callie’s smile faded as she dropped her head again. “Cripes, Wade.”

“But it was nice to try,” he said, his voice still soft. “Ever since I left home I always promised myself I’d try doing a jack o’lantern again, and every year I either talk myself out of it, or just . . . don’t. Like there wasn’t much of a point. Not if I was doing it all by myself.”

“Your words may be true,” Knuckles said, moving to sit cross legged next to her. “Perhaps it was my mind playing tricks, before.” He paused, eyes flicking to the covered pumpkin. “Must the carving be a face?”

She turned slightly to him, a little smile curling one corner of her lips. “No. We can carve other shapes in. Maybe we can try an outline of the Master Emerald, if you want.”

He seemed to consider this for a moment, before giving a sharp nod. “Yes. I would like that.”

Callie offered him a smile, before turning to Wade. “Wanna try carving a pumpkin that won’t be smashed by an overly aggressive sister?”

A smile spread on Wade’s face. “You had me at ‘Hey, Wade! Wanna come over and carve pumpkins with me and Knux?’”

She snickered, pulling the towel off the pumpkin before her. “Then let’s make some new memories, huh? Maybe some nicer ones.”

Man and echidna both nodded, and scooted forward as they began work on the first pumpkin.