I know what you’re thinking — another Halloween article?! But if the following isn’t proof that Halloween spookiness continues long after the 31st, I don’t know what is. Let me take you back to October 30th (the eve of All Hallow’s Eve, if you will). A plastic pumpkin reminiscent of Mr. Potato Head, complete with eyes, Frankensteinian bolts, a bow, and a hat, is placed in the hallway of Keeney dorm. Below is an artist’s rendering of what the pumpkin might have looked like in its prime.
The pumpkin served its purpose, effectively creating the Halloween spirit in the freshmen dorm. I was surprised, however, to find that the pumpkin remained in place on November 1st. Although its hat and bow had detached (probably casualties of a Halloween rager), the pumpkin stubbornly held its ground. Unable to avoid the object on my walk to my room, I became invested in the pumpkin’s progression and took to journaling.
November 2nd (Day 4): The pumpkin does not appear to have shifted at all, yet it somehow looks more sad than usual. Its gaze pierces my soul as I walk to my room, as if to say, “I know what you did on Halloween, and you should be ashamed.” Do you think I don’t already know that?! Pumpkin, in thy orisons be all my sins remembered… I admit that the toy has rattled me. Come to think of it, how did it get to the hallway in the first place? And why hasn’t a selfish college student stolen it yet?
Nov 3rd (Day 5): The pumpkin is spiraling out of control and so am I. I’ve come to view it as a metaphor of sorts, reminding me that the void is inevitable and that we will all decay. I’m forced to imagine myself as the pumpkin. Perhaps when I am elderly I, too, will be left untouched, having served my purpose. I will be forgotten in a nursing home, and will probably lose my hair like the pumpkin tragically lost its bow. In an act of defiance, I have stolen the pumpkin’s hat and I wear it with pride.
Nov 4th (Day 6): Amusement has given way to fear and confusion. I have returned the hat because I’ve seen enough movies to know that the pumpkin will haunt me if I don’t. There’s been a shocking turn of events in the hall: The pumpkin has toppled over. Its cold eyes are now pressed into Keeney’s oppressive carpet, and yet I still feel its power! For real, who put the pumpkin here? Why has NO ONE taken it way or messed with it in a significant way? Am I the only one who can see it? Will the pumpkin remain here until I graduate? What does it want from me? I am sure this cannot continue. Someone will definitely move the pumpkin tomorrow.
Nov 5th (Day 7): Holy. Shit. Not only has the pumpkin not moved, but its one eye now looks directly at my door. From the safety of my room, I managed to snap this picture of the tyrant. Note the aggression in its eye and the way it claims its territory using its possessions. It knows. I don’t know what it knows, but it knows. I am shocked that no one else has expressed concern about the pumpkin — not even the people in the room right next to it! And then it hits me: Am I the pumpkin? It would make so much sense. My optimism about Halloween started early. I too, was fresh-faced, had a hat, and two eyes, even! Everything was going my way. But I clung to October 31st after it had passed, and it wasn’t cute. People were over me and my love for Halloween. I went the way of the pumpkin! I mean, I LITERALLY have one eye now, a broken stem, and crooked Frankenstein bolts (and by “literally” I do not mean literally, of course). I’ve lost it all. It’s me or the pumpkin — this dorm isn’t big enough for the both of us.
Nov 6th (Day 8): It’s over. The pumpkin is gone. I know not where it went, who it’s with, or what it wants, but I can finally breathe again. Keeney’s hallway has been returned to its former glory. I know some of you may think I was being overdramatic, and I have to say that you’re wrong. I wouldn’t wish the pumpkin on my worst enemy.
Images via and Kayla Kirk.
