The Library (And Others)

Halloween

Dr John Smith was used to strange occurrences, having lived through quite a few of them himself. The burning library, for instance, which turned out just to be a dream. There was also the case of not being able to remember someone. He had an extraordinary memory most of the time, and this was incredibly strange. But Dr Smith had never experienced something as strange as what happened on October 28th, 1990. Life was very different then. He was still a professor, still just as chaotic, but he was in love then. It had been before his wife's fatal trip to an old excavation site. They had been married and happy. He often joked that being happy was the strangest part of the whole affair.

It had started when he and his wife, Professor Melody Pond, Archaeologist, had gone out to buy pumpkins. Dr Smith was a child at heart, so the prospect of carving pumpkins was greatly exciting and he had thanked Melody profusely for indulging him in this matter. Melody had laughed affectionately as John bounced around the house before the pair had gone to an old pumpkin patch a little down the road from the small town where they lived.

When they arrived, the pumpkin patch was nearly empty, which was to be assumed, considering it was only two days before Halloween. They had invited John's old friends Mr Malcolm Tucker and Mr Randall Brown, who had both arrived. The group had walked around the fields for ages, Malcolm insulting the different pumpkins, Randall not speaking much, John practically skipping, and Melody watching the three men's interactions highly amused. The group finally found what had been collectively agreed was the best pumpkin. Malcolm had insulted that one too, but that was to be expected given that it was his normal way of communication. Randall had said it was the right color. John had decided it was the right size and Melody was just happy the three had agreed on something.

They brought the pumpkin up to the cashier, a young man with facial features that made him resemble a lost pup, placing it down on the counter. He gave the group a disdainful look, apparently deciding that they had no right to be buying pumpkins. He didn't say a word as John handed over the money and the group went back to the Smith residence.

Once there, John carefully set the pumpkin on the kitchen table, before spinning around in circles, looking for the carving kit. Melody sighed and pointed it out to him, before offering food to careless Malcolm and upright Randall. All three had their backs to the pumpkin. John finally found the carving kit and he ran back around to find that the pumpkin had vanished.

"Melody? Did you take the pumpkin?" John asked, brow furrowed. The trio making food looked over at John.

"We've been here," Malcolm said. "Did you forget where you put it again?"

"No."

Suddenly, the television flickered on, crackling as static appeared on the screen. The static vanished for an instant, to be replaced with a pumpkin; the same one they had prepared to carve, before the static reappeared.

"Don't," said a voice from the television. "Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't." It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, halting and horrible. "Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't." It just kept repeating that word, as the static flickered in and out. "Don't. Don't." John ran and got the remote, trying to click off the television to no avail. "Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't." A wicked smile appeared on the pumpkin, carved into it. "Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't."

Then almost as suddenly as it had started, the TV clicked off. The voice still echoed through the room, slowly fading. The house was searched but the pumpkin had vanished completely.