Ice Age: A Spooky Mammoth Halloween

The Pumpkin King

"It is said that in the wide pumpkin field at the edge of the woods a pumpkin creature lives there. Half human, half pumpkin. The creature turns everybody who steals his pumpkins into one, who are then left to accompany the other pumpkins forever while praying to be plucked and made into soup to escape the eternal torment. They call this creature the Pumpkin King"

When Kai finished reading that part, the children were shivering while hiding behind their parents, mostly Zoë and Mitch. Noa gave Kai a stern look as she closed the book and gave it back to Crash and Eddie, who were now hiding underneath it

"Great way to show your reading skills to your daughter, Kai" Noa muttered as Zoë had her face buried into Noa's belly. Kai sucked his teeth in embarrassment and awkwardness as he patted Zoë's head

Manny just snorted and laughed

"The Pumpkin King? Ha! Who believes in such a silly story anyway?" Manny mocked as Crash, Eddie and Mitch raised their paws and trunk, which made Manny laugh louder

"Ah, don't believe all that nonsense. It's just a fiction to scare little kids to stay away from pumpkin fields" Diego assured the children as he had his paw placed on his son

"Really?" Zoë asked as Noa nodded with a smile while brushing the strands of hair out of her face

"Of course. It's truly nothing but poppycock and pure superstition"

"And besides, that story is mostly told by humans tribes, generations long. So it's certain that it doesn't apply to animals at all" Keevah said

"So it's all settled. We'll take Crash and Eddie with us to pick out some new pumpkins" Sid stated as Manny and Diego nodded at his statement, but Crash and Eddie slumped over their shoulders in disappointment while clasping their hands together and staring up at the sky, like they were praying

"Then we'll go tonight, when the sun is down and no living soul will be around" Diego smirked in attempting to petrify the possums a little more

And while the adults were on that topic, the four kids were looking at the drawn image of the Pumpkin King in the book. Chase grinned widely as he and the others huddled together in a circle

"I have an idea"

"Oh, no" Mitch thought as Chase spoke

"We're going to look for pumpkins ourselves and see if the Pumpkin King does exist" Chase said as Lily rolled her eyes

"And what if he doesn't? I mean, do you even believe that yourself?" Lily asked as Zoë nodded

"And even if we are going, it's gonna be impossible for Mitch not to scream at his own shadow every 5 minutes"

"I am not that scared!" Mitch huffed as Chase carefully snuck up to his ear and casually said

"Boo"

Making Mitch scream and jump back, glaring when Chase snickered at his reaction. And then Lily sighed

"It's just a silly story anyway"

"Silly or not, we're going. I want to eat pumpkin soup tonight" Chase stayed determined as Mitch's eyes widened in fear and whined in frustration and Chase quickly added

"I'm not scared of that Pumpkin King!"

Mitch didn't answer as Chase glanced over at Lily and Zoë and they both shook their heads with no convincing Chase whatsoever

"We neither"

Then Zoë closed the book, which made a loud sound and Mitch jumped for a second, before laughing it off and clearing his throat