The Pumpkin with a Secret

One cool Halloween night, Lucy and her friend, Ben, were carving pumpkins in the backyard. They had already made two happy-faced Jack-o’-lanterns, but there was one pumpkin left.

“I’m going to make this one look scary!” Ben said, grabbing the biggest pumpkin. He cut out sharp teeth and angry eyes, making it look like it was ready to bite someone.

Later that night, Lucy’s mom lit the candles inside the pumpkins. They looked so cool on the porch! But as Lucy got ready for bed, she noticed something strange. The scary pumpkin was glowing much brighter than the others.

“I’m sure it’s just the candle,” she told herself, pulling the covers over her head.

But at midnight, Lucy woke up. She heard a voice whispering from outside.

“Let me out…” the voice said softly.

Lucy’s heart raced. She peeked out the window and gasped. The scary pumpkin’s mouth was moving, and its eyes were glowing red!

“Let me out!” it whispered again.

Lucy ran to wake her mom, but when they looked outside, the pumpkin was back to normal.

“Must’ve been a dream,” her mom said. But Lucy wasn’t so sure. The next morning, the scary pumpkin was gone.