Congratulations to Katie Price, whose work “The Pumpkin on the Porch” was selected as the inaugural Green Blotter Halloween Contest winner for prose submissions!
The Pumpkin on the Porch
The legend has been told many ways throughout the town, of the old Miller house that nearly burned to the ground. One day dear Audrey Miller brought her mother home a gift, a wiry jack-o’-lantern with swirly eyes, a screaming mouth, and a place for a candle at its heart. While some found it creepy, Mrs. Miller loved it and put it on the porch the first day of October, making sure to light a candle inside each and every night.
Soon after the placement of the pumpkin the plants on the porch began to die. Soon the lawn turned brown, and the death spread to the plants inside the house. The family thought that the death of their plants was caused by the environment, and they had professionals come in to evaluate their water, their cleaning supplies, and even their air. Nothing was found, but death continued to follow the family. Their two cats disappeared soon after and the week before Halloween their dog ate some chocolate candy and was found lying on the floor, dead.
Even though they were struggling, the family had always been big fans of Halloween, and they continued to decorate and prepare. With the addition of fake spiderwebs, glowing pumpkins, and a boiling cauldron, the house was well-prepared for trick-or-treaters to arrive.
When the trick-or-treaters arrived, the pumpkin was lit with an extra-large candle so that it would remain lit all night long. Costumed children and their parents trekked up to the house to request candy and compliment the décor. The parents really admired the dedication to the destruction of their plants just for Halloween. The family went to bed content that night, happy that their decorations had been a hit. After they went to bed, a mysterious fire started. The fire marshal would later say that it seemed to ignite simultaneously in each bedroom in the house from no apparent source. The entire family tragically died in the fire and the house was left as a shell of itself that could almost be blown over by a strong gust of wind.
What is left of the house still stands to this day, quiet and alone, atop a hill overlooking the neighborhood. The locals claim that you can hear a fire crackling loudly late at night. Every Halloween, the children and teenagers from nearby dare each other to go up to the house. Many never even make it up the hill before they run away scared, witnessing the glow of the pumpkin on the porch. Of those who make it to the porch, most are never seen alive again.