The Pumpkin Ghost slithered through the night on withered, spectral stalks. It was Jack’s shadow, made of everything that was thrown away: The stringy, seed-speckled entrails, the sawed out shapes of nose and eye and grinning mouth. It demanded that everything forgotten get its due. It sought to be whole again.
But as it surveyed the neighborhood, it saw the sinking shapes of rotting fruit, smashed or half-eaten by squirrels. It saw strings of lights set out for the next holiday.
It realized forgetting is a cycle. As it fit itself awkwardly back into rotting shells, it yearned for revenge.

“Jack-o’-lantern” by boingr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.‘

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