Spooktoberfest!
Click the photo link above for more details on this spooktacular blog hop that's sure to get you into the Halloween spirit... and if you dare, read on for my 300 words or less Flash Fiction entry containing five mandatory themed words:
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The less than razor sharp blade sounded like velcro rubbing against corduroy as his cramped fingers continued the repetitious jigsaw motion along the lines of the pattern penciled onto the monstrous pumpkin. Grasping the tiny detail knife that had come with the jack-o-lantern carving kit with his large and calloused hands, he felt like a giant attempting to cross-stitch a blanket for a mouse. Earlier that evening, he'd flipped through the many carving designs with his son. He'd tried to coax him into choosing one of the patterns that had been labeled "easy".
"Look at this witch stirring her cauldron, or this spooky ghost," the father pointed out.
After a very brief consideration, the toddler flipped past both, hesitated on a giant, complicated looking spider with its legs spread across a spiral of cobwebs, then replied, "Nope, none of those."
A wave of relief rushed over him, but then immediately receded. In the mere two seconds he'd closed his eyes, a choice had been made. The signal had been a tiny squeal of glee followed by a rustling of paper. He looked at the sheet that his son was waving frantically in front of his face.
"This one is my favorite, Daddy... this one would be the most awesomest pumpkin in the whole world!"
The conversation had taken place over two hours ago. The little one had grown bored and been whisked away to bed by his mother. Surely his son was deeply asleep now, dreaming of trick-or-treating that was soon to come. But rest was not an option for the dedicated dad. With a heavy sigh, he continued his work with the smallest saw known to man on the haunted castle that had been identified as "extremely difficult".
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Aw! I love this story! My husband always gets lumped with carving the jack-o-lanterns. He lets the kids draw the faces that they want carved and then he has to try and emulate them when he carves the actual jack-o-lanterns. He's had varying success at it, but the children are always thrilled with the result. :)
Ohmigosh this is the cutest tale ever! So adorable! I love this! Or maybe I just love this dad. I could picture the whole thing, what great work you do!
So adorable!!! Nice descriptions.
We're carving our jack-o-lanterns tonight. :D
Thanks for participating in our blogfest!
Loved the line "he felt like a giant attempting to cross-stitch a blanket for a mouse". That takes dedication. Nominate this man for Father-of-the-Year! :)
Thank you all for the kind words, I honestly had a spooky story planned, but inspiration struck during our family Halloween tradition of scouting out the best pumpkin at the pumpkin patch and then planning out what type of jack-o-lantern it would be. I really appreciate the support and am so happy to have participated. This was a very fun blog hop! :-)
love the creativity in your writing. nice entry! and new follower here :)