Spiders and golden pumpkins

There are so many pumpkins…

That was the first thought to cross my mind. The second is how in heck am I going to find the golden pumpkin in all of this?

The field stretches for miles, filled to the brim with pumpkins and leaves and all manner of treacherous things. Supposedly there is a golden pumpkin hidden in here, but I highly doubt that I’ll be able to find it. I mean, heck, there are probably thousands of pumpkins in here, and other Eoses are already searching. Great.

I step into the field and immediately trip and fall on a vine. I get a face full of rich, damp soil and a twisted talon. Crap.

I get up and brush myself off, then assess the damage. My wolf mask seems to be unharmed, thank goodness. It’s a good thing I took off the rest of the costume, otherwise I’d have a hell of a time cleaning the leaves and dirt out of it after all this. The twisted talon is sore but I can probably still walk on it, so the show must go on!

A yell goes up from the other side of the field - has someone found it? The golden pumpkin?! A crowd of Eoses cluster around the one who yelled, then dissipate with sighs and slumped shoulders. It isn’t the golden pumpkin after all.

But hey, that means there’s still a chance for me to find it! I start kicking massive pumpkin leaves out of the way with renewed vigour, hoping to see a flash of gold under each leaf, but all I find is orange.

How are there so many pumpkins?! If I was an Avian I could just fly above this blasted field and search much easier, but alas, I am but a lowly Reptile.

Hmm. That gives me an idea for my project for next year’s Halloween celebrations. If I have enough feathers lying around my tent I could make a Harpy costume! Yes, excellent! I think I have enough material to… right. The pumpkin hunt. Whoops.

I continue searching fruitlessly (geddit? Pumpkins are vegetables!), tripping over, and generally being disappointed.

A whisper breaks through my frustration.

Hey

What? Who said that?

Hey you

There it is again!

HEY! Pink one!

I look around. Nothing. There’s no-one there.

We know where golden shiny hidden show you

Ah, of course. I’d recognise that speech pattern anywhere. Spiders! I’m still getting used to the whole spider speak thing, it’s only been a few days, but spiders have a very distinct way of talking (well, I suppose it’s technically thinking).

I ask do you know where the golden pumpkin is hidden?

The spider replies lean down under show you under here

I crouch down slowly, careful not to disturb any leaves. I still don’t know where the spider is, and I don’t want to crush it. It’s being so helpful!

Ah, here you are. You are a beautiful spider, I think at it.

It twitches a leg in acknowledgment, then tells me pumpkin I know where golden you want to win show you hidden

Hmm. Should I accept the spider’s help? It feels like cheating - I’m the only Eoses I know that can speak to spiders. But then again, no-one else has found the pumpkin yet, and time is running out. I really want to find it, I’ve heard the prizes are great.

Another Eoses shouts, and jolts me out of my thoughts. “THE GOLDEN PUMPKIN, I’VE FOUND THE GOLDEN PUMPKIN!”

Darn it. I wasted too much time, and missed my chance. I stand up, and look towards the noise. An Eoses triumphantly holds aloft a glistening golden pumpkin, screeching in joy.

I thank the spider, and tell it maybe next time. Good hunting, I hope you catch lots of juicy flies, and trudge out of the field. Thankfully without tripping again.

Oh well, there are still plenty of fun things to do this Spook Season. Who knows, I might win a prize in the next stage?