10/22/2026
I've been swallowed up by the mood of autumn this year and was inspired to create this. I also wrote a scene for it. Enjoy!🎃.🎃.🎃.🎃.
Wind whistled through the barren limbs of trees, bending them to and fro. Their creaking groans melded with the caws of crows and unseen critters skittering beneath the brush.
You walked along an abandoned path, barely visible beneath the overgrown weeds. It weaved between the trees, beckoning you further into the forest's maw. Something drew you here, but even now you weren't sure what it was. You paused, having the clarity to look over your shouler from where you came. It was shrouded with thick impenetrable fog. Wherever you were, there was no turning back.
The sound of a child's cry carried over the wind. You looked forward again, the groans of the trees seeming to whisper, telling you to investigate. Without thought, your feet pulled you forward, each footfall quicker than the last.
The sniffling and hiccups of the child itched into your ear, until it was the only thing you could hear. You called out for them, begging them to let you know where they were and promising you were there to help. It went unheeded, the crying continued.
You were running now. Nothing else mattered until the child was found. Your legs ached, your heart pounding. It seemed no matter how far you went, the child was never closer than before.
A glowing light caught your peripheral. It peeked through a thick brush, warm and inviting. It felt... safe.
Your feet wanted to stay on the path, but there was this growing need to be there in the light. You stumbled over roots and rocks, shoving aside branches to get there.
Then you saw him. There, in the light, sat a small boy. He was alone, his shoulders trembling from the sobs wracking through him. You fell to your knees in front of him, the urge to cry in your throat. This was the child you were searching for, yet he was no longer what could be considered a human. Where a head once connected to his neck, was deformed and swollen into the shape of a pumpkin.
He turned his head to look at you, his eyes glowing white. You looked back and somehow you knew.
This was going to happen to you...
