LUMPKIN THE UGLY PUMPKIN
                                                         By
                                             Anthony Pennyfield


The night was cool, and a full moon dominated the autumn sky.
On a farm in a large field pumpkins were growing in the soft
glow of  the  moonlight.   The pumpkins would be sold for
Halloween.   They were just about full grown.  Soon the farmer
would let people go into the field.  They could pick out whatever
pumpkin or pumpkins they wanted.

The  pumpkins  had  the  power to speak to each other �s
minds.   This  was  so that people could not hear them.  The pumpkins
bragged  among  themselves  about  who  was  the  biggest.  Other
pumpkins,  claimed  to  be the roundest.  And other pumpkins said
they  were  the  most  unusual.   The  pumpkins were all eager to
see which of them would be the first to be chosen.

During  the  next  week many pumpkins were chosen.  The only
ones  that  were  left  were  very  small  to large or very ugly.
One  pumpkin  nobody wanted was a small very bumpy lumpy pumpkin.
The  other  pumpkins  laughed  and  made fun of this pumpkin.  It
had  so  many  lumps and bumps they called it Lumpkin.  The ugly                          
pumpkin became  so upset  it  broke loose from  the vine and rolled
itself into the nearby woods.

Poor  little Lumpkin,  nobody wanted it.  The Lumpkin er,
pumpkin  rolled  deep  into  the  woods.   It was two days before
Halloween  and  nobody  would  see  it.   The pumpkin saw a light
in  the  woods and decided to roll towards it.  Deep in the woods
a  great  witch  was  stirring  her  cauldron of magic.  Suddenly
she  turned,  "heh,  whats  this  over here, don �t be afraid come to me,"                
the witch beckoned to the pumpkin.

The  pumpkin  slowly rolled towards the witch.  "Well aren �t
you  the  cutest  pumpkin," the witch said.  Witches regard bumpy
and  lumpy things as beautiful.  "What do they call you," cackled
the  witch.   "Lumpkin  they  call  me  Lumpkin,"  said the sad
looking  pumpkin.   "Lumpkin,  now that �s a real nice name, tell
me  something  Lumpkin  would  you  want to become my pet".  The
pumpkin  now  found  someone who liked the way it looked and also
it �s  name.   "Yes,"  said  Lumpkin.  The witch gave the pumpkin
a  magic  brew  to drink.  A mist surrounded the pumpkin and when
the  mist  disappeared,  the  pumpkin  had  little arms and legs.

"Hop  on  my  broom,  I �ll  take  you for a fly about," the witch
told  Lumpkin.   Lumpkin  and  the  witch flew through the air,
over  the  trees  and  over  the  pumpkin fields.  When the other
pumpkins  saw  Lumpkin waving at them, they could hardly believe
it.  All of the pumpkins began to cheer Lumpkin.

Even the most unattractive and ugliest of things can find a place in the
world.  The  witch  would  keep  Lumpkin  for all of it �s days on earth.
And the Lumpkin would always love the kindly great witch.