Emma's Halloween Story

Emma has been working on dialogue and word choice. Here is a spooky story she wrote for her cousins:

It’s the Great Pumpkin!
by Emma Saunders

“Where are my flower shoes?” asked 4-year-old Grace, nervously.

“I don’t know!” Jaiden and Emma declared, looking under the table.

“If Grace doesn’t find her shoes, she can use mine.” 3-year-old Ava commented.

“Ah! Here they are!” said Grace. “Rachel was playing with them. Now can we go on our walk?”

“Sure!” laughed Emma, who was eight (almost nine). She put 1-year-old Rachel in her stroller. “Are we ALL ready now?” she asked, exhausted from going up and down, up and down, up and down (you get the point).

“Yes!” they all shouted.

“I want to go, too.” cried Tucker, who was two years old.

“Sorry, Tucker, this is the girls walk, and you just went with Papa, Mario, Tim, Rick, and Jacob.” Emma managed to say, half-way out the door.

They were in Arizona, going on a Halloween walk. Rick, Audrey, Jacob, Emma, and their dog, Shelby, lived in Ohio, but were visiting for a couple of weeks.

“Wait, take some snacks.” hollered Papa, from upstairs.

“And be back by 7:00, will you?” called Lala.

“Okay!” said Grace and Ava at the same time. They giggled, quietly.

Rachel started to cry, probably because she wasn’t getting any attention. So Emma picked her up and tickled her, which made her laugh. Then Emma put Rachel back in her stroller and they started walking.

“Where are we going?” Jaiden asked thoughtfully.

“Well, I thought we could go look for the Great Pumpkin in a pumpkin patch and get some pumpkins to carve when we get back.” Emma said.

“Yay!” they all shouted.

“And when we get back, we could all go trick-or-treating.” declared Emma.

They looked and looked and looked and looked, but they couldn’t find the Great Pumpkin. They looked in trees, bushes, under and over pumpkins, vines, and weeds. They even climbed trees! Grace, Jaiden and Emma leaned up against a tree. “Sorry guys, but I don’t really think we’re going to find the Great Pumpkin.” Emma said, holding Rachel, a sweat bead ran down her cheek.

“Me too.” Jaiden declared.

“Me three.” Grace said.

They waited for Ava to say “Me four,” but they could only hear the cool wind sigh in their ears. Then they heard a scream! So they spun around, terrified. It was Ava!

“Jaiden, hold Rachel. Here!” cried Emma. Then, in the blink of an eye, she sprinted to Ava, picked her up, and ran back with Ava in her arms.

“Are you OK?” Emma asked. “Please, don’t ever, ever do that agai-”

“What is that?” asked Grace, pointing to the pumpkin patch.

Another shriek tore from Ava’s lips.

“Shhhh!” Jaiden said. “Run to the trees!” And they did so.

Then, a large figure started to take shape in the patch. Ava gasped. The figure came to the trees calling, “Jaiden, Ava, Gracie, Rachel, and Emma! Where are you?”

Phew! It was only Papa looking for them.

“Papa!” they yelled excitedly.

“There you are.” he said. “I’ve been looking all over for you. It’s time to go trick-or-treating.”

“Yay!” the girls sang.

Then Ava looked back to the pumpkin patch, and there stood the Great Pumpkin. “Hey, Guys! It’s the Great Pumpkin.” she whispered. They all looked back and the Great Pumpkin winked.

“Bye.” The Great Pumpkin said, and then disappeared.

“Wow!” they murmured, as they quietly departed.

The End



About the Author:

Emma Saunders lives in Perrysburg, Ohio with her mom (Audrey), dad (Richard), brother (Jacob), and dog (Shelby). Jacob and Emma take swim lessons and karate at The Fort Meigs YMCA. Emma’s mom, Audrey, teaches Jake and Emma at homeschool while Richard works as a doctor at St. Vincent’s Mercy Medical Center. Richard also acts as a substitute when Audrey isn’t there. Emma’s extended family lives in Arizona and Utah. Emma misses her family dearly and hopes to see them soon.