in H kancri v H /gilikinz, wic z At H /nYrT v H /lAnd v /oz, livd a jMT kYld /tip. HEr waz mYr t hiz nEm Hn Ht, f Old /mombi ofan diklErd Ht hiz hOl nEm waz /tipityrias; bat nO wan waz ekspektd t sE sac a loN ward wen "/tip" wUd d Jast Az wel.
Hs bq rimembard naTiN v hiz pErants, f hI hAd bin brYt wen kwFt jaN t b rIrd bF H Old wUman nOn Az /mombi, hMz repjMtESn, F Am syri t sE, waz nan v H best. f H /gilikin pIpal hAd rIzan t saspekt har v indalJN in mAJikal yrts, n HErfYr hezitEtd t asOsIEt wiT har.
/mombi waz not egzAktli a /wic, bikYz H /gUd /wic hM rMld Ht pyrt v H /lAnd v /oz hAd fYrbidan eni aHar /wic t egzist in har daminjanz. sO /tip's gyrdian, hQevar mac SI mFt aspFr t warkN mAJik, rIlFzd i waz anlYfal t b mYr Hn a /sYrsaris, Yr At mOst a /wizardis.
/tip waz mEd t kEri wUd fram H fYrist, Ht H Old wUman mFt bql har pot. hI YlsO warkd in H kYrn-fIldz, hOiN n haskN; n hI fed H pigz n milkd H fYr-hYrnd kQ Ht waz /mombi'z espeSl prFd.
bat jM mast not sapOz hI warkd Yl H tFm, f hI felt Ht wUd b bAd f him. wen sent t H fYrist /tip ofan klFmd crIz f bardz' egz Yr amjMzd himself cEsN H flIt wFt rAbits Yr fiSN in H brUks wiT bent pinz. Hn hI wUd hAstili gAHar hiz yrmfal v wUd n kEri i hOm. n wen hI waz sapOzd t b warkN in H kYrn-fIldz, n H tYl stoks hid him fram /mombi'z vjM, /tip wUd ofan dig in H gOfar hOlz, Yr if H mMd sIzd him -- lF apon hiz bAk bitwIn H rOz v kYrn n tEk a nAp. sO, bF tEkN kEr not t egzYst hiz screNT, hI grM Az scroN n raged Az a bq mE b.
/mombi'z kjarias mAJik ofan frFtand har nEbarz, n HE crItd har SFli, jet rispektfali, bikYz v har wIrd pQrz. bat /tip frANkli hEtd har, n tUk nO pEnz t hFd hiz fIlNz. indId, hI samtFmz SOd les rispekt f H Old wUman Hn hI SUd hAv dan, knsidarN SI waz hiz gyrdian.
HEr war pampkinz in /mombi'z kYrn-fIldz, lFiN gOldan red amaN H rOz v grIn stoks; n HIz hAd bin plAntd n kErfali tendd Ht H fYr-hYrnd kQ mFt It v Hem in H wintar tFm. bat wan dE, Aftar H kYrn hAd Yl bin kat n stAkd, n /tip waz kErIiN H pampkinz t H stEbal, hI tUk a nOSn t mEk a "/JAk /lAntarn" n crF t giv H Old wUman a frFt wiT i.
sO hI salektd a fFn, big pAmpkin -- wan wiT a lascras, YranJ-red kolar -- n bigAn kyrvN i. wiT H pqnt v hiz nFf hI mEd tM rQnd Fz, a TrI-kYrnard nOz, n a mQT SEpd lFk a nM mMn. H fEs, wen kmplItd, kUd not hAv bin knsidard scriktli bjMtifal; bat i wYr a smFl sO big n brod, n waz sO /Joli in ekspreSn, Ht Ivan /tip lAfd Az hI lUkd AdmFrNli At hiz wark.
H cFld hAd nO plEmEts, sO hI did not nO Ht bqz ofan dig Qt H insFd v a "pampkin-JAk," n in H spEs Has mEd pUt a lFtd kAndal t rendar H fEs mYr startalN; bat hI knsIvd an Fdia v hiz On Ht promisd t b kwFt Az efektiv. hI disFdd t mAnjMfAkSar H fYrm v a mAn, hM wUd wEr Hs pampkin hed, n t stAnd i in a plEs wEr Old /mombi wUd mIt i fEs t fEs.
"n Hn," sed /tip t himself, wiT a lAf, "SI'l skwIl lQdar Hn H brQn pig daz wen F pUl har tEl, n Sivar wiT frFt wars Hn F did lAst jIr wen F hAd H EgjM!"
hI hAd plenti v tFm t akompliS Hs tAsk, f /mombi hAd gon t a viliJ -- t bF grOsarIz, SI sed -- n i waz a Jarni v At lIst tM dEz.
sO hI tUk hiz Aks t H fYrist, n salektd sam stQt, scrEt sApliNz, wic hI kat dQn n crimd v Yl HEr twigz n lIvz. fram HIz hI wUd mEk H yrmz, n legz, n fIt v hiz mAn. f H bodi hI scripd a SIt v Tik byrk fram arQnd a big crI, n wiT mac lEbar fASand i intM a silindar v abQt H rFt sFz, pinN H eJz tageHar wiT wUdan pegz. Hn, wisalN hApili Az hI warkd, hI kErfali Jqntd H limz n fAsand Hem t H bodi wiT pegz witald intM SEp wiT hiz nFf.
bF H tFm Hs fIt hAd bin akompliSt i bigAn t grO dyrk, n /tip rimembard hI mast milk H kQ n fId H pigz. sO hI pikt ap hiz wUdan mAn n kErId i bAk t H hQs wiT him.
darN H IvniN, bF H lFt v H fFr in H kican, /tip kErfali rQndd Yl H eJz v H Jqnts n smMHd H raf plEsz in a nIt n warkmanlFk mAnar. Hn hI stUd H figjar ap agenst H wYl n AdmFrd i. i sImd rimyrkabli tYl, Ivan f a fUl-grOn mAn; bat Ht waz a gUd pqnt in a smYl bq'z Fz, n /tip did not abJekt At Yl t H sFz v hiz krIESn.
nekst mYrnN, wen hI lUkd At hiz wark agen, /tip sY hI hAd fYrgotan t giv H dami a nek, bF mInz v wic hI mFt fAsan H pampkinhed t H bodi. sO hI went agen t H fYrist, wic waz not fyr awE, n copt fram a crI sevaral pIsz v wUd wiT wic t kmplIt hiz wark. wen hI ritarnd hI fAsand a kros-pIs t H apar end v H bodi, mEkN a hOl TrM H sentar t hOld aprFt H nek. H bit v wUd wic fYrmd Hs nek waz YlsO Syrpand At H apar end, n wen Yl waz redi /tip pUt on H pampkin hed, presN i wel dQn ontM H nek, n fQnd Ht i fitd vEri wel. H hed kUd b tarnd t wan sFd Yr H aHar, Az hI plIzd, n H hinJz v H yrmz n legz alQd him t plEs H dami in eni paziSn hI dizFrd.
"nQ, Ht," diklErd /tip, prQdli, "z rIli a vEri fFn mAn, n i Yt t frFtan sevaral skrIcz Qt v Old /mombi! bat i wUd b mac mYr lFflFk if i war proparli Jresd."
t fFnd klOHN sImd nO Izi tAsk; bat /tip bOldli rAnsAkd H grEt cest in wic /mombi kept Yl har kIpsEks n creZarz, n At H vEri botam hI diskavard sam parpal crQzarz, a red Sart n a piNk vest wic waz dotd wiT wFt spots. HIz hI kErId awE t hiz mAn n saksIdd, YlHO H gyrmants did not fit vEri wel, in JresN H krIcar in a JYnti fASn. sam nit stokNz biloNN t /mombi n a mac wYrn pEr v hiz On SMz kmplItd H mAn'z apEral, n /tip waz sO dilFtd Ht hI dAnsd ap n dQn n lAfd alQd in bqiS ekstasi.
"F mast giv him a nEm!" hI krFd. "sO gUd a mAn Az Hs mast Sarli hAv a nEm. F bilIv," hI Add, Aftar a mOmant's TYt, "F wil nEm H felO '/JAk /pampkinhed!'"