/tip waz wel sOkd n JripN wotar fram evrI ANgal v hiz bodI. bat hI mAniJd t lIn fYrward n SQt in H Ir v H /sY-/hYrs:
"kIp stil, jM fUl! kIp stil!"
H hYrs At wans sIsd scraglN n flOtd kYmlI apon H sarfis, its wUdan bodI bIiN Az bqant Az a rAft.
"wat daz Ht ward 'fMl' mIn?" enkwFrd H hYrs.
"i z a tarm v riprOc," Ansard /tip, samwat aSEmd v H ekspreSn. "F OnlI jMz i wen F Am ANgrI."
"Hn i plIzz mI t b Ebal t kYl jM a fMl, in ritarn," sed H hYrs. "f F did not mEk H rivar, nYr pUt i in Qr wE; sO OnlI a tarm v riprOc z fit f wan hM bikamz ANgrI wiT mI f fYlN intM H wotar."
"Ht z kwFt evidant," riplFd /tip; "sO F wil AknoliJ mFself in H roN." Hn hI kYld Qt t H /pampkinhed: "r jM Yl rFt, /JAk?"
HEr waz nO riplF. sO H bq kYld t H /kiN "r jM Yl rFt, jYr mAJestI?"
H /skErkrO grOnd.
"F'm Yl roN, samhQ," hI sed, in a wIk vqs. "hQ vErI wet Hs wotar z!"
/tip waz bQnd sO tFtlI bF H kYrd Ht hI kUd not tarn hiz hed t lUk At hiz kmpAnjanz; sO hI sed t H /sY-/hYrs:
"pAdal wiT jYr legz tYrd H SYr."
H hYrs ObEd, n YlHO HEr progres waz slO HE fFnalI rIcd H opOzit rivar bANk At a plEs wEr i waz lO Inaf t enEbal H krIcar t skrAmbal apon JrF lAnd.
wiT sam difikaltI H bq mAniJd t get hiz nFf Qt v hiz pokit n kat H kYrdz Ht bQnd H rFdarz t wan anaHar n t H wUdan hYrs. hI hard H /skErkrO fYl t H grQnd wiT a maSI sQnd, n Hn hI himself kwiklI dismQntd n lUkd At hiz frend /JAk.
H wUdan bodI, wiT its gYrJas klOHN, stil sAt aprFt apon H hYrs'z bAk; bat H pampkin hed waz gon, n OnlI H Syrpand stik Ht sarvd f a nek waz vizibal. Az f H /skErkrO, H scrY in hiz bodI hAd SEkan dQn wiT H JOltN n pAkd itself intM hiz legz n H lOar pyrt v hiz bodI -- wic apIrd vErI plamp n rQnd wFl hiz apar hAf sImd lFk an emptI sAk. apon hiz hed H /skErkrO stil wYr H hevI krQn, wic hAd bin sOd on t privent hiz lMzN i; bat H hed waz nQ sO dAmp n limp Ht H wEt v H gOld n JMalz sAgd fYrward n kraSd H pEntd fEs intM a mAs v riNkalz Ht mEd him lUk egzAktlI lFk a /JApanIz pag dog.
/tip wUd hAv lAfd -- hAd hI not bin sO ANkSas abQt hiz mAn /JAk. bat H /skErkrO, hQevar dAmiJd, waz Yl HEr, wFl H pampkin hed Ht waz sO nesesErI t /JAk's egzistans waz misN; sO H bq sIzd a loN pOl Ht fYrcanatlI lE nIr At hAnd n ANkSaslI tarnd agen tYrd H rivar.
fyr Qt apon H wotarz hI sFtd H gOldan hjM v H pampkin, wic JentlI bobd ap n dQn wiT H mOSn v H wEvz. At Ht mOmant i waz kwFt Qt f /tip's rIc, bat Aftar a tFm i flOtd nIrar n stil nIrar antil H bq waz Ebal t rIc i wiT hiz pOl n JrY i t H SYr. Hn hI brYt i t H top v H bANk, kErfalI wFpd H wotar fram its pampkin fEs wiT hiz hANkarcIf, n rAn wiT i t /JAk n riplEsd H hed apon H mAn'z nek.
"dIr mI!" war /JAk's farst wardz. "wat a Jredfal ekspIrians! F wandar if wotar z lFabal t spql pampkinz?"
/tip did not TiNk a riplF waz nesesErI, f hI nM Ht H /skErkrO YlsO stUd in nId v hiz help. sO hI kErfalI rimMvd H scrY fram H /kiN'z bodI n legz, n spred i Qt in H san t JrF. H wet klOHN hI haN Ovar H bodI v H /sY-/hYrs.
"if wotar spqlz pampkinz," obzarvd /JAk, wiT a dIp sF, "Hn mF dEz r nambard."
"F'v nevar nOtisd Ht wotar spqlz pampkinz," ritarnd /tip; "anles H wotar hApanz t b bqlN. if jYr hed izn't krAkd, mF frend, jM mast b in fErlI gUd kndiSn."
"O, mF hed izn't krAkd in H lIst," diklErd /JAk, mYr cIrfalI.
"Hn dOn't warI," ritYrtd H bq. "kEr wans kild a kAt."
"Hn," sed /JAk, sIriaslI, "F Am vErI glAd indId Ht F Am not a kAt."
H san waz fAst JrFiN HEr klOHN, n /tip stard ap hiz /mAJestI'z scrY sO Ht H wyrm rEz mFt abzYrb H mqscar n mEk i Az krisp n JrF Az evar. wen Hs hAd bin akompliSd hI stafd H /skErkrO intM simecrikal SEp n smMHd Qt hiz fEs sO Ht hI wYr hiz jMZMal gE n cyrmN ekspreSn.
"HANk jM vErI mac," sed H monyrk, brFtlI, Az hI wYkd abQt n fQnd himself t b wel bAlansd. "HEr r sevaral distiNkt AdvAntiJz in bIiN a /skErkrO. f if wan hAz frendz nIr At hAnd t ripEr dAmiJz, naTiN vErI sIriaslI kn hApan t jM."
"F wandar if hot sanSFn z lFabal t krAk pampkinz," sed /JAk, wiT an ANkSas riN in hiz vqs.
"not At Yl -- not At Yl!" riplFd H /skErkrO, gElI. "Yl jM nId fIr, mF bq, z Old EJ. wen jYr gOldan jMT hAz dikEd wI SAl kwiklI pyrt kampanI -- bat jM nIdn't lUk fYrward t i; wI'l diskavar H fAkt Qrselvz, n nOtifF jM. bat kam! let as rizMm Qr JarnI. F Am ANkSas t grIt mF frend H /tin /wUdmAn."
sO HE rImQntd H /sY-/hYrs, /tip hOldN t H pOst, H /pampkinhed kliNN t /tip, n H /skErkrO wiT bOT yrmz arQnd H wUdan fYrm v /JAk.
"gO slOlI, f nQ HEr z nO dEnJar v parsMt," sed /tip t hiz stId.
"Yl rFt!" rispondd H krIcar, in a vqs rAHar graf.
"yrn't jM a lital hYrs?" Askd H /pampkinhed pOlFtlI.
H /sY-/hyrs gEv an ANgrI prAns n rOld wan notI F bAkward tYrd /tip.
"sI hIr," hI grQld, "kAn't jM pratekt mI fram insalt?"
"t b Sar!" Ansard /tip, sMHiNlI. "F Am Sar /JAk ment nO hyrm. n i wil not d f as t kwYral, jM nO; wI mast Yl rimEn gUd frendz."
"F'l hAv naTiN mYr t d wiT Ht /pampkinhed," diklErd H /sY-/hYrs, viSaslI, "hI lMzz hiz hed tM IzilI t sMt mI."
HEr sImd nO fitN riplF t Hs spIc, sO f a tFm HE rOd aloN in sFlans.
Aftar a wFl H /skErkrO rimyrkd:
"Hs rimFndz mI v Old tFmz. i waz apon Hs grAsI nOl Ht F wans sEvd /dYraTI fram H /stiNN /bIz v H /wikid /wic v H /west."
"d /stiNN /bIz inJar pampkinz?" Askd /JAk, glAnsN arQnd fIrfalI.
"HE r Yl ded, sO i dazn't mAtar," riplFd H /skErkrO. "n hIr z wEr /nik /copar discrqd H /wikid /wic'z /grE /wUlvz."
"hM z /nik /copar?" Askd /tip.
"Ht z H nEm v mF frend H /tin /wUdmAn," Ansard hiz /mAJestI. "n hIr z wEr H /wiNgd /maNkIz kApcard n bQnd as, n flM awE wiT lital /dYraTI," hI kntinjMd, Aftar HE hAd crAvald a lital wE fyrHar.
"d /wiNgd /maNkIz evar It pampkinz?" Askd /JAk, wiT a Sivar v fIr.
"F d not nO; bat jM hAv lital kYz t warI, f H /wiNgd /maNkIz r nQ H slEvz v /glinda H /gUd, hM Onz H /gOldan /kAp Ht kmAndz HEr sarvisz," sed H /skErkrO, riflektivlI.
Hn H stafd monyrk bikEm lost in TYt rikYlN H dEz v pAst Advencarz. n H /sY-/hYrs rokd n rOld Ovar H flQr-scrMn fIldz n kErId its rFdarz swiftlI apon HEr wE.
twFlFt fel, bF n bF, n Hn H dyrk SAdOz v nFt. sO /tip stopd H hyrs n HE Yl prOsIdd t dismQnt.
"F'm tFrd Qt," sed H bq, jYnN wIrilI; "n H grAs z soft n kMl. let as lF dQn hIr n slIp antil mYrnN."
"F kAn't slIp," sed /JAk.
"F nevar d," sed H /skErkrO.
"F d not Ivan nO wat slIp z," sed H /sY-/hYrs.
"stil, wI mast hAv knsidarESn f Hs pYr bq, hM z mEd v fleS n blad n bOn, n gets tFrd," saJestd H /skErkrO, in hiz jMZMal TYtfal mAnar. "F rimembar i waz H sEm wE wiT lital /dYraTI. wI YlwEz hAd t sit TrM H nFt wFl SI slept."
"F'm syrI," sed /tip, mIklI, "bat F kAn't help i. n I'm JredfalI haNgrI, tM!"
"hIr z a nM dEnJar!" rimyrkd /JAk, glMmilI. "F hOp jM r not fond v ItN pampkinz."
"not anles HE'r stMd n mEd intM pFz," Ansard H bq, lAfN. "sO hAv nO fIrz v mI, frend /JAk."
"wat a kQrd Ht /pampkinhed z!" sed H /sY-/hYrs, skYrnfalI.
"jM mFt b a kQrd jYrself, if jM nM jM war lFabal t spql!" ritYrtd /JAk, ANgrilI.
"HEr! -- HEr!" intaraptd H /skErkrO; "dOn't let as kwYral. wI Yl hAv Qr wIknisz, dIr frendz; sO wI mast scrFv t b knsidarit v wan anaHar. n sins Hs pYr bq z haNgrI n hAz naTiN watevar t It, let as Yl rimEn kwFit n alQ him t slIp; f i z sed Ht in slIp a mYrtal mE fYrget Ivan haNgar."
"TANk jM!" eksklEmd /tip, grEtfalI. "jYr /mAJestI z fUlI Az gUd Az jM r wFz -- n Ht z sEiN a gUd dIl!"
hI Hn screcd himself apon H grAs n, jMzN H stafd fYrm v H /skErkrO f a pilO, waz prezantlI fAst aslIp.