Speaker 1: The Magic Pumpkin Patch At the Maplewood Orchard, Sarah and
Speaker 1: Ben heard a pumpkin whisper their names. They were walking
Speaker 1: through the Halloween maze with Aunt Rosa when a vine
Speaker 1: lifted a curtain of leaves. Beyond it glowed a small
Speaker 1: patch that was not on the orchard map. Two pumpkins
Speaker 1: sat beneath a silver tree. A sign between them read,
Speaker 1: One Halloween Wish Each Be Exact. Sarah wished for a
Speaker 1: costume nobody could overlook. Her jacket became covered in moving stars.
Speaker 1: A tall crystal crown appeared on her head. Ben wished
Speaker 1: for a bag that would never run out of candy.
Speaker 1: His paper sack filled instantly. They hurried back through the leaves.
Speaker 1: Aunt Rosa blinked at Sarah's crown but only said,' We
Speaker 1: have been looking for you for four minutes.' and your
Speaker 1: brother appears to be carrying a sweet shop. The maze
Speaker 1: exit had changed while they were gone. Sarah's stars lit
Speaker 1: three painted arrows at once. Ben tried leaving peppermints as
Speaker 1: trail markers, but his bag replaced each sweet and then
Speaker 1: rolled the new ones in the opposite direction. Aunt Rosa
Speaker 1: finally followed the ordinary muddy footprints they had made on
Speaker 1: the way in. At the first house, everyone admired Sarah. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: her stars flashed whenever anyone said her name. By the
Speaker 1: fifth house, she could not see the steps through the sparkle.
Speaker 1: The crown also grew an extra point whenever someone complimented it.
Speaker 1: Soon it scraped low branches and collected two paper bats
Speaker 1: from a porch display. Sarah had to walk sideways through gates,
Speaker 1: Ben's bag refilled after every handful. It grew heavier and heavier,
Speaker 1: dragging along the pavement and collecting three leaves, a plastic fang,
Speaker 1: and somebody's toy wheel. He gave candy to four friends,
Speaker 1: but the bag immediately replaced it with twice as much.
Speaker 1: Chocolate bars pushed out the top. Wrapped sweets rolled behind
Speaker 1: him in a bright trail, and three costumed toddlers followed
Speaker 1: At a respectful distance, at the costume parade, Sarah's crown
Speaker 1: flashed so brightly that the judges held their scorecards over
Speaker 1: their eyes. When the announcer called her name, two new
Speaker 1: points sprang from the crown and caught the banner above
Speaker 1: the stage. Ben tried to help, but his candy sack tipped.
Speaker 1: Wrapped sweets poured across the pavement, refilled. and poured out
Speaker 1: again while six children chased the same rolling caramel. Aunt
Speaker 1: Rosa freed the crown from the banner with the handle
Speaker 1: of her umbrella. I am beginning to suspect these wishes
Speaker 1: were written by pumpkins, she said. Exact wishes would have helped,
Speaker 1: Sarah said. They returned to the orchard before the maze closed.
Speaker 1: The silver tree was visible above the hedges, but the
Speaker 1: wish patch had moved. Inside the maze, Sarah's crown caught
Speaker 1: on a wooden moon. Ben's bag wedged between two hay bales.
Speaker 1: They left a heap of candy at the entrance for
Speaker 1: the orchard party and continued with the stubborn bag bumping
Speaker 1: behind them. The magic made every wrong turn look inviting.
Speaker 1: One path glittered with Sarah's stars but led back to
Speaker 1: the ticket booth. Another was lined with Ben's chocolates and
Speaker 1: ended beside a wheelbarrow. They stopped following what the wishes
Speaker 1: produced and looked instead for the silver branches they had
Speaker 1: seen above the original patch. Sarah noticed her stars flashed
Speaker 1: brighter whenever she faced it. Ben discovered that candies rolled
Speaker 1: from his endless bag toward the hidden path. Following flashes
Speaker 1: and rolling peppermints, they found the two pumpkins again. The
Speaker 1: sign now read, Returns Accepted Before Midnight. Sarah placed the
Speaker 1: crystal crown beside her pumpkin. Ben poured the endless candy
Speaker 1: back into his. The magic unwound, but not completely. Sarah's
Speaker 1: ordinary witch costume disappeared kept three quiet stars on one sleeve.
Speaker 1: Ben's bag retained exactly enough candy for the walk home.
Speaker 1: As they left, the wish pumpkins rose on their vines
Speaker 1: and floated above the maze like lanterns. Their light showed
Speaker 1: every family the way out. Aunt Rosa looked up. Did
Speaker 1: you wish for that? No, said Ben. Good, she replied.
Speaker 1: It seems far too useful. The end. As always, visit
Speaker 1: us at ReadTheTale.com for all your favorite tales and stories.