Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Halloween Tales ❯ The carvings ( Chapter 1 )

This is just a group of little Halloween stories thrown together for fun. So I hope you all enjoy them, get a good laugh out and you might even get a little scared. R/R Linkin
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Hello kiddies, pumpkin man here. I'm going to tell you a tale from my collection of jack 'o' lantern jackass stories, of a foolish man and how his non belief almost became his end. You just never know what strange things will happen to you on Halloweeeen........ mwahahaha
The Carvings

Seifer's Story

"Why do we have to buy stupid pumpkins anyway?" Seifer complained more than asked. Because Zell never really told him why he needed a ride to Timber.

"Because Selphie needs them for Quad decorations and I promised to help her out." The smaller blonde said as they came to a stop near the small outdoors pumpkin lot. There were pumpkins displayed at every turn. Large ones to very small baby sized ones. There were even a few scarecrows scattered for extra decoration.

"What can I do fer ya?" A short stalky bald man, resembling a pumpkin himself asked approaching the boys. Seifer got one look at the man and had to bury his laughter so he looked away from him.

"We need a couple large pumpkins." Zell answered the man.

"Well ya came to the right place." The man said then he paused looking at his customers companion. Seifer had busied himself with a cigarette while he waited. "Uh could you not smoke that around here." The little man asked getting an aggrivated glare from the tall blonde. "Its just with the hay and all, wouldn't wanna set the scarecrows on fire." The man explained humurously.

"Yeah right." Seifer mumbled but did as the man requested. "Can we speed it up." He then asked Zell.

"Right your pumpkins," The little salesman replied himself. "Follow me." He motioned for the two to join him.

"Why do you have to be difficult?" Zell whispered harshly as they followed the man. Seifer simply shrugged.

"These are some of our best pumpkins right here." The salesman showed the selection of rather large pumpkins.

'Cool.' Zell said going over to touch one. The pumpkins were sitting atop large hay stacks and he examined them. Meanwhile Seifer was glancing around the area seeing all the children climbing hay and playing around. While the parents examined pumpkins themselves and talked about baking pies or frying up the seeds and carving.

"Sickening." He mumbled to himself turning away from the sight.

"Don't have the Halloween spirit huh son?" The pumpkin man asked almost startling the boy.

"No I don't," Seifer answered arrogantly. "And I'm not your son." He added. The man frowned and raised his hands to apologize.

"Hey!" The two turned hearing the call of Zell a short distance away from them. "What's with this one?" He asked gesturing to the pumpkin he was near. It was a medium sized pumpkin at the corner of the lot, sitting atop an old picnic table. There was a small wire gate around it. There was also a sign on the gate saying 'BEWARE'

"Oh that one." The salesman said as they joined Zell by the mysterious pumpkin. The man rubbed his chin looking a bit cautious about explaining this particular pumpkin to them.

"Yeah why's it fenced up and what's with this sign?" Zell asked eager to hear the explination.

"Well, that there pumpkin..... is cursed." The plump man said.

"Tch." Seifer scoffed at his words in annoyed disbelief.

"Really?" Zell asked excitedly looking back at the cornered fruit. "What kinda curse?"

"Well those who've had this pumpkin say it predicts things.... bad things." The man told them. "Only on Halloween night though, do the predictions come true."

"And just how the hell is a pumpkin gonna predict things," Seifer piped up. "Does it magically talk?" He said with sarcasm.

"No sir, its in the carvings." The sales guy explained.

"A self carving pumpkin?" Zell asked himself quietly.

"That's what I've heard." The man said hearing the question.

"And how do you know, have you seen it happen?" Seifer asked.

"Well... no, but every year someone buys this thing they return it the same night all freaked out and what not." The little man explained.

"So where are the carvings now?" Zell asked.

"I guess they only appear when the things been purchased. Then I don't know how the pumpkin stays whole afterwards."

"Bullshit." Seifer said getting the other twos attention.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge young man." The sales guy warned.

"Alright then, I'll buy the stupid thing," Seifer said taking out his wallet. "Then we'll see who's right."

"What?" Zell asked looking at his friend in shock.

"How much?" The scar faced teen asked.

"Uh.... I'm not sure I should sell this thing anymore." The little man clambered out.

"I'll give you twenty for it." Seifer offered holding out the bill to the salesman. The little guy snatched up the bill and smirked.

"That's fine but no refunds." He said. Then he lifted the pumpkin from its wire cage and handed it to the arrogant customer. "Its your funeral son." He added.

Zell eyed them both with worry hoping that the so called curse was just a myth. He didn't want anything bad happening to Seifer. "Lets just get Selphie's stuff and go." He said and the other two men nodded.

@@@

Back at Balamb Garden Seifer and Zell are staring at the cursed pumpkin in Seifer's room. It sat on top of a dresser against the middle of a wall.

"So what are you gonna do with it?" Zell asked looking up at his friend.

"I'll carve this thing myself. We'll see if it does anything after its already been hacked in to."

"Okay, but for your sake I hope that guy was joking about the curse." Zell said. Giving Seifer a pat on the arm, he turned to leave the room. "See ya later. I gotta help Selphie decorate the Quad. "Next holiday I'm hiding out until the party actually begins. Then I won't accidently volunteer for decorating."

A brief laugh left Seifer's mouth as he watched Zell leave looking miserable. When the door was closed he turned back to the pumpkin with a smirk. "Time to kiss the blade." He said holding up the large carving knife he'd taken from the cafeteria kitchen earlier. After a few good minutes of cleaning out and stabbing the veggie-fruit he had his name carved in it.

"A work of art." He announced. Looking at the clock he saw that it was time for dinner. Flipping the knife in his hand he left the room.............

When he returned to his room he started stripping down to his pants and barefeet. On his way to the closet he glanced at the pumpkin then stopped midstep. "What the-" He went over to the table where the orange figure sat. He leaned down to look closely at the carving. He didn't want to believe it but the words looked different.

Since the room was dark he couldn't really tell so he pulled a pack of matches from the drawer and struck one. Sticking his hand with the lit match in the hollow pumpkin, he watched the words appear in shadow on the opposite wall.

He read the newly carved words out loud to himself. "Going to burn.... what the hell does that mean?" He pondered to himself. "Ow!" Dropping the match, that had burned out down to his fingertips, he pulled his hand out of the pumpkin.

"Going to burn," He repated the words he'd just seen. "Could it have meant the match?" He stared in question at the orange sphere. "What am I saying. This is a joke." He laughed a second. "Someone probably snuck in here and switched the damn thing." Seifer shook his head mentally cursing himself for having believed the pumpkin might really be cursed.

"It was probably that little chicken shit." He chuckled in relief, to what, he's not sure and continued to the closet. After dressing for bed he climbed under the blanket. "I'll have to get him back tomorrow." He made himself comfortable and closed his eyes for sleep. Not too far from the bed an eerie glow was coming from the cursed pumpkin.... then it faded away.

When Seifer woke the next morning, the first thing on his mind was to return the pumpkin to Zell. Preferably by throwing it at his head. When he got out of bed he first went to the bathroom to refresh himself. After that he went to the closet and got dressed.

"Alright, time to find that shrimp and-" He paused when he came to stand infront of the pumpkin. His mouth slightly parted in shock. "How?" He asked himself. Somehow the words carved into the pumpkin had changed again. Before panicking Seifer went to check his door, it was still locked from last night. "Then who could have switched this thing?" He wondered still convinced this was all a joke.

He went back over to the pumpkin and picked it up to read the new message. "To death." It simply read. "This is stupid," He said dropping the fruit back on the dresser. "I refuse to believe this thing is making dumb predictions or whatever.... That's it, Leonhart, he can get into the rooms. That little chicken head probably told him the whole story and got him in on it."

Seifer slammed his fist into his palm with his new found revelation. "Well I won't let them get to me. I'll act like nothing happened and wait for them to confess. Then I'll beat the shit out of 'em." He decided not to return Zell's prank pumpkin after all and went about his day like any other.

.................

Soon night came and everyone was getting ready for the anual Halloween party. Neither Squall or Zell spoke up about the pumpkin so Seifer figured he'd have to make Zell talk. The two walked up the hall to the boys dorm, passing other excited cadets on their way.

"So, are you gonna confess or not?" Seifer asked casually.

"Confess to what?" Zell replied.

"You know, switching the pumpkins. Trying to make me believe the thing is cursed." Zell stopped walking and looked up at his companion confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I know it was you and Leonhart. I don't scare easy by the way." Seifer said.

"Squall?.... I haven't seen him since yesterday morning. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Seifer looked Zell over knowing he was never good at hiding things. He saw no signs that the other boy might be lying.

"So you didn't tell anybody about that pumpkin and the curse?"

"No, why, is something wrong?"

Seifer was silent a moment thinking over what he'd just heard.

"Seifer?" Zell called out.

"There's nothing wrong. Forget I said anything... It was a joke haha." Seifer laughed a bit trying to convince Zell of what he'd said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"...Alright I'm gonna go get my costume. I'll come get you when I'm done." Zell said and slowly headed for his room while Seifer went to his own. He got inside quickly and went over to check the pumpkin. The words had changed again!

"No way?" He took a lighter from his pocket and lit the inside of the pumpkin then placed the lighter beside it on the dresser. Looking at the wall then, he read the shadowed word... DIE. "This is stupid," He told himself. "Stupid!" Seifer refused to believe that the pumpkin was cursed and trying to tell him something. So he decided to ignore the word glowing on the wall and get his costume.

As soon as he went into the closet a flame flew out of the pumpkin and landed on the lighter sitting beside it. With the oil inside it quickly caught fire and began spreading across the dresser top.

"I need to calm down." Seifer told himself still in the closet. "Nothing's going to happen to me." Outside of the closet the flames fell to the floor stretching across the carpet. Seifer turned around to leave the closet but found himself trapped by rising flames. "Oh shit!" Not sure what else to do he used the costume he had in his hand and started whacking the flames with it. Instead of putting them out the fire grew larger.

"Damn flammable clothing." He dropped the costume before the flames could reach his hand and backed into the closet a little more. "Fuck!" He began coughing from inhaling too many fumes and when he looked back at the wall where the carving glew he saw that it changed again. "The hell?" This time words didn't appear but an evil grinning jack 'o' lantern face. "Heelp! Somebody help me!"

Coughing more he backed all the way into the closet closing the door. "This isn't happening, why is this happening?" The flames soon reached the closet door and engulfed it in their flames. Watching in horror, Seifer slid down to the floor. He closed his eyes tight, waiting for the inferno to take him.......

Instead the door flung open and Zell stood in front of the cowaring man. "Seifer?"

The blonde's eyes shot open hearing the voice. He stared up at Zell in disbelief and a little confused. "What... happened to the fire?" He asked breathing hard.

Zell looked behind him then back at his frightened friend. "What fire?" He asked. Seifer quickly stood and pushed past Zell into the bedroom. The fire was completely gone there wasn't even a trace of its existence. Even the costume was in mint condition lying on the floor.

"I wasn't dreaming, I know I wasn't." Seifer mumbled as he picked up the clothing.

"What?"

Zell's question was ingored as Seifer suddenly remembered the cursed pumpkin. There was no light glowing on the wall anymore so he ran over to the pumpkin.

'This is crazy.' He thought to himself. The pumpkin was completely whole again. Just as he'd bought it. Zell joined him. "Hey I thought you carved that thing." He said absently. Seifer just couldn't seem to figure out what was going on.

"Guess... I never got around to it." He replied quietly even though he knew that was a lie. Picking up the pumpkin he inspected it from every angle. There were no signs of any carvings or burn marks from the fire.

"Come on we're gonna be late for the party." Zell said tugging at Seifer's sleeve.

"Uuuh, you go ahead I need to do something first." He replied taking the pumkin out of the room with him..........

When Seifer got back to Timber the pumpkin lot was surprisingly still there. A few strung lights were lit to brighten the place a little.

"Here." Seifer said shoving the pumpkin back in the hands of the little bald salesman when he found him.

"Is there something wrong son, ya look spooked?' The man asked, an impish grin spreading across his lips. Seifer just shook his head and backed away returning to his car. The little pumpkin man began laughing wickedly into the night as the pumpkin in his hands glew.

The End