儿童故事集:Jack and the Jack-o-Lantern
时间:2019-01-18 作者:英语课 分类:Children’s Stories-儿童故事集
英语课
The thrill and excitement of Halloween run through this story of a boy whose mother takes him to a magical pumpkin 1 patch. When Jack 2 starts to cut eyes and a mouth into his pumpkin, he is in for a big surprise.
Written for Storynory by Marlon Heimerl of halloweencostumes.com
Read by Natasha.
Proofread 3 by Jana Elizabeth.
Jack and the Jack-o-Lantern –
The long station wagon 4 climbed up the hill to the pumpkin patch on the ridge 5. In his seat, Little Jack bounced up and down, ready to shoot out of the car like a fire cracker 6 at any moment.
“Hold on, hold on, we’re nearly there,” said his Mom.
Across the the fields, everything shined in the fall sunlight with a soft orange and red glow.
“This is the tallest hill in town.” Jack’s Mom said dreamily. “The tallest hill has the biggest pumpkins 7 – more sunlight, you know. That’s why I first came here when I was a little girl. You will see pumpkins here like you’ve never seen before.”
“I bet there are pumpkins bigger than this car!” yelled Jack. “I even heard there are magical pumpkins there! But I wasn’t supposed to tell grownups because my friend said they would never believe me.”
“Who said I wouldn’t believe you? You know, they used to say a witch lived on that hill when I was a little girl. Now tell me, do you believe that?!”
“NAAAAA”, said Jack, unsure whether or not he should be nervous.
“Hold on, honey, the road gets a little rocky here.” Jack’s Mom held a hand across Jack’s chest as she weaved the car around some big potholes 8 in the road. “People don’t come out here much other than for the magical pumpkins. Just sit tight while I focus – we’re almost there!”
As the car went up and up – around five and then six turns – Little Jack became dizzy and the dizziness mixed with nervousness.
“Psshhh, Witches!” He finally said out loud with a relief. “Good one, Mom!”
The car finally rolled to a stop. Little Jack bound out into the knee high grass outside of the door and into the sound of chirping 9 crickets and moaning toads 10. The wind tickled 11 the tree tops and as they whished and whished against the tip top of the tallest hill.
His mother was jogging to catch up. When she joined Little Jack on the trail, the two set off. First there was a rocky path made out of cobble stones and then, an orange wooden gate with a rusted 12 copper 13 handle.
“This is the entrance to the Old Witches Farm,” his mom said, looking down the trail which disappeared behind a row of trees.” This was never a bad witch. Since the time I was a kid, these pumpkins just grew here all on their own.”
“You mean, no farmer planted them?”
“Nope.”
“You mean, they grow all by themselves? Like magic?!”
“Well with a little help from the sun and rain – yep! That’s why this place is so special, and why no-body-who-doesn’t-already-know-somebody-who- knows-where-it-is never gets to see the Old Witches Farm. You are a part of a special club now, Little Jack!”
As he turned the corner behind the trees, he yelled back to his mother: “Where is this pumpkin pa—!” Before he could get the words out, Little Jack stumbled into it.
To his left and to his right, long, dark green and brown vines tumbled across the ground. Here and there, there were tall pumpkins, short pumpkins, skinny pumpkins and fat pumpkins, warty 14 pumpkins, smooth pumpkins and even some pumpkins bigger than a dog.
“Look at that one, and that one!” he pointed 15, grabbing his mom’s hand. “With the warts 16 on that one it would make a great Ogre or a witch! Or that long tall one, there, that would make a great ghost.”
Jack could hardly keep up with his thoughts, he was just so excited! “Or we could do that jar shaped one, there, and make it into a Frankenstein, or even that wide, short one, could be perfect for a creepy smile!”
Jack turned to see his mom looking down at the city. The sun was already setting over the bridge miles and miles away as she held a hand over her eyes to see as far as she could.
“Sorry, that’s great, honey. Pick whichever one you want.” she said. “Just know that we only have twenty minutes or so before it gets dark, so let’s get a hop 17 in our step, OK?!”
“OK, Mom.” he said with more determination than before, looking back down at the pumpkins.
And that’s when he heard it. A low buzzing sound, like the sound of a bumble bee trapped in a jar. Then again, more clearly this time, like the sound of someone humming. Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm!
“I thought I heard a humming, just over here!” Little Jack called back to his mom. “It sounded like it came from this pumpkin.”
Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm! Little Jack heard a sound from inside clearly – the pumpkin was buzzing!
“It is this pumpkin, this is the one!”
“Great, perfect! A fine choice, Jackie-boy!” Jack’s mom said.
“No I mean, this is the one making noises!”
“Oh Little Jackie Boy,” his mom said giggling 18, “It is only the crickets you are hearing. Pumpkins don’t make noise, you know that!”
Jack yawned and scratched his head, suddenly feeling rather tired. It had been a long day and a wonderful trip, so maybe she was right. Maybe he was just tired. Either way, he was happy with the choice.
As they left the gate, Little Jack noticed a sign he hadn’t before nailed to a tree nearby. It read: “No Todds Allowed.” Scratching his head at such a strange and off-putting sign, Little Jack was pulled along by his mother’s hand down the path and back to the car.
“Really, Mom, this place is downright weird 19.” Little Jack said as they climbed into the car.
“I know, honey.” she smiled. “Isn’t it just the best?!”
Home at last, Little Jack set down some newspaper, grabbed a big stirring bowl, spoon, safety knives and at last, sat in the living room with his mom. Together they traced the top of the head with a permanent marker.
“Now I’ll cut the top part open since we use the big knife for this.” his mom said, carving 20 into the top.
Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm!
“Wait, Mom, that humming!”
Jack’s mom jumped from the sound of his shouting.
“Jack! You scared me half to death! What are you talking about, honey, what humming?”
“The…the…” Little Jack struggled for the words, scratching his head. He knew this sounded crazy! “The humming, I heard it from the pumpkin again!”
Jack’s mom cut again… Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm!
“There, again!”
Jack’s mom gave him a look. “That imagination of yours really is something. But then again, you are your father’s son!” She laughed and cleaned the guts 21 off the pumpkin lid into a brown paper bag.
While her back was turned, Jack starting scooping 22 the guts with the ladle – and scooping in a hurry! “Nothing!” he said under his breath looking for anything – a bug 23, maybe – that could be making the buzzing sound. “There’s nothing…” In short time, Jack had cleaned out the pumpkin of all of its guts and drawn 24 a grimacing 25, silly looking smile across its face. Using his safety knives specially 26 made for carving pumpkins, he cut into the mouth.
“Did you hear that?!” Jack yelled to his mom. “It just whistled at me!”
“Jack-o, boy,” his mom said rubbing her eyes.
“Sweetie, I’m tired and need to read this. Please just keep carving your pumpkin.”
As Jack cut more and more, sure now that only he could hear it, the whistling sound slowly turned into low mumbling 27 until at last, he’d cut every piece of the mouth out and the pumpkin exclaimed, “”Now come on, how’s about giving me a nose and eyes?!”
“You’re talking…” Little Jack said with his jaw 28 hung wide open. “And you’re a pumpkin.” he whispered leaning in. If his mom didn’t believe the buzzing, what would she think of this?!
“Eureka, he can hear! And he’s a problem solver. We have a regular Einstein over here!” the pumpkin answered with a smirk 29.
“Now I’ve seen everything!” Jack said.
“Good, now that makes one of us – give me some eyes, kid!”
Trying not to lose his mind, Jack finally gave in. “Ok, ok, so you are a talking pumpkin.” he whispered so his mom wouldn’t hear. “What should I call you?”
“Well, Little Jack, I thought you would never ask. You can call me Jack-o. Jack and Jack-o, get it? Sort of rolls off the place where I should have a tongue… If I wasn’t, you know, a pumpkin.”
“Ok, Jack-o. You’ve got it.” Little Jack said, carving Jack-o’s left eye into a circle. “How about this for an eye?” “There we go!” Jacko-o exclaimed. “I like to look someone in the eye when I talk to them!”
“And how aboutttt…..” Jack said while stretching to draw the second eye. “A triangle for this second eye?”
“Now we are talking. Give my face some character! Good kid.”
“So, how many is it?” Jack-o said.
“How many is what?”
“How many days ‘til Halloween, of course. Don’t make me take back that Einstein thing I said earlier now.”
“Oh, of course,” Jack whispered. “Well, let’s see, today is the 29th so that makes two days.”
“Then it’s you and I Little Jack, until two moons from now. Then at last, at long last, I will have every pumpkin’s wish.”
“To be glowing with a candle up on the porch?” Jack said a bit louder, catching 30 a glimpse from his mom.
“Nooooo, well, maybe that is your average pumpkin’s dream. Sure, I could just sit on the porch, glowing like some grimacing goon like all of my cousins and aunts and uncles before me. But come on now, look at me, I have one circle and one triangle eye… I’ve got a little more character than that!”
“So… You don’t want to stay here, then you must want to… come trick-or-treating with me?”
“Bingo! Einstein is back!” Jack-o laughed in a gravely tone. “You’ve got it, genius! I want to see the world, live a little, you know. You only have one Halloween to live, right!? Better live it right.”
“Well,” Little Jack looked around, “carrying a pumpkin would be rough, but why not? How about I bring my wagon to carry you and that way we can both still have fun?”
“Wow, you are on a roll there, Little Jack! Picture this, you, me, the open road, no porch to hold me back, no candle to make my breath smell like wax. Now I always knew I’d find the perfect companion! Now…” Jack-o lowered his voice.
“There is one thing you’ve got to guarantee me though.”
“What’s that; what’s wrong? You look scared.”
“There is a legend of an evil Sorcerer from your hometown. A pumpkin smasher of epic 31 proportions! To us, he is bringer of doom 32, destroyer of everything from seedlings 33 to prized pumpkin. We call him—Destructor, Masher of Guts. But to you, he is better known as… Todd.”
“Todd!?” Little Jack laughed. “I know that goofball. He lives down the street. Everyone knows him as a big bully 34 but I’m good at staying out of his way. He’s like, 16 or something anyway, so he doesn’t bother with little kids like me. But wait, you know…” Jack stopped speaking in mid-sentence to think.
“What, why the pause?! Oh the suspense 35 is killing 36 me!” Jack-o shouted, his face ripe with tension.
“Last year someone did smash our pumpkins, and my dad always thought it was him. Todd. Sorry, Jack-o…” Little Jack looked sheepish.
“W-w-well…” Jack-o stumbled on his words. “N-n-now that’s why I have you! Protect me this Halloween! Come on, you are the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Little Jack smiled, “Now come on, I’m the only friend you’ve ever had! At least when you could talk!”
The two laughed together as Little Jack’s mom turned the page, rolling her eyes at her son’s imagination with a smile.
-Part III- Halloween night came before Little Jack and Jack-o knew it. They’d spent so much time talking that whenever Little Jack didn’t have school, they were laughing and telling stories until they could barely keep their eyes open.
Little Jack had even changed his costume over to a creepy scarecrow so he could pull Jack-o around in the wagon with some corn stocks and other things without drawing too much attention. They were on vigilant 37 lookout 38 for Todd, after all, so the mission was to be as ninja like as possible.
“So I can’t believe I didn’t realize this earlier,” said Little Jack as he pulled Jack-o down the street in a red wagon, “But I noticed a sign up on the hill the day we met. No Todd’s Allowed! it said. You know that sounds all a bit crazy to anyone who hasn’t talked to you before, right?”
“Come on now, Little Jack. If you had a serial 39 pumpkin killer 40 on the loose in your neighborhood, wouldn’t you take the proper precautions? Our White Witch did that for us; she’s a good person.”
Little Jack shook his head in disbelief as he rang a door bell. “Trick-or-treat!” he shouted when they opened the door, lifting Jack-o’s head up to the people in the door. The people at the door gave little Jack a strange look and dropped a handful of candy into Jack-o’s head.
Jack-o made chewing sounds with his gummy mouth. “Thanks for sharing your candy with me, buddy 41! This is delicious.”
Little Jack couldn’t help wondering if at some point he would have to admit to himself that pumpkins can’t actually eat candy. The pumpkin was a figment of his imagination surely … he must have been wondering aloud, because Jack-o turned a darker shade of orange and said:
“Well, well, this is just awkward. Look at that, my own friend telling me I don’t exist. I’m blushing. I guess I should’ve seen this coming. I’ve told you Jack, the patch is magical. We’ve done our job. Now yours is to believe.”
“I want to, I really do. Look, Jack-o, it’s…” before Jack could finish, Todd, the Destructor, the Masher of Guts, came walking around the corner dragging a stick across a white picket 42 fence. “Oh no!”
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T, the drumming of the stick on the wooden fence sent chills up the spine 43 of Jack and the gooey place that would’ve been a spine for Jack-O.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t baby scare crow and his little wagon! Out here all alone, well at least you have some guts. Unlike that dumb pumpkin of yours!”
“Stay back! I’m warning you.” Little Jack said with a quiver in his voice. “My house is right over there.”
“Get the White Witch, get her!” Jack-o mumbled 44 to Little Jack.
“Or else what? What will you do if I, say, grab that pumpkin of yours and crush it on the ground!” Todd said with anger in his voice.
“Yelp! Get the White Witch, get her!” Jack-o shouted at Jack this time.
“I’ll… I’ll tell on you… I don’t fight. I don’t… sink to that level like you.”
“Oh you mean, like this!” Todd grabbed Jack-o from the wagon and raised him above his head, getting ready to throw him on the ground.
“Get the White Witch, get her! Please don’t let him do this!” Jack-o screamed to Jack.
“How!?! Jack-o, how do I get the White Witch?!” Little Jack finally yelled at the pumpkin.
Jack looked at Todd, who had lowered the pumpkin from above his head, perplexed 45 by the boy talking to the pumpkin. Suddenly Jack realized he finally understood.
“See that hill up there.” he said to Todd. “That big hill, the biggest one? Ever been up there before?” Jack said, trying to stall.
“Um, why, yeah I see the hill, but no?! I’ve never been there. Why?” Todd had a confused look on his face.
“Well the White Witch has been there, that’s where she lives. And she told me to tell you something.” At that moment, a white beam of light cut across the yard and onto Todd, Jack and Jack-o where they stood.
“Todd, are you getting into trouble again?”
A familiar voice said from behind the light. It was Jack’s mom carrying a flashlight. “Now you want to put that pumpkin down?”
“Sure, umm, sure, sorry Mrs White. I’m really sorry.”
“Mom?” Jack said, looking at his mom and her flashlight.
“Wait…” he was thinking until his face turned blue. “Have you been keeping that pumpkin patch alive on the hill all this time?”
“Well, I didn’t want to spoil any of the magic for you. But, sometimes, sure I’ll go up there and toss some seed around. I like it up there.”
Little Jack nodded his head in agreement.
Before Jack could explain, Todd began to walk away dragging his feet. Bullies 46 never do so well around grownups.
“And you, young man, you stay out of trouble or the White Witch will get you.” Jack’s mom said, wagging her finger at Todd.
Todd’s lip quivered and he smiled just slightly before turning. That was the first time Jack had ever seen Todd smile.
“Hey, kid, Jack. Hey, I’m sorry man. Your mom is a pretty cool lady.”
“Don’t worry about it, Todd. She is a pretty great lady.”
“So Mom,” Jack said, pulling the squeaky wagon along the sidewalk next to his dear mother, “Is there a White Witch out there, like really?”
“Well, I know this might be hard for such a big kid to understand, but try to use your imagination.” she winked 47. Jack turned to smile back at Jack-o, thinking he would get a kick out of the joke.
“Jack-o,” he nodded back, “Hey Jack-o. You’re safe! See it all worked out.”
Jack-o’s face was motionless, no more Jack-o charm. No more wise cracks. No more funny faces or deep laughs. He looked like an ordinary, everyday jack-o-lantern.
Jack looked at his mom and felt a tear form in the corner of his eye.
“Don’t worry, honey.” his mom said assuring him. “Like Halloween, Jack-o will always come again next year. I promise.”
Written for Storynory by Marlon Heimerl of halloweencostumes.com
Read by Natasha.
Proofread 3 by Jana Elizabeth.
Jack and the Jack-o-Lantern –
The long station wagon 4 climbed up the hill to the pumpkin patch on the ridge 5. In his seat, Little Jack bounced up and down, ready to shoot out of the car like a fire cracker 6 at any moment.
“Hold on, hold on, we’re nearly there,” said his Mom.
Across the the fields, everything shined in the fall sunlight with a soft orange and red glow.
“This is the tallest hill in town.” Jack’s Mom said dreamily. “The tallest hill has the biggest pumpkins 7 – more sunlight, you know. That’s why I first came here when I was a little girl. You will see pumpkins here like you’ve never seen before.”
“I bet there are pumpkins bigger than this car!” yelled Jack. “I even heard there are magical pumpkins there! But I wasn’t supposed to tell grownups because my friend said they would never believe me.”
“Who said I wouldn’t believe you? You know, they used to say a witch lived on that hill when I was a little girl. Now tell me, do you believe that?!”
“NAAAAA”, said Jack, unsure whether or not he should be nervous.
“Hold on, honey, the road gets a little rocky here.” Jack’s Mom held a hand across Jack’s chest as she weaved the car around some big potholes 8 in the road. “People don’t come out here much other than for the magical pumpkins. Just sit tight while I focus – we’re almost there!”
As the car went up and up – around five and then six turns – Little Jack became dizzy and the dizziness mixed with nervousness.
“Psshhh, Witches!” He finally said out loud with a relief. “Good one, Mom!”
The car finally rolled to a stop. Little Jack bound out into the knee high grass outside of the door and into the sound of chirping 9 crickets and moaning toads 10. The wind tickled 11 the tree tops and as they whished and whished against the tip top of the tallest hill.
His mother was jogging to catch up. When she joined Little Jack on the trail, the two set off. First there was a rocky path made out of cobble stones and then, an orange wooden gate with a rusted 12 copper 13 handle.
“This is the entrance to the Old Witches Farm,” his mom said, looking down the trail which disappeared behind a row of trees.” This was never a bad witch. Since the time I was a kid, these pumpkins just grew here all on their own.”
“You mean, no farmer planted them?”
“Nope.”
“You mean, they grow all by themselves? Like magic?!”
“Well with a little help from the sun and rain – yep! That’s why this place is so special, and why no-body-who-doesn’t-already-know-somebody-who- knows-where-it-is never gets to see the Old Witches Farm. You are a part of a special club now, Little Jack!”
As he turned the corner behind the trees, he yelled back to his mother: “Where is this pumpkin pa—!” Before he could get the words out, Little Jack stumbled into it.
To his left and to his right, long, dark green and brown vines tumbled across the ground. Here and there, there were tall pumpkins, short pumpkins, skinny pumpkins and fat pumpkins, warty 14 pumpkins, smooth pumpkins and even some pumpkins bigger than a dog.
“Look at that one, and that one!” he pointed 15, grabbing his mom’s hand. “With the warts 16 on that one it would make a great Ogre or a witch! Or that long tall one, there, that would make a great ghost.”
Jack could hardly keep up with his thoughts, he was just so excited! “Or we could do that jar shaped one, there, and make it into a Frankenstein, or even that wide, short one, could be perfect for a creepy smile!”
Jack turned to see his mom looking down at the city. The sun was already setting over the bridge miles and miles away as she held a hand over her eyes to see as far as she could.
“Sorry, that’s great, honey. Pick whichever one you want.” she said. “Just know that we only have twenty minutes or so before it gets dark, so let’s get a hop 17 in our step, OK?!”
“OK, Mom.” he said with more determination than before, looking back down at the pumpkins.
And that’s when he heard it. A low buzzing sound, like the sound of a bumble bee trapped in a jar. Then again, more clearly this time, like the sound of someone humming. Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm!
“I thought I heard a humming, just over here!” Little Jack called back to his mom. “It sounded like it came from this pumpkin.”
Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm! Little Jack heard a sound from inside clearly – the pumpkin was buzzing!
“It is this pumpkin, this is the one!”
“Great, perfect! A fine choice, Jackie-boy!” Jack’s mom said.
“No I mean, this is the one making noises!”
“Oh Little Jackie Boy,” his mom said giggling 18, “It is only the crickets you are hearing. Pumpkins don’t make noise, you know that!”
Jack yawned and scratched his head, suddenly feeling rather tired. It had been a long day and a wonderful trip, so maybe she was right. Maybe he was just tired. Either way, he was happy with the choice.
As they left the gate, Little Jack noticed a sign he hadn’t before nailed to a tree nearby. It read: “No Todds Allowed.” Scratching his head at such a strange and off-putting sign, Little Jack was pulled along by his mother’s hand down the path and back to the car.
“Really, Mom, this place is downright weird 19.” Little Jack said as they climbed into the car.
“I know, honey.” she smiled. “Isn’t it just the best?!”
Home at last, Little Jack set down some newspaper, grabbed a big stirring bowl, spoon, safety knives and at last, sat in the living room with his mom. Together they traced the top of the head with a permanent marker.
“Now I’ll cut the top part open since we use the big knife for this.” his mom said, carving 20 into the top.
Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm!
“Wait, Mom, that humming!”
Jack’s mom jumped from the sound of his shouting.
“Jack! You scared me half to death! What are you talking about, honey, what humming?”
“The…the…” Little Jack struggled for the words, scratching his head. He knew this sounded crazy! “The humming, I heard it from the pumpkin again!”
Jack’s mom cut again… Buzz-buzz-mmmm-mmm-mmm!
“There, again!”
Jack’s mom gave him a look. “That imagination of yours really is something. But then again, you are your father’s son!” She laughed and cleaned the guts 21 off the pumpkin lid into a brown paper bag.
While her back was turned, Jack starting scooping 22 the guts with the ladle – and scooping in a hurry! “Nothing!” he said under his breath looking for anything – a bug 23, maybe – that could be making the buzzing sound. “There’s nothing…” In short time, Jack had cleaned out the pumpkin of all of its guts and drawn 24 a grimacing 25, silly looking smile across its face. Using his safety knives specially 26 made for carving pumpkins, he cut into the mouth.
“Did you hear that?!” Jack yelled to his mom. “It just whistled at me!”
“Jack-o, boy,” his mom said rubbing her eyes.
“Sweetie, I’m tired and need to read this. Please just keep carving your pumpkin.”
As Jack cut more and more, sure now that only he could hear it, the whistling sound slowly turned into low mumbling 27 until at last, he’d cut every piece of the mouth out and the pumpkin exclaimed, “”Now come on, how’s about giving me a nose and eyes?!”
“You’re talking…” Little Jack said with his jaw 28 hung wide open. “And you’re a pumpkin.” he whispered leaning in. If his mom didn’t believe the buzzing, what would she think of this?!
“Eureka, he can hear! And he’s a problem solver. We have a regular Einstein over here!” the pumpkin answered with a smirk 29.
“Now I’ve seen everything!” Jack said.
“Good, now that makes one of us – give me some eyes, kid!”
Trying not to lose his mind, Jack finally gave in. “Ok, ok, so you are a talking pumpkin.” he whispered so his mom wouldn’t hear. “What should I call you?”
“Well, Little Jack, I thought you would never ask. You can call me Jack-o. Jack and Jack-o, get it? Sort of rolls off the place where I should have a tongue… If I wasn’t, you know, a pumpkin.”
“Ok, Jack-o. You’ve got it.” Little Jack said, carving Jack-o’s left eye into a circle. “How about this for an eye?” “There we go!” Jacko-o exclaimed. “I like to look someone in the eye when I talk to them!”
“And how aboutttt…..” Jack said while stretching to draw the second eye. “A triangle for this second eye?”
“Now we are talking. Give my face some character! Good kid.”
“So, how many is it?” Jack-o said.
“How many is what?”
“How many days ‘til Halloween, of course. Don’t make me take back that Einstein thing I said earlier now.”
“Oh, of course,” Jack whispered. “Well, let’s see, today is the 29th so that makes two days.”
“Then it’s you and I Little Jack, until two moons from now. Then at last, at long last, I will have every pumpkin’s wish.”
“To be glowing with a candle up on the porch?” Jack said a bit louder, catching 30 a glimpse from his mom.
“Nooooo, well, maybe that is your average pumpkin’s dream. Sure, I could just sit on the porch, glowing like some grimacing goon like all of my cousins and aunts and uncles before me. But come on now, look at me, I have one circle and one triangle eye… I’ve got a little more character than that!”
“So… You don’t want to stay here, then you must want to… come trick-or-treating with me?”
“Bingo! Einstein is back!” Jack-o laughed in a gravely tone. “You’ve got it, genius! I want to see the world, live a little, you know. You only have one Halloween to live, right!? Better live it right.”
“Well,” Little Jack looked around, “carrying a pumpkin would be rough, but why not? How about I bring my wagon to carry you and that way we can both still have fun?”
“Wow, you are on a roll there, Little Jack! Picture this, you, me, the open road, no porch to hold me back, no candle to make my breath smell like wax. Now I always knew I’d find the perfect companion! Now…” Jack-o lowered his voice.
“There is one thing you’ve got to guarantee me though.”
“What’s that; what’s wrong? You look scared.”
“There is a legend of an evil Sorcerer from your hometown. A pumpkin smasher of epic 31 proportions! To us, he is bringer of doom 32, destroyer of everything from seedlings 33 to prized pumpkin. We call him—Destructor, Masher of Guts. But to you, he is better known as… Todd.”
“Todd!?” Little Jack laughed. “I know that goofball. He lives down the street. Everyone knows him as a big bully 34 but I’m good at staying out of his way. He’s like, 16 or something anyway, so he doesn’t bother with little kids like me. But wait, you know…” Jack stopped speaking in mid-sentence to think.
“What, why the pause?! Oh the suspense 35 is killing 36 me!” Jack-o shouted, his face ripe with tension.
“Last year someone did smash our pumpkins, and my dad always thought it was him. Todd. Sorry, Jack-o…” Little Jack looked sheepish.
“W-w-well…” Jack-o stumbled on his words. “N-n-now that’s why I have you! Protect me this Halloween! Come on, you are the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Little Jack smiled, “Now come on, I’m the only friend you’ve ever had! At least when you could talk!”
The two laughed together as Little Jack’s mom turned the page, rolling her eyes at her son’s imagination with a smile.
-Part III- Halloween night came before Little Jack and Jack-o knew it. They’d spent so much time talking that whenever Little Jack didn’t have school, they were laughing and telling stories until they could barely keep their eyes open.
Little Jack had even changed his costume over to a creepy scarecrow so he could pull Jack-o around in the wagon with some corn stocks and other things without drawing too much attention. They were on vigilant 37 lookout 38 for Todd, after all, so the mission was to be as ninja like as possible.
“So I can’t believe I didn’t realize this earlier,” said Little Jack as he pulled Jack-o down the street in a red wagon, “But I noticed a sign up on the hill the day we met. No Todd’s Allowed! it said. You know that sounds all a bit crazy to anyone who hasn’t talked to you before, right?”
“Come on now, Little Jack. If you had a serial 39 pumpkin killer 40 on the loose in your neighborhood, wouldn’t you take the proper precautions? Our White Witch did that for us; she’s a good person.”
Little Jack shook his head in disbelief as he rang a door bell. “Trick-or-treat!” he shouted when they opened the door, lifting Jack-o’s head up to the people in the door. The people at the door gave little Jack a strange look and dropped a handful of candy into Jack-o’s head.
Jack-o made chewing sounds with his gummy mouth. “Thanks for sharing your candy with me, buddy 41! This is delicious.”
Little Jack couldn’t help wondering if at some point he would have to admit to himself that pumpkins can’t actually eat candy. The pumpkin was a figment of his imagination surely … he must have been wondering aloud, because Jack-o turned a darker shade of orange and said:
“Well, well, this is just awkward. Look at that, my own friend telling me I don’t exist. I’m blushing. I guess I should’ve seen this coming. I’ve told you Jack, the patch is magical. We’ve done our job. Now yours is to believe.”
“I want to, I really do. Look, Jack-o, it’s…” before Jack could finish, Todd, the Destructor, the Masher of Guts, came walking around the corner dragging a stick across a white picket 42 fence. “Oh no!”
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T, the drumming of the stick on the wooden fence sent chills up the spine 43 of Jack and the gooey place that would’ve been a spine for Jack-O.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t baby scare crow and his little wagon! Out here all alone, well at least you have some guts. Unlike that dumb pumpkin of yours!”
“Stay back! I’m warning you.” Little Jack said with a quiver in his voice. “My house is right over there.”
“Get the White Witch, get her!” Jack-o mumbled 44 to Little Jack.
“Or else what? What will you do if I, say, grab that pumpkin of yours and crush it on the ground!” Todd said with anger in his voice.
“Yelp! Get the White Witch, get her!” Jack-o shouted at Jack this time.
“I’ll… I’ll tell on you… I don’t fight. I don’t… sink to that level like you.”
“Oh you mean, like this!” Todd grabbed Jack-o from the wagon and raised him above his head, getting ready to throw him on the ground.
“Get the White Witch, get her! Please don’t let him do this!” Jack-o screamed to Jack.
“How!?! Jack-o, how do I get the White Witch?!” Little Jack finally yelled at the pumpkin.
Jack looked at Todd, who had lowered the pumpkin from above his head, perplexed 45 by the boy talking to the pumpkin. Suddenly Jack realized he finally understood.
“See that hill up there.” he said to Todd. “That big hill, the biggest one? Ever been up there before?” Jack said, trying to stall.
“Um, why, yeah I see the hill, but no?! I’ve never been there. Why?” Todd had a confused look on his face.
“Well the White Witch has been there, that’s where she lives. And she told me to tell you something.” At that moment, a white beam of light cut across the yard and onto Todd, Jack and Jack-o where they stood.
“Todd, are you getting into trouble again?”
A familiar voice said from behind the light. It was Jack’s mom carrying a flashlight. “Now you want to put that pumpkin down?”
“Sure, umm, sure, sorry Mrs White. I’m really sorry.”
“Mom?” Jack said, looking at his mom and her flashlight.
“Wait…” he was thinking until his face turned blue. “Have you been keeping that pumpkin patch alive on the hill all this time?”
“Well, I didn’t want to spoil any of the magic for you. But, sometimes, sure I’ll go up there and toss some seed around. I like it up there.”
Little Jack nodded his head in agreement.
Before Jack could explain, Todd began to walk away dragging his feet. Bullies 46 never do so well around grownups.
“And you, young man, you stay out of trouble or the White Witch will get you.” Jack’s mom said, wagging her finger at Todd.
Todd’s lip quivered and he smiled just slightly before turning. That was the first time Jack had ever seen Todd smile.
“Hey, kid, Jack. Hey, I’m sorry man. Your mom is a pretty cool lady.”
“Don’t worry about it, Todd. She is a pretty great lady.”
“So Mom,” Jack said, pulling the squeaky wagon along the sidewalk next to his dear mother, “Is there a White Witch out there, like really?”
“Well, I know this might be hard for such a big kid to understand, but try to use your imagination.” she winked 47. Jack turned to smile back at Jack-o, thinking he would get a kick out of the joke.
“Jack-o,” he nodded back, “Hey Jack-o. You’re safe! See it all worked out.”
Jack-o’s face was motionless, no more Jack-o charm. No more wise cracks. No more funny faces or deep laughs. He looked like an ordinary, everyday jack-o-lantern.
Jack looked at his mom and felt a tear form in the corner of his eye.
“Don’t worry, honey.” his mom said assuring him. “Like Halloween, Jack-o will always come again next year. I promise.”
n.南瓜
- They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
- It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你!
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
- I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
- He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
vt.校正,校对
- I didn't even have the chance to proofread my own report.我甚至没有机会校对自己的报告。
- Before handing in his application to his teacher,he proofread it again.交给老师之前,他又将申请书补正了一遍。
n.四轮马车,手推车,面包车;无盖运货列车
- We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
- The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭
- We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
- The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。
n.(无甜味的)薄脆饼干
- Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
- There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。
n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 );南瓜的果肉,南瓜囊
- I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜,但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸,并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分(高三)
n.壶穴( pothole的名词复数 )
- Potholes are also home to tiny desert animals. 洞穴也是弱小动物的家。 来自互联网
- If you're going to enjoy the good times, you've certainly got to deal with some potholes. 如果要享受甜美的胜利果实,当然要应付这些战绩不佳的指责压力。 来自互联网
鸟叫,虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 )
- The birds,chirping relentlessly,woke us up at daybreak. 破晓时鸟儿不断吱吱地叫,把我们吵醒了。
- The birds are chirping merrily. 鸟儿在欢快地鸣叫着。
n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 )
- All toads blink when they swallow. 所有的癞蛤蟆吞食东西时都会眨眼皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Toads have shorter legs and are generally more clumsy than frogs. 蟾蜍比青蛙脚短,一般说来没有青蛙灵活。 来自辞典例句
(使)发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)愉快,逗乐
- We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友,我们高兴极了。
- I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚,使她发笑。
v.(使)生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 )
- I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝,它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了,需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的
- The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
- Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
adj.有疣的,似疣的;瘤状
- Warty recurrences occurred in the perineal wound within a month of surgery. 局部切除术后一个月内伤口疣体复发。 来自互联网
- African wild swine with warty protuberances on the face and large protruding tusks. 在脸部和突出的长牙上有疣样隆起的非洲野猪。 来自互联网
adj.尖的,直截了当的
- He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
- She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
n.疣( wart的名词复数 );肉赘;树瘤;缺点
- You agreed to marry me, warts and all! 是你同意和我结婚的,我又没掩饰缺陷。 来自辞典例句
- Talk about trying to cure warts with spunk-water such a blame fool way as that! 用那样糊涂蛋的方法还谈什么仙水治疣子! 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
- The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
- How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 )
- We just sat there giggling like naughty schoolchildren. 我们只是坐在那儿像调皮的小学生一样的咯咯地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I can't stand her giggling, she's so silly. 她吃吃地笑,叫我真受不了,那样子傻透了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
- From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
- His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
n.雕刻品,雕花
- All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
- He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。
v.狼吞虎咽,贪婪地吃,飞碟游戏(比赛双方每组5人,相距15码,互相掷接飞碟);毁坏(建筑物等)的内部( gut的第三人称单数 );取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 );内脏;消化道的下段;肠
- I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净,我只需烧一下即可。
- Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.捞球v.抢先报道( scoop的现在分词 );(敏捷地)抱起;抢先获得;用铲[勺]等挖(洞等)
- Heated ice cream scoop is used for scooping really cold ice cream. 加热的冰淇淋勺是用来舀非常凉的冰淇淋的。 来自互联网
- The scoop-up was the key phase during a scooping cycle. 3个区间中,铲取区间是整个作业循环的关键。 来自互联网
n.虫子;故障;窃听器;vt.纠缠;装窃听器
- There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
- The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
- All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
- Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
v.扮鬼相,做鬼脸( grimace的现在分词 )
- But then Boozer drove past Gasol for a rattling, grimacing slam dunk. 可布泽尔单吃家嫂,以一记强有力的扣篮将比分超出。 来自互联网
- The martyrdom of Archbishop Cranmer, said the don at last, grimacing with embarrassment. 最后那位老师尴尬地做个鬼脸,说,这是大主教克莱默的殉道士。 来自互联网
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
- They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
- The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的现在分词 )
- I could hear him mumbling to himself. 我听到他在喃喃自语。
- He was still mumbling something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. 宴会结束时,他仍在咕哝着医院里的事。说着说着,他在一块冰上滑倒,跌断了左腿。
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
- He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
- A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
n.得意地笑;v.傻笑;假笑着说
- He made no attempt to conceal his smirk.他毫不掩饰自鸣得意的笑容。
- She had a selfsatisfied smirk on her face.她脸上带着自鸣得意的微笑。
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
- There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
- Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
n.史诗,叙事诗;adj.史诗般的,壮丽的
- I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗,而写了这个小故事。
- They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定
- The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
- The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。
n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )
- Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
n.恃强欺弱者,小流氓;vt.威胁,欺侮
- A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
- The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑
- The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
- The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
- Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
- Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
adj.警觉的,警戒的,警惕的
- He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
- The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。
n.注意,前途,瞭望台
- You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
- It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来,公司的前景可就不妙了。
n.连本影片,连本电视节目;adj.连续的
- A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
- Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗?
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者
- Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
- The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
n.(美口)密友,伙伴
- Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气,老兄。有什么麻烦吗?
- Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了,你这家伙!
n.纠察队;警戒哨;v.设置纠察线;布置警卫
- They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
- Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。
n.脊柱,脊椎;(动植物的)刺;书脊
- He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
- His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
- He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
- George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
adj.不知所措的
- The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛,走了又回来,犹豫不决,总怕上当受骗。
- The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。