Pumkineena was the most beautiful pumpkin in the whole patch. All the other pumpkins were envious of her beauty - her perfect size and perfect shade of orange, no scratches or dents anywhere on her magnificent glistening skin, and when she stood, she stood perfectly symmetrical. This pumpkin had not a single flaw.  There was no doubt in any of the pumpkins' minds that Pumpkineena would be the first to leave the patch with a worthy family.

Little to the pumpkins' (and Pumpkineena's) knowledge, however, the farmer had priced her very very high - much higher than many of the other pumpkins combined. He was well aware of how desirable she is and he was certain that, despite the high cost, many visitors would still be fighting over her. 

On the first day of fall, the pumpkin patch saw only a few visitors, but every single one of those visitors was drawn to Pumpkineena - one visitor in particular, a child of about 6 or so,  became particularly attached to her in the little time he was there. He begged and cried but his mother firmly shook her head - Pumpkineena was simply too expensive for a pumpkin. She was beautiful, but she was still just a pumpkin...And there's only so much that a pumpkin is worth paying for. 

On the second week of fall... [To be continued]