Terror Of The Great Pumpkin

     Growing up in the late 1970's and early 1980's there was one show everyone looked forward to watching around Halloween and that was "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."  This was a time before VCR's became popular and DVD's/DVR's were unheard of.  Having cable was rare as majority of American's still watched 3 to 4 stations on TV.  There was only one time to watch "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and that was a special on one of the local stations.  If a person ended up missing the show they had to wait until next year to view it.  Families would invite other families over to watch it, pop up some popcorn, stir up some Kool-Aid and settle in to watch it. 

   

     Everyone knew the story behind the Great Pumpkin.  The Great Pumpkin is supposed to rise up from a pumpkin patch bringing toys to children who believed in him.  Linus tried desperately to have his pumpkin patch be the chosen patch for the Great Pumpkin to visit.  Sadly, he misses out on Halloween and the Great Pumpkin never did visit his patch.  I think as children we anticipated the Great Pumpkin coming to Linus' pumpkin patch to fulfill his belief's on the Great Pumpkin even though we really knew what the ending would be.

     I must of been around 4 years old.  That would be the Halloween of 1981.  My mom was putting up Halloween decorations around the house while my siblings were at school.  I was in the bathtub happily splashing about without a care to the world.  Suddenly I hear a sound coming from the opened bathroom door, "Hello sweetie, It's the Great Pumpkin."  the voice said in eerie tone.  Walking through the door was this squatty jack-o-lantern with an evil grin.  The eyes were midnight black triangles that were beaming right into my soul.  The pumpkin had green ivy curled up around the brown stem on top.  There was nothing friendly about this jack-o-lantern.

     I screamed in terror.  If the neighbors could of heard me they would of thought I was being hacked to death.  I tried to shimmy up the side of the bathtub to distance myself from the horror that was before my young eyes. 

     My mother, who was crouched behind our front door, heavy plastic, jack-o-lantern decoration, was trying to have fun and really did not expect the reaction that I gave.  She must of thought I was only startled as she continued on with her Great Pumpkin escapade.  "Jill, it is me.  I am the Great Pumpkin.  You don't need to be afraid of me."  she says with a tone still eerie to young ears.  She waddled behind the pumpkin right up to the edge of the tub. 

     I shrieked in freight.  Tears were pouring from my eyes.  My back was up against the wall of the tub and I couldn't escape.  I was stuck there with this evil pumpkin face staring back at me.   My mom must of realized that I really wasn't enjoying the whole Great Pumpkin visiting me during my bath time idea she had of hers.  She popped out from behind the Great Pumpkin to show me it was her behind it.  I was shaking, cold and wet.  My mom left the room with the great pumpkin and came back to help me out of the tub.  She showed me that it was a decoration up on the door and there wasn't anything to be afraid of.  She told me the jack-o-lantern is happy and smiling.  I thought it was more of a maniacal evil grin.  As an adult I can see there is nothing to fear but as a 4 year old little girl I just seen that jack-o-lantern come to life.