Pumpkin Carving

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You had just returned home last night from the pumpkin patch, where you, your husband Shawn, and your seven year old daughter Amira all picked out pumpkins to carve.

You woke up this morning to Amira on top of you, jumping up and down and pulling your eyes open.

"Wake up!" she yells in your face, her morning breath causing you to swat her away.

Once she saw that you were up, she turned to Shawn, lying asleep next to you, and did the same to him.

It was Halloween Day, one of Amira's favorite days of the year. She loves holidays more than anything in the world. On Christmas day, she wakes you up to go open the presents Santa has left her. On Easter, she wakes you up to go searching for the eggs you and Shawn always hide after she falls asleep. On Thanksgiving, she wakes you up to go start baking for dinner that night.

So Halloween is a day you and Shawn have to be prepared for. You're never surprised when you get this kind of special morning treat.

"Let's go carve our pumpkins!" she shouts at you and Shawn. "C'mon Mom! C'mon Dad!"

You groan and turn to Shawn, who was smiling at you.

"Amiraaaaaa," he whines, his voice scratchy due to the early hour. "It's six in the morning. Let me lay here and cuddle with Mom for a little while."

Upon saying that, he pulls the duvet over your faces and wraps his strong arms around your body, pulling you to his chest.

"That's gross," Amira says from the edge of your bed. "You don't even have to get dressed! Just get your carving tools and come out in your pajamas!"

"Fine," Shawn says after a while, his lips to your ear even though he wasn't speaking to you.

So you got out of bed eventually. And when you did, the three of you walked towards the front door to get to the porch, where you placed the pumpkins last night.

Surprisingly, Amira wasn't leading the way. She was behind you and Shawn, pushing you.

You open the door first. You expected to see the three pumpkins sitting where you had them set out on the steps of the porch, but to your surprise, they were missing.

"Um... " you search around for them, trying to keep them inside by holding the door before they saw anything and freaked out. You were sure this is where you left them. Right when you were about to let Shawn and Amira out to search, you spotted them.

Or, what was left of them.

Broken and splattered across the street, the three pumpkins lay smashed in the middle of the road.

"What is going on?" Shawn asks, stepping outside next to you. You don't even look at him, just quickly point your finger.

He gasps. "Stupid teenagers. Do they really think that's funny?"

"Think what's funny?" Amira asks, stepping out next to you. Before she could even glance at the road, Shawn scoops her up in his arms and tickles her face with his nose. He spins around so she couldn't see anything.

"Hey!" she giggles. "Put me down so we can carve pumpkins!"

Shawn pulls away enough to say, "What if we didn't carve pumpkins this year?"

Amira laughs, thinking it a joke until she sees Shawn's serious expression.

"What?" she looks offended. "How dare you suggest such a thing!"

"We could bake some pumpkin pie, and then go costume shopping and maybe stop by a haunted house?" Shawn was trying so hard not to disappoint her.

"Baking is for Thanksgiving," Amira points out. "And Mom already bought me my costume. I'm being little red riding hood. And haunted houses scare me. I want to carve pumpkins and make jack-o-lanterns and then spend the rest of the day at home with you and Mom. Now put me down so we can do that!"

Shawn Mendes ImaginesWhere stories live. Discover now