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Page 10: Pumpkfect Ten.
Filling up on hot chocolate, Ed softly walked out onto the castle's front porch. Woken early, the chill of waining dusk still swaddled the surrounding landscape—distant light of dawn invading the newly yawning horizon. Ed was able to make out the bench and railing, thanks to the porch lights kept on during the nighttime hours. His line of semi-sight was blocked or drawn to an ornamental orb to his right upon the steps' raised rims. Intrigued, he approached, felt his way around, found the facelike slits deducing the nature of the decoration. "A giant jack o'lantern? Well, why not, after all... This is the Count's castle, should have something to tell visitors this is the place..." His ruminations were interrupted when the pumpkin's top piece swung open. Ed neared and peered inside—glowing light came from inside in spite of its undiscernable source. The master's main guest having moved away, the lid closed and swung open a second time, producing different results. ""Hey good lookin'" a slight Southern voice said. "Huh? Who's there?" asked the black-spectacled baron. "Come back closer to the jack o' hun and I'll tell you." Ed did as instructed, approaching the gourd once again. "Now just place your hands in mine suga' and let your fingahs do the walkin'." "Should we... Isn't he... Why are you..." "Shush, I know what I'm doing" the mistress assured the voices only she could hear, eminating from the glowy ghost faces printed on the shroud shadowing her womanly body. Okttober was no spring squashling... Her russett red hair swished slightly, its curls nestled next to Ed's head as he had been pulled into an embrace. When he found out how big, round, ripely-grown her own self felt, all she could do was smile—that sweet unabashed Southern smile of hers. "Wait just a sec boy, I've got something to remember me by." Giving him a good kiss good-bye, patting him down on the shoulder, the pumpkin princess daintily descended into her jack o'lantern lower body. "She wasn't a Perfect Ten of Pumpkins for nothing" Ed thought to himself, taking his mug and marble 10 back to the Count, both his bomber's pockets stocked with ten little pumpkin-ribboned snug storm spheres.