“Dag blasted, Jack! What’ve you done with the engine?” Mr. Pumpkin was really angry. It was just about time for everyone to pile in to go to the Halloween party and with no engine in the pickup they wouldn’t be going anywhere.
“Honest, Amos,” Jack replied. A seedy look in his eye, “I just can’t understand what could have happened.”
“Well, it’s not as if you have to be a rocket scientist to figer this ‘un out Jack. Firstly, there’s an engine and now there ain’t!” Amos pulled his orange hankie out of his rear pocket and wiped his sweaty orange brow off with the realization he’d have to tell ‘Maude’, Mrs. Pumpkin.” He knew this would not set well with her.
In the mean time Jack had turned away from the pickup and was searching the ground.
“Jack, what are you doing now?” Amos asked, getting more agitated by the minute. “Looking at the ground isn’t going to solve our missing engine problem.”
“Well, that’s not the way I see it Amos,” Jack responded, scratching his triangular concave nose, while he continued to search the ground. It was starting to get dusk, and hard to see well. Thank goodness for the candle inside his head that illuminated his eyesight!
“Joe and Jeff must have run off to get some food? That would explain things! ” I’m trying to see if they left a trail behind for us to follow.”
“What in the gosh durn heck of it all, do Joe and Jeff goin’ for food have ta’ do with anything?” Amos exploded.
“Well I figer it this way,” Jack went on. “If Joe and Jeff took off goin’ nut huntin’, and they be the lead squirrels in dem cages in the truck engine, then they probably let the other squirrels out at the same time.
I’m guessin’ we’ll have ta’ wait for them to fill up and then they’ll be back at work in the engine, gettin’ it up and runnin’, at least that’s what I reckon’ll happen!”
Amos spat on the ground and went along with Jack to get a lantern, and some moonshine out of the shed. They decided they might as well fill up with fuel too, while they waited for their “engine” to do the same thing!
Halloween Mystery solved – The whole thing was nuts!
*
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!
~ Penny
