Pumpkin Time

Ephraim, a little bit shy and at a loss for words, rubs a paw over his foreleg before deciding to step closer to the smaller, ghostly waterdog. With a slight smile, he tilts his head, and says, “Hey… I’m really sorry about your home. I know in the meantime, Marina can give you a place to stay, which is great! But… I know you’re sad, too, so let’s go do something together okay? How does that sound?”

Still pouting and slightly teary-eyed, Boo looks up at Ephraim, and takes a moment to calm themself before replying, “Y-Yeah, that sounds nice… What are we going to do?”

Ephraim’s smile brightens, and he reaches a paw out to pat Boo on the shoulder. “Well, there’s a lovely pumpkin patch nearby, and since it’s october… I was thinking we could go and find the perfect pumpkin, and then maybe we could carve it!”

Boo’s ears seem to perk at that. After wiping their face off quickly with their paw, the ghostly waterdog looks up at Ephraim, a small smile finally replacing their frown. “Y’know… That does sound fun, hehe! We can make the pumpkin into the scariest jack-o-lantern ever!”

“Yeah!” Ephraim exclaims, his tail giving a couple excited wags. “Alright, that sounds like a plan, then! We should get going before it gets even more dark.”

Boo nods, and with Ephraim gesturing for them to follow him, the two begin walking out the door  and down to the nearby pumpkin patch.

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“Hmmm…” 

Both waterdogs stare intently at the somewhat large, bright orange pumpkin in front of them. Ephraim puts a paw under his chin in thought, and the smaller dog, Boo, starts walking circles around the pumpkin to analyze it from all sides, seeing if there were any noticeable bumps or imperfections on the side the two couldn’t see. Unfortunately for the two of them, there is a large, kind of nasty looking gash and a couple scrapes on the backside of the pumpkin, which makes Boo grimace. Ephraim makes a face himself as Boo struggles to turn the pumpkin around. They manage it eventually, and Ephraim is able to see the scars on this pumpkin’s exterior.

“Oh… Well that’s not good,” Ephraim says, looking disappointed to the point his ears droop a little. “And I thought this one wasn’t bad, either. Oh well.”

Boo nods and adds, “Yeah… I thought I smelled something weird about it, but I never would have imagined that..! Let’s find another one, yeah?”

Ephraim agrees, and the two move along to the next pumpkin that seems vaguely unmarred. This time, though, Boo immediately walks around the pumpkin to check the backside of it. While it’s not as messed up as the previous pumpkin, it has some spots and warts speckled over its surface that aren’t super appealing. Again, Boo frowns, and pushes the pumpkin aside. They blow a little raspberry at it, and looks to Ephraim, “No good, either. What’s with these pumpkins?”

Ephraim chuckles a little as he shrugs, “I don’t know! Maybe we’re a little late, and most of the good ones have been snatched already?”

Boo pouts as they sit down on the ground, “That’s a mean thing to say! I’m sure there’s a perfect pumpkin, just for us, we just have to keep looking…” The smaller waterdog huffs after saying that, and stands back up again, moving on to the next pumpkin that looks somewhat promising. “C’mon old man, let’s keep moving!” they call out, making Ephraim chuckle as he moves to follow them.

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It takes some time, but eventually, the two come across what seems to be a perfectly sized, perfectly shaped, perfectly orange pumpkin. Boo’s eyes sparkle as they run a paw over the pumpkin, seeming to be in awe as they look the fruit over.

“Take a look at this one, Eph..!” Boo calls over to the other waterdog, their tail wagging eagerly. 

Ephraim takes a moment to catch up, but once he gets there, he too looks at the pumpkin curiously, taking a moment just to walk around it to see it from all sides. His eyes widen a bit as he grins, his tail also starting to wag with excitement. 

“Now this is a pumpkin,” Ephraim comments, giving said pumpkin a small nudge with his nose. “I think this might be the one..!”

Boo giggles in reply, “You know this is absolutely the one! Now hurry up and grab it before someone else does!”

Ephraim nods, and does his best to pull on the pumpkin and start dragging it out of its spot in the patch. Boo hums as they skip alongside him, making sure to keep the other waterdog “motivated” as he carries the pumpkin. Relieved they managed to find a perfect pumpkin to carve, Ephraim sighs out softly as he walks along, now letting his mind wander as he tries to figure out what their next step is. While he didn’t have a pumpkin carving knife and other supplies at home, he had an idea as to who might be able to help him…

Surely they might have some knives at the tidal parlor..?