It was strange not to find Tats in the kitchen, especially when there was a huge big orange thing sitting on the table. It wasn’t particularly doing anything but it was there and Toto could not figure out what it was. Stepping into the kitchen, the smallest Matoki clambered up onto a stool and in his childish wisdom decided to prod at the thing. It didn’t move in the slightest or react but it was just too big to be one of the things that Tats cooked so logically it had to be something else.

“You asleep?” Toto asked, prodding the large orange thing once again but still not getting any form of response, “You must be a very heavy sleeper if you’re not waking up.”

Carefully shuffling around the edge of the thing, Toto did two complete rotations before he realised that the creature had no eyes, mouth or nose which was even stranger in the youngsters mind and he wondered if he was looking at the creature form the back or maybe that it was actually lying on its back so that was why he couldn’t find a way to wake it up.

Without thinking, Toto clambered up the strange orange thing only to find himself sitting next to a large green stalk and still no sign of any eyes, nose or mouth. Now he was really confused and tilted his head to the side, “What are you?”

“Toto!” there came a cry and the young matoki found himself being plucked from the strange thing, “what are you doing up there? You could have fallen and hurt yourself.”

Tilting his head up to look at Keke, Toto pouted, “I was trying to wake up the orange thing.”

Keke looked confused for a second before giggling and shaking his head, “Oh Toto. It’s a pumpkin. You can’t wake it up.”

“Why not?” Toto asked, blinking repeatedly.

“It’s a fruit,” Keke said, lightly placing the youngster on the floor, “You eat it.”

“It’s big for a fruit,” Toto said innocently, “How do you eat it?”

Keke shook his head, “You have to empty out the insides and turn it into pies and puddings and things like that. Then you turn the outer bit into a lantern.”

Toto looked at him blankly and Keke sighed before picking the youngster up and placing him on a counter top, “Just watch Toto.”

For the next hour or so, Toto watched with awe as Keke cut into the top of the pumpkin and scraped out the insides, using a variety of different kitchen utensils to get everything out. Once he was finished, he picked up a black marker pen, followed by Toto and grinned, “Here, draw a scary face on the pumpkin Toto and I’ll cut it out.”

Looking bewildered, Toto stared at the pumpkin before drawing a few circles and a squiggly line for a mouth and glanced back up at Keke.

The Ninja smiled, plonked Toto back on the bench and set to work with his knives and tools to cut out – roughly – the shapes that the youngster had drawn. Once he was finished, he grinned fetched a candle which was lit and then placed inside and grinned at Toto, “Ready?”

The youngster nodded once before Keke turned off the lights and then let out a little yelp when he found himself looking at the face of the creature. He clutched desperately onto Keke, “He looks so angry!”

“You drew him like that Toto,” Keke chuckled, “Don’t worry, pumpkin won’t hurt you. He’s frightening off any bad spirits.”

Toto looked even more confused and prodded at the pumpkin again, trying to fathom out just what it was.