11 And the Winner Is

Chapter 11 And the Winner Is… Saturday morning the town square was full of people. Main Street was closed for the Fall Festival. No cars could go there, but people could. I saw dunking for apples. And carved pumpkins. There was even a scarecrow competition. But the giant pumpkin was the big attraction. Somehow those bookstore guys had managed to put it on a big wooden cart. Like a pumpkin wagon. It sat in the middle of the street at the very top of the hill. Next to the pumpkin were two giant sacks. "Look at all that, Hazel," I said. "Probably one is full of books for the school. And one is full of candy for us!" But she didn't answer.

She was still sad about No-name, I guess. She hadn't even eaten her pancakes this morning. Even though Dad had made them in the shape of an H. A huge crowd had gathered for the pumpkin-winner announcement. We stood behind lots of other people. I couldn't see much. Just the top of Dan the bookstore guy's head. And half of the giant pumpkin. Dan picked up a microphone. It made a screechy sound. "Folks," he said, "Hilltop Bookstore is proud to announce the winner of our Guess the Weight of the Giant Pumpkin Contest!" "Mom, can I go see the pumpkin close-up?" I asked. "Sure," Mom said. "Take Hazel with you." Hazel and I made our way to the front of the crowd. Near Dan's feet, I noticed a cardboard box. It had holes in it. Someone had drawn orange and yellow leaves on the sides of the box.

On the front of the box was a sign that said: Please FALL for me! No-name the kitten needs a loving home. Uh-oh, I thought. "The winner of our contest will win books for their school library," said Dan. "Enough to fill this giant pumpkin!" The box moved, just a little. "Roscoe, what's in that box?" Hazel asked. "It keeps wiggling." "Today's winner guessed exactly the right weight," Dan said. The box jiggled again. Hazel yanked on my shirt. "What's that sign on the box say, Roscoe?" she asked. Dan opened up a piece of paper. "With the only correct guess of nine hundred sixty-four pounds, the winner is… ROSCOE RILEY!" Dan yelled.

"That's me!" I cried. "I'm Roscoe Riley!" "Roscoe, come on up here, my friend, and take a bow," said Dan. I ran up to Dan. Then I bowed and waved to the crowd. Dan shook my hand, and a lady from the local newspaper took a picture of me. Mom and Dad and Max smiled and waved. Hazel crept closer to the box. She poked at the top of it. "Hazel, no!" I whispered. But it was too late. The box popped open. No-name leaped out. She gave a little meow. Then she took a big leap. Right for my shoelace. She grabbed my lace with her kitty claws. I could feel the bad luck pouring over me. I fell backward. Right into the pumpkin cart. The giant pumpkin rocked back and forth. "Mommy! Daddy! It's the kitty!" Hazel yelled. Slowly the pumpkin rolled off the cart. It started down the hill. Just like a giant piece of fruit going for a nice stroll.

"Look out, folks!" Dan yelled. "Runaway pumpkin!" The giant pumpkin was escaping, and it was all my fault. "Don't worry, Dan!" I cried. "I'll stop it!" The pumpkin rolled a little faster. Then faster still. Most people moved out of its way. But some ran after the pumpkin with me. Kids, mostly.

It's not all that often you get to chase giant fruit. I ran my fastest. No-name ran beside me. You could tell she thought chase-the-boy-chasing-the-pumpkin was a wonderful new game. The pumpkin picked up steam, but so did I. I was behind it! I was chasing it! I was ahead of it! It was chasing ME! I was almost to the bottom of the hill. The statue of Thomas Toadswaddle stood just a few feet away. I didn't want to get between Thomas and 964 pounds of pumpkin. So I did what any sensible kid would do. I jumped out of the way. No-name jumped too. Right onto my head. Which I believe is even worse luck than crossing your path. The giant pumpkin smashed right into Thomas and his porcupine. The pumpkin split right in two.