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Pumpkin Eater
She doesn’t know how long she’s been with Belch, the strange man who grows giant pumpkins…she doesn’t even remember her own name…
But when a kind police officer comes to buy a pumpkin from their patch, Beth begins to remember.
Sheriff Will Walker’s instincts tell him that something is wrong, but he can’t quite put his finger on what.
Will he be able to figure out the mystery in time?
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This story originally appeared in the anthology Shivers.
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“Two more days, pumpkin…”
They were stacking them close to the road and the hand-painted sign that “Punkins Here!” All these years and it was the same misspelled sign.
“We’ll have a full moon to work by, too.”
The childish anticipation on his face gave her hope. She might get a bath tonight.
“Cage!” His tone changed suddenly.
She clutched the collar around her throat and the jolt that went through her made her lose her footing on the old wagon they used to bring the pumpkins in from the patch. She stumbled, moving to catch herself, an exposed nail leaving a long gash in the tender flesh of her wrist.
The blood welled up on her arm, and she sat, still stunned, as the cruiser kicked up dust on the road heading toward them. There were no lights or sirens. It was probably just passing. The inclination to scream and wave her arms had been squashed out of her long ago and all she could think of was getting to the safety of her cage inside the house.
“Now!”
Another shock hit, and then another, his hand buried deep in his pocket while she scrambled to stand, the buzzing in her head and neck making her nearly blind with pain.
In her haste, clawing at the thick collar tucked under the high turtleneck she wore, her feet tangled in her long skirt and she went down again, sprawling on the lawn behind a line of pumpkins. Her body jerked as he continued to hit the button in a panic, more like a man waiting impatiently for an elevator than someone with what amounted to a trigger in their hand wielding 10,000 volts at a pop.
Still, she didn’t make a sound. The car was slowing and she heard the tires crunch to a the back row.
“Hide!” he hissed, giving her another small shock for good measure, and she scrabbled her way around the big wagon wheel to cower underneath in the shadows.
“Well, hullo there officer, what can I do you for?”
“Hey there.” The cop eyed the pumpkins on the lawn, glancing over at the heavyset man who was shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun off the cruiser. “Noticed you had some nice big ones this year.”
“Bigger the better,” the man laughed, slapping his distended, overall-covered belly with one hand. “That’s what my mama used to say.”
“Hi, I’m Will.” The officer extended his hand. “You are—?”
“Belcher.” The heavy man reluctantly slipped his hand from his pocket to shake the cop’s. “Call me Belch. Nice to meetcha.”
“They really do seem to get bigger every year.” Will nudged a pumpkin with his toe. “My son says he wants the biggest one I can find.”
She crouched lower and hunkered back, watching the officer tip his hat and scratch his head as he studied the selection of pumpkins on the lawn. His large hands were careful as he hefted one of the orange globes to inspect it.
“You want big? Come on out to the back, then!” Belch jerked his head toward the house. “I’m fixin’ to break the world’s record soon—biggest pumpkin ever.”
“Yeah?” Will smiled, leaning one of the pumpkins to the side to look at its bottom. The sun glinted off his badge as he stood and she noted his thick, heavy belt, the holster and radio visible, one on each side. “Guess everyone wants their fifteen minutes, right?”
“World’s largest was fifteen hundred and two pounds. Some guy in Rhode Island broke the record just this year.” Belch watched the cop walking up the front ro, sir.” Belch pointed to an enormous hollowed-out pumpkin on its side near the tree. “Can fit a coupla yow’ins in there at least. Kids who come, they like to get their pitcher taken."
But when a kind police officer comes to buy a pumpkin from their patch, Beth begins to remember.
Sheriff Will Walker’s instincts tell him that something is wrong, but he can’t quite put his finger on what.
Will he be able to figure out the mystery in time?
-------------
This story originally appeared in the anthology Shivers.
-------------
“Two more days, pumpkin…”
They were stacking them close to the road and the hand-painted sign that “Punkins Here!” All these years and it was the same misspelled sign.
“We’ll have a full moon to work by, too.”
The childish anticipation on his face gave her hope. She might get a bath tonight.
“Cage!” His tone changed suddenly.
She clutched the collar around her throat and the jolt that went through her made her lose her footing on the old wagon they used to bring the pumpkins in from the patch. She stumbled, moving to catch herself, an exposed nail leaving a long gash in the tender flesh of her wrist.
The blood welled up on her arm, and she sat, still stunned, as the cruiser kicked up dust on the road heading toward them. There were no lights or sirens. It was probably just passing. The inclination to scream and wave her arms had been squashed out of her long ago and all she could think of was getting to the safety of her cage inside the house.
“Now!”
Another shock hit, and then another, his hand buried deep in his pocket while she scrambled to stand, the buzzing in her head and neck making her nearly blind with pain.
In her haste, clawing at the thick collar tucked under the high turtleneck she wore, her feet tangled in her long skirt and she went down again, sprawling on the lawn behind a line of pumpkins. Her body jerked as he continued to hit the button in a panic, more like a man waiting impatiently for an elevator than someone with what amounted to a trigger in their hand wielding 10,000 volts at a pop.
Still, she didn’t make a sound. The car was slowing and she heard the tires crunch to a the back row.
“Hide!” he hissed, giving her another small shock for good measure, and she scrabbled her way around the big wagon wheel to cower underneath in the shadows.
“Well, hullo there officer, what can I do you for?”
“Hey there.” The cop eyed the pumpkins on the lawn, glancing over at the heavyset man who was shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun off the cruiser. “Noticed you had some nice big ones this year.”
“Bigger the better,” the man laughed, slapping his distended, overall-covered belly with one hand. “That’s what my mama used to say.”
“Hi, I’m Will.” The officer extended his hand. “You are—?”
“Belcher.” The heavy man reluctantly slipped his hand from his pocket to shake the cop’s. “Call me Belch. Nice to meetcha.”
“They really do seem to get bigger every year.” Will nudged a pumpkin with his toe. “My son says he wants the biggest one I can find.”
She crouched lower and hunkered back, watching the officer tip his hat and scratch his head as he studied the selection of pumpkins on the lawn. His large hands were careful as he hefted one of the orange globes to inspect it.
“You want big? Come on out to the back, then!” Belch jerked his head toward the house. “I’m fixin’ to break the world’s record soon—biggest pumpkin ever.”
“Yeah?” Will smiled, leaning one of the pumpkins to the side to look at its bottom. The sun glinted off his badge as he stood and she noted his thick, heavy belt, the holster and radio visible, one on each side. “Guess everyone wants their fifteen minutes, right?”
“World’s largest was fifteen hundred and two pounds. Some guy in Rhode Island broke the record just this year.” Belch watched the cop walking up the front ro, sir.” Belch pointed to an enormous hollowed-out pumpkin on its side near the tree. “Can fit a coupla yow’ins in there at least. Kids who come, they like to get their pitcher taken."
- GenresHorror
54 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Selena Kitt
415 books2,631 followersSelena Kitt is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling and award-winning author of erotic and romance fiction. She is one of the highest selling erotic writers in the business with over two million books sold!
Her writing embodies everything from the spicy to the scandalous, but watch out-this kitty also has sharp claws and her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
When she’s not pawing away at her keyboard, Selena runs an innovative publishing company (www.excessica.com) and bookstore (www.excitica.com), as well as two erotica and erotic romance promotion companies (www.excitesteam.com and www.excitespice.com) and is now head of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (www.erotica-readers.com).
Her books EcoErotica (2009), The Real Mother Goose (2010) and Heidi and the Kaiser (2011) were all Epic Award Finalists. Her only gay male romance, Second Chance, won the Epic Award in Erotica in 2011. Her story, Connections, was one of the runners-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize, given annually to an erotic short story of “exceptional literary quality.”
She can be reached on her website at www.selenakitt.com
Her writing embodies everything from the spicy to the scandalous, but watch out-this kitty also has sharp claws and her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
When she’s not pawing away at her keyboard, Selena runs an innovative publishing company (www.excessica.com) and bookstore (www.excitica.com), as well as two erotica and erotic romance promotion companies (www.excitesteam.com and www.excitespice.com) and is now head of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (www.erotica-readers.com).
Her books EcoErotica (2009), The Real Mother Goose (2010) and Heidi and the Kaiser (2011) were all Epic Award Finalists. Her only gay male romance, Second Chance, won the Epic Award in Erotica in 2011. Her story, Connections, was one of the runners-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize, given annually to an erotic short story of “exceptional literary quality.”
She can be reached on her website at www.selenakitt.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 5, 2018
Twilight zone moment. But good thing Elizabeth was now safe and can go back to her family but still it's pretty disturbing story.
October 15, 2010
"4.5" stars
Selena Kitt is a very good, but very controversial writer. She's written numerous stories dealing with abuse and/or [willing] brother/sister or father/daughter incest, which normally squicks me out. Still, she is a great writer and there is depth in her stories, whether short or long, that I like.
"Pumpkin Eater" is not a pleasant tale. The girl cannot remember who she is, how she came to be there, and by the end there is compelling evidence that what she has gone through has scarred her on a very deep mental level. There is one graphic scene of semi-non-con, where she does something for her slaver because he flaunts food in front of her and she's - quite literally - starving.
The cop that is introduced is merely a pawn, doesn't really have much to do with saving her or taking down the bad-guy; he's only the catalyst that triggers the girl's memories and sets in motion the rest of the story. We get to know a little about him, enough for him to become a decent 2-dimension character, which is exactly what was needed.
Warnings and cautions aside, it's a good read. I would definitely recommend it, even if it's not usually your cup of tea.
Selena Kitt is a very good, but very controversial writer. She's written numerous stories dealing with abuse and/or [willing] brother/sister or father/daughter incest, which normally squicks me out. Still, she is a great writer and there is depth in her stories, whether short or long, that I like.
"Pumpkin Eater" is not a pleasant tale. The girl cannot remember who she is, how she came to be there, and by the end there is compelling evidence that what she has gone through has scarred her on a very deep mental level. There is one graphic scene of semi-non-con, where she does something for her slaver because he flaunts food in front of her and she's - quite literally - starving.
The cop that is introduced is merely a pawn, doesn't really have much to do with saving her or taking down the bad-guy; he's only the catalyst that triggers the girl's memories and sets in motion the rest of the story. We get to know a little about him, enough for him to become a decent 2-dimension character, which is exactly what was needed.
Warnings and cautions aside, it's a good read. I would definitely recommend it, even if it's not usually your cup of tea.
March 30, 2013
This was a kind of fucked up one for me. I was thinking it would be a reinterpretation of the Mother Goose's tales...but instead, I received a Grimm reinterpretation. It's really more of a 2.5 star than a 3. The ending left me hanging a bit.
The story moved fast and felt almost like a summary than a journey. This is the second book I've read by Ms. Kitt that is turning dark rather than smexy fun. I'm not sure if I like it. It's not bad, just not what I was expecting.
Still, the story is tightly written and as usual, polished.
The story moved fast and felt almost like a summary than a journey. This is the second book I've read by Ms. Kitt that is turning dark rather than smexy fun. I'm not sure if I like it. It's not bad, just not what I was expecting.
Still, the story is tightly written and as usual, polished.
March 14, 2011
Beth barely remembers her name or how long she's been enslaved to Belch but when a kindly cop, Will, visits the pumpkin stand, she writes HELP on the pumpkin he buys. Can Will save her?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews