The last house on Elm Street had been empty since 1892, when the widow Hargrove vanished mid-scream. Every Halloween, the town held its “Stake Competition” on her overgrown lawn: drive a wooden stake through a pumpkin at fifty paces, fastest time wins the silver cup and bragging rights. Locals swore the game honored the widow’s memory; tourists just liked the free cider.
This year, the fog rolled in early. Twelve competitors lined up, stakes sharpened to needles. Among them was Jonah Vale, great-grandson of the carpenter who’d built the widow’s coffin. Jonah had come for the cup, but mostly to prove the stories wrong. His grandmother insisted the house itself was the prize: win three years running and the deed transferred to you, curse and all. Jonah figured deeds didn’t matter to ghosts.
The judge—an ancient woman in a black veil—rang a brass bell. Pumpkins glowed on fence posts, carved faces flickering like faulty bulbs. Jonah’s turn came last. He hefted the stake, felt the balance, and let fly.
It struck dead center. The pumpkin split with a wet pop, seeds spraying like buckshot. The crowd cheered. Then the cheering stopped.
The stake hadn’t stopped. It kept going, dragging a ribbon of orange pulp, until it buried itself in the front door of the house. Wood screamed. The door swung inward on hinges that hadn’t moved in a century.
Inside, candle stubs flared to life. A woman stood on the threshold—gray dress, gray skin, gray eyes. The widow. She held the stake like a bouquet.
“You’re early,” she said, voice soft as grave dirt. “The competition isn’t over.”
Jonah’s legs rooted. The other contestants backed away, stakes clattering to the ground. The judge smiled beneath her veil, teeth too many for one mouth.
“Rules are rules,” the widow continued. “Three wins for the house. You’ve got one.” She flicked the stake; it spun in the air and landed point-down at Jonah’s feet. “Next year, bring a better aim. Or don’t come at all.”
The door slammed. Candles snuffed. Fog swallowed the lawn.
Jonah never entered again. The cup stayed on his shelf, tarnished. Every October 31st, the house lights itself. A single pumpkin waits on the porch, stake already driven through—handle sticking out like an invitation.
Locals say if you listen close, you can hear the widow practicing. She’s getting faster.
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