Here’s Where The Story Ends//October 337th, 2020

 Everyone has moments in their life when they feel like giving up. That feeling of “This is never going to happen, so why keep trying?”

Sometimes it relates to a thing that would be trivial to anyone else, sometimes it’s about something more life-altering. But, we’ve all been there.

I have moments of discouragement with this blog. Times I’ve told myself, “No one cares”, or “No one will read this”, etc., but I continue on, for the joy of it.

And sometimes, something amazing happens.

If you haven’t read my previous post, Have You Seen This Pumpkin?, I would strongly suggest doing so before continuing on with this story.

The short version is, I saw a pumpkin in someone’s window when I was twelve years old, and have spent the last twenty-one years trying to find it for myself. 

When I published that post, I wasn’t expecting much of a response. I was really just hoping to hear someone say, “Yes, my family had this pumpkin when I was a kid!” Or “I once saw this in a neighbor’s window while trick-or-treating!”

I never expected what actually happened.

The morning after I made that post, I woke to a couple of messages from someone I couldn’t recall ever speaking to before. Her name was Angelique and it looked like we were in a Halloween shopping group together. To my surprise, she had sent me pictures of a shelf in a thrift shop that someone had posted in a different group, focused on vintage Halloween, and at the back of the shelf was none other than Winky, the infamous Winking Pumpkin, herself! My mind started racing and I wondered if I should try to contact the person who posted the photos to see if they could pick it up and send it to me, but then I looked at the other pictures that Angelique had sent, and it looked like the original poster had bought the pumpkin for herself. I was a little disappointed, but at least now I had finally seen the thing for sale somewhere, and had more proof of its existence than a blurry screenshot from an episode of Sabrina The Teenage Witch. Seeing a clear photo of it for the first time in twenty-one years was probably the most surreal thing of all. And what were the odds of someone finding it at their own thrift store the same day I made my blog post?!

I kept looking at the pictures on and off that morning, then noticed a barcode still at the top of the pumpkin. I debated a bit, then finally decided to send a message to the person who’d bought the pumpkin, Lindsey, asking if there was any brand info or anything she could give me to aid in my search for my own. I figured she may not even see the message since I wasn’t a friend or follower, but I had to try, as this was the very first lead on my ultimate Halloween holy grail that I’d ever had.

To my surprise, Lindsey messaged me back fairly quickly, and sent me a bunch of pictures of the brand information and barcode, everything I might need. For the first time, I also realized just how big this grail pumpkin of mine was. Only ever seeing it from afar, I had no idea that it was over two feet! But, also to my surprise, Lindsey told me that she’d actually be willing to sell it to me if she could only find a way to ship it! I was beside myself, absolutely floored that I finally had a real chance to get the pumpkin that had been eluding me for so many years! 

About a week went by, and several messages, but Lindsey finally was able to find a box that Winky would fit inside, and, last Friday, I was finally able to officially meet the pumpkin that saved my Halloween spirit so many years ago in person.

It still amazes me to even just look at a clear picture of her.

It’s honestly surreal, to finally have this pumpkin that I’ve searched so many years for. As exhausting as the hunt has been, it became part of me over the years. It’s a strange feeling now, when I’m scrolling through Halloween listings on resale sites, not to try searching “winking pumpkin” every single way I can think of. But it also feels like an immense weight has been lifted, and that stressed out little girl, sitting in the backseat of her parents’ car in 1999, can finally relax now. It’s symbolic in a way. That year, that was one of the most uncertain times in my life, has ultimately shown that me that sometimes, no matter what it takes, things really do work out, and giving up, when you really want something, should never be an option. And sometimes you make new friends along the way, too!

Lindsey and I have both come to the conclusion that the reason this pumpkin is so rare is because of its size. If anyone does still have one they’d like to sell, they’re likely not going to do it online due to how difficult it is to ship. And, also due to the size, I can’t imagine that many people having the window or wall space to accommodate it. 

I’m not sure if I’ll end up rearranging things in the long run, but for now, Winky acts as a rising sun (Or maybe harvest moon?) behind Enoch.

I think on some level, I’ve always pictured her as being the sun that shines over my world of Halloween.

And now, that light is finally here, in person, radiating Halloween spirit and reminding us never to give up on what makes us happiest.

Stay spooky, my friends.