S15E17 - "It's What's Inside That Counts" - Horror Hill

Erik Peabody (0:02)

Chilling Tales for Dark Nights.

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Good evening, listeners, and welcome back to Horror Hill. I'm the voice you hear rustling in the leaves, Erik Peabody. I know we're only barely into September here, but that's well past time to get into the Halloween spirit, if I do say so myself. And to ring in the season this year, I've got a fun little story for you called, I Grew Up in a Ghost Town by MM. Kelly. In it, our protagonist, John, tells us of his childhood in Moonville, a town where no one carves or smashes any pumpkins. After a seemingly harmless prank, John is haunted by pumpkin seeds wherever he goes. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. John's life in Moonville and his understanding of the people that live there are about to change forever. And, a quick reminder that some of the other hosts and I have recently started a new show called Degenerated, a horror fiction podcast. Each week, I, along with Jeff Sturtevant, Paul J. McSorley, and Drew Blood, will have a fresh batch of horror fiction for you, all human made and narrated in our dulcet tones. After tonight's episode of Horror Hill, why not take a listen? We're on the podcast platform of your choice, and also on YouTube. Again, that's Degenerated, a horror fiction podcast. We hope to see you there.

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And now, from author MM. Kelly, I give you, I grew up in a ghost town.

Growing up, I never saw a single carved or smashed pumpkin. The only smashed pumpkin I ever saw was thrown down personally. It was years ago. I was still young. Maybe we'd gotten the idea from a story on the radio or a comic. A few friends and I thought it would be a fun new way to piss off some of our neighbors without doing any real harm. I had a grudge against one of the old women in the town. I picked her house. We snuck up after the neighborhood was fast asleep. I grabbed the biggest pumpkin from the steps leading to her porch, and I smashed it against her steps.

Even now, as an old man, I can't think of anything else in my life that's made such a mess. Orange tendons littered her steps, speckled with seeds. Something was inside all of the mess. Something was writhing and stretching in the orange goop and seeds. I was about to inspect it closer when the door on the porch burst open and the light switched on. She was infuriated. She was yelling. We ran. I couldn't make out most of what she was saying, but I know it was angry. My heart was pumping. Our legs were pounding down the pavement. At the time, it was the most hilarious thing we'd ever done.

I woke up to the smell of pumpkin. It was faint. I assumed that I had gotten it on my clothes. I threw on an old flannel shirt and jeans. No fresh pumpkin pie in the kitchen. My mom said she hadn't smelled any pumpkin. I ate breakfast and went about my day. Everything was pretty normal, but I couldn't help dwelling on whatever was moving in that pumpkin. That evening, I reconvened with the guys. They didn't notice a thing. Maybe it was a mouse? Was the best answer any of them could muster.

It was late. Maybe my mind was playing tricks. I decided it was for the best to let it go. I was on my way home around dusk. I stopped at a little store to grab a drink. I reached in my pocket to scrounge some change.