Pumpkins

She scooped out the inside and then started to carve a scary face into it, all the while reminding herself to be careful with the sharp knife.
She was pleased with her work and she hoped her son would be too.
As she made a cup of coffee she looked over to the table where the pumpkin lantern stood.
Had it moved?
No, of course not.
She rinsed out her cup and saw something move in the reflection of the window. She turned around and saw the pumpkin was on the floor, midway between her and the table.
While she was distracted she was unaware of the fifty pumpkins assembling in the garden.
There was a thump against the back door.

Motoring

The car wouldn't start. Twenty one attempts. That was a sign that it was fucked.
He would have to get a lift in and call the garage from work. What an inconvenience. He put the keys on top of the right rear tyre.
He called the garage and told them his problem and where the keys were. They'd take care of everything, the mechanic told him.
He received a call fifteen minutes later.
The keys weren't there. Nor was the car.

The Racist

"No Blacks allowed," said the man on the door.
"What?"
"You heard."
"It's 2016, you can't talk like that."
"Well I just did. No Blacks allowed."
He jabbed the man in the chest to force home his point.
"Come on," said the man to his friends. "We'll go somewhere else."
The doorman grinned. He wasn't interested in rugby, but he hated people from New Zealand.

Serenity

She had come away for the weekend to the spa. Mostly it was for pampering and relaxation, but getting away from her sister's wedding plans was also a bonus.
She returned to her room after a day of massages and yoga, feeling the most serene she had felt in ages.
Lying on the bed with her book, she suddenly became aware of a dripping sound from the en suite. The tap must be on.
She went to investigate. The tap was indeed dripping. She tightened it and went back to the bed.
The dripping continued.
She tried to shut out the noise, but it was no good. She was unable to concentrate on her book and she was unable to sleep properly that night.
The following morning having managed around forty five minutes of fragmented sleep she checked out of the spa, exhausted and with a tight, stressed feeling in her shoulders.

Hedge

It wasn't straight.
After an hour of trimming the hedge was visibly higher at one end than the other.
He started to trim the offending parts and stepped back to admire his work.
Now the previously high end was too low. He trimmed a little more to even it out.
This went on for some time until he was finally satisfied that it was level.
His wife returned an hour later.
"What have you done to the hedge?" she asked him.
"Do you like it?"
"It's a bit low."
"Well it took me a while to get it properly level."
She glanced out of the window at a hedge that was incredibly level, but was now barely two inches from the ground.

Bus Stop

Three had gone in the opposite direction while he had been waiting, but none returned.
He was running late. He'd been standing there for almost twenty five minutes and the timetable had been rendered useless.
He set off walking.
As he got midway between two stops, a bus drove past, mocking him.
"Why?" he yelled, shaking his fist at the vehicle.
Another drove past and then another.
He tore up his bus pass and decided he would buy a car.

Door

"Don't open that door!"
It was like a red rag to a bull. He grabbed the handle and pulled it.
"No!"
The screeching sound from behind it made him wish he had no ears. The door began to open and the noise grew louder. It couldn't be pushed shut again.
The other man said something, but he couldn't hear.
"What?"
The beast in the room awoke.