At evening in Felt Presence, a skeleton found the pumpkin trying to fold tissue paper.

“Are you wrapping something?”

“Possibly.”

“What shape?”

“About me.”

The skeleton lined a little wicker basket and helped him settle inside.

The pumpkin tucked the paper carefully around his sides.

“Where are we going?”

“The ribbon aisle.”

“I’ve never travelled as a parcel before.”

“Would you like a label?”

“Something discreet.”

The skeleton wrote VERY ORDINARY PUMPKIN.

The pumpkin considered it.

“Perhaps a little smaller.”

Beneath it, in the tiniest writing, the skeleton added HANDLE WITH CARE.

He didn’t ask for that part to be smaller.