October is a month associated with many different motifs, such as Halloween, falling leaves, and weather that is perfect for wearing cute new sweaters. Another motif is Pumpkins, whether it be pumpkin spice lattes or picking a few out at a pumpkin patch. The most popular pumpkin tradition is most likely making Jack O’ Lanterns for Halloween. This has been a tradition I myself have participated in every year since I could remember and has been one of my favorite activities to look forward to every year.

Then, I went to college. While living in my new apartment complex very close to L&C, I have been surrounded by a lot of athletic students who partake often in recreational consumption of alcohol and music loud enough to make my furniture shake from three doors away. Normally, with the help of my noise-canceling headphones and my Netflix account, I am able to ignore this and simply go on with my life. However, now the line has been crossed and I am furious.

I woke up bright and early to welcome a friend who had been visiting, and we each had a pumpkin picked out to carve. We both picked out the design we wanted and had set up all the supplies properly. We then took our pumpkins and got to work. After spending what was at least two hours on our Jack O’ Lanterns this year, I proudly took a picture for Instagram and then set them outside my door to show support for my favorite holiday. We were both very proud of our hard work, so of course, that was just an open invitation for someone to feel the need to knock us down a peg.

Later that night, my roommates had to break the horrible news to me that my Jack O’ Lantern specifically had been murdered in cold seeds and guts that cold October night. Hoping that maybe they were imagining things, I went and looked to see the carnage for myself. The entire top half of my pumpkin had been removed and cast aside with smaller pieces lying about, while my friend’s pumpkin had been spared the damage. If that Jack O’ Lantern could talk, I’m sure he’d be too traumatized for an interview.

In short, please be considerate this Halloween season and leave everyone else’s decorations alone. We are adults and we know better than to destroy property that isn’t ours, not to mention show basic common decency and appreciation for one another. I did not think it was funny. I did not think it was cute. I thought it was appalling and very upsetting to the hard work I had put into it. I don’t think you can even begin to comprehend the absurd amount of worry I felt as I hid the other pumpkin inside of my apartment from drunken neighbors, most of whom I know are underaged. On a final note, to the sick pumpkin smashing monster who felt the need to literally get their kicks from destroying my hard work, I hope you know that our apartment complex has security cameras. I am sure you’ll be hearing from me soon.

ASHTYN BRITT
abritt@lc.edu