The Iolausian Library challenge for October 2001. Write a Young Hercules story titled, "Hydras, Pumpkins and Fools, Oh My!" that includes a list of Halloween words including the "Greek Equivalent of Jello"! This story is just for fun -- I know they are not my characters, they are just little boys!!

HYDRAS, PUMPKINS AND FOOLS,

OH MY!

By McJude

'He's going to break his arm, again .. or his leg .. or his neck.' Thirteen-year-old Hercules thought as he sat on a pile of straw in his mother's barn, quietly stroking a black cat, while his friend Iolaus walked along a narrow beam at the edge of the hayloft. It was tough enough to watch when he was just walking carefully, but he knew his friend well enough to know that soon he would be attempting jumps and twists, or just talking, all of which could easily result in his falling to the hard barn floor. 'It's never stopped him in the past,' Herc thought, 'why would it stop him now.'

Fortunately, he had learned that the best way to get Iolaus to stop was just to ignore him. Without an audience he would soon tire and find another way to spend his seemingly boundless energy. There were lots of jobs to be done before the onset of winter; Iolaus's help would have been most welcome. Herc walked to the garden and looked at the dead stalks and vines -- just a month before they had been alive and heavy with fruits and vegetables. It had been a good harvest, but the night of Hecate was coming soon, and with it the winter.

He picked a couple of huge pumpkins and carried them back to the barn. Sitting them on a small table he called to his friend.

"Iolaus, we need to make lanterns for the festival this week. Let's carve these pumpkins and put candles in them, that should be a fun thing to do. My mother always likes to have them so travelers can see their way at the crossroads."

Iolaus grabbed a dagger and began to punch holes in the pumpkin.

"Not like that silly, that will work for an ordinary lantern, but let's make these special. I'll cut off the top and you can take out the seeds. . .

"Ah, Herc, you know I hate that part! Those seeds are all slimy. Your arm turns all orange. Ugh, it is horrible. I'll cut the top and you scoop the seeds." That was Iolaus in a nutshell, not afraid to risk a broken limb, but trembling over putting his hand into a pumpkin.

"OK, buddy, as long as you help me think of ideas to carve into them. But you got to remember, neither one of us is much of an artist, so we have to think of something pretty easy."

"We could make a face, like a full moon."

Despite the fact that everyone talked about the "man in the moon" Herc could never see it. When he looked at the moon he saw a woman looking at herself in the mirror. "Sure we could do a face, that shouldn't be too hard. That might make a nice lantern."

The two boys worked on the lanterns for a while. Herc's face was drawn precisely, but not very well. The eyes were triangles, the nose a circle, and the mouth a straight stern lash. Iolaus tried to make almond shaped eyes and a cupids bow mouth. His pumpkin was definitely a woman.

"Well I can see where your mind is this year." Being two years older, Iolaus was much more interested in girls at this time than Herc. "Is that supposed to be someone special, or just some spirit woman you hope might stop by during the festival."

"Well, Herc, I figured that since we are too old to go "trick or treating" this year, perhaps we could engage in other festival activities."

"Too old to trick or treat. What do you mean? I've already started to think about my costume. I'm going to be a hydra."

"Don't you think I am a little old for that, Herc. I am fifteen, you know. There are lots of girls my age who are already married."

"Just because they aren't having fun, doesn't mean we can't have some fun."

"Well I'm not about to go tipping over outhouses. I'd rather see if we can meet some girls."

"Who said anything about tipping over outhouses, I just want to get dressed up and see if we can get some apples and nuts and things -- good stuff like that."

"I'm not sure. I think I might stick with the girls this year. You should start thinking about them too. You're taller than I am, girls might think you are older."

"Don't know Iolaus, I still think I might go Trick or Treating, but it would be a lot more fun with you."

* * * *

'I never did get a commitment from Iolaus to go trick or treating,' Herc thought as he readied his costume. He had decided to be a three headed hydra and had carved three pumpkins with faces, a large one, which he wore over his head, and two smaller ones, which he put over his hands. The hydras looked a lot like his lantern. He had made ruffs of long flat leaves that stuck out from his neck and wrists and covered the rest of his body with a sheet. It seemed to be a good idea, but was impossible to put on by himself. He needed Iolaus to help him; if he didn't show up he would have to ask his mother.

'Welcome to my nightmare' he thought. 'Thirteen years old and still having to have your mother dress you.' Fortunately Alcmeme thought it was funny that her son was still dressing up for the Hecates' festival, and even noticed that with pumpkins on both hands, he would have no way to hold a sack to collect goodies from the people. She solved that problem by tying the corners of a large sack to his elbows.

"I hope no one tries to whack off a head to see if you grow two more." She teased. There was a tear in her eye too, as she realized her half-god/half-boy child was transforming to half-man. This would probably be his last costume; next year he would be with his older friends chasing after girls having forgot all about begging for sweets and goodies.

Herc stopped at a few houses on the way to the village and collected three apples and several different kinds of nuts. It just wasn't much fun alone. He had all the apples and nuts he needed at home. He realized what was fun about trick or treating was being with Iolaus. He walked into town and saw the older teens dancing. It just wasn't the same without Iolaus. He smashed the pumpkins on a large rock and headed for home.

Both of the pumpkin lanterns he and Iolaus had carved were sitting in front of the house. His mother was waiting in the kitchen. She was dressed completely in black with a tall pointed black hat; his mother always loved dressing up to hand out treats. She stirred a large kettle on the stove smelling of spices and cider. She seemed to be enjoying the holiday even if she spent it at home.

"Not much fun to trick or treat alone, Mom, so I decided to come home and hand out treats with you."

"Never did find Iolaus?" She smiled at him. He was glad she understood.

"I think he was at the dance, didn't see him, but that was where he said he was going to go."

"Didn't want to get too close so the others would see you had dressed up."

"Yep."

"OK! My baby boy is growing up. But I hope you are not too grown up for a special treat. Sit down at the table and I will get it for you."

She took out a bowl and put a plate on top of it. Inverting it, the contents of the bowl slipped out on the plate. It was like a small dome, golden and jiggly.

"What is this? Mom! It's moving!"

"Try it."

He sank a spoon into it and it yielded, albeit unwillingly. It continued to quiver on the plate, and inside he could see what looked like eyeballs looking back at him. Knowing that his mother would never feed him something that was not good for him, he tasted the rather disgusting looking dish. It wouldn't stay still, even on the spoon.

"What is this!"

"It is eyeball jell. It is full of eyeballs of all the rabbits and squirrels and cats and dogs in the neighborhood. Thought it would be a wonderful dish for Hecates feast." She tried to look mean.

"No Mom, what is this? How did you make it?

" I took dried apples and soaked them in water, then I boiled the water down and mixed it with grape juice. When it started to jell, I put in peeled grapes. Awful looking isn't it."

"Mom, how do you come up with ideas like that. It looks disgusting but it tastes pretty good. Just wish Iolaus was here to share it with me."

Just then a knock came at the door. Alcmeme opened it to see a little girl with bright red cheeks and lips. Blonde curls peeked out from under her kerchief, and she was wearing a cute blue dress. She spoke very softly "Trick or treat."

"Oh my, I seem to be all out of nuts." The witchlike Alcmeme responded. "But I do have a special treat I made for my son. Would you like to come in and share it with him, Miss."

"Thank you Madam Witch, I would be delighted." The small figure followed her to the table and sat down, not looking at her son.

"Look Herc, look at this cute little girl who stopped by. She'd love to share your eyeball jell."

She looked at her son, who looked back at her and the girl, who by now was showing a smile that no amount of makeup and costuming could hide. She got another bowl of jell for the visitor and sat it before 'her'. Alcmeme realized that next year for certain both boys would be too old for trick or treat and would be thinking of girls and dancing, hopefully not fighting and war. Tonight, perhaps she was a fool to be so happy just to have her little hydra and his best friend home with her for one more year. No, she was just a mother.

October 2001