Tolkien Elves Halloween Works

1. Pumpkin Carving Customs - Ambarussa

You finally got the lid off the top of the pumpkin and Amrod began to cut into his, as Amras too was finishing up with the lid of his. You waited for Amrod seeing how carefully he was cutting into his before removing the top and setting it aside. Both watching you reach for a spoon to scoop out the seeds from the inside, and both ellons following your lead.

"You do this every year in your village?" Amrod asked you as he rolled up his sleeves and beginning to scoop out the pumpkin, with Amras diving in with just his hands. Slapping the material into the bowl in the center of the table. You nodded at his words as you worked,

"Yes! We usually begin around this time of year along with a few other things for Hallow's Eve." You smiled to him, watching as Amrod scooped another big spoonful out of his pumpkin at the same time Amras did. Only for Amras to slap the contents on Amrods hand, making the ellon shudder and shake off his hand with disgust on his face.

"Oh come now Amrod! You do not react in such a way when gutting a deer!" Amras laughed at his brother's reaction, leaving his twin to frown in response. Amras' laughter was infectious, leaving you to laugh along with him, scooping out more pumpkin insides.

"Anyways," Amrod began emphasizing his word, with a small glare to his brother in response,

"What other customs do you participate in?" He asked, while you still chuckled along, deciding to finish out your pumpkin with your hands as it was mostly cleared out.

"Well we wear masks or nice clothes and usually gather together and celebrate." You began warmly, looking to the bowl that was growing to be piled high with pumpkin guts.

"That would explain what we came in on last year in the village." Amrod said bluntly, and you smiled over at him with your brows raised. You could only assume how foreign it must have looked to them,

"What do you propose we do with all the extra seeds? We certainly do not need that many growing out in the garden next year." Amras asked you, grabbing a rag to wipe off his hand just as Amrod stood to double check the inside of his gourd to make sure it had been sufficiently cleaned out.

"We can always bake them? It is what mother did with them." You answered them thinking back on fond memories of doing this with your parents and siblings. Before he could answer, Amrod spoke up;

"The pumpkins are cleaned out, now what?"

"We draw faces on them and carve out the faces!" You explained reaching for a knife, not really needing a drawing in place having so much experience doing this.

"Does it need to be anything in particular?" Amrod asked you,

"A scary one, so it will ward off the malevolent spirits."

"Ah at that rate I shall carve Amrod's likeness for he is scary enough." Amras cackled out reaching for a piece of charcoal to begin working on his pumpkin, leaving you to laugh out in response. You looked to the twin who frowned heavily huffing with a sigh,

"At least I will not need a mask to hide how frightening my face is at this gathering!" Amrod retorted, a smirk finding his lips at his rebuttal in satisfaction as Amras looked up from his pumpkin flabbergasted. While you worked on carving away with the two bickering at each other. Leaving you to laugh at their words.

"We will see which one the villagers run frightened from come the gathering." Amras grumbled out angrily, sketching forcefully on his pumpkin and looking away from Amrod. While Amrod began to look over your shoulder, watching you carve out simple triangles for what he could only assume were eyes. A jagged toothy grin was next on your mental list, but you looked to Amrod instead,

"Does it not need to be intricate? What are the shapes for?" He pressed practically resting his head on your shoulder to stay leaned over.

"No it doesn't need to be intricate, but the triangles are eyes and then I am going to do a big jagged mouth." You explained to him, while Amras scoffed,

"So I don't have to carve out all of Amrod's ugliness?" He asked peering over his pumpkin with a brow raised, Amrod frowned deeply at his words. Standing and grabbing the heavily bowl of pumpkin guts and dumping it all back into Amras' pumpkin. Leaving him to cry out in protest!

"I just cleaned this out!!" He yelled jumping up from his spot as guts over filled the pumpkin and onto his clothes and table, with a heavy huff you watched as Amras went right back to scooping out the pumpkin. Again. Laughing at him as you watched,

"I am going to get you back for this." He muttered harshly under his breath, while Amrod simply smirked and sat back down to begin drawing on his pumpkin. You caught your breath finally between the laughs and went back to carving focusing on the mouth. The three of you working in silence, with the sound of scooping and carving filling the room.

Everyone attentive to the project at hand before you set your knife down and looked over your pumpkin in decision about if you should add anything. There were soft mutters of frustration from both of your carving partners, neither seemingly satisfied with what they were doing. You wondered if they were struggling carving out negative space.

"Alright I think I am finished." You said definitively and standing up to fetch a few candles for your pumpkins, while neither ellon seemed to be broken from their trance like state. You disappeared from their sight, digging through the drawers in search of them before finally landing on short enough tapered candles that would fit in them.

When you came back out both were holding their pumpkins facing one another and seemingly critiquing each work in silence. But both trying to hold in their amusement,

"Well? Let me see?" You said with a smile, candles in hand, before they turned their pumpkins towards you and both had just a collection of holes and no real face to it. You could not contain your laughter, as you were correct in your assumption that they had struggled with it. The two snickering alongside you. Perhaps you hadn't been that great of an instructor.

"I do think ours are missing faces." Amras piped up, though he still looked quite proud of the square and round holes in his pumpkin.

"Let us see yours!" Amrod said curiously, and with that you turned the pumpkin around to face them. Triangular eyes looked back at them with a wide malicious and sharp looking smile with rows of teeth. Both unable to contain their surprise and impressed by what you had accomplished.

"Fix mine, please?" Amrod was the first to pipe up, setting his pumpkin next to yours, and you nodded.

"How about you Amras? Shall I fix yours too?" You asked beginning to pick up your little knife, but he shook his head.

"No I like it like this." He chuckled to you, and you nodded. You supposed two pumpkins would be enough to keep the spirits at bay. You began to carve out space making sharp and pointed teeth and menacing looking eyes. With Amrod right over your shoulder watching you intently.

Amras on the other hand was in the business of trying to set up his candle, but instead searching for candle holders that could be spared for the inside. By the time he got back in his search you had finished,

"You are good at this." Amras said approaching you both and setting the candle holders down on the table.

"Thank you, now lets put our candles in them and set them outside." You smiled grabbing one of the holders, deciding to take the easier route and placing candles inside. The three of you carrying pumpkins out to the front of the cabin where you arranged them all side by side. Deciding to place Amras' pumpkin between yours and Amrods- seeing as it would scare nothing off.

"There!" You said backing away to look it over happily, both brothers satisfied with what they had done.

"Perfect, spirits will certainly stay away now. Now lets go cook those seeds." Amras said just as quickly walking indoors. You simply laughed and followed right behind him, ready to show them the other ways that you celebrated Hallows Eve.