Magic Jack

They couldn't have imagined an evening as perfect as this one was. The crisp autumn air in contrast with the soft crackling fire in the chimenea. The flickering shadows danced across the patio as the smell of burning wood mingled with the rich scent of bourbon. Jason leaned back in his chair, savoring the heat from the fire and the wheated bourbon he just sampled. His wife, Emily, sat beside him, her feet tucked beneath her in a soft blanket, her glass resting on her knee.

They had a quiet night, just the two of them enjoying conversation and music after a long day. The patio was dotted with autumn flowers and a glowing jack-o-lantern that sat proudly on a small table next to the fire. Its carved grin flickered in the firelight, the light inside casting a spooky but charming glow.

Emily sighed, stretching as she looked around the yard. "I love nights like this," she said, her voice smooth as caramel from the drink. "Just us, the fire, and good bourbon"

Jason smiled, his gaze lingering on her. "Me too, it doesn't get much better than this."

They fell into a comfortable silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound between them. Emily yawned, pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I think im going to head inside" she said setting her empty glass down on the small table "Im beat."

Jason nodded, swirling the last bit of bourbon in his glass. "You go ahead, Ill finish my drink and put out the fire in a little bit."

Emily stood leaning down to kiss him lightly on the forehead "Don't stay up too late," She teased "And don't drink to much more, or Ill never hear the end of your bourbon induced dreams."

He chuckled. "I'll be good, don't worry."

She smiled at him one last time before heading inside, her blanket trailing behind her. Jason watched her go, the door softly clicking shut behind her. He sighed, swirling his glass and giving it a deep sniff before taking a sip and letting the warmth spread through him.

He turned his attention back to the fire, watching the flames flicker and dance. His eyes wandered to the jack-o-lantern, its wide grin somehow looking mischievous now in the firelight. Feeling playful Jason raised his glass to the pumpkin.

"Cheers to you, Jack," he said with a smirk. "What do you think, a little sweet heat for you tonight?"

To his utter shock, the jack-o-lantern blinked.

Jason froze, his glass halfway to his mouth. He thought he must have imagined it. He stared at the pumpkin, wondering if he had reached his drink limit. But then the pumpkin's mouth opened wider, and a deep, gravelly voice filled the air.

"Wheated bourbon, huh?" the jack-o-lantern said. "Not bad. But I prefer a good spicy rye myself."

Jason blinked, wondering if he should run inside. "You can talk?" he asked, feeling ridiculous as the words left his mouth.

The jack-o-lantern's eyes narrowed playfully. "What, you never met a talking jack-o-lantern before?"

Jason set his glass down, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, I can't say that I have; I think I am way too drunk."

"Well, is that a problem?" the pumpkin said. "I'm here, and it looks like you still have some bourbon left, so why don't we make the most of it?"

Jason leaned back in his chair, slowly regaining his composure. If he was dreaming, it was a pretty entertaining dream. "Alright," he said cautiously. "You like bourbon?"

The jack-0-lantern's grin widened. "Who doesn't? I may be carved out of pumpkin, but I've got good taste. How about a little bourbon tasting, hmm? You've got some bottles in the house, don't you?"

Jason chuckled, relaxing a bit now that he decided to roll with it. "I do. Emily and I keep a few favorites on hand. Want to try something?"

The jack-o-lantern gave a slow nod. "Bring out your best. Let's see if you can impress old Jack."

With a mixture of humor and wonder, Jason went inside, quietly pulling a couple of bottles from the bourbon cabinet, his favorite rye, along with a bottle of double oaked he had been saving. He grabbed two glasses and headed back outside where the jack-o-lantern's gin looked even wider, the light flickering in his hollow eyes.

He poured a taste of rye for the pumpkin, setting it down in front of his glowing face. "Here you go, Jack, your favorite Rye, spicy, with a lot of kick."

Jason watched as Jack sniffed theatrically, his carved nose twitching as it 'smelled' the bourbon.

"Hey man, now that we are friends and you love rye so much, can I call you pumpkin spice?" Jason deadpanned, and Jack rumbled with laughter.

"Ahh, now that's more like it," the pumpkin said. "Let's see what you've got."

Jason took a sip of his bourbon, watching as the jack-o-lantern 'drank' from its glass. "Not bad," the pumpkin said after a moment. "Bold with just the right amount of spice."

Jason was feeling more comfortable with the strange situation by the second drink. They spent the next hour sampling the different bourbons, and the jack-o-lantern offered surprisingly astute commentary on the flavor profiles. Jason found himself enjoying the conversation, as bizarre as it was. The night deepened, the fire glowing low in the chiminea as the two of them shared stories. Jack told tales of bourbon distillery tours, and the jack-o-lantern recounting the many Halloween nights it had watched over.

Finally, Jason pulled out a cigar from his pocket. "How about a smoke to end the night?"

The jack-o-lantern grinned. "Now you're talking."

Jason lit the cigar, taking a slow drag before offering it to the pumpkin. To his surprise, the pumpkin somehow 'took' the cigar, puffing contentedly as smoke curled up from his carved mouth.

They sat in silence, sharing the cigar and the last of the bourbon. By the time Jason finally decided to call it a night, the fire had died down to glowing embers, and the jack-o-lantern grin seemed to have softened as if it was too ready for rest.

"Good night, Jack," Jason said, standing up. "Thanks for the company."

The pumpkin gave a final puff of the cigar. "Anytime, my friend. Happy Halloween."

Jason laughed softly, shaking his head as he headed inside.

The next morning, Emily was up before Jason. She stepped out into the backyard, stretching as she took in the scene from the night before. The fire was out, and the air was crisp and still. As she began tidying up, she noticed two empty bourbon glasses sitting on the table.

"And when did we have time for a cigar?" she muttered to herself, picking up the half-burned cigar that was somehow tucked into the jack-o-lantern mouth. She frowned, placing it in the ashtray as Jason stepped out onto the patio.

"Morning," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Did you have a little too much bourbon last night?"

Jason grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe a bit," he admitted. "But you're not going to believe what happened."

Emily crossed her arms. "Oh really?"

Jason leaned in a playful glint in his eyes. "The jack-o-lantern talked to me. We had a full conversation. We even shared a cigar."

Emily burst out laughing, shaking her head. "Sure, ok. And I'm sure the jack-o-lantern critiqued the bourbon?"

Emily gave him a bemused look. "Jason, I warned you not to drink too much. You must have imagined the whole thing."

Jason chuckled, knowing how crazy it sounded. "Maybe," he said, though he couldn't shake the memory of the jack-o-lantern puffing on that cigar.

As he glanced over at the pumpkin, its grin seemed just a little wider than it had been the night before.