It's going down

[Jasper Beese]

Jasper had somehow successfully convinced himself before getting in the pumpkin that this was a great idea. Just a seasonal once in a lifetime splashy-splashy event to celebrate 50 years, and one the school wouldn't host if it was dangerous. Everyone’s doing it, carving out giant pumpkins and sitting in them on the lake. Jaspers carving hadn't been even and that didn't matter on land. However on the water he could feel it with how much his pumpkin leaned to the water, with starboard occasionally dipping below the water level and taking on splashes of water. At first it hadn't concerned Jasper until he realised his feet were wet and the pumpkin was filling up. "Oh, no. No no no no.” Jasper slapped both palms against the sides of his pumpkin to try keep it level, and keep it buoyant. “Don’t you sink on me. Please."

 

[Angelo Dela Cruz]

Riding a pumpkin boat was so weird. People from New Zealand were weird. Or maybe it was wizards. He didn't know. All he knew was that this was weird. And maybe he had a bit of an aversion to this whole waste of food when they could be sending food to Africa or something but he was also a teenager and well, it was the adults that had to worry about those kinds of things. Still, Angelo had gone into this school thinking he was going to try everything so he was riding a pumpkin boat and paddling it on the lake like he was going fishing. And then of course he could see someone in trouble, and well, he was close by and thinking he could do something about it maybe? Rescue? Search and rescue minus the search? "OOOOOY!" he called out. "Need help????" he asked the boy as he paddled closer. He grimaced as he could see the pumpkin sort of lowering into the water? Uhhhhh. Oh no. "Come here we can share pumpkin boat," he said quickly as he paddled his own boat even closer. He's not sure how that's going to work out. The transfer. Since the pumpkins were... well... not really the same shape as the boats in his country but maybe they could work it out? Fast?​

 

[Jasper Beese]

Jasper had reached the point where if he stayed perfectly still as he was then the water would stop breaching his pumpkin and therefore slow his sinking. The problem was, that meant he couldn’t paddle against the current that he could feel nudging him further from shore. He was looking down at the water which was at ankle level until a voice called out and Jasper’s head snapped up with a look of pure relief. His saviour had arrived! “Oh my gosh yes that would be amazing, thank you!” he blurted out, "You’re saving my life here, seriously.” His enthusiasm quickly faulted when he looked between their two pumpkin boats. “Errr…” he added cautiously, “I’m open to suggestions on how to get to you.”