Tales in the Making

  The Great Pumpkin Pie Adventure It was a crisp autumn morning, and eight-year-old Mia sat at the kitchen table, twirling her fork around a slice of toast. Her dad, Mr. Harris, stood at the counter, flipping through a cookbook with a determined look on his face. “Alright, Mia,” he said, tapping the page triumphantly. “Today, we’re making the ultimate pumpkin pie. None of that canned stuff—oh no. We’re doing this the real way, from scratch!” Mia’s eyes lit up. “Does that mean we need a pumpkin? Like, a real one?” “You bet!” Mr. Harris grabbed his car keys. “To the pumpkin patch we go!” The pumpkin patch was a wonderland of orange. Mia darted between the rows, inspecting every pumpkin. “This one’s too small. This one’s too lumpy. Oh! What about this one?” She pointed to a pumpkin so round and perfect it looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. “Good choice, pumpkin expert,” her dad said, hefting it into the wagon. Back home, the real work began. “Step one: cut the pumpkin,” ...