Jack Pumpkin's Great Adventure
an excerpt

Now all three of them sat in complete darkness, not knowing where they were or what to do next.

A few minutes later, a bright light caught their attention a few dozen feet away. Immediately they thought to yell out for help.

“Help us! Help! Over here!” they screamed.

The light seemed to bob up and down like it was being carried by someone walking at a brisk pace.

“Ahoy!” a voice yelled out. “Who goes there?”

“Jack the Pumpkin, heir to the throne of Fruitus!”

“Aye,” the voice responded. “Freddy, Teddy, Reddy, Leddy! Franky, Tanky, Ranky, Lanky! Do your tasks and help our friends, it seems as though a hand they’ll lend!”

Suddenly, several voices similar to the first rang out from all around where Jack, Yoeth, and Squash were sitting:

“Aye!”
“Yes!”
“Here we go!”
“Whether they be friend or foe!”
“Help for all!”
“And all for help!”
“We’ll rescue thee!”
“But not for free!”

Several lights similar to the first person’s lit up in several places, illuminating the eight faces where the voices had come from. To their surprise, the faces looked to be those of strawberry dwarves.

“Strawberry dwarves!” Yoeth exclaimed. “I never knew they really existed!”

The strawberries reached out for several pieces of rope and began swinging past them, simultaneously breaking out in song.

“We are the dwarves of strawberry,
Little miners are what we be,
We lend our help to those in need,
’Cause we are the dwarves of strawberry!”

The three nearly-drowned adventurers were awed by this spectacle. One by one the dwarves swung by and picked up each traveler with amazing strength. Eventually they had all been brought to shore and were standing among the strawberry dwarves, each with a small lantern at its side.