The Pumpkin Competition

Elma is a miser. In this years Pumpkin Competition she loses to the local favorite, Mildred . After 18 years of losing she screams out that it is a fix. The winner stands up to her and says that the reason she never wins is she never gives anything, not to others, her town or to her harvest. Enter Bertram Carver, a professor of agricultural science that with proper funding can perfect his growth formula. he approaches her with a deal... He'll give her the formula to win the Pumpkin Competition next year for 10,000.00. She gives him 5,000.00 and he reluctantly gives her the potion. Over the course of the next year, she plants her pumpkin harvest for next year. Eventually a huge pumpkin grows. She is so sure she is to win that she wagers her estate to Mildred. The day of the competition she rushes to get the pumpkin to the fair, but, its enormous size makes it very difficult. Eventually, she secures it to her vehicle and drags it to the fairgrounds, dropping huge chunks of it on the road along the way. She gets to the fair just as Mildred is being awarded. She gets out of her vehicle screaming, "Wait, wait! My pumpkin wasn't judged. You can see that mine was the largest." The mayor eases Elma with "you haven't seen this years entries..." showing her several humongous pumpkins. Mildred is overheard telling a friend "A professor came to us for $5,000.00 to finish his research to end world hunger. Of course, we all gave. And in exchange he gave us his growth formula..."