Elijah scoops dark earth into his pumpkin pot, glancing at the window where the leaves are starting to turn golden. He frowns, his mind swirling with questions about his soon-to-arrive sister. "Ms. Carter, do babies grow like pumpkins?"

Elijah pictures his sister sprouting from a seed, curling up inside a pumpkin’s round shell. He wonders if she’ll pop out when the pumpkin is big enough, just like in the fairy tales. "Maybe I should water my pot extra so she’ll come sooner," he muses, grinning to himself as he pours a little more water over the soil.

"Mom, is my sister growing in a pumpkin at home?" he asks, his eyes wide with curiosity. His mom chuckles, kneeling to meet his gaze. "No, sweetheart. Your sister is growing in my tummy, not in a pumpkin. But she is growing, just like your seed."

Elijah sits close to his mom, feeling her round belly with gentle hands. "So, she’s growing inside you, like magic?" His mom nods, smiling. "Exactly. She’ll be ready to come out when she’s big and strong, just like your pumpkin will be ready to pick when it’s grown."

"Hi, little sister. I’m waiting for you, just like I’m waiting for my pumpkin," he says, his voice full of hope. He gently pats the earth, wondering if his sister can hear him through the warm night air.

Elijah counts the days until both his pumpkin and his sister arrive, excitement fluttering in his chest. "I can’t wait to meet you both," he whispers, drifting into dreams filled with pumpkins and giggles.