The Headless Toddler – Emma Wallner

The Headless Toddler

by Emma Wallner

“I HAVE BEEN DECAPITATED!!” The 4-year-old girl yelled as she chased her Halloween costume Watermelon head down the hall. The watermelon rolled straight off the edge of the stairs.

THUNK, Thunk, thunk

The sound of the melon echoed throughout the two-story home of a little girl and her parents. One step at a time, the runaway head turned from a new basketball to that of a wet diaper.

thunk

Her parents were in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs getting ready to take their little ‘Melon Lord’ trick-or-treating, when suddenly, her ‘head’ came thundering down at them.

It was more of a hat than a head, for she was convinced that one of such stature would be, well, tall. Unlike her. The little girl followed the watery head gradually down the stairs. Her dad laughed as the watermelon bumped into his foot. He scooped up the watermelon and held it to his ear.

Squish

“It sounds to me your headless and brainless! Now, what have I told you about losing your head?” His daughter pondered for a moment, her lips squished up under her button nose.

“Don’t.”

“Correct! Now, hear this.” He smiled and shook the watermelon.

Slosh

She made a face of disgust that made both of her parents want to laugh.

“That, if I were a doctor, I would have to inform you about having a major concussion.”

Her eyes widened with fear. “Con... concush...tion... Concussion.”

“Yep, and that sound you heard in our decapitated head here is the sound of your brains turning into watermelon soup.”

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