Pipkin – The pumpkin songkeeper

In the garden behind an old chapel, a small pumpkin grew beneath the birds’ favourite resting place.

All summer, he listened.

He learned the blackbird’s morning whistle, the robin’s hurried chatter, and the little evening song that always ended with three notes, a pause, and one final note. By October, he knew them all by heart.

Then the branches emptied.

The pumpkin waited through several quiet mornings before deciding that somebody ought to do something about this. He took a deep breath and tried to sing.

What came out was a rather surprised chirp.

By sunrise, two sturdy feet had appeared beneath his round belly. His leaves had curled into an elaborate crest, and pale vines wound across a pair of newly opened wings. The garden’s smallest pumpkin had become its most unusually dressed bird.

Pipkin immediately began his rounds.

He sang beside the empty nests, beneath the chapel windows, and among the pots waiting to be brought indoors. He sometimes forgot a note. Sometimes he added one. The robin’s hurried chatter became considerably slower when sung by someone with such a substantial pumpkin belly.

One cold evening, a young bird landed on the garden wall. A storm had separated her from her flock, and she had been flying since morning.

Pipkin climbed onto his little stone perch and sang the evening tune.

Three notes. A pause. One final note.

The bird tucked her head beneath her wing and slept.

After that, Pipkin left a sheltered place beside his perch for anyone who needed it. A few dry leaves, a handful of seeds, and a familiar song were always waiting.

And every autumn, before the first frost, the returning birds brought him a new tune to learn.

Why print / collect

• A characterful pumpkin bird with a rounded body, proud little crest, and ornamental wings.
• Flowing botanical and baroque details that continue onto the decorative pedestal.
• A storybook companion for autumn displays, pumpkin collections, and enchanted gardens.

An original artofshirley character.