The Purple Rocket Podcast presents Life. Episode 30, Nester The Pestering Pumpkin.

Hugo loved Halloween.

His birthday aside, it was by far his favorite holiday, but he didn't love it for the usual reasons, the spooky decorations or even the candy.

Hugo didn't even like candy.

He loved Halloween because it was the time of year he got to show off his best pranking skills.

Hugo prided himself on his ability to pull off elaborate pranks.

He'd been doing it for as long as he could remember.

When Heather Basha shouted out his low test score during class, he snuck into her

backyard and filled her pool with catfish she'd caught in the canal. When a school was having

a fundraising assembly, he climbed up into the rafters, opened a ceiling

tile, and threw water balloons down at the kids and teachers.

He got expelled for that one.

Even so, he was proud of his handiwork.

He wasn't that he loved getting into trouble.

He was just obsessed with the thrill of surprise.

Could he have spent that energy throwing people obsessed with a thrill of surprise.

Could he have spent that energy throwing people's surprise parties?

Yeah, he could have.

He could have done nice surprises, but those didn't sound as fun and they weren't the ideas that naturally came to him.

Pranks had become part of everyday thought.

He couldn't look at anything anymore without thinking of a way to turn it into a practical joke.

When he saw someone mopping the floor, he'd imagine wiping Vaseline all over it so people would

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