Once upon a time, in the heart of a sun-dappled garden, there lived a very round and jolly pumpkin named Petey. Petey was not your ordinary pumpkin. He wore a crooked little hat made of sunflower petals and had a wide, friendly grin carved into his bright orange face. Unlike the other pumpkins who sat quietly and soaked up the warm sun, Petey loved to laugh, and there was one thing he loved more than anything else in the whole garden—telling knock-knock jokes.

Every morning when the dew was still fresh on the grass, Petey would gather the other pumpkins, the corn stalks, and sometimes even the shy little rabbits that lived nearby. He would clear his throat, tip his sunflower-petal hat, and call out, “Knock-knock!” The other vegetables and animals would giggle and call back, “Who’s there?” and Petey would answer with the silliest, giggliest jokes you could imagine. His laughter echoed through the garden, bubbly as soap suds, and no one could help but join in.

One crisp autumn day, as the leaves painted themselves in shades of orange and gold, Petey made a big announcement. He climbed up on a little hillock of earth so everyone could see him and declared, “Tonight, I’ll tell knock-knock jokes until midnight! I want to fill the garden with so much laughter that even the moon will giggle in her sky.”

The news spread quickly. The carrots straightened their green tops and shined their orange suits. The tomatoes puckered up their cheeks in excitement. Even the wise old scarecrow, who usually stood very still and serious, tilted his straw hat and smiled. “This will be a night to remember,” he said in a voice scratchy as wind through wheat.

As the sun began to set, painting the clouds with swirls of pink and purple, the garden buzzed with excitement. Fireflies started to twinkle like tiny stars, and the cool breeze carried the promise of laughter through the rows of vegetables. Petey polished his sunflower hat, practiced his biggest, brightest grin, and waited eagerly for the clock in the farmhouse to strike seven.

One by one, the garden folk arrived. The rabbits hopped in, wiggling their soft noses. The mice scurried over, holding tiny bits of cheese for snacks. Even the bashful earthworms peeped out from the soil to see what all the fuss was about. Lantern bugs hovered above, casting a gentle glow, and the moon peeked out from behind a cloud, curious about the laughter to come.

Petey cleared his throat and called out, “Is everyone ready?” A chorus of cheers echoed back.

“Let’s begin!” Petey shouted with glee. He took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and said, “Knock-knock!”

The whole garden called, “Who’s there?”

“Lettuce!” Petey replied with a twinkle in his eye.

“Lettuce who?” everyone asked in unison.

“Lettuce in, it’s chilly out here!” Petey finished with a giggle. Laughter bubbled up from every corner of the garden. The scarecrow nearly toppled over from laughing so hard, and the rabbits wiggled with joy.

Petey was just getting started. He called again, “Knock-knock!”

“Who’s there?” came the now familiar chime.

“Pumpkin!” said Petey.

“Pumpkin who?”

“Pumpkin your brakes, this is going to be a loooong night of jokes!” he replied. The garden rolled with laughter. Petey’s jokes chased away the shadows, and even the moon seemed to glow brighter.

The evening breeze grew cooler, ruffling the leaves and making the lantern bugs hover lower to stay warm. Petey kept right on telling his jokes, each one sillier than the last.

“Knock-knock!”

“Who’s there?”

“Boo!”

“Boo who?”

“Don’t cry, it’s just a joke!” Petey said, and the tomatoes laughed until they turned even redder.

The minutes ticked by as Petey’s imagination soared. He told jokes about onions who made everyone cry (with laughter), cucumbers who were cool as can be, and peas who couldn’t keep quiet. For every joke, the garden folk clapped and cheered, their laughter ringing out like the chimes on the farmhouse porch.

As the night crept on, the stars sprinkled themselves across the sky, and the garden glowed softly. Petey paused from time to time to sip a little rainwater from a thimble-shaped leaf, but he never ran out of jokes.

“Knock-knock!” he called once more.

“Who’s there?” asked a tiny field mouse, peeping out from behind a marigold.

“Olive!” Petey replied.

“Olive who?” squeaked the mouse.

“Olive your jokes, too! Let’s keep laughing!” Petey replied, and the whole crowd burst into fresh giggles.

The wise old scarecrow, who had seen many a season pass, was amazed. He whispered to the wind, “Petey’s laughter is making the night brighter and warmer for everyone.”

Hour after hour, Petey’s knock-knock jokes kept rolling. The garden felt like a grand stage with Petey as the star. The moon slid higher in the sky, and her silvery light danced on the pumpkin’s shiny orange skin. The stars twinkled as if they, too, were joining in the fun.

Every so often, Petey would invent a brand new joke. He made up ones about dandelions who wanted to be lions, and acorns who dreamed of being mighty oak trees. The garden folk loved each and every one.

At one point, a bashful rabbit named Benny got up the courage to try a joke. “Knock-knock!” Benny said, his voice wobbly with nerves.

“Who’s there?” everyone replied.

“Carrot!”

“Carrot who?”

“Carrot wait to tell you how much I love these jokes!” Benny giggled, and everyone cheered. Petey grinned even wider, happy to share the stage.

More and more friends took turns with their own silly knock-knock jokes. The earthworms told wiggly jokes. The tomatoes shared juicy ones. Even the wise old scarecrow gave it a try with a joke about crows and corn that left everyone in stitches.

As midnight drew closer, the garden was full of happy faces. The air shimmered with the joy of laughter, and the night felt like a giant, cozy blanket wrapped around everyone.

Petey could feel his voice getting a little tired, but he didn’t slow down. He wanted to make sure every last second until midnight was full of fun.

“Knock-knock!” he called, his grin as big as ever.

“Who’s there?” chorused the now familiar voices.

“Yam!” Petey said.

“Yam who?”

“Yam I glad you’re all here to laugh with me tonight?” Petey finished. The laughter that followed was so loud and joyful that the moon herself sent down a special silvery beam, lighting up Petey’s sunflower hat until it sparkled like a crown.

The garden clock chimed softly, reminding everyone that midnight was only minutes away. The fireflies formed a twinkling arch over Petey, as if to say thank you for filling the night with so much happiness.

Petey thought for a moment and realized he had just enough time for one last joke. He stood tall (well, as tall as a pumpkin can stand) and called out with all his might, “Knock-knock!”

“Who’s there?” the entire garden replied, their voices full of love.

“Orange!” Petey said with a wink.

“Orange who?” they called back, leaning closer.

“Orange you glad we had this night together?” Petey finished.

There was a pause, and then the garden erupted in the happiest, bounciest, most wonderful laughter ever heard. Even the moon laughed, sending a gentle breeze that ruffled Petey’s sunflower hat and made the scarecrow dance a little jig.

As the last echo of laughter faded and midnight arrived, the garden folk gathered around Petey. They hugged him gently, careful not to squash his round sides, and thanked him for a magical night. The rabbits promised to write down all the jokes. The mice said they would share the laughter with anyone who needed a smile. The wise old scarecrow wiped a tear from his button eye and said, “You have made this night the brightest of all.”

Petey felt warm and glowy from the very tips of his stem to the bottom of his round belly. He knew this was a night he—and all his friends—would remember forever.

One by one, the garden folk slipped away to their cozy beds under leaves and in burrows. The lantern bugs dimmed their lights, and the fireflies drifted away. The moon gave Petey one last wink before gliding behind a cloud, smiling to herself about the happiest pumpkin in the garden.

Petey snuggled down in his patch, his sunflower hat still sparkling with moon dust. He closed his eyes, his cheeks aching from all the smiling. As he drifted off to sleep, he dreamed of new knock-knock jokes and the sound of laughter floating on the night air.

And so, in that magical garden, under the watchful gaze of the stars, a pumpkin named Petey reminded everyone that laughter is the brightest light of all. From that night on, whenever the wind rustled the leaves or the moon glowed a little brighter, the garden folk would remember the jolly pumpkin with the sunflower hat, who told knock-knock jokes until midnight and filled the world with joy.

Goodnight, Petey. Goodnight, garden. Goodnight, giggles that sparkle like stars.