Watch Out for Pumpkins and Melons

One of the most frightening things about vampires is that they can pretty much go anywhere and do anything, including those awesome superhuman feats. But would vampires instill such fear if they were inanimate objects? Well, yes and no. According to a legend that stemmed from the Balkans, there's a whole other kind of vampire that we should be on the lookout for. And they might be found right in your produce aisle at the grocery store. Or - gasp! - waiting for you on your front doorstep, especially around the time of Halloween.

These vampires are vampiric pumpkins and watermelons, although the legend is based on the belief that any fruit left outside the night of a full moon will become a vampire. Legend has it that any fruit that's left outside for more than ten days, or that is left outside after Christmas, will start to roll around on the ground growling and being a general nuisance to the humans around it. But this doesn't come without warning. It's also said that it's possible to identify a fruit that's about to become a vampire because drops of blood will start to appear on its skin.

However, these fruit vampires don't seem to have the ability to grow teeth and bite humans, much less drain them of their blood. So, if you're walking out next Halloween, or happen to see a watermelon rind sticking out of your neighbor's trash, the chances are that you probably don't need to worry. After all, they are just pumpkins and watermelons. If they really start to irritate you, the chances are good that you can probably just smash them with your foot. But still, I'll be sure to throw out my pumpkins next Halloween straight away. And while I'm at, I may leave out the teeth-carving on my next jack-o-lantern.  We don't want to be taking chances, now do we?