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It’s fall and pumpkin spice is everywhere. A local coffee shop has some great new recipes and there’s been a lot of buzz about it—only, if you’ve indulged you may find yourself with some unusual side effects. Due to some very defective pumpkins (and who knows what else), pumpkin spice lovers are suffering from nausea, vomiting and—perhaps worst of all—your skin has turned orange on top of it all. Thankfully the discoloration and illness seems to wear off within a few hours, but you probably shouldn’t go back for a second cup.
One sip was all it took.
“I don’t think this one’s mine,” Gigi said, pushing the tall cardboard cup back towards the girl from her study group who’d gotten everyone’s orders.
“Sure it is.” The cup was pushed firmly back to her, but Gigi could see a demonic twinkle in the other girl’s eyes. The kind that said more Trick than Treat. The rest of the small group looked at them curiously, because rejecting a coffee was not something Gigi would do under any normal circumstances. But ‘twas the season, and a plain cinnamon latte would not be this super-sweet. Nor would nutmeg, which she could also smell powdered over the cream. It wasn’t caramel, either, or maple syrup. She took another cautious sip, just to be sure, but having ruled out acceptable options, there was only one unacceptable one.
“It’s a pumpkin latte,” she said flatly, putting it down. She hated pumpkin. It was her least-favourite food, always had been. She avoided pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie. She definitely wasn’t touching roast pumpkin. Pumpkin in coffee was an affront to everything she stood for. And she’d really needed some caffeine right now. A headache was already coming on.
“Pumpkin Spice latte,” her classmate corrected. “There’s no actual pumpkin in it.”
This was a lie. Gigi had checked the Starbucks ingredients once. While this café may have its own recipes, she would bet it wasn’t that different.
“There so is. I can taste it.” Or at least, there was a strange aftertaste that lingered once all the sugar and spice faded. Gigi pulled off the lid and poked through the cream with a spoon, dredging up thick, faintly orange liquid that dripped back into the cup.
“Just give it a chance, okay?” the other girl cajoled.
Gigi looked around the table, seeking support, but none was given. They were all pumpkin-loving traitors, it seemed – she could see the spice powder on most of their small drinks. And she was a hopeless addict, with no change in her pocket to buy something less ‘seasonal’. With a sigh, she accepted her fate, closing her eyes and draining half the cup in one long, determined gulp. It burned on the way down, too hot, too sweet, and far too pumpkin. She knew immediately it was a huge mistake. The caffeine hit was there, but her stomach churned unhappily.
As the others pored over their study notes, Gigi sunk further into her seat, the words in her textbook swimming dizzily before her. The headache had settled into the back of her neck, her skin was burning but she felt cold on the inside. And her stomach… Urrgh.
She stumbled to her feet, hand to her mouth, knocking her suspect beverage onto its side.
“I- I think I’m allergic,” she managed, and fled to the bathrooms.
The nausea came in waves, and didn’t seem like it would be going away in a hurry. Between bouts, she rang her mum to request emergency pick-up, and propped herself in front of the bathroom mirror to rinse the sick taste out of her mouth. The cold water helped a little.
Something was wrong with her skin, she realised, staring at her reflection. She felt clammy and pale, but her face was a violent shade of orange. Her hands, too, when she raised them to her cheeks. It wasn’t just the café lighting – a quick, horrified check with her phone light confirmed her whole body had turned pumpkin. She hadn’t been this orange since the spray-tan disasters of her Meadowview days!
Whatever was in that pumpkin spice mix was clearly not fit for human consumption. In fact, she was never coming to this café again. Or trusting anyone else to buy her drink. She needed to find a new study group. But not until she looked and felt human again.
(641 words)
