In the early days of growing vegetables one particular patient was in charge of the pumpkin patch, but he was a J Ward patient, and his subsequent behaviour might give an indication why.
He pulled all of the flowers off the pumpkin plants except for one. But did he care for that plant? He watered it, weeded it, fertilised it and kept everybody away from it. In the fullness of time he grew a humongous pumpkin. When it was ripe he took it into the cooks and asked if they would make some pumpkin soup.
“No problem,” said the cook, “Put it on the bench over there we’ll have it later in the week.”
Next morning when the cooks came in to work the kitchen was filled with an over powering stench. After checking their shoes for the obvious presents of the dog family the cooks decided the smell was coming from this huge pumpkin. The kitchen cleaver was brought into play, and the offending item was split asunder. Only then was it realised that the patient had cut the top out of the pumpkin, hollowed it out and used it as a toilet for a week.
From The J Ward Story, by Graeme Burgin
