Quill's 31 Days of Halloween

Day 17

ScareCrow



“Charlie watched and waited. He stood high above the field and watched for the disgusting black scavengers. He hated them terribly, attacking his master’s fields and taking away the precious corn. His master had already threatened to take away his straw stuffing if more corn went missing.

Charlie tried his hardest, he knew he did. But the black winged beasts were smart and stealthy, eating the corn while he took his afternoon nap. He was a young scarecrow and he need his sleep. He had asked his grandfather in the next field for advice. He wasn’t very helpful.

“No time for sleep boy! You can sleep when your stuffing’s all gone and the master throws your clothes away because they are too worn. Last scarecrow that couldn’t do his job got thrown in a bonfire! No kin of mine is going to go down that way! Now git back to yer field and don’t be bothering me!”

Charlie followed his grandfather’s advice, but each day he went home more tired than the day before. Before long, he could barely keep his eyes open in the field. All the scaring and protecting made him very exhausted. With the hot sun beating down on him, Charlie sat down, telling himself that one little break wouldn’t hurt the corn. And before he knew it, he was asleep.

Charlie woke with jerk. He pulled his straw filled self up and looked around in horror. All around him was half eaten corn!
Stalks lay on the ground pecked and bruised, and no whole corn cob was in sight! Famer would de-straw him for sure now! He threw himself down and cried. Some scarecrow he was! All his corn was gone! His family would be disgraced. He dragged himself towards the barn, dreading to see Farmer’s face.

He met Famer in the barn.

“What are doing in the barn Charlie? Shouldn’t you be guarding my corn?”

“Master, I am so sorry, but I fell asleep, and when I woke, all the corn was gone, half pecked and broken.”
The Master Farmer’s faced turned very angry. His fists clenched and his eyebrows furrowed.

“You know what happens when a scarecrow doesn’t do his job.” He told Charlie angrily.

“Yes,” Charlie said sadly.

Later that night, when the moon was high and wood was lit, Master Farmer, in view of all the other scarecrows, threw Charlie in the burning flames. “

The mother scarecrow carefully closed the storybook. She placed in on the stand and turned to tuck in her little one.

“That’s why you always guard the fields very carefully. You wouldn’t want to be thrown into a bon-fire would you? Now time for bed, no more stories tonight.”

The little scarecrow snuggled deeper in its bed. “Ahh mama, its Halloween, just one more?”

“No no, Goodnight little one, we have to guard the pumpkins tomorrow.” The mother scarecrow blew out the light, and closed the door.