The Spirited Scarecrow
Halloween Madness: Book Three
A Starlight Investigation Short Story
Marnie Atwell
Copyright © 2018 MARNIE ATWELL
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Halloween Madness Series is written by an Australian author who uses Australian English.
Summary
When nightmares come to life.
Scout wants to perform an experiment; create a scarecrow to see if Briella can control it once it’s animated with her magic.
Briella is resistant to this idea because she is terrified of scarecrows. When her fear manifests itself through her drawings, her friends decide to take action.
They coerce Briella into creating a scarecrow and she soon discovers there is more to herself than meets the eye.
This book is 20,000 words and is book 3 of 6 in the Halloween Madness Series.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
About the Author
Chapter One
It hurt to breathe. Her chest ached as she tried to drag enough air into her lungs to fill the void. She stood doubled over, a fist shoved into her mouth to quieten the sound of her ragged breathing. Tears streamed from her eyes as she listened intently for any sound that would indicate his whereabouts.
She knew she couldn’t stay there, but was too frightened to move. ‘If you don’t keep moving, he’ll find you,’ she repeated in her head as she tried to gather enough courage to place one foot in front of the other. She detected the crunch of dried grass underfoot. The sound came from behind her and slightly to the right. Her body gave a jolt, and her feet began to propel her body forward.
“You can’t stay hidden forever, fairy. I will find you.”
‘Why are you doing this to me?’ she wondered. Because he could, she realised.
A sob escaped her throat as she blundered through the cornfield. She wished she could fly above the vegetation, but that would make it easier for him to spot her. Keeping to ground level, she had no way of knowing how far she was from the garden’s edge. “I am not going to die today,” she whispered as she hovered a few centimetres above the dirt.
His footfalls became simpler to pinpoint as he took less care in keeping his location a secret. Briella came to the realisation he was messing with her head as he hunted her. He wanted her to know where he was. She wasn’t sure why, though she knew there must be a reason for his sudden change in strategy. ‘I must be close to safety,’ she thought. ‘We must be nearing an area where he can’t follow me.’
A stretch of light appeared in front of her, increasing her feelings of hope. She dug deep into her reserves of energy to increase her speed towards the sanctuary. A giggle of relief escaped her as she realised how close she was to evading his clutches. She reached out with her hands, her eyes glistening as the rays of light touched her fingertips. “Ah,” she gasped as it caressed her skin.
“Freedom!” she yelled happily, moments before being scooped up by a gloved hand. “No,” she cried, kicking her legs and using her hands to try to pry herself free. She was brought up to face height of her captor and found herself staring into his strange orange eyes.
“I’ve got you now,” he grinned, bringing her even closer.
“No!” Briella screamed, launching herself into a sitting position. Her breathing was ragged, and her heart was racing. She glanced around the room, taking in her surroundings. She was in April’s room at the pub, safe and sound. Briella breathed a sigh of relief. “It was just a dream.”
She fluttered off the bed and flew to the window, testing the frame to see if it was locked. It opened easily, giving her access to the roof. Briella flew to the peak and sat on the ridge, soaking up the moonbeams. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, becoming startled when Scout appeared out of nowhere and spoke to her. “Can’t sleep?”
With her hand resting over her heart, Briella answered, “No.”
“Something on your mind?”
“Just a bad dream. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I thought I’d come out here to re-energise.”
Scout sat on the corrugated iron and threw an arm over Briella’s shoulder. “Your dream wouldn’t have anything to do with a scarecrow, would it?”
Briella scoffed. “As if.”
“We don’t need to make one, you know. I thought it might be a good experiment, but not if it is going to make you lose sleep.”
“Why would a scarecrow make me lose sleep? They are designed to scare crows away from the farmer’s crops. They are not real, Scout.”
“I know that, and yet the mere mention of the name has your hand shaking so hard you could sprinkle glitter over an A4 piece of paper and reach all the edges.”
“I’m sorry, Scout. I know it’s illogical to be frightened of scarecrows, but I can’t help it.”
“Phobias aren’t logical, Briella, and knowing that doesn’t make them any less scary. The only way to combat a phobia is to face it head on, with the support of your family and friends.”
“I am not creating a scarecrow and bringing it to life, Scout.”
“I am no longer asking you to. I wouldn’t have in the first place if I’d known how it was going to affect you. What would help you feel more settled?”
“Maybe doing some more sketches. I could draw some Jack-o-lanterns that look similar to the guys at the pumpkin patch. At least then, I would be able to control their actions.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop thinking about Halloween altogether?”
“Don’t be silly, Scout. We don’t have a lot of time to finish our preparations for the party.”
“If you think that will make you feel better,” Scout said with a doubtful tone. She scrunched up her face in thought. “Would the Jack-o-lanterns you draw be able to give off light like the carved ones do when you light the candle inside?”
“I don’t know. I suppose they would be pretty useless if they didn’t.”
“They wouldn’t be useless, Briella.”
“Of course they would. You wouldn’t be able to see them, and what would be the point?”
“How about you draw one and we’ll test it out. If they are able to shine some light, you can draw some more to your heart’s content. If not, then you know to spend your time drawing other props. Do you think we need more, considering the party will probably be held in the House of Horrors?”
“Absolutely. There will be people partying outside as well. They won’t want to spend all their time inside the house.”
Chapter Two
Scout and Briella made their way to the art studio where Briella’s pencils and sketchpad lay waiting. Rather than risk waking April, who was getting in a couple of hours sleep, Scout put some of her fairy dust into a spare lantern to light the workspace.
“Ooh, I like this one, too,” Briella gushed quietly, admiring the glow of the crescent-shaped moon.
“I prefer the star one myself,” Scout admitted, picturing the way the fire had shimmered as they’d made their way through the carpark to test a picture of a house Briella had drawn. The star appeared to sparkle, bringing a smile to her face.
“Both the lanterns are beautiful, aren’t they?” Briella said, not expecting an answer as she opened the sketchpad to a blank page and began the outline of a pumpkin. “Do you think it would be bad to capture John’s likeness in the picture?”
Scout placed her hand on Briella’s shoulder. “He would be honoured.”
“Do you really think so?” Briella asked, searching Scout’s eyes for the truth of her words.
“I’m sure if he was still animated by your magic, he would tell you that himself.”
April’s voice came softly from the bed, “If he were still here, Briella wouldn’t need to draw him, would she?”
“Sorry to wake you, April,” Briella said, her voice being heard through April’s mind-linking ability. “I forgot to lock down my thoughts.”
“Doesn’t matter, Love. I’ve had enough sleep to last me another week. Can I get you anything, girls?” April swung her legs over the edge and rose to a sitting position.
“No thanks,” they answered, returning their attention to the sketchpad.
April stood up and walked to the bathroom. After using the facilities, she swapped her pyjamas for a tank top and pair of shorts. Grabbing a hair-tie off the surface of the vanity, she placed her long, caramel coloured hair into a high ponytail. “Then I’ll leave you to it,” April replied, heading for her running shoes sitting by the door. She slipped them onto her feet and quietly closed the door behind her as she left.
April loved this time of the day. It was just over an hour until dawn, and the air was the coolest it was going to be for the rest of the day. Although her feet stepped lightly and barely made a sound, she was nearly knocked off her feet by a red and white husky. A scowl tried to take over her face as her mouth opened to let out the laugh that was making its way up her respiratory system. The resulting strangled sound nearly had her tripping over her feet in embarrassment.
“Dammit, Liam! You are going to get us kicked out of here,” she hissed, glancing around but not seeing anybody. ‘Whoever’s on reception duty must be in the loo,’ she thought, knowing the counter wouldn’t be vacant for long.
“Not me, Honey. Just you,” he smirked, transforming to his human state.
“You’ll be joining me if someone notices your irises. Honestly, Liam. How have you not been caught?” She narrowed her eyes at his guilty expression. “You were discovered, and yet you still haven’t learnt your lesson.” She clenched her fist to stop herself from smacking him on the back of the head. “What did you do, manipulate their memories?”
“Would you rather they knew of our existence?” he asked, taking her elbow in his gentle grip and leading her towards the exit.
“I would prefer you kept your eyes that gorgeous shade of chocolate like you had before they irradiated us, and caused them to turn coral.”
“Why do you always resort to feelings of violence when you are unhappy with me?” he muttered, registering the tension in her body.
“I have no idea,” she blurted before thinking. He turned to look at her but was thwarted when she averted her face. He stopped walking, tugging on her arm so that she did the same.
“Look at me, April.”
“Dawn will be here soon. I want to get my run in before it gets too hot,” she looked slightly to the left, avoiding direct contact with his eyes.
Force furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to figure out April’s behaviour. She was acting weirdly, but he couldn’t work out why. He felt terrible that he had made her angry again. His eyes deepened in colour until they appeared normal. “Would you prefer to run on your own?”
She turned to tell him that was precisely what she wanted, but sighed when her eyes met his. “No,” she said instead.
His face lit up with a grin, causing her heart to skip a beat. He moved towards the door, his hand sliding from her elbow to grip her hand. “Why don’t we make this interesting?”
“What did you have in mind?” April turned to face him head-on. She eased herself from his grip and folded her arms. Force chuckled quietly. “Trying to intimidate me, Love?”
“No, and what’s with this sudden need to call me love all the time?”
“I had a dream,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“Hmmm, going to leave that one alone,” April huffed, grabbing the handle of the door and pushing it open.
“Chicken?”
“Of you?” she scoffed. “Hardly.”
“Okay then, how about a race to our new house and back. Winner buys the loser breakfast.”
“Seriously. You can do better than that.”
“Um, that is a bit lame, isn’t it? If I win, you spend a day in the bush with me.”
“If I win, you spend a day at the beach with me,” she grinned, knowing she wasn’t as averse to a day in the woods as he was to spend a day on the sand.
“Deal,” he agreed, holding out his hand.
April placed her hand in his, and they shook on it. “I need to warm up first. Twice around the pub should do it. What do you think?”
“Yeah, that should be enough to limber up.”
April began her first lap. Force couldn’t help himself. His eyes went straight to her rear end. “I’m not going to win if I’m behind her,” he muttered, moving his feet and picking up his pace. “Too nice a distraction,” he said as he passed her
April laughed. Nothing had changed. That was the way she always won. Start off quicker than him, and he would forget they were racing each other. She hadn’t had a chance to spend much time in the surf when she and Scout made the trip to the coast. How lovely it would be to see Force in a pair of board shorts, surrounded by women, and not being able to appreciate it because of the irritating feeling of sand in his pants.
Chapter Three
April let him have the lead during the warm-up round. She enjoyed the view as much as he did, though she never allowed herself to become distracted from the prize, winning. His buns were sweet to look at, but the rippling effect of his back muscles as he swung his arms when in full motion was magnificent. Something she wouldn’t get to enjoy this morning if she wanted to win.
Even at this time of the day, the humidity was enough to ensure the sweat clung to her skin. April wasn’t particularly fond of that feeling, though she wasn’t interested in asking her superiors for a transfer either. She did love the burning sensation in her muscles after a good workout and the shower afterwards compensated for any discomfort that came with the weather.
“Keeping up back there?” Force called over his shoulder. April ignored him but made sure she was looking somewhere other than him in case he could see her admiring his physique. Force finished the lap and lengthened his stride. He turned to face her, running backwards. “What’s the matter, don’t have enough oomph to speak? Conserving your energy won’t make any difference to the outcome, you know.”
April smiled, barely puffing for air. “Well then, I suppose I had better say something so you can’t use that as an excuse when I beat you to the finish line.”
“Oh, you’re going down, Lane.”
“Ooh, using my surname, Liam. I’m shaking in my boots.”
Force croaked with laughter. “You’re not wearing any.” He turned around and picked up his pace. “You’re going down when we hit that start line, Sunshine.”
“Bring it!” she returned.
Force slowed his gait to ensure they crossed the line simultaneously. With a final smirk in her direction, he lengthened his stride and broke slightly ahead. April wasn’t the least bit concerned. They had done this on many occasions, to the point where she could practically count down to the point when he would turn around t
o see how far behind she was. Until that point was reached, she concentrated on her breathing and gauging the distance to the cottage that would soon be theirs.
April wasn’t sure how she felt about the place. Her mood kept flipping whenever she thought about it. One moment she was happy thinking about chilling in the country, the next she was terrified she would become bored after a couple of days. She had only managed to keep it together during her recent stay as she was busy creating a two storey masterpiece for Scout to live in full-time, and Briella to stay at during her holidays.
Now that the rooms had been constructed, there was nothing to occupy her time and keep her mind busy. The assembly of the home would only take a couple of hours once the settlement was finalised. She wasn’t the gardening type and had already decided she would leave the landscaping to Liam.
When she glanced at him, she realised her thoughts had slowed her quite considerably. When he turned around to determine her position, he had to manoeuvre himself further than expected. This led him to land on the ground in a tangled heap. Laughter burst from April as she approached him. She launched herself into the air, her legs scissoring as she hurdled his body. She would have made it had he not lifted his hand and taken hold of her ankle.
April came down hard, forcing the air from Force’s diaphragm as her knee was driven into his torso. She heard a grunt before her head hit the hardened earth of the meadow. Her vision blurred from the tears welling in her eyes and her arm rested at an awkward, abnormal angle.
“Liam,” she groaned, holding back the sobs that threatened to take control.
Force lay on his side with bent legs, gripping his hands to his chest as he struggled to take a breath. Until he could fill his lungs with oxygen, he would be of no use to his friend. He stretched his arm until his hand rested on her thigh. It was the best he could do under the circumstances. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, his chest began to expand.
After a few minutes, it became clear to him that some of his ribs were broken. His breathing was ragged, and the act was excruciatingly painful. Regardless of this fact, Force crawled to his knees and bent over April’s body. He placed his hands over her arm, closing his eyes against her moans of pain as he mended her broken elbow, and healed the torn ligaments in her wrist. He shuffled further up her body and placed his hand on her forehead. Healing energy soon had the lengthy lacerations and bruises fading away. Pulsing his energy deeper, he ensured she wouldn’t suffer any ill effects from a concussion.
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