The Spirited Scarecrow

by Marnie Atwell

  “Whatever,” Scout shook her hands to waive the interruption away. “Go and draw a template, something creepy. I’ll make copies and add names.”

  “It’s too late for that, Scout. The party’s about a week away.”

  “You’re right. That means we have less than a week to get the word out. Okay. New plan. Make a template for display in public places; school notice board, local church, the board downstairs, etc. We can get Force and April to pin them up and go from there.”

  “We won’t know who is coming.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s Force and April. Everyone will come.”

  “You’re right.”

  The girls flew to the studio. Their departure went unnoticed by the Gatherers who had become totally engrossed in creating the scarecrow. Briella sat at her easel and opened the sketchpad to a new page. After a few seconds of staring at the white paper, her mind began to see the finished product. She picked up her pencil and, with confident strokes, set about creating an invitation to rival all others.

  Briella created the outline of a scroll across the top. Inside she wrote, ‘You are invited to Halloween Hollow’.

  “Oh, that’s good,” Scout blurted.

  “Sit quietly or help the others,” she was warned.

  Scout zipped her lips and held up her hands. Briella smirked then returned to her project. In the bottom-right-hand-corner, she drew a reaper with a scythe. Along the blade, she wrote the date of the party. In the bottom-left-hand-corner, she outlined a werewolf with a speech bubble, ‘Come if you dare’. Between the two pictures, she drew a line of gravestones in all shapes and sizes. On them, she wrote their new address.

  The middle of the invite showcased the main attraction: The House of Horrors. ‘Only the brave shall enter.’

  From the bottom of the banner to the roof of the house, Briella drew vines with Jack-o-lanterns swinging from them. Once again, Scout was in awe of Briella’s ability. She sprinkled some magic on the page and whispered, “Times ten.”

  The poster multiplied itself, stacking the copies beside the original in a neat pile.

  “Thanks, Scout,” Briella wrapped her arms around Scout’s shoulders.

  “Don’t sweat it. You’ll be back to using your magic soon.”

  April called to Briella. The fairies flew back to the living area. “Where did you two go?”

  “We made the invitations for the party. Can you stick them around the town later?”

  “I can, but I don’t know if I will,” April huffed.

  “Don’t be a nasty woman, April,” Briella scowled. “And stop correcting my grammar.”

  April and Force shared a thought behind their smiles that couldn’t be read by the fairies. Scout narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

  “We’ll take care of it later, I promise,” April replied. “Now about the scarecrow. Where do you want his eyes and mouth?”

  Briella looked at the plumped out cushion of Hessian. She pointed to the spots she wanted to be cut then held her breath. The holes appeared, one by one. Her breathing became more ragged with each snip of the scissors. By the time April had finished, Briella was almost on the verge of hyperventilating. Scout grabbed her by the back of the neck and forced her head between her legs.

  “Deep breaths, Briella. Nice and slow. Good girl.”

  “I’m sorry, Scout. I don’t know what came over me,” Briella stated, lifting herself slightly.

  “The scarecrow is becoming more real with human-like features,” Scout replied. “In the bag of goodies that April brought home, I saw some orange eyes used by doll makers to create large teddy bears, and a pair of lips like those found on Mr Potato Head. Do you think that will make it harder or easier to look at him?”

  “It’s gotta be easier than looking at holes with bits of plant poking out, don’t you think?”

  “Let’s see,” Scout shrugged. “Put ‘em in, April,” Scout encouraged.

  “Righty-o,” she said uncertainly, reaching for the packaging.

  Chapter Twelve

  Briella eyed the scarecrow cautiously. She wasn’t sure what was worse, the eyeless pits that had been there moments ago or the dead, orange irises that now peered at her. After staring at the face for a few moments, she decided the eyes were an improvement.

  The mouth, however, was laughable. It was too high. From the tips of the peaks to the outline of the bottom lip was five centimetres, at least two centimetres more than was needed. The width was too short and needed to be at least twice the size.

  “Can you do something with the mouth, April? It looks weird.”

  “Sure,” she responded, using her power over the elements to reshape the mouth so that it appeared more natural. “How’s that?”

  “Better. Can you change the colour? It’s a bit pale, don’t you think?”

  “I could apply some lipstick,” April mocked. The fairies burst into laughter.

  “I’d bet he would be the first scarecrow in the world to have his face painted like a girl,” Scout giggled.

  “Not going to happen,” Force’s forceful voice sliced through their playfulness. “I’ve got some paint in the cupboard. I’m sure I can mix up a natural colour for our friend here.”

  “And spoil our fun?” April shoved his shoulder with her arm.

  “I’m not letting you paint his face with makeup. How’s he gonna be a manly scarecrow, protecting the paddocks from the birds when he’s got that stuff plastered all over his face?”

  “He’s not real, Force. He wouldn’t know the difference. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

  “I’m not. You are,” he answered, opening the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  He looked at her incredulously, “To get the paint.”

  April glanced at the fairies. They seemed as miffed as she was by his reaction.

  “Well, that was strange,” April said. “Is there anything you want to change, Briella?”

  “Put his hat on. He looks funny bald.”

  April secured the straw hat to his head by tightening the cords beneath his chin. Briella eyed them uncertainly. “Do you think they look a bit girly?”

  “What?” April asked.

  “The cords. Do you think a guy would wear his hat like that?”

  “Hmmm, you could be right,” she said, taking in his appearance. “But it’s not like he can hold his hat on in the midst of a gust of wind. His hat will fly off and he’ll be bald again. The Hessian holding his innards will be more susceptible to the elements.”

  “How long are we going to keep him?” Briella asked.

  “As long as he lasts,” April shrugged. “No point in pulling him apart again.”

  “I guess,” Briella replied.

  “Why don’t you come closer?” Scout suggested, intrigued by the movement of the needle and thread as April attached an arm to the sleeve of the t-shirt.

  “I don’t know,” Briella shook her head.

  “You’ll be right,” Scout said softly, poking the scarecrow in the face. “See?”

  Briella waited for the scarecrow to retaliate. She knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen and yet, part of her was absolutely terrified that somehow the scarecrow would hurt her friend. After a few minutes, she had to admit her fear was unfounded. She flew closer to their creation and fluttered at chest height. “Touch him,” Scout encouraged.

  Briella shook her head. “That’s a negative,” she stated.

  Scout poked him again. “He’s amazingly squishy,” she sang. Briella glanced away, ashamed of her inability to touch the thing. Scout flew to her friend and gently gripped her by the arm.

  She led her down until they were millimetres from the denim. “Just a little more and you will be touching him with your feet. Your wings are free, you can escape whenever you want.”

  Briella stared at her friend and with a complete leap of faith, allowed the soles of her feet to touch the material. Even though she barely weighed more than a AA batter
y, her landing made a slight depression in his leg. “He is squishy,” Briella cried, bouncing on the spot. “This feels awesome.” Her squeal of delight brought a relieved smile to their lips.

  Force wandered in with some paint on a plate. “What do you think of this colour?” His eyes widened as they observed Briella’s behaviour. She flew over to contemplate the colour. “That should be perfect for his skin tone and the clothes he is wearing,” she nodded.

  “I see somebody is acting like their usual self,” he responded to her comment.

  Briella appeared shocked. “Why, whatever do you mean?” His flustered attempt at defending himself had her howling with laughter. “You know, you could do with a makeover yourself,” she eyed him critically.

  “Don’t even start,” he warned with narrowed eyes. “I’m quite comfortable with what I’m wearing.” Briella liked the pale grey t-shirt and blue jeans he had put on that morning. He had even remembered to portray his eyes as milk chocolate coloured.

  “I just thought you might like to wear your official uniform when you pin up the Halloween fliers.”

  “Why would I need to do that?”

  “It makes your butt look good.”

  “That’s not sexist at all,” Force replied sarcastically. “Surely, I don’t need to dress ‘in a certain way’ to have people attend our Halloween party.”

  “Of course not,” Scout answered on behalf of Briella. “Though it doesn’t hurt. You haven’t given the ladies anything exciting to look at for a few days.”

  “There are plenty of good-looking fellows in town for the ladies to go gaga over. Besides, I’m not looking for a relationship.”

  “Does Loretta know that?” Scout scowled.

  “Loretta and I are just friends. How many times do I need to tell you that?”

  “I think the man doth protest too much,” Scout grinned.

  Force rolled his eyes and turned their attention back to the paint. “So that’s a yes, to the paint job?”

  “Affirmative,” Briella nodded.

  “You’ll need to wait until I’ve finished sewing on his appendages, or else I might get paint on my clothes.”

  “The paint will have dried out by then,” Force whined.

  “You can rehydrate it in an instant,” April reminded him.

  “That’s beside the point. I went to a lot of trouble to get the tone right.”

  “And yet, the shade of lipstick in my bag would have been perfect. No effort spent.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The girls were quite bored by the time April finished sewing the scarecrow together and Force applied the lip colour. Briella eyed their creation in awe. His eyes were disturbing. She was sure he would do a great job scaring away the birds.

  “We should put him out in the field,” she blurted out.

  “Been doing some deep thinking?” Force asked.

  “Yeah. Although I’m not particularly scared of this one, I’m not partial to coming across him in the middle of the night, perched there on the lounge chair, either. I think he would be happier hanging out in the vegetable patch.”

  “Okay,” Force said. “Where exactly would you like to put him? I’ll grab the poles and prepare his resting place.”

  “Oh, he won’t be resting,” Briella told him, fluttering in front of his face. “He’ll be working hard, scaring the birds away.”

  Force peered over at April. She shook her head ever so slightly, afraid Briella might see. Force nodded his head, understanding completely. Briella had no idea how Scarecrows worked. She didn’t seem to realise they didn’t do any work at all. They simply hung on the pole. The way the birds avoided the scarecrow was actually quite fascinating, now that Force thought about it. Why were they scared of something that didn’t move?

  “Force, are you listening to me?” He blinked his eyes and concentrated on Briella’s face.

  “I’m sorry, love. What did you say?” he replied, noticing the corners of April’s mouth drop. Frowning deeply, he tried to keep his focus on Briella, rather than letting his mind worry over April’s reaction.

  “I asked if I could come with you,” Briella grumbled.

  “Sure. We can all go. It will be like a family outing,” he said, his face smoothing out.

  April’s eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth twisted slightly to the right. ‘What is she thinking?’ he wondered, annoyed she had blocked him from connecting with her through mind-link. He mulled over the past few minutes and came to a conclusion. April liked him more than she was letting on.

  April glanced up to see the boyish grin on his face. He heard her heartbeat quicken and turned his head away to avoid her seeing the way her reaction had affected him. ‘Finally,’ he sighed. She had unwittingly given him permission to pursue a relationship with her. He would have to take it slowly. She was like a small bird. Move too fast, and she would fly away in fright.

  “Who’s ready?” he said, voice rising high with excitement.

  “Me,” Briella and Scout called out.

  April kept her eyes low, placing the pins, needle and remaining thread securely in her sewing kit.

  “Are you coming, April?” Force asked quietly.

  “Sure, why not?” she answered, meeting his eyes but wishing she hadn’t. Something was glimmering in them that she couldn’t read. It made her feel nervous. “I just need to grab my hat and shoes.”

  Force lifted the scarecrow, and threw him over his shoulder as he headed for the door. April grabbed a white bucket hat off a hook by the door and slid her feet into a pair of navy blue slips on. Briella said, “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  Force spun around, nearly knocking the fairies with the scarecrow. Briella pointed to April, “Her shoes match her short-sleeved top while her hat matches her jeans. Co-ordinated outfits are more appealing than clothes that are slapped on without thought.” Force grumped out an answer that nobody wanted to hear. “Such language,” Briella scolded.

  He stormed out of the room and down the stairs. Briella and Scout flew quietly behind him. “Why do you and April always have to put him in a bad mood?” Scout enquired.

  “We don’t,” Briella denied.

  “Yes, you do,” Scout returned. “There hasn’t been a day since you started living here; well, except for the first couple, that one of you hasn’t upset him.”

  Briella considered her words. “I guess we are not used to being in each other’s pocket, twenty-four-seven. Maybe this isn’t going to work out after all.”

  “Don’t say that. I’m sure if we are aware of the effect we are having on one another, we can fix it.”

  “Maybe.”

  “You don’t seem too sure about that,” Scout muttered.

  “I’m not. I think I might have been more excited by the thought of living with you occasionally, than actually doing it. I left Fairyland for a reason. Besides the fact I am exceptionally skilled at locating monsters, I am not that great at being around other fairies. I’m sorry to say this, Scout, but even ones I love as much as you.”

  Scout breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh my God, Briella. I feel exactly the same way. I didn’t know how to tell you that having you here all the time is beginning to get on my nerves.”

  Briella flew closer to Scout, grasping her by the hand. “We must keep our communication honest, Scout. Your friendship is too important to me, for me to let the fear of hurting your feelings ultimately drive a wedge between us.”

  “Same here. I don’t know how I feel about Force,” Scout confessed. “I have loved him for a long time, but I don’t know if that is as a friend or something more substantial.”

  “But he’s a Gatherer, Scout. You’re a fairy. How would that work?”

  “I don’t know. I am happy that April and Force have a deep connection with each other, but I am also fiercely jealous. I am so confused. I love April and hate her at the same time. What does that say about me?”

  “That your feelings are typical of a person who loves people deep
ly. It will sort itself out. Whatever is meant to be will come to pass. Although, I must say, us being truthful with one another and everything, I couldn’t see Force spending his time as a little person to be able to have a relationship with you, and you can’t make yourself big.”

  “I know,” Scout’s voice almost broke over the words.

  “The latest word on the fairy vine is that Queen Glitter is organising another ball. Maybe we should go together this year. That way, I might actually get to see what really goes on behind closed doors,” Briella smirked.

  “You’ll need to wear something appropriate,” Scout reminded her.

  “I know. It will be nice to wear a beautiful ball gown for someone other than April.”

  “Ball gown?” Scout gulped.

  “How is it that Queen Glitter lets you stay if you aren’t wearing a ball gown?” Briella frowned.

  “I don’t attend them as a guest, Briella. I’m there as the help, serving food and drinks.”

  Briella rubbed her hands together, “You are definitely coming to the next ball with me, as a guest. We are going to have so much fun together.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The team arrived at the cornfield. Briella picked out a place for her new scarecrow to reside. Force shifted the earth aside, providing a deep hole for the supporting pole to rest in. He slid it into place and then compacted the dirt tightly around the base.

  April raised the other pole so that it lay horizontally on the bar. She used her powers to meld the two pieces of metal, then watched as Force wrapped the arms of the scarecrow around the rod, allowing his feet to fall.

  “That doesn’t look comfortable,” Briella murmured, imagining herself hanging there.

  “He can’t feel anything, Briella,” Force said.

  “That doesn’t matter. He is going to be hanging there a long time. Maybe the weight of his body will rip his arms from his body if we don’t put some kind of support beneath his feet.”

  Force stared at her for what seemed like minutes but was probably just a few seconds. He transformed himself into a red and white husky then ran back to the pub. He arrived back at the cornfield shortly after with a piece of flat metal. Morphing back to his human form, Force untied the sheet from his midsection and placed it against the supporting pole. With a bit of heat, it too was fused together.