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Robbie grabbed his sack lunch from the counter and left his apartment that cold, February morning with the cheerful thought of going to school. Of course, he would die before reaching the end of his block. People would question his whereabouts for days, maybe even weeks. But just like the other mysterious disappearances in Toad's Hollow, it too would somehow be… forgotten. The inversion in the air was heavy that morning. A little bit foggy and slightly hazy. It was just dusty and gray enough to hide any dark secret from the night before. Robbie could see his breath in front of him as he walked. "Hhhhhhaaaaaa…" he exhaled. "Hhhheeeee…" Cool!
Stepping farther away from his apartment complex, the boy crossed the street and walked alongside a small, chain link fence. Waist high, it was the only thing separating him from a small backyard farm. As he walked along, he noticed a small patch of vegetables. They looked frozen and dead, colorless and somehow sour. Robbie hated vegetables. "Yuck!" There was a scarecrow erected near the back of the garden. It had been crudely put together with string and twigs, outfitted with a faded flannel shirt. Sitting on top of its shoulders was a large, orange jack-o-lantern head with a carved out face. The smiling expression was meant to look nice, but to Robbie it looked mean.
"Rrrreeeeddd…" a voice whispered. Robbie stopped. He looked around to see if anyone else was there. Nobody else was in sight, just the scarecrow. "Rrreeddd..." The whisper came again, this time a little louder and somewhat coarse. Robbie's eyes grew wide. He stared long and hard at the scarecrow. His chest and shoulders were tense. He almost choked before realizing he was holding his breath. "Was that you?" he finally asked out loud. Part of him waited anxiously for an answer. Part of him hoped to God there wouldn't be one. But it came. And, of course, it was from the scarecrow.
"Rrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeedddddddddddd!" This time, it was loud and clear. Robbie watched in horror as the pumpkin's smile curled at the corners of its mouth. The tightness in the little boys chest intensified. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, and for a split second, he felt he would pass out. The scarecrow's face scrunched up into a mean scowl. A cool breeze hit against his flannel sleeves enhancing the wickedness and evil around him. His eyebrows pointed down towards his nose and his smile quivered and cracked. Without warning, the scarecrow's body jerked forward and fell over the fence. He lay twitching on the sidewalk with a stick arm reaching for the boy. Robbie dropped his sack lunch and ran as fast as he could. Instead of turning back home, he hauled ass towards school. His friends would be there and so would his teachers. With all of them around, the scarecrow wouldn't dare attack. In Toad's Hollow, everyone knew bad things happen when you're alone, not when you were with other people. He had to hurry! He had to run as fast as he could! The last thing to go through Robbie's mind was an image of his friends riding their bikes to school. He pretended he was with them, dashing through the playground while they stopped at the bike rack. They smiled and waved as he ran towards them. It was a shame Robbie would never see anyone at school again. In fact, it was a shame he wouldn't see anyone or anything ever again. The scarecrow was quick in his kill, skillful and precise. Robbie was a fast runner, yes, but the scarecrow was faster. Before Robbie could gain any momentum, the scarecrow was behind him, plucking him up by the shoulders, ripping him apart with his sharp orange teeth. The boy's legs kicked and ran in place. He died before his body hit the ground. The scarecrow let the boy crumple to the pavement. Blood oozed everywhere, steamy and dark.
"Red." The scarecrow said as it watched the soggy corpse wriggle in the morning cold. He fell on his knees to the mess before him and dipped his fingers and arms into the blood. He smeared it all over his pumpkin face and let the warmth sink in. "Rrrrrreeeddd!" the scarecrow screamed in absolute delight. "RrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeddddddddDDDDDDD!"
C. Jake Cordova
Re-write, editing completed
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