﻿Scarecrow Amanda Hockless Published by Amanda Hockless Smashwords Edition Copyright 2012 Amanda Hockless Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support. Every night Ray watched the Scarecrow’s shadow lengthen, and its nightly fog spread through the town. His bedroom window, one of the few above ground, faced the Fallout Fields, home of the towering figure. Rumor had it that the Scarecrow had risen from the ashes of Fallout almost 70 years ago when a devastating bomb destroyed more than half of Deathdefy’s inhabitants and its toxic gas killed half the survivors. From then, the Scarecrow watched over Deathdefy and became a symbol for its unlikely survival. The townsfolk gave him thanks for their clean daylight hours and were safely underground before sunset when his green-glowing fog let out. The only life Ray knew was of a hard-working, self-sufficient town. Most folk avoided thinking about the green. A few doubted the Scarecrow and resented leaving him food. Like last winter, when there was less, Ray’s mother, Beatrice had to fog two poor brothers who stole from the Scarecrow’s portion. Fogging was Deathdefy’s death penalty; a conviction from the Marshall meant being left to fend for yourself after dark. Ray felt sorry for them, but after listening to their rants about the Scarecrow he was as glad as his mother to see them go, and no one lasted long once the Scarecrow got to them. **** During the sunlight hours, Deathdefy was a dusty, melting wasteland. The cracked husks of old dwellings baked with you, the sparse greenery and smooth silver mounds that were the roofs of most folk’s homes shimmered mirage-like from a distance. Ray passed the imposing Scarecrow on his way to help set up the town square for tomorrow’s Kobal Night festivities. Kobal Night was the one night a year that the Scarecrow granted Deathdefy a reprieve from its nightly fog. The townsfolk ventured out from their underground bunkers and celebrated their freedom in the night air. Ray noticed with annoyance that this year his mother had sent one of her lackeys to help him with the preparations. The girl was slumped on a stack of chairs in the back corner of the pavilion. Her arms were crossed, black hair falling over her dozing eyes, yet somehow Ray didn’t believe this peaceful image. The girl’s curiously high strapped boots were not hanging limp but facing straight ahead as if ready to jump into action. Ray decided to ignore the girl for the moment and just get along as he usually would. Later, a voice came from beside him as he instructed three kids to string up corn husks around the stage border. ‘Nice how we start the blue-collar so young,’ Ray turned to see the sleeping girl, apparently up, and ready to help where she wasn’t needed. ‘Blue-collar?’ Ray asked. He recognized this girl. She was the one who told his mother about the Scarecrow thieves in the winter. Beatrice had been very impressed, nothing was better to her than blind loyalty. The girl had been personally apprenticed to her, ever since. ‘It’s Ivy, by the way,’ she said bluntly, ‘and blue-collar?’ She smirked, ‘it means hard work, no play: the Deathdefy way.’ ‘I’m Ray,’ he blurted out, surprised by Ivy’s joke. In Deathdefy folk knew that in order to survive, self-sufficiency was the key and that required ‘hard work and no play’. ‘Where’d you pick that up?’ Ray asked instead, being one of the few inhabitants who could read, it was rare for Ray to come across an expression he had not heard. ‘Oh, just here and there,’ Ivy replied frustratingly vague. Ray couldn’t imagine what his mother saw in this creature, apart from loyalty. Throughout the day, Ivy’s constant shadowing wasn’t exactly annoying but she made a lot of comments that Ray was sure his mother wouldn’t approve of. He was still perplexed by her presence, when he remembered his conversation with his mother that morning. ‘Ray!’ his mother’s voice, still thick from sleep called him from the kitchen. ‘Yes Beatrice?’ Ray chimed, although she was his mother, she was also Marshall of Deathdefy. ‘I gotta tell you summ’ Ray,’ she said, ‘I think we’re approachin’ a situation with the townsfolk.’ ‘What kind of situation?’ Ray asked. ‘M’not sure yet, ever since those fools stole from the Scarecrow, folk haven’t been happy. Nothin’ like this has happened since your grandma was Marshall, I smell rebels breedin’.’ ‘Rebels, wait, what happened with Grandma Eliza?’ Ray asked. ‘Not your problem, just b’careful out there.’ Ivy must be here as an extra eye to watch the townsfolk, as they helped set up the bonfires. Ray had noticed that instead of a communal atmosphere, many of the older folk watched carefully, and talked quietly in huddles. Now that Ray thought about it, Kobal Night would be the perfect opportunity for crime. He had read about evil doers using the cover of darkness, but never really considered nighttime as an opportunity. Apart from Kobal Night, it was only suicide. ‘My mother told me she’s been worried about the townsfolk, is that why you’re here, to keep an eye on things?’ Ray asked Ivy when the afternoon was getting ripe and the town was emptying out. ‘What exactly did Beatrice say to you?’ Ivy asked. ‘Only that ever since you dobbed in those brothers, she’s sensed unrest.’ ‘Yeah, I’d say that some folk are getting mean towards old Mr. Scarecrow,’ she said, as if it was natural, ‘it’s been a long time since Fallout, folk are starting to want things a little better, I’d say they’re not as scared of the Scarecrow’s nightly gas works as our granddaddies were.’ Ray was getting disturbed, ‘but what about those Scarecrow thieves in winter, they were fogged.’ ‘Well that’s just it,’ Ivy smirked, ‘everyone knows they didn’t come back, they also know that Beatrice didn’t haul their bodies out to the Fallout Fields like she normally does.’ ‘Why are you spreading these rumors anyway? Don’t you work for my mother?’ Ray asked. ‘Don’t we all?’ Ivy replied, ‘I’m just saying what I’ve been hearing other folks say, that’s my job.’ She stalked away. Now, Ray was not so glad to be rid of her. Although this whole conspiracy was far-fetched, he wanted to hear more about the supposed rebellion. **** As usual, Ray watched the red sun die from his window then slipped into his mother’s study to look west. Right on time the fog settled, calming the steaming town. Ray stared down at the empty view when he saw a pair of strapped boots flash past his house and head back west towards the other side of town. That night Ray didn’t say anything to his mother about the day’s revelations. Beatrice seemed in a similar frame of mind, her strange openness earlier was replaced by the usual grouchy dictatorship that she ran the house with every other night. The morning of Kobal Night, Ray headed out into the dusty sun looking for Ivy. He was certain that they had been her boots in the fog last night. As he passed the Scarecrow, he realized with a shock that he might not see Ivy. She had been exposed to the Scarecrow, so it was likely that she was ill or worse. The thought troubled him. There was something about Ivy: whether it was her strange expressions, or her mocking of the authority that she was part of, she was a different specimen than most in this wasteland. There were not as many folk on the streets as Ray had expected, but as he approached the square, it was over-flowing. Most huddled around the bonfires. When Ray approached the edges of the gathering, he felt a ripple go through the crowd and they immediately dispersed into smaller groupings, animatedly talking with friends and family. Ray was baffled, it was as if they were a choreographed herd and he was the signal for a new formation. Before he could ask someone what was going on, Ivy squeezed out of the crowd and came towards him. She snatched Ray’s hand and dragged him a street away and into a small passage. ‘What the hell is going on?’ he asked, but Ivy wouldn’t say a word until she seemed sure they were alone. ‘What you saw there was not meant for you Ray. You’ve gotta be careful, folk’ll think you’re spying for Beatrice,’ Ivy said, she seemed worried and annoyed at the same time. ‘What’s happening over there?’ Ray asked, ‘and won’t they think you’re spying too?’ ‘Oh, just organizing plans for tonight,’ Ivy said, ‘I won’t be suspected.’ She seemed to talk like she was one of them. Then Ray remembered why he was doubly shocked with her appearance. ‘You’re ok,’ he said, mystified, ‘Why are you ok?’ ‘What are talking about?’ ‘Last night you were too late. The Scarecrow got you. I saw your boots in the fog.’ This finally drew a definite emotion, Ivy laughed, ‘Ha! I won’t have to convince you. Now do you see Ray? He didn’t get me because there is no he. It’s just colored air, I’m fine. This whole system is a lie and I have no idea why. Only your sweet mother can tell us that.’ ‘But she can’t know anything about this, I mean those men died just a few months ago.’ ‘They didn’t die Ray. I got word from Mikey yesterday, he survived and Beatrice knows it. I bet she’s been “fogging” folk for years, with her personal brand of fog,’ She made a shooting motion with her hand, a wry smile on her face at Ray’s discomfort. Ray couldn’t believe this, he knew his mother was harsh, especially to anyone who questioned her or questioned the Scarecrow, but he couldn’t fathom why she would go to all the trouble. ‘But why would that man contact you? You’re the one who dobbed him in,’ ‘I’m sorry to tell you this Ray, you don’t seem so bad, but Mikey’s a friend of mine. In winter we started talking about his “serene scarecrow”, we didn’t like that Beatrice insisted on leaving him big portions of food when we had so little. Mikey and his brother went out one night just before sunset to take a little. Well, they messed up the time and got caught in the fog. We waited but nothing happened, there were no signs of approaching death or even illness. So I dobbed them in for stealing food.’ ‘What?’ Ray began but then he saw the genius in this. It let Ivy get close to his mother and let the others test out the Scarecrow again. ‘But, if what you’re saying is true, why didn’t Beatrice just kill them herself?’ Ray asked, sickened at the thought. ‘They were afraid of that once it was past sunset and she left them in the jail. But luckily the Scarecrow is enough of a threat that security’s not too tight at night.’ ‘Then why didn’t they tell everyone they had survived?’ Ray asked. ‘Wanted to see if Beatrice would go along with it, and I don’t need to tell you she did. She made sure everyone knew those guys were dead, and most folk she told, I started telling a different story.’ Ray was beyond shocked Ivy was behind all of this. Ivy, who his mother had taken in and probably trusted more than she trusted Ray. He knew Beatrice was not the nicest of people but underneath all her harsh laws and aggression, Ray always felt that she truly had Deathdefy’s best interests in mind. ‘I have to go,’ he said, ‘see if any of your wild stories are true.’ ‘Well if when you’re done, she hasn’t brainwashed you anymore,’ Ivy’s absent smirk reappeared, ‘come join us. We’re going to visit to Scarecrow tonight and burn the bastard to the ground!’ Pure glee was in her voice at the thought. Yesterday Ivy had been helping kids set up for a party and now she was the vicious head of the rebellion set to destroy everything Deathdefy was built on. Ray couldn’t look at her anymore; he just pushed past her and headed home as fast as he could. When Ray finally escaped the beating sun, which was having a stronger effect on him than usual, his mother wasn’t home. She must be patrolling. He waited for hours, the sun speeding through its daily arc. By the time of its steady descent into the east, Ray’s thoughts had molded into a rhythm of names: Mother, Ivy, Scarecrow. That’s what it all hinged on, what was the Scarecrow really? Ray went to his room, so he could look at the damn thing. The Scarecrow’s gnarly head seemed to have grown larger with the shadows. Instead of fog, Ray was shocked to see a large figure trudging slowly from its shadowy base. It was his mother. Seeing her coming out of the Scarecrow Ray went suddenly blank and tired, he stumbled down stairs and waited. Before long, he heard the door open and a huff of exhaustion. The heavy footsteps of his mother came towards him and at seeing Ray slumped on the couch, she stopped. ‘Ray?’ What’re you doin’?’ ‘Scarecrow,’ Ray said without thinking and then, ‘do you know what’s going on out there? I think you’ve lost them.’ Ray didn’t have the energy to explain further. To his immense surprise and waking him up, his mother just said, ‘I know, but have I lost you?’ ‘Tell me about the Scarecrow Beatrice,’ he said coldly, ‘then I’ll tell you if you’ve lost me.’ She looked Ray up and down as if deciding which story he deserved. Then finally she let out a weary sigh and said, ‘The Scarecrow’s our legacy Ray.’ ‘Our what?’ Ray asked completely thrown. ‘Legacy, Ray, Legacy! And they’re ‘bout to ruin everythin’, not just for us but for them too. It’s time I told you what happened with your gran’ma Eliza,’ she said. ‘She was there at Fallout, saw everyone she knew die. Didn’t see how the world could’ve survived it, things were messed up when it did. There were mainly just kids left and Eliza was a very smart lady, she saw they needed a leader. Eliza always said she was a scientist. I dunno what that is, but she made calculations, there wasn’t much left; animals were worthless and there were only a few sources of food and not much else. If they kept livin’ like they were, only two generations might survive. It scared her, so she tried to introduce a new way of livin’. Workin’ hard so we could keep on goin’ and not goin’ out at night for all the waste those useless night hours have on our supplies. But folk didn’t fall into line. They didn’t wanna work all day and hide underground all night. For Eliza, it was the only way to survive. So she built the Scarecrow.’ ‘Built the Scarecrow,’ Ray felt the wall of his beliefs shattering. His mother continued. ‘She went down to the Fallout Fields and used bits of shrapnel and blown up houses to make him. Right after Fallout toxic gas had killed almost as many as the blast, so she made a colored gas and released it every night, our family’s done the same ever since. The young folk believed that the Scarecrow came out of the wreckage. Folk’ll do what they’re told if they have enough fear. There were some dissenters but she dealt with‘m as I have a feelin’ you know we deal with‘m now.’ Ray looked up at his mother. He felt sick, she didn’t seem ashamed, just proud to recall their ‘great’ family legacy. ‘This is our legacy,’ Ray said flatly, ‘creating fear and working folk to the bone, I guess Kobal Night was Eliza’s idea too?’ he asked. ‘Well, folk need a little hope,’ Beatrice said, ‘With Kobal night they felt some love for the Scarecrow, he wasn’t all bad.’ ‘But how could you do this, this isn’t life? It’s just a meaningless grind!’ The sick feeling was not going away. His mother’s fleshy smile wobbled into a frown. ‘We gotta survive Ray, without the Scarecrow we can’t. S’the only way to continue.’ ‘Some things are more important than surviving Beatrice,’ Ray said. She seemed disappointed, this woman who he could no longer call his mother didn’t seem to understand his anger. Ray couldn’t look at her, he left the house. He would never come back. **** It was dark out now and Ray wanted nothing more than to find Ivy. He needed some sense to dilute Beatrice’s warped logic. He wanted to prove to her that he hadn’t been brain-washed. He stomped down to the Fallout Fields, following the line of torches that blazed a path to the Scarecrow. He began to run, determined to reach the Scarecrow before the mob. He arrived and looked up at it, his whole life the Scarecrow had watched over him, he had seen folk die in its name. Now, it was just a mess of metal and wood. He dropped to his knees at its base. The line of torches was almost here. Ray saw Ivy at the head, eye’s blazing, torch in hand. One look at him and she grabbed his hand and passed him a torch. Together, they burned his legacy. **** About the author: Amanda Hockless lives in Perth, Western Australia and is studying writing and history at Edith Cowan University. She loves the idea of escapism in writing and the ability to create new worlds. Books are one of her great passions and she has travelled to many distant parts of the world from Venice to Washington to experience her favorite literary settings.