The Scarecrow Counts to Twelve
horrorEveryoneMr. Pell hands Wren a yellowed notebook. "I wrote down every family it took, and the date. There's a pattern. It always points the morning the crows go quiet, and it can be stopped, but only before sundown that same day." Wren grips the book. The crows went quiet an hour ago.
Wren reads fast. The notebook says: bring the scarecrow something it lost, before sundown. On the last page is a pressed, dried sunflower and the words, "This was the first thing it ever guarded. Give it back." Wren grabs the flower and runs for the field, sun already sinking low.
What happens next?
2 ways forwardWren reaches the scarecrow as the sun touches the hills. They press the dried sunflower into its straw hand. The button eyes soften. "You remembered me," it whispers. The arm lowers for good. By morning, the eleven families have come home, and the field grows golden sunflowers where it never did before.