Pumpkin Scarecrow

Every town has an urban legend, a myth, or a dark story that the town tries to hide from the public. A story that sticks out and is spoken throughout generations. This small college town is no exception, even though I didn't believe the story that town had until that awful, fateful night.

My name is Mike, short for Michael and I'm what people call a shy guy. I don't really talk or get out much. I would much rather stay inside and do my own things, which is ironic considering who my roommates are. They are what I would call jocks. They don't play football or anything but they have the persona as them. They like to drag me to their 'adventures', which is how I got wound up in that situation on that fall night.

In a small college town Autumn is a big thing. Halloween is just around the corner which gives an excuse to have festivals and parties. The big thing that year was corn mazes. There was a big one, at the edge of town, and five of us are going to it; two of my roommates, their 'lady' friends and me. The farmer didn't really open up to the public, according to the locals, and they had set up a petting zoo, a small tractor ride, a small place so kids can play, a pumpkin patch to pick your pumpkins, and most importantly the corn maze.

I didn't want to go but my roommates were right about one thing; I don't really get out much and college is supposed to be the best time of your life. I only agreed to go because I can lose them easily in the big crowd, which is exactly what I did. I separated from the group as I trailed behind them. They were more focused on each other rather than me anyways. There were a lot of people that night, so it was easy for me to stay lost. I was actually having fun by myself and not having a care in the world, I felt free.

I explored the petting zoo first and as a city folk it was odd to be so close to the farm animals. I bought some food for them as I got a rare chance to pet a cow. They were surprisingly soft. I tried to pet some of the other animals, but they were too far into their pen to be petted. I still enjoyed watching from afar. After the petting zoo I tried out some of the games that they had out. They weren't anything major but it was still fun and simple, which is what I enjoyed.

After I bought some hot coco I decided it was time to give the corn maze a try. I walked to the entrance and read the sign. "Follow the path and don't get lost or cheat. He will come after you." I snorted, who was 'he' that I had to worry about. Thinking it was just to get into the spirit of the holiday, I walked into the maze. I was enjoying my time alone, enjoying the view I was given within the limited scenery from the corn stalks.

I made it to one of the edges of the corn maze when I heard familiar laughing. I peeked through the corn stalks and saw my two roommates, the two girls and a tall scarecrow in an open field with a couple of pumpkins at its feet. I rolled my eyes at them, they were laughing and literally poking fun at the scarecrow. I was about to turn around and pretend I didn't notice them when I heard my name being called. I saw Damien waving over at me beckoning me to come over. Reluctantly, I did.

As I walked over I called out to them, "You're not following the path."

"Who cares? That corn maze is boring. Besides we heard if you find the scarecrow, you'll get cursed." Crystal said.

Justin scoffed at her, "Of course only you would believe in something stupid like that."

"How can anybody get cursed by this thing anyway?" Jasmine asked as she typed away on her cellphone.

I ignored them all as I took a closer look at the 7 foot scarecrow. I can see why Crystal would make up the rumor of it cursing you, and the sign adds to it. It had a pilgrim hat on with a sash connecting to the hat and rested on his shoulders. The head they used was a pumpkin with a wicked smile, I shivered as it felt like it's eyes were on mine. The vibe that was getting off was unpleasant. Halloween was around the corner so it made sense as to why it looked like the way it did.