The Great Scarecrow Invasion: The Reboot Files, #5

By C. L. Ragsdale

After their latest assignment is debunked before they can even get started, Irene Waters and Troy Stenson take the opportunity to help out an old friend.
Bob Cullens has been sidetracked from his retirement to design an elaborate corn maze for the Franklin family. But now he has trouble. Scarecrow trouble.
So what could be the trouble with scarecrows in a cornfield? Well, they’re getting up, walking around and making a general nuisance of themselves. Then there's that whole curse thing that this could have dire consequences for the Franklin Clan.
But Bob's not worried.
Because he knows that for Irene and Troy, this is just another day at the office.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. L. Ragsdale
• Release date: May 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533741080

Book preview

Prologue

Once there were two families, the Sullivans and the Franklins. They had many things in common. They were farmers, they were neighbors, and they even attended the same church. Unfortunately, these commonalities did nothing to curtail their desire to wipe each other off the face of the earth.

No one knows why or when the animosity began, but all agreed it would not end well.

What they did not expect was that it would not end at all, due to a miscast spell that led to...

...me being stuck wandering around in the dead of night in the middle of a corn maze! Stupid story!

Irene Waters was making this rather dramatic observation as loudly as she dared, as she hit yet another, of many, dead ends in the aforementioned maze.

She was beginning to wonder if her old friend Bob Cullens had even bothered to make an exit to this thing at all. It would be just like his ornery sense of humor to do that.

Would she find the bones of lost maze enthusiasts scattered about, and would she join them in their terrible fate?

Great, now I’m getting melodramatic. Not helpful. Focus! Find Troy, and get out of this stupid maze! Before I totally lose what little is left of my temper!

Of course, it was one thing to think that, quite another to accomplish the feat. Because she was so lost, turned around, and she had no idea where Troy might be in the maze. Or what kind of trouble he was in, and she had no doubt that he was in trouble. The question was how bad was it?

It would have been better if they had just stayed together. There had been no reason to panic.

Sure, they had been confronted by walking scarecrows. Very tall walking scarecrows. One of whom had a very scary looking scythe. True, she and Troy had been taken by surprise, and the scarecrows had rushed them. Then the one with the scythe had reared it back as if to take a swing...

Okay, maybe there had been reason to panic.

Stupid scythe carrying scarecrows.

If only Troy had not gone all alpha male on her, deciding to have the scarecrows chase him while she got out of the maze to get help. Actually, it hadn’t been a bad plan, the problem was it had worked, but only up to a point.  The scarecrows had chased him, but the second half of Troy’s plan had been doomed to failure because both of them had forgotten one critical point.

They were already lost before the scarecrows showed up!

So now, Troy was on the run from the scarecrows, and she was wandering around in circles. At least she thought she was, although who could tell because all the corn stalks looked alike!

Where was a machete when you needed one? Maybe it was just as well she didn’t have one as she probably would have ended up cutting her leg off.

Irene checked her phone again, but one glance told her it was useless. She had no data access, no texting capability, and no signal to make a call for help.

True, someone was bound to come after them eventually. It wasn’t a secret where they were, but who knew what would happen to Troy in the meantime? She had to get out of here and get help as fast as possible.

Which led back to the original problem. She couldn’t find an exit, and yelling for help was a last resort because of those scythe wielding scarecrows strolling around who knew where?

I hate corn, she muttered wrathfully.

And to think it had started with a silly story where a spell had been cast...

...miscast, Troy had corrected her that morning as he bit into his burger.

Chapter 1

If you believe in such things, Irene returned with a smile.

As she cut her French toast, she looked at his hamburger and French fries and asked curiously, Troy, I don’t mean to be critical or anything, but tell me something. Why are you having lunch for breakfast?

Troy Stenson took a moment to chew and swallow before answering his reporter.

I don’t stick to rules regarding my food choices. I am a renaissance man.

Oh...kay. So, Da Vinci, what was the casting...I mean miscasting on?

A scarecrow.

A what?

A scarecrow.

Who says?

The research department.

Irene rolled her eyes at the mention of their ever-so-unreliable research department. A rotating crew of unpaid interns whose accuracy tended to be hit or miss. Mostly miss.

Why doesn’t that surprise me? A scarecrow? That’s it? That’s the curse of the Franklins?

No, it was the spell placed on the scarecrow by the Franklins against the Sullivans. We haven’t gotten to the Franklin curse yet. That comes later.

Irene just stared at him.

Troy noted his partner’s disbelief, but chose to ignore it. Mostly because Irene thought all of their stories were ludicrous, especially after she proved them to be so.

They took a few minutes to eat a bit more before Irene continued with the conversation.

So what did it do? Give everyone hay fever?

Troy had to take a drink of his soda to cover his involuntary laugh. Upon recovering, he tried once again to impress upon his partner the importance of this totally make-believe story.

The Franklins cast a spell that brought the straw man to life. That would freak anyone out.

I suppose that could be a bit disconcerting.

Darn right.

If it happened, which I seriously doubt.

"You know, you need to take this more seriously, he admonished waving a French fry in her direction. This is not your Wizard of Oz type scarecrow. Apparently it had a brain, along with a scythe or a shovel or something. With the evil intent of doing the Sullivan family great bodily harm if they did not vacate the premises forthwith. Which, of course, they did."

Irene gave a good impression of considering that point before she offered, If it was anything it was probably a scythe. A shovel, although effective, would have less terror potential...

At Troy’s mock stern look Irene thought better of her lecture on the finer points of horror. She took a sip of her coffee before asking her next question.

So what happened to the Sullivans?

They got away, barely by all accounts, but had to give up everything to do so as they were too terrified to return to their home.

Completely understandable.

Troy swallowed his French fry and agreed, Yeah, a scarecrow with an attitude can have that effect on you, I guess. So with the Sullivans gone, the Franklins took over their land, which was the point of the whole exercise.

Irene raised her eyebrows in mock disbelief.

How devious. So they could just do that? Didn’t anybody try to stop them?

Apparently not, because they did it. This was during the Wild West times. If you have seen any westerns...you’ve seen westerns right?

Indeed I have. My father nearly worshipped John Wayne.

Then you should know that people got away with murder, sometimes literally. From all accounts their church wasn’t very happy with them.

Quite proper.

Indeed. It seems that good Christians aren’t supposed to be making foul deals with evil scarecrows.

I would think not.

Troy continued, However, since the Franklins had gotten what they wanted, they didn’t care and resigned their membership in the church.

Irene shook her head in mock dismay.

That doesn’t sound like such a good idea.

Turns out you’re right.

Just a side point here, Troy, why was the spell miscast if it worked?

That’s not a side point, it’s a major plot development as that’s where the Franklin curse comes in. You see it was one of those tit for tat things. I did what you wanted, but you’re going to pay now and in the future when I come back with an army of scarecrows to take the souls of your ancestors at a time of my choosing. Oh, and by the way, I’m taking yours too. Now. Real Daniel Webster stuff, you know.

He wasn’t being literal, and Irene knew it, so she didn’t comments on this rewriting of a classic.

That must have been what Bob meant when he said that his client, Evan Franklin, was having trouble along our line of work. He said that Mr. Franklin, who is a farmer, has recently had some incidents with scarecrows. Some that are not just the type that hang on poles, but are walking about in his corn maze.

Troy commented with relish, The return of the evil walking scarecrows! Are you petrified yet?

Troy, it makes my blood run cold with terror, Irene stated as she calmly sipped her coffee. Not to mention that Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion will be devastated...

Troy gave her a look and shook his head sadly.

You know, Irene, there are some people who actually like a good scary story.

Maybe a good one.

Irene...

His partner waved her hand and clarified, I wasn’t casting aspersions on your storytelling abilities. Which I admit, far exceed my own...

Darn right.

...but scary stories aren’t my thing. I have my reasons. Don’t ask, she held up a hand as he opened his mouth to do just that. I’ll tell you all about it another time. But Troy, you do know that not everyone takes them as seriously as you do, right?

As she expected, Troy took the bait.

Seriously? I do not take them seriously. I am a detached professional.

Really?

Now he was getting indignant at her obvious disbelief.

Really!

So what, when you were expecting ghosts, walking trees, and cursed statues you were just hopeful because of good TV?

That’s our job, Irene.

Not at the sacrifice of the truth. Which has always meant that it was all eyewash.

Troy leaned back in surprise. He knew she couldn’t mean that word the way he was interpreting it.

Eyewash?

Irene leaned forward and said with a smile, Baloney.

Troy leaned forward as well and challenged, We needed a show.