مترسک شبگرد فصل 27

The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight - Chapter 27

Mark was so startled by my sudden, loud sneeze that he let out a short cry and jumped away from me.

To my amazement, the scarecrows all stopped moving forward—and jumped back, too.

“Whoa!” I cried. “What’s going on here?”

The scarecrows all seemed to have trained their painted eyes on Mark.

“Mark—quick—raise your right hand!” I cried.

Mark gazed at me through the burlap bag. I could see confusion in his eyes.

But he obediently raised his right hand high over his head.

And the scarecrows all raised their right hands!

“Mark—they’re imitating you!” Grandma Miriam cried.

Mark raised both hands in the air.

The scarecrows copied him again. I heard the scratch of straw as they lifted both arms.

Mark tilted his head to the left. The scarecrows tilted their heads to the left.

Mark dropped to his knees. The scarecrows sank in their straw, slaves to my brother’s every move.

“They—they think you’re one of them,” Grandpa Kurt whispered.

“They think you’re their leader!” Stanley cried, staring wide-eyed at the scarecrows slumped on the ground.

“But how do I make them go back to their poles?” Mark demanded excitedly. “How do I make them go back to being scarecrows?” “Dad—find the right chant!” Sticks yelled. “Find the right words! Make them sleep again!” Stanley scratched his short, dark hair. “I—I’m too scared!” he confessed sadly.

And then I had an idea.

“Mark—” I whispered, leaning close to him. “Pull off your head.”

“Huh?” He gazed at me through the burlap mask.

“Pull off your scarecrow head,” I urged him, still whispering.

“But why?” Mark demanded. He waved his hands in the air. The scarecrows obediently waved their straw hands in the air.

Everyone was staring at me, eager to hear my explanation.

“If you pull off your scarecrow head,” I told Mark, “then they will pull off their heads. And they’ll die.” Mark hesitated. “Huh? You think so?”

“It’s worth a try,” Grandpa Kurt urged.

“Go ahead, Mark. Hurry!” Sticks cried.

Mark hesitated for a second. Then he stepped forward, just inches from the dark-coated scarecrows.

“Hurry!” Sticks urged him.

Mark gripped the top of the burlap bag with both hands. “I sure hope this works,” he murmured. Then he gave the bag a hard tug and pulled it off.