Page 2 of Snatched By the Scarecrow

“I forgot about that last part.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if they ever found him.”

I make a mental note to look that up later. I’m betting YouTube has a documentary on it.

“Hopefully they did. But that was many years ago now, and that doesn’t mean the town isn’t safe. Their crime rate is practically zero. I did my research."

“Well, the good news is your lease is month to month, right?”

“It is.”

“So, if you change your mind and want to come home, I’ll welcome you with open arms.” She looks down the stairs again and cringes. “As long as you don’t bring any ghosts with you.”

“Boo!” I yell.

Codi yelps and gently shoves me. “Don’t do that!”

I squeeze her shoulder. “Everything is going to be fine, big sis. I have a good feeling about this move.”

“That’s what matters. I want you to be happy wherever you choose to plant your roots. Mom and Dad would want that, too.”

I smile sadly at her. Our parents died together in a car accident years ago. It’s been us together against the world since then, but she’s right.

“Thanks.”

She smiles back at me. “Now go turn on the heat. It is drafty in here.”

I salute her and make my way down the creaky steps, hoping there are actually some nice ghosts down here. It would definitely make things more interesting.

I shake my head at myself. Codi is right, I am weird.

Chapter 2

The airport an hour from Silas Valley is small, and very few people are there to catch flights. I stand with Codi outside of security, sad she’s leaving.

“I’m going to miss you. Are you sure you don’t need me to stay longer?” she asks.

I shake my head. “You have work. On top of that, it’s Halloween tomorrow. You always look forward to handing out candy in your neighborhood.”

She sighs. “I know. The kids’ costumes are always so cute. But I hate that I’m leaving you so soon. We didn’t even get to explore your new town together. By the look of the grocery store and that nice coffee shop we saw, I can already tell it’s better than it was the last time we were here.”

She’s right. I’d already known that though. Just because I didn’t visit before I decided to move, doesn’t mean I didn’t look up pictures of the town. I was pleasantly surprised that when we’d gone to get groceries and pick up propane for the boiler that I couldn’t get working due to lack of gas, everything looked like what I’d researched, if not better.

Silas Valley residents had done a lot in recent years to spruce up the place. And with the festival that starts tonight and goes through Halloween—the same one we attended as kids—it’s full of fall vibes, and quite a few people milling about.

“That just means you’ll have to come back for Thanksgiving—if you aren’t spending it at Jonah’s place.”

Codi flushes when I mention Jonah, her new boyfriend.

“It’s still early days so I don’t know what we’re doing. But if I don’t spend it with him, I’ll be on the first plane out.”

“Even if I find out I have ghosts?”

“You said you thought you were in the clear!”

I chuckle. “Sadly, the only things I found in the basement were the boiler, and the washer and dryer that looked to be about twenty years old. But who knows, maybe they feared you and will come out now that you’re gone.”

She shakes her head. “Ha-ha. Everyone knows you’re the scary one, Harps.”