Something was not right. Besides the living scarecrow. That is a dead giveaway. Why did the scarecrow kidnap Ruth and not me? The scarecrows were supposed to be after me. This book's title clearly states that the scarecrows are supposed to be stalking me, the narrator. Did that scarecrow see Ruth in my bedroom and think that it was me? Or did he kidnap her in order to lure me into the cornfield?

As much as I did not want to go in the cornfield and get lost, I had to. The scarecrows could put her through something that she would never recover from. Why, they could transform her into a scarecrow like that they almost did to me. I needed to save her before she could regain consciousness.

The scarecrow was dragging Ruth by her hair and dropped her as soon as he and her upper body were in the cornfield. He bent down and scooped up a blue and shiny object. It was Ruth's necklace. He opened the locket and stared at the two photos.

What did the scarecrows want with the locket? Were they and Ruth connected in some way? Let us hope not.

As I was gathering the clothes that I wore today and quickly getting dressed, I thought about how exactly I was going to rescue Ruth. I could not enter that cornfield without a weapon or two. I could stop by the barn and get a weapon, like a shovel or rake.

The idea came to me when I was all dressed. I snapped my fingers and said, "Of course. Why did I not think of it sooner?"

I had my dad to thank. I was a toddler when I first rode our family tractor. It was a pretty red, and I would sit in Dad's lap as he drove the tractor around the property. I still ride with him to this day, and it is so much fun. He said that I would drive the tractor by myself one day and taught me what buttons to press and what levers to pull.

I always paid attention to his lessons because I had this deep desire to operate the tractor all by myself. Little did I know back then that dream would become a fictional reality sooner than I considered.

What is that, readers? You are wondering where my dad has been? Mom informed us that he was safe. While Mario and I were at the hospital, Mom received a call from Dad. Dad had gone to the police station to fill the police in on some details and said that he would stay in the town next to Forlot until there was light outside. Both Mom and I were relieved by the news and could not wait for him to come back home.

I raced downstairs, not caring if I disturbed more of Mom's sleep, and into the kitchen. I slipped on my boots and grabbed the tractor key off the wall. I hoped that my friend was still awake and picked up the telephone. I dialed his number and held the phone up to my ear. Seconds later, I heard his voice on the other end.

"Hello? Is this Robin?"

I let out a giggle. "How did you know?"

"Only you would call me during this time of night. You are lucky that I have not fallen asleep."

"Sorry for interrupting your chance to sleep, but I need you to come to my house right away."

"Is it the scarecrows again? What are they doing this time?"

I took in a deep breath. "They kidnapped Ruth."

"What?"

"I saw Ruth in my backyard. A scarecrow was pulling her into the cornfield."

"Why in the world would they kidnap Ruth and not me? Not that I am saying that I desire to be kidnapped, but if they are preying on you, Robin, why not take me? I am your best friend."

"I know why, Mario."

"You do?"

"Yes. It is a long story. I will explain it to you after you help me save Ruth."

About ten minutes later, Mario arrived at my house. I joined him on the front porch and jiggled the tractor key in front of his face. His eyes bulged, and he pointed at the key and asked if it belonged to the tractor. I said yes and added that I was going to use my family's tractor to mow down the scarecrows.

"But they are in the cornfield," Mario said. "You will mow down the cornfield too. Your parents will not like that. Not at all."

"That is where you come in," I said with a smirk. "You will lure the scarecrows out of the cornfield and to an empty area of the property. I will then use the tractor to destroy them, hoping to put them behind us."

Mario swallowed hard, and his legs quivered. "You want m-me..." He motioned to the cornfield. "...to go in there? All by m-myself?"

"You do not have to wander into the cornfield. As a matter of fact, I would not advise it. Just stand a few inches from it and make noises that even the scarecrows would find annoying. As soon as they start pouring out, you will run to a selection of the property that is completely open."

We rushed around the house and to the red barn. The barn doors were closed, and I tried the handles. The doors would not budge, for they were locked for the night.

We were lucky. An axe was lying on a small haystack that was next to the barn. I picked it up by its handle and used it to create a hole in one of the doors.

"Your parents will be furious at you when they see what you did to the door," Mario commented.

Before I could respond how I could care less about being grounded, I felt a hand on my arm. A straw hand.