A Scarecrow Mystery for Kids

The missing scarecrow

Suspects:
Marty
Paul
Lisa
Howard
Eleanor

Marty and Paul were thirteen-year-old cousins standing side by side, staring at the cornfield. Lisa, Marty's seven-year-old sister, stood beside them. "Stay between me and Paul, Lisa," Marty said, leading them into the cornfield.

"I'm not a baby, Marty."

"Where is it?" Paul asked, walking along behind Lisa, pushing corn stalks out of the way.

"It's in the middle of the field and it's really weird looking."

Before long, they came to a small clearing. "There it is," Marty said pointing to the scarecrow. "I told you it was weird."

Paul laughed, staring at the scarecrow's head, which was a large rag with button eyes, stuffed with straw, a line of stitches for a mouth, wearing a big hat. "Look at that dork hat!" He turned, breaking off a stalk and began poking the scarecrow. "Take that weirdo!"

Marty grabbed the straw hanging from the scarecrow's shirt sleeve and yanked it out. "Hey, he's a one-armed scarecrow now!"

"Stop it!" Lisa shouted. "You're hurting him!"

"Come on, Lisa," Marty said. "It's just a pair of pants and an old shirt stuffed with straw hanging on two sticks crossed together. He reached for the straw in the sleeve of the scarecrow's other arm and yanked it out. "It's just straw."

"Stop doing that!"

"You're being silly, Lisa," Paul said, slapping the scarecrow's hat off. "It's just a scarecrow."

"No!" Lisa squealed, darting for the hat. "Leave him alone!"

Howard, Marty and Lisa's father, stepped out of the cornfield into the small clearing. "What's going on here?"

"Hey, Uncle Howard," Paul said, dropping the corn stalk.

"Make them leave him alone, Daddy!" Lisa said, holding the scarecrow's hat.

Howard took the hat from her and put it back on the scarecrow's oval shaped head. "Leave the scarecrow alone and come with me. I got some chores for you. Go on back to the house, Lisa."

Eleanor, Lisa and Marty's mom, was standing at the sink when Lisa came into the kitchen. "What's the matter, Lisa?"

"Marty and Paul's picking on the scarecrow!" she said, dropping into a chair at the kitchen table

"It's just some old clothing stuffed with straw, Lisa."