Valley of the Scarecrow by Gord Rollo Page A

grandfather exit the taxi and immediately knew why he was here. She was busted. Somehow he’d found out what she and her friends were up to and was here to try stop her from going through with the plan. She met him at the end of the driveway, hoping to defuse him before he started ranting and raving about the Man in Black, embarrassing himself in front of all her friends.
    “Thank God I found you in time,” Malcolm said.
    “Stop, Gramps. I know what you’re going to say, but save it, okay? This isn’t what you think.”
    “It isn’t?”
    “No. We’re just going camping. Honest.”
    “You think your old grandfather’s a fool, huh? I’m not, so cut the crap.”
    “No seriously. All we’re doing is—”
    “Is going treasure hunting in Miller’s Grove. I know…and it’s okay. I’d probably do the same thing if I was your age. How did you find the location?”
    Kelly considered continuing to deny things, but saw no point in it. “Pat’s dad is a geography buff. His basement’s full of old maps and journals. He found it, not us. We’re not even sure if he’s right.”
    “Where are you going?”
    “Just north of Rock Creek State Park. It’s west of here, but not all the way to Des Moines. Sound like we’re on the right track?”
    Malcolm never acknowledged the directions one way or the other. He just gazed down at the ground and looked like he might start crying. The look on the sweet old man’s face nearly broke Kelly’s heart. The poor thing. He was so afraid of the things he’d learned as a child but still here he was, dressed like a hobo trying to protect her as best he could. “You shouldn’t be here, big guy. You should go home and wait for me to get back. I’ll be careful, I promise. Soon as we’re back I’ll come have coffee and tell you all about it. Deal?”
    “Fine, I’ll let you go in a minute. I didn’t come here to try and stop you anyway. Well…originally that was my plan, but on the ride here I changed my mind. I realized there was nothing I could say that would convince you guys that place is cursed. Young people don’t believe in evil anymore.”
    “Then why’d you come?”
    “Two reasons. First, I just wanted to warn you to always stay alert. At the first sign of trouble get your ass out of there. Don’t be too proud to run. Something’s not right in the Grove. Never has been and never will be. You’re never alone even when you think you are. You’ll feel the darkness surrounding you in those woods. Eyesburning into your turned back. Laugh now, but you’ll know what I mean when you get there. When you see the fields. The crows. The church.” A shudder ran down Malcolm’s back, memories of his youth flashing through his troubled mind.
    “What’s the second reason?”
    “I wanted to give you this…”
    Malcolm reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small white leather case that separated in the middle with a flip-top lid. Inside, on a blanket of soft cotton, was an intricate silver ring in the shape of a five-pointed star, with a polished gold triangular piece attached on top. When Kelly looked close, she could see there were tiny geometric symbols carved into the metal, strange letters and pictures she’d never seen before. In the center of the triangle, a lifelike representation of an eye stared back at her. Kelly had never seen anything like it before. Instinctively she knew the gold and silver pieces were real. Fake jewelry never had this type of craftsmanship, this attention to detail. It wasn’t what she’d describe as beautiful, but it certainly wasn’t ugly either. It was clearly old and unique, timeless even, probably worth a fortune if it were ever sold on the open market.
    “It’s incredible, Gramps. What is it?”
    “Protection,” he said, meaning it. “It was my father’s, the last thing he gave to me on his deathbed. I was planning on giving it to your dad when I died, but I think you’re going to need it more than