Winnowings

Redone drawing

Original doodle

The autumnal forces that give scarecrows life infuse every piece of their body. So much so that even sloughed-off scraps-- bits of burlap, rotten straw, shriveled gourds, and more- possess their own living essence. These remnants often form miniature bodies for themselves from whatever further fragments they can gather, creating tiny creatures called winnowings.

Like their larger cousins, each winnowing is unique. Unlike scarecrows, however, these smaller creatures usually have no desire or compulsion to guard a field and will often wander off to find their own purpose. Winnowings often gather together in small groups for companionship. There are even rumors of entire cities of these beings hidden in the remote places of the world.

Here is just one example of these groups.  From left to right, the winnowings are:

Routinier- His body is formed from an old wooden skeleton toy with dry roots for feet and neck, an old gourd for head, and a thin fabric strip from an old scarf for arms. Routinier has a fondness for sneaking up to hide under open window  to listen to the tunes played on old gramophones and these new radio receivers that are becoming so popular. He often sways his scarf-arms to the music, practicing for the day when he can make his own music, once he figures out just what produces those sounds he loves so much.  

Inglenook-  A couple of napkins stuffed with old straw, Inglenook was once a teru teru bozu (a small rural Japanese charm to bring good weather). He hung from the rafters for a few months before being blown under the porch in a fierce storm. Carried deeper under the house by wind and curious rodents, he eventually settled into a snug corner just under the big pot-bellied stove in the kitchen, a spot that remained warm even in the coldest winters. The house was abandoned and torn down decades ago, and now Inglenook wanders with his companions to find a new home. Preferably with some place warm and snug to sleep.

Farceuse- Formed from a small pumpkin that was forgotten in the patch after the larger gourds were harvested. She possesses a strong gift for acting and imitating voices thanks to months of listening to the workers at the farm. Farceuse often puts on short comical plays for the enjoyment of her companions, and any other fellow travelers they might be spending the night with.

Melorrhea- Another runt pumpkin with the added mobility of twig arms and legs and a few scraps of cloth that she sewed into a dress. She is a lover of music like Routinier. But where he wishes to conduct, Melorrhea is far more interested in composition. One might even say to an excessive degree. Several of her pieces, if played in full, last over six hours. She writes her compositions on old scraps of cloth, bits of wood, slips of paper, anything she can find. Melorrhea does not save her compositions, preferring to leave them wherever the group stops for the night as a little “gift” for the fans she is sure she will one day have.  This is not a problem as Melorrhea possesses an eidetic memory and can write down the entirety of her song at will.

Quockerwodger

Redraw

Original sketch

Every big city has its rundown, abandoned areas. Places where the majority of the buildings lie vacant and hollow, home to only to squatters. If the land remains empty long enough nature will begin to retake it. Forgotten lawns will grow into savannah. Concrete will burst and crumble under the tenacious roots of tough, hardy trees like red cedars, honey locusts, sumac and trees-of-heaven. Wildlife will move in. First the ubiquitous coyotes and raccoons, then deer and sometimes even bears will return to reclaim the places that humanity temporarily thought to control.

Usually these “urban prairies” are caused by natural succession. But in the center of one of the biggest cities on the Northeast coast there is a small square of grassland in the middle of prime downtown real estate that no developer will dare touch. For the land is haunted.

Large vehicles left overnight on the site will be completely dismantled by morning. Even monstrous bulldozers and earth-movers do not survive the night intact. The haunted prairie is free of birds and other animals and any human who lingers too long within it begins to feel a sense of dread that slowly grows into an almost animalistic panic. A feeling that immediately disappears as soon as the afflicted steps onto the cracked sidewalk that rims the lot.

There is one mark of Man in this ominous field, though. In the center, almost totally hidden by the tall grass, stands a bucket-headed scarecrow.  Everyone naturally attributes the haunting to her, though no one has ever actually seen her move. Curiously, despite the constant exposure to the elements, her over-sized sweater, checkered pants and pork pie hat do not rot away. From time to time, it even seems that they are replaced with a new, but identical set.

There are a few people who do know the true story behind the strange happenings. It is, of course, the scarecrow’s doing, because that is how these urban legends work. They even know the name given to the scarecrow by her creator: Quockerwodger. The knowledgeable  know that she was created over a hundred years ago to guard a farmer’s field that was eventually swallowed up by the amoebic expansion of the city. Though her charge is long gone, Quockerwodger still protects the land from those she believes to be thieves both human and animal. Even the knowledgeable, though, do not know what became of the farmer who created her. Some do suspect that he is somehow responsible for her occasional gifts of fresh vestments.