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“Do scarecrows actually work?”
“I don’t know, honestly. But I might as well try, right?" Empedocles replied. "I can’t let those bastards keep eating my pumpkins. Spirit’s Eve is approaching and I can’t afford to lose any more.”
The sun felt hot over The Phoenix's Farm, despite being the middle of Fall. It was just a couple hours after noon and Empedocles was already covered in sweat. He had woken up to the unpleasant surprise that crows had eaten about half his pumpkins, the same way they had been doing for the last couple days. After sowing new seeds, he decided to do something about the crows that plagued his crops. As a kid, Empedocles saw his grandfather using scarecrows all the time, so he hoped they would help him as well. He thought one would be more than enough, given that the pumpkins were the only ones getting eaten and the rest of his crops remained untouched.
He looked at his scarecrow with pride. He had spent half of the morning making it. Abigail happened to walk into him placing it.
“Are those your clothes?”
“Uh, yeah. They’re kind of old. I wasn’t planning on using them again anyway. I thought they’d be more useful this way. They also make him look handsome, don’t you think?” Abigail laughed. “Come on, I’m serious.”
“I think my Dad used to sell scarecrows some time ago. I could ask him if he still has any if you ever need another one.”
“Oh, sweet Abi,” Empedocles told her using a tone that sounded almost condescending, “that is incredibly sweet. But, you see, here is something you’re failing to consider: I’m trying to make a living out of crops grown in a ruined farm. I can’t really afford to give your Daddy a single cent for something that isn’t absolutely necessary and I can do myself perfectly well.”
“You visit the Stardrop Saloon almost every night.”
“Well, is there anything you need?” Empedocles changed the subject. “Any reason why you’re here?”
“Oh, yes. My Mom asked me to bring you these extra tea leaves she had in the kitchen.”
“That’s great! Elliott and Penny will be happy to know that next time they come over.” Abigail raised an eyebrow after hearing him mention those names. “Don’t ask. Follow me, I’ll show you where the kitchen is. I think I have some banana pudding leftovers, you can take them if you want.”
Moments after Abigail and Empedocles had gone into the farmhouse, Lewis walked into the farm, looking for the farmer. He had news, good for himself, not so good for the farmer.
“Empedocles? Are you here?” Lewis asked as he kept walking and looking around. “I couldn’t find you in the town. Empedocles? I have something to tell you.”
He approached what resembled be a man’s silhouette. He looked at the scarecrow from behind, wearing Empedocles’ clothes, and believed it to be him without bothering to get any closer.
“There you are. I needed to tell you something important.” He stopped talking, as if waiting for a reply, which he didn’t get. “I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll try to be brief. Pelican Town is going through some financial hardship so we had to cut off some expenses. We had to indefinitely suspend the Agricultural Fund. You understand, right?” Silence. “Now, there’s no need to be upset. It wasn’t my choice, you know? I would never try to purposefully disserve you. I’m just doing what I have to do.” He paused again. No reply. “Well, you don’t have to give me the silent treatment.” More silence followed. “You ought to be more mature, Empedocles. You can’t just ignore me for the rest of your life.” Still no reply. “Alright. So be it, then. Goodbye.”
Empedocles and Abigail silently watched from the window as Lewis left.
“Well,” Empedocles said, “there you have it. Not only does it scare crows, it also keeps snakes away.” He exited the house to keep watching Lewis walk away. "At least that's one thing that works in this valley."