Until now, James had no idea what had happened. Last night, everything was perfectly normal. He had stretched out luxuriously on his big, soft bed, drifting into a deep sleep without a care in the world. But when he opened his eyes this morning... well, everything had changed.
He blinked, or at least he thought he did, but his surroundings stayed the same. Instead of the familiar walls of his bedroom, all he could see was an endless field of green melons stretching out in every direction. The soft bed was gone. The warmth of his sheets had disappeared, and in their place, he was rooted to the ground, staring helplessly at the sky.
"What... is going on?" James thought, trying to move, but found his limbs stiff and unresponsive. No matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn't budge. His head wouldn't turn. Even his line of sight was fixed in place.
"Am I... stuck like this?" Panic fluttered in his chest. "Am I going to be a scarecrow for the rest of my life?"
He was about to spiral into despair when something broke through his thoughts; a sharp pecking sensation on his arm. Or what he assumed was his arm. He couldn't feel much, but there was just enough sensation to notice the disturbance. A crow, bold and unbothered, was nibbling away at his straw arm.
"Get away from me!" he tried to shout, but no sound came.
The crow continued, oblivious to his silent protests, plucking a piece of straw loose. It didn't hurt exactly, but the odd sensation made him wince internally.
"Great," James thought with a resigned sigh, "I can't move or talk, but I can still feel. Fantastic."
Suddenly, something else caught his eye; a strange movement near his feet. James squinted (or would have, if he had actual eyelids). A small, strange creature was sniffing around the melons. It was about the size of a puppy, with a long, bald tail, short legs, and a pointed snout. Most unsettling were its eyes; two glowing, crimson orbs locked onto him.
"What is that thing? It... it can't be a rat... can it?"
James felt a surge of dread. He couldn't move, couldn't escape, and now this creepy creature was inching closer. His whole non-existent body tensed, though of course, he had no muscles left to tense.
"Don't come any closer," James thought frantically as the rat-like creature crept forward, sniffing at his base with its pointed nose. Its sharp teeth gleamed in the daylight, and James knew, without a doubt, that this wasn't going to be like the crow's harmless pecking.
"Oh no, I'm done for."
The creature bared its teeth, ready to bite, and James braced himself for the worst. But then, out of nowhere, a gust of wind swept through the field, sending his straw body swaying and creaking ominously.
"Squeak!" The creature squealed in terror, jumping back with a startled cry. Its red eyes widened in fear as it took one last glance at James before scurrying off as fast as its stubby legs could carry it.
James almost laughed, if he could. "Well, that was unexpected."
Relief flooded him. Whatever that monster had been, it was gone now, and he was still in one piece. Well, mostly straw, but at least intact.
Just as he was mentally celebrating his narrow escape, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind: "Congratulations to the host for instilling fear in a G-level low-grade alien species, the 'Monster Rat.' Achievement unlocked: 'Thing of Fear.' The host is awarded 1 growth point and gains mobility. Panel function unlocked."
James froze, or rather, his thoughts did, since freezing in place wasn't something he needed to try.
"Wait... what? Did I just... unlock a system? Like, a video game system? And... did it say I can move?"
Excitement bubbled up inside him. He focused, willing his stiff body to obey his command. To his astonishment, his straw arm twitched ever so slightly.
"Holy crap... I can move!"
James hurriedly tried to move, eager to test out his newfound mobility.
Sough.
The sound of straw rubbing against itself filled the air as his awkward, twisted body struggled to cooperate. He wobbled, took a few clumsy steps like a toddler learning to walk, and; predictably; fell face-first onto the ground.
"Hahahaha, I can move now!" he shouted with unrestrained glee, his voice rasping oddly, like the sound of old shoes scraping across pavement. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sound, but it was his voice. His!
He paused, lying there on the ground in shock for a moment. "Wait... I can talk?" Excitement surged through him as he pushed himself upright, sitting up in the melon field like a puppet coming to life. It was only then that he noticed his hands or what were supposed to be hands.
Instead of fingers, there were messy clumps of straw, loosely packed together in crude shapes. His right hand, however, had a new addition; a rusty sickle, the kind used for cutting grass.
James stared at the tool in his straw hand for a second before taking in the rest of his appearance. He wore a weathered gray-blue dress, tattered but strangely elegant in its simplicity. He raised a hand to touch the old, blackened straw hat resting on his head.
"Yep," he muttered, "I'm definitely a scarecrow." He couldn't help but laugh. He looked exactly like what every kid imagines when they picture one; down to the stitched smile that seemed permanently etched across his straw face.
"Alright, let's see this panel," he said, remembering the system's voice.
With just a thought, a row of information flashed into his mind:
Host: James
Body: Scarecrow
Rank: G-grade low
Growth value: 0/10
Talent: Life Desire (E), Fear Devour (E)
Skills: Fear (G), Life Harvest (G)
James blinked or at least, he thought he did. "This... this looks pretty powerful, doesn't it?" he muttered, his raspy voice sounding even stranger as he talked to himself.
He glanced down at his hands again and concentrated, willing the straw to form fingers. It wasn't perfect—the outlines of five fingers were there, but they were more like rough sketches. Still, it was progress.
Looking around, James caught his reflection in a puddle nearby. His eyes were nothing more than two mismatched buttons stitched onto his face, yet somehow, they worked. He could see. It didn't make any sense, but he had no time to question it.
"I look like the starter-level monster guarding the entrance to the novice zone in some game," James muttered to himself, shaking his head. But instead of despairing, he shrugged. "Eh, forget it. I'm sure I'll figure it all out as I level up."
Just then, a rustling noise came from nearby, breaking the calm of the melon field.
Rustle, rustle.
James turned toward the sound, and what he saw made his heart or whatever passed for it, sink. Six rats emerged from the thick melon plants, their glowing red eyes glinting in the sunlight. Leading the pack was the very same rat he had scared off earlier, looking very much like it was holding a grudge.
The lead rat squeaked at its companions, pointing a sharp claw in James's direction. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was saying. The group began creeping toward him, cautious but determined.
"Really? You still hold a grudge, you little brat?" James grumbled internally. His eyes flicked to the sickle in his hand, an idea sparking in his mind. His stitched smile seemed to widen, turning into something far more sinister.
"Let's see if I get any growth points from taking you out," James thought, his straw face twisting into an eerie grin. He stood up slowly, his body creaking like old wood in the breeze.
The system's cold voice echoed again in his mind: Life Desire activated.
"Alright, you little monsters," James thought, his fingers tightening around the sickle. "Let's play."