It’s spooky season, and there’s nothing better than gathering around the campfire for a little fall fun! Our spooky story has just the right amount of mystery for even our littlest ghost story fans- more silly than scary, with a few surprises along the way. Grab a cozy seat, your favorite sweet treat, and get ready for a not-so-scary campfire adventure!
The Mischievous Scarecrow
On a cool, crisp fall evening, just as the sun was setting at Splashway Campground, a group of campers gathered around the flickering flames of a campfire to roast marshmallows.
The leaves went…
CRSHH, CRSHH, CRSHH!
The wind went…
WHOOOOOOSH!
And the campfire went…
CRACKLE, POP, CRACKLE!
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
Except for one thing.
At the edge of the campground stood an old scarecrow.
He wore a floppy brown hat, a red plaid shirt, and a silly crooked smile.
His name was Patch.
During the day, Patch stood perfectly still.
But everyone at the campground knew the rumor…
When the sun went down, Patch liked to play tricks!
Of course, no one actually believed it.
Until tonight…
A camper walked past the scarecrow and noticed something strange.
“Wasn’t his hat on the other side of his head?”
Everyone stared.
Patch stood perfectly still.
“Maybe the wind moved it.”
So they went back to the campfire.
A few minutes later…
CRSHH… CRSHH… CRSHH…
Everyone turned around.
Patch was still there.
But now…
He was wearing SUNGLASSES!
“Where did THOSE come from?!”
The campers giggled.
They turned back toward the fire.
Then…
CRSHH… CRSHH… CRSHH…
Everyone spun around again.
This time, Patch was holding a marshmallow stick!
“Okay! Who keeps doing that?!”
Nobody answered.
They decided they were going to catch whoever was playing tricks.
Everyone turned around, hands covering their eyes, and counted together.
“ONE… TWO… THREE!”
Then they quickly turned back.
Patch hadn’t moved.
“FOUR… FIVE… SIX!”
They turned again.
Still nothing.
“SEVEN… EIGHT… NINE… TEN!”
They spun around one last time.
And Patch was…
GONE!
Everyone gasped.
Then suddenly, from behind them…
CRSHH!
They slowly turned toward the fire.
Patch was sitting there on a log, waiting!
Everyone jumped…
Then burst out laughing.
Because Patch wasn’t scary at all.
He just wanted to roast a marshmallow with them!
The campers gave him the biggest marshmallow they could find.
And from that night on, Patch became the campground’s silliest fall visitor.
But there’s something you should know…
He still LOVES playing tricks.
So tonight, before you leave the campfire, take a good look around.
If your hat suddenly disappears…
If your marshmallow stick moves…
Or if you hear…
CRSHH… CRSHH… CRSHH…
Don’t worry.
It’s probably just Patch…
looking for another marshmallow!
THE END, OR IS IT…