"Reponse" by Tanner A

  

The field immerses me.

Everywhere I look is covered in tall, thick stalks of wheat swaying gently in sync with the chill breeze. A scarecrow stands tall about 10 feet away from me, the torn coat swaying in the wind gently. Its waning smile on a hunched-over face stares back at me, intense enough that I feel I must look away. I climb the short boulder in front of me, hoping to gather my belongings. Instead, I am met with increased feelings of dread as I see nothing but an abandoned barn bordering the edges of my vision. The building looks to be barely standing, having been trapped in a losing battle with time for what seems to be decades upon decades. However, the withering monument is the only thing that seems to represent some symbol of humanity, no matter how long gone, as the field of wheat spans for miles and miles. My dread is only heightened by this revelation.

Dread. Dread. Why do I feel dreadful? Like my stomach is about to introduce its contents to the rough terrain. The hairs on the back of my neck are at full attention; my breathing quickens, and my eyes run rampant. I am gripped by a feeling of terror that I do not understand.

Why am I scared??

Is it the Scarecrow? Do its vacant, dark eyes piece further into my soul than I originally thought? Do I see an uncanny resemblance in its decomposing leathery skin? My mind swarms with countless possibilities as the Scarecrow regards me with the same apprehension it did at the beginning of our meeting. I turn, shielding my face hoping to protect it from the burning stare of black-beaded buttons. The body on the hanging post has left my mind and I know it cannot hurt me now.

But I am still scared.

Quick, shallow breaths plague me as I turn back around, and it's here that I understand. The Scarecrow is not the source of my horror, but rather the endless land of crop around it.

But, what’s so fearsome about a maze of wheat?

Don’t you get it? The field covers all. It roams forever and obscures it all. The stalks are so dense and jam-packed together in a way that it causes the all-seeing eye blindness. The field is horrifying because of what lurks behind the weak walls of grass. Namely, it is because there is something in that field. Something horrible and disfigured, a shambled shell of something lost. I know it not to be the Scarecrow because the Scarecrow is existent; and I know it not to be the barn, because the barn is hopeless, a pocket of time. My breath hitches because something’s creeping closer.

But what is in the field? What does it look like?

The answers to those questions are as foreign to me as they are to you. But I know what it sounds like. I hear the crawling. The hurried clittering of limbs; the grass stalks that move and dance, but not from the freezing wind; the glare of the damned piercing my exposed self. I desperately want to run like my body tells me to, yet my mind… my mind tells me the simple truth of the certain death that even the slightest movement of my muscles will bring. My mind and body clash among themselves and meanwhile the noises get louder. The air on my right whizzes loudly, my body reactively turning towards it, and immediately a darting noise on my left. I feel it circling me, stalking its prey, and my body seems determined to play the part to perfection. My vision goes fuzzy on the edges as my lungs reject the plentiful air around me. I crumble to the ground, bowing my head against the harsh dirt in fear of seeing my hunter. Leaves and wheat crunch all around me, all at once, leaving me to become even more confused in this void of helplessness.

I can’t see, I can't breathe, it's here, but where is it? All I can hear is a blaring noise… The siren continues, to the point where it feels like my ears are running with blood as steadily as the tears on my face. The noise stops… and a crisp voice pulls me from my wasteland.

“Unfortunately, it appears our time has come to an end. Thank you for your response. I heard some good things from you today. I hope to continue this conversation the next time, the exit is right behind you and you may leave whenever you are ready.”