The Scarecrow's Dance

In a big field of golden wheat, there lived a scarecrow named Silas. Silas had a funny straw hat and big button eyes. All day long, he stood still trying to scare away the hungry crows. He made his scariest frown and flapped in the wind, but the crows weren't very scared of him. He just wasn't good at being scary. But Silas didn't really want to be scary anyway. He had a secret wish... He wanted to dance! Every night when the moon came out, something magical happened. The wind started to whisper through the wheat. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* The moonlight made everything sparkle. And suddenly, Silas could move! First, he wiggled one straw finger. Then he moved his whole arm. Soon, Silas was dancing all around the field! His dancing was wobbly at first. His straw legs were shaky. His arms flapped around like a bird. But every night, Silas got a little better. *Step, step, spin!* went Silas. His old coat flew behind him. The wheat seemed to dance with him! When Silas swayed left, the wheat swayed left. When Silas spun around, the wheat rustled and whispered, "Dance, Silas, dance!" The wind became his music. *Whoosh-step-whoosh-spin!* His shadow danced too, stretching long and funny across the ground. Sometimes Silas would wave at his shadow. Sometimes he would copy what his shadow did! Night after night, Silas learned new moves. He learned to hop on one foot. He learned to twirl his hat. He even learned to bow like a fancy dancer. The more Silas danced, the happier he felt. And the happier he felt, the better he became at his scarecrow job during the day! When the sun started to come up each morning, the magic would fade away. Silas would become still again, but he always kept that happy smile on his face. The crows would see Silas standing there with a big, cheerful smile and say to each other, "Why's that scarecrow so happy? I dunno, but it's scaring me. We better find somewhere else to eat!" Even during the long, quiet day, Silas felt wonderful inside. He would think about his dance moves and plan what he wanted to try when the moon came out again. And every night, under the twinkling stars, Silas would dance with the wind and the wheat and his shadow. The whole field became his dance floor, and nature was his very best dancing partner. The End.