A Scarecrow Wins an Award

When you’re a post-relationship personal effects repossession specialist, some jobs just aren’t worth the trouble. Especially when they involve ghosts, coblyns, and conspiracies. Shapeshifter August Shade saved the world. At least, that’s what some folks are saying. According to the rumors, the personal effects repo man bested a vampire, a warlock, and a troll without even breaking a sweat. While his growing celebrity has been good for business, it’s also meant taking jobs farther from home. Now, the cranky shapeshifter is in farm country–definitely not his natural habitat–and mixed up with two feuding hag sisters, a loan sharking coblyn, and a mysterious woman with a very scary ex. The manure hits the fan when his best friend blows the lid off a major conspiracy and lands August in a heap of trouble. Fannie doesn’t need worldly things. The old hag is happy with her housecoat, a dry hovel, and a few nightmares to sip on when she’s hungry. Her sister, Elouise, has grander designs. Now Elouise has taken Fannie’s most prized possession: a baby spoon that is more than it seems. When the hag hires August to get it back, he might give her more than she bargained for. The spoon, sure, but also a chance to ease her tortured soul. Dagmara knows the world has changed. Farming used to be a noble profession. Now, farms are beholden to the banks, and the bills keep piling up. When the Cornflower Wraith seeks August’s help to reclaim a special doll, she knows the job will scare the hell out of him. Unfortunately, not getting that doll back would be scarier. August’s efforts to keep a low profile are falling apart, and he’s learning–quite literally–that you reap what you sow. It’s life or death for the poor shapeshifter, and the scales keep tilting toward the latter. If it weren’t for bad luck, August Shade would have no luck at all. Human Brain Pledge This story was written by a human. No AI writing assist technology was used in the creation of this story.