A Friendly "Murder"

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About the Images

Halloween is in the air, and pumpkins are popping up everywhere!

Today’s post was inspired by Bad Unicorn’s ScareThrow, a delightfully mischievous twist on the classic scarecrow. He may not frighten the crows, but beware… this one throws pumpkins at unsuspecting passersby! It’s all fun and games until the scarecrow starts aiming for YOU.

Of course, what’s a scarecrow without his feathered companions? The crows featured here come from Aardvark’s “Game of Crows” gacha pack, originally available at the September round of The Gacha Garden in both PBR and legacy textures. With twenty-two “murderous” (and hilariously expressive) crows to collect, each one brings its own bit of spooky personality. My favorite might be the cheeky fellow perched on the pumpkins—yes, the one wielding the tiny knife!

At just 50L a pull, these clever corvids make a frightfully fun addition to any Halloween scene. Whether they’re haunting your cornfield or conspiring on your porch, this murder of crows will ensure your spooky season takes flight in style.

Pick up either – or both! – of these “haunting” items at the respective mainstores.

Full credits are below the story. Store and event SLurls are available on the Store & Event Links page.

The Story

Once upon a breezy October afternoon, a scarecrow named Barley stood proudly in the middle of a cornfield dressed in his finest flannel shirt and green denim trousers. His pumpkin head gleamed in the sunlight, and his straw-stuffed arms stretched wide as if to hug the world.

Barley had one very important job—to keep the crows away from the corn. It was in his name, after all: scare-crow. But there was a small problem.

The crows were not scared.

In fact, they seemed to adore him.

“Good afternoon, Mister Barley!” called one cheeky crow as it landed on his shoulder. “Lovely day for corn, don’t you think?”

“Splendid weather for flying!” another crow cawed, fluttering around his head.

If Barley could frown, he would have. But since his face was carved into a permanent grin, he looked delighted instead. Inside, though, he was fretting. What good was a scarecrow who couldn’t scare?

More crows arrived, chattering and pecking at the ground. One perched on his arm. Another tugged gently at his hat. A particularly bold crow even sat on his nose!

“Oh dear,” thought Barley. “This won’t do at all.”

He wished he could move, wave his arms, or at least shout a proper boo! But his wooden pole spine and straw-stuffed limbs didn’t allow much in the way of action. So he did the only thing he could do. He waited.

And as he waited, the crows began to sing.

It wasn’t a bad song, really. It was about shiny things and tasty corn and how delightful it was to sit on the scarecrow’s shoulders. The melody drifted through the field, twirling with the falling leaves. Even the pumpkins by the fence seemed to bob along.

Barley couldn’t help but feel… happy. Perhaps being scary wasn’t everything. Perhaps it was nice to have company.

When evening fell, the crows gathered close, their black feathers glimmering like velvet in the twilight. One crow, the smallest of the flock, tucked a bright red leaf into the scarecrow’s shirt pocket.

“For you,” it said. “So you don’t feel so lonely tonight.”

The wind rustled through the corn, and Barley’s grin seemed just a little wider. Maybe he wasn’t much of a scarecrow anymore. But he was something better: he was a friend.

And in the quiet of the field, under the golden glow of the harvest moon, that felt like a very fine job indeed.