Harold the Scarecrow

Harold is an evil scarecrow from the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark short story of the same name. He was made out of old sacs stuffed with straw by two stupid cow farmers named Thomas and Alfred who were bored and named him after another farmer they both hated. They treated the doll meanly for fun, and one day they heard it grunt, and Thomas suggested throwing him in the fire, but Alfred insisted it was nothing to worry about. Then, they noticed that Harold was growing bigger, and told themselves that it was their imagination from being in the mountains too long.

Then one day, Harold comes to life, walks out of the hut in front of Thomas and Alfred, then climbs on the roof and starts stomping around on it. Terrified, Thomas and Alfred leave with their cows that same day to get away from Harold, but then they realize they forgot their milking stools and have to go back. The farmers convince each other that there really is nothing to be afraid of and draw straws to see who will go back. It is Thomas who has to go back to where Harold is, and he tells Alfred that he'll catch up with him later. When he does not return, Alfred looks back and sees Harold on the roof of the hut holding out Thomas' skinned corpse!