| General Fiction posted May 4, 2022 |
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a 150-word story
In Country
by Bill Schott
The tracks in the path are fresh. It has not been long since someone had been this way.
The loose soil near the tree trunks, which define the width of this passage, makes Rick suspicious. Mines?
Lowering himself to a prostrate position, he feels the ground for a stick. Finding one, he begins probing the soft earth at a thirty-degree angle.
Snap! A footstep behind him sends panic throughout his body. He springs from the damp grass, spinning and landing in a crouch facing the direction of the sound. The stick, once a tool, now positioned to be a weapon.
Rick sees a small figure, frozen and wide-eyed, mouth agape and appearing to be on the verge of tears.
"Daddy? Are you okay? You scared me!"
Rick's severe facial contortion relaxes to a smile, then a toothy grin. The conflict that haunts him, once again, replaced with his present joy.
Flash Fiction contest entry
The tracks in the path are fresh. It has not been long since someone had been this way.
The loose soil near the tree trunks, which define the width of this passage, makes Rick suspicious. Mines?
Lowering himself to a prostrate position, he feels the ground for a stick. Finding one, he begins probing the soft earth at a thirty-degree angle.
Snap! A footstep behind him sends panic throughout his body. He springs from the damp grass, spinning and landing in a crouch facing the direction of the sound. The stick, once a tool, now positioned to be a weapon.
Rick sees a small figure, frozen and wide-eyed, mouth agape and appearing to be on the verge of tears.
"Daddy? Are you okay? You scared me!"
Rick's severe facial contortion relaxes to a smile, then a toothy grin. The conflict that haunts him, once again, replaced with his present joy.
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