| General Fiction posted April 4, 2025 |
A Contest Entry for December '25
Something Was Moving in the Dark
by Tom Horonzy
Something was moving in the dark. I did not know if it was a friend or foe or something else. I stirred from my bedroll, lit my torch, and turned towards where the sound originated, shouting, "Who goes there?" Nothing. Nada.
Who or what was there didn't care to answer. Perhaps it didn't hear me above the din caused by the wind blowing leaves along the ground and rattling others in the trees, it being autumn. So I raised my voice another octave with like results. I remained concerned. My steed, Flicker, nickered. That meant it was disturbed as well. Was it from the earlier sound or me waking it after midnight?
I slipped on my Naconas and grabbed my Stetson. Cowboys won't face danger without their boots and hats. I strapped on my Vaquero 357 Magnum in case a bear lay in wait. I ventured forward.
I doused the light and stood still, letting my scotopic or night vision take hold. Moments passed before I saw, blended into the surroundings, a subject nearly eight feet tall, and immediately struggled to maintain control of what I et earlier that evening. I froze and peered at it as intensely as it peered at me. The folklore I heard long ago is no longer anecdotal. I was looking at Sasquatch!
Dropping to the ground, I sat cross-legged, mesmerized. It shrugged its shoulders and resumed doing what it came to do, I guess, which seemed to be picking persimmons and acorns from the ground. When it finished, it turned, smiled, then disappeared as if it had never been there. Maybe it had been a dream.
"Flicker. What did you see?"
This Sentence Starts The Story contest entry
 Recognized |
Naconas are a brand of cowboy boots
Photo found on Pexels.com: credit for - omar.ainahi
I cannot figure why a contest would have a close date WAY in the future like December. Anyone know?
Pays
10 points
and 57 member cents. Photo found on Pexels.com: credit for - omar.ainahi
I cannot figure why a contest would have a close date WAY in the future like December. Anyone know?
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© Copyright 2025. Tom Horonzy All rights reserved.
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