Well, last week’s photo on https://indiesunlimited.com/2022/10/16/flash-fiction-writing-prompt-the-legend-of-the-falls did give me some inspiration. It related, indirectly, to one of my works in progress. This site requests works of 250 words. I still have trouble with something this short. I don’t feel like I get a complete story in so few words.
I was late submitting it, so it may not qualify as a contest entry, but here it is:
Mariska gazed at the waterfall and wondered how Ian had crossed the river. His tracks led to the bank, but they didn’t come out the other side.
He had hidden when their village was attacked. She had come home from hunting to find everyone dead or missing. She searched for hours and finally found his tracks. He was wearing the moccasins she had made for him and there was no doubt in her mind that it was him. He was following the raiders who had taken all the children.
She sat down on a rock below the waterfall and waited. Ian joined her there shortly. She threw her arms around him and then proceeded to scold him for all the days she had worried.
“Come Mari, they are just over the next ridge. They have split up and there are only two guards with the little ones. We can overpower them and get our friends back.”
“Oh, Ian, even if we rescue them what will we do? We can’t care for 12 children all on our own.”
“We won’t be on our own. Several other grown ups survived. They played dead. Now they are hiding while their wounds heal.“
Ian was right, rescuing the children proved easy. Traveling back to the clean open desert with them was more trouble. The grown ups were waiting to take over responsibility for the 12 young ones. Soon their tribe would grow again until the raiders came back. Next time, they would be ready.
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