Use the photograph above as the inspiration for your flash fiction story. Write whatever comes to mind (no sexual, political, or religious stories, jokes, or commentary, please) and after you PROOFREAD it, submit it as your entry in the comments section below. There will be no written prompt.
Welcome to the Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge. In 250 words or less, write a story incorporating the elements in the picture at left. The 250 word limit will be strictly enforced.
Please keep language and subject matter to a PG-13 level.
Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until Tuesday at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. No political or religious entries, please. Need help getting started? Read this article on how to write flash fiction.
On Wednesday afternoon, we will open voting to the public with an online poll so they may choose the winner. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday. On Saturday morning, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature.
Once a month, the admins will announce the Editors’ Choice winners. Those stories will be featured in an anthology like this one. Best of luck to you all in your writing!
Entries only in the comment section. Other comments will be deleted. See HERE for additional information and terms. Please note the rule changes for 2016.
I won’t move a muscle. I won’t even breathe. Maybe they’ll take their guns and go away, she hoped, hiding behind a tree.
“Wow! Get a load of that, willya?”
“Yeah! Ain’t that a beauty? Somebody just left it here for anybody to find.”
“Well, I found it, alright. Gonna look great on my front lawn.”
Whoa! Waddaya mean, YOUR lawn? That’s goin’ on MY lawn, next to the squirrels and rabbits.”
“Like hell it is! I saw it first! It’s MINE!”
“Over my dead body! And, stop pointing that rifle at me, ya big jerk. Howdja like me pointing mine at you?”
She eased out from behind the tree and quietly inched up behind the nearest arguer and turned around. They were so busy brawling, they didn’t notice her. In one swift swing, she slammed her back hooves into his back. He went flying into his companion, who, from the shock, struck his own head with his rifle. They collapsed into an unconscious heap.
She rushed over to the immobile fawn nudging it to get up and go before the men woke up. But, or course, it didn’t move. She realized what she was doing and began weeping.
Being alone and fawn-less, she had fallen in love with the lawn ornament someone had abandoned. She nestled close to the figure, sadly imagining what might have been.
Without luck, search parties looked for the missing toddler throughout the state forest. That evening, an oddly dressed old man with a long staff joined in the search and was now pointing on the map at a nearby round glade. He quietly announced, “She will be right there in the Witch’s Glade, but we must hurry before it’s to late.”
The Sheriff stared at the spot on the map, “Nope, already searched there, nothing.”
The old man eyed him, “Follow me and you shall see, I am right.”
Then he turned and left. Only one deputy, Mary, followed the old man there. When the two arrived, the old man pointed his staff at a fawn in the Witch’s Glade, “See there she is!”
Feeling duped, Mary started to say something about wasting time. Ignoring her, the old man stepped into the glade and struck the ground with his staff while loudly proclaiming, “In the Name of the Order of the Twilight Wizards, witches release this child and be gone!”
Stunned, Mary witnessed the power of the proclamation as a shock wave radiated outward, passing through the inner circle, thus turning the fawn back into the missing toddler.
Cautiously, she stepped into the glade and tenderly picked up the toddler. That’s when she realized the old man was gone and she said, “They’re never going to believe this one when I get back with you, but who cares as long as your safe.”
No signs of distress or fear shine in her eyes as I approach. Wild animals usually bolt from a hunter, yet she remains, waiting, calm and silent. Uncertain, I continue forward, the gun heavy in my hand. I need meat but can’t bring myself to raise the weapon.
Two feet away and the doe still hasn’t stood. Her chest slowly rises and falls with even breaths as she watches me. Is she ill, injured? There must be some reason for her odd behavior.
I crouch and stare into her large brown eyes, trying to discern what’s wrong with her. The loving look I see sends my heart racing. More familiar than anything that I have ever known; my heart; my love; taken away before our first night. Tears stream down my face. For months I’ve prayed for another chance to save her, to be with her again.
With shaking hands I touch the doe’s soft fur and bow my head, the riffle forgotten on the ground. I can’t kill, not again. Warm breath whispers against my forehead and a tongue caresses my cheek. Ripples of tingling heat rush through my body and I crumple to the ground sobbing.
The doe rises, nudges me up. My feet feel heavy and clumsy. Confused, I look down. Hooves and fur-covered legs are all I see. Mirrored in her eyes stands a young stag. She winks with a twinkle in her half-lidded eyes. We have our second chance.
Can a human envy an animal?
It was our zoo trip. Under the supervision of uncle, we were a gang of four; close cousins— all below eleven. I was the second-eldest, ten. Those days we had been desperate to prove how grown up we already were. We used to expect serious attention. We could hardly appreciate that we still were ‘Children’
Zoo was a perfect place to enjoy our courage; to encounter fierce ones— Tiger, lion, crocodile, so on. They were well confined behind cages, so, naiveness was no bar.
I challenged, ‘Hey stupid tiger, come I’ll teach you lesson’
Little sis Emily went further, ‘Oooh, Mr. Lion! See, I’m a big girl now, not afraid of you anymore. I don’t even care you. I am more powerful than you’
We enjoyed team-pride almost for half an hour. Then uncle called us back, ‘Children, come let’s now move to the renovated area of the park. It’s very interesting’
We followed him to discover new marvel, which, eventually became a lesson.
We saw we would have to walk through a caged-way that stretched across the newly designed deer-park. In a minute I discovered a deer staring us. I showed sis. As usual, they started humiliating it. I stopped them immediately.
— ‘Here caged are we, and the deer is freely enjoying the view!’
The deer remained calm, appeared smiling.
Uncle was listening all, commented, ‘The deer liked you my caged kids!’