The Watch
After the wolves killed the sheep, then Damien, I fled the backcountry. Without cricket and tree frog song, the silence grew too deep.
I packed light: food for a lifetime, clothes and boots, and all the guns. One photo of my love, sewn into the pocket over my heart. The audio of our poetry.
On the last night, I siphoned 30 gallons of ethanol to power the ATV, and sloshed the rest around the perimeter of the house, the shed, the still. The timber flared with a loud wumph. The wolves gathered, mesmerized by the flames. Their low snarls trailed me as I drove from the forest, the evening star obscured by smoke.
It took three days to reach the City. From the top of the tower, I watched the horizon. The tinny pop of guns from the last of the resistance punctuated the low whine of advancing tanks. For some reason, these noises comforted me.
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Author's Note
Inspired by this week's 52/250 theme: urban convert.
Something about the cusp of a new year that brings out the dystopian in me.
Other stories by Linda Simoni-Wastila
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Must be the chill, the snow, the absence of sunlight. I thought it odd, but even though you do not write even a hint of a wintry landscape, it's what I saw here.
Excellent example of the genre.
Really well done, Linda; a stark look at possibilities.
Great take on the theme, and great story! *
This is great Linda, love.
Wonderful opening, Linda. Good writing. Great piece for the challenge. Enjoyed.
Good things come in small packages. Sometimes. Wonderful piece. *
James, thank you for your very kind comments -- I value them much. Peace...
Susan and Kim, thank you for reading -- it was a tough theme, no? Peace...
Meg, thanks so much for reading -- much appreciated! Peace...
Sam, thank you for reading -- happy to see you here! Peace...
Jack, thank you, your words and star made my morning. Peace...
Taken by how you fleshed out a world with particulars in such a concise piece: The "wumph" of the igniting; the abandoned still; the "tinny pop" of the guns of the [ineffectual?] resistance. This stands rock-solid on such details.
Wow, David, thanks! I'll take your generous words any time! Peace...
Chilling, chilly, unsettling, wolves, fire, towers. This gave me shivers. Striking prose.
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So glad I gave you shivers, Susan! Thanks for the read and the purty star! peace...
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Thanks Matt!