Welcome to this week’s installment of many micro stories, ranging in length from 100 words to 500 words.
With each story we hope to deliver a little whimsy into the lives of our readers.
BANSHEE UPON THE HILL
The chill winds swept down off the hillside,
bringing with it the eerie moans of God knew what.
In unison, we stepped away from our appointed rounds,
striding forward, we mounted the path leading north.
“Only the neighbors we know, with lights on!”
cautioned every parent, every year, ad nauseum.
This year we would choose our own route, our own game plan.
Heading toward the foothills, we giggled at our daring.
Once in the blackened forest, our resolve faltered,
but spurred on by some sense of do or die, we crept forth.
The moans echoed, sometimes far ahead, sometimes behind,
luring us ever onward, ever upward, away from the light.
The pirate, the superhero, the ghost, and I huddled closely,
hands outstretched, brushing branches and cobwebs away.
Fear puckered our mouths tightly, sweat beaded our brows.
Onward and upward we crept, grappling with roots and brush.
The first of us to succumb to the rigor, the pirate, slunk away.
Wordlessly, he vanished into the darkness, beating a path homeward.
The moans soon became shrieks, the shrieks blended with groans.
The superhero lost his nerve and slunk sheepishly back down the hill.
Gulping, the ghost and I pressed close and soldiered on.
The creak of bat wings brought a downdraft of chilly air.
The lashing branches menacingly taunted, while roots tussled with us.
The ghost screamed once, then disappeared into the underbrush.
More determined than ever, I inched forward toward the moans.
That was my last mortal act, my last Halloween alive on Earth.
Engulfed in dark anger, the spirits bore me upward to become one with them:
Banshees moaning upon the hill, luring foolish schoolboys to their demise.
Maggie D Brace, a life-long denizen of Maryland, teacher, gardener, basketball player and author attended St. Mary’s College, where she met her soulmate, and Loyola University, Maryland. She has written ‘Tis Himself: The Tale of Finn MacCool and Grammy’s Glasses, and has multiple short works and poems in various anthologies. She remains a humble scrivener and avid reader.
If you enjoyed this drabble you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash 2023 anthology.
Iron Faerie Publishing 