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.
PARITY OF REVENGE
The orange leaves crunched underfoot as the hunter returned to the woods where he lost his apprentice. It had been six months. A tragedy that had turned over in his mind so many times it had eventually snowballed into obsession.
He stalked beasts. There was no confusion about that. He came into their domain to slay them, not the other way around. Yet, vengeance was in his heart, simmering in the spring, boiling in summer, now steaming in the autumn.
The lad had been there to learn the trade of taking down creatures for food and fur. His inexperience made him vulnerable. Under the hunter’s tutelage, that shortfall was his to guard against. Ultimately, he knew it was himself with whom he was angry, having failed the young man. But he couldn’t hunt himself.
He set up camp and angrily banged rocks together, sparking the curls of wood shavings and strips of bark to burn under his bundle of sticks. The image of that mountain cat lunging at his apprentice, snagging its claw in his neck, and opening a wound that could not be treated before the poor lad bled to death, played over in his mind. It had all happened so fast, but the boy had split its ear with his knife as he tried to fend it off, and the hunter had put an arrow in its snout. He was certain, he would know it on sight.
He physically shook his head to dismiss the memory and his perpetual rage exhausted him into sleep.
When he woke, it was still dark, but he could wait no longer. He made a torch from his dying fire and went out looking for the beast. He stalked the woods for hours as the darkness peeled back in layers from the sky. The sun was not far from rising.
By the time he heard movement, it was coming from behind him. He turned and tossed his torch to buy himself time to arm and draw his bow. He launched an arrow and struck the figure moving towards him. He caught it mid-leap, striking with so clean a shot, the beast crashed dead upon the ground.
It was a mountain cat, but there was no cloven ear nor scarring upon its muzzle. It was not the creature he came for. He was a hunter, and he had made a kill. A glimmer of reason asserted itself and he considered just skinning it for its hide and leaving behind the madness that had brought him back to this place.
While he looked down, drawing his knife, he heard movement again, but this time he was knocked down from behind. His knife found the familiar-looking beast’s neck as its claws found his, leaving them to lie on the ground, growling and grunting, having claimed each other as a prize. Together they watched the orange glow of the morning sun for the last time as they each calmed their breaths in acceptance.
Barend Nieuwstraten III grew up and lives in Sydney, Australia, where he was born to Dutch and Indian immigrants. He has worked in film, short film, television, music, and online comics. He is now primarily working on a collection of stories set within a high fantasy world, a science fiction alternate future, often dipping his toes in horror in the process. With over eighty stories published in anthologies, he continues to work on short stories, stand-alone novels, and an epic series.
A discovery writer not knowing what will happen when he begins typing, he endeavours to drag his readers on the same unknown journey through the fog of his subconscious.
If you enjoyed this story you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash 2023 anthology.
Iron Faerie Publishing 