Sunday, October 11, 2015

My Short Short for the Day


The wind howled.  The trees whipped.  The thunder rumbled.  The rain pelted.  The lightning streaked.  The sky frowned as the campers huddled in their flimsy tents, hoping the storm would pass quickly.  In response to their silent pleas, the clouds dumped hail down on them.  The campers groaned, sliding deeper into their sleeping bags.  Time passed and eventually so did the storm.  The thunder rumbled off until the only sound left was the gentle dripping of rain water as it slid off the nearby tree branches and onto the top of the tents.  The moon was hidden behind the clouds leaving the campsite blanketed in darkness.  The campers sighed in relief and slept more soundly until dawn. 

As the birds began their day, chirping and flitting about, the campers awoke.  They stumbled out of their soggy tents looking bedraggled.  The squirrels chattered in the trees, laughing at the scene below.  The worms quickly squiggled into their holes to avoid heavy boots.  The mice skittered away to hide until after the campers were gone so they could search for crumbs left behind.  There were always lots of yummy crumbs to collect.  And a little family of ants huddled under the giant mushroom eagerly awaiting their feast.

The campers wiped down their tents before packing them away.  Going through the ritual mindlessly munching on breakfast bars.  Hefting the packs onto their backs, the campers slogged off down the muddy trail.  A loud whistle from the lookout crow alerted the rest that the coast was clear.  In no time the campsite had been picked clean of anything even remotely edible.


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