6. Flash Fiction: Well in the Woods
Emily Barnett hosts a flash fiction challenge on Instagram every Friday. (Flash fiction, for those of you who don’t know, is a type of fiction that is very short, usually no more than a few hundred words.) I’m sharing my contributions on my blog for those who don’t follow me on Insta. Use the button at the bottom of this post to sign up and get any new blog posts straight to your inbox.
Photo from Unsplash.
The wet rope slipped through Isla’s hands as the full bucket smacked into the sides of the well.
Hissing at the burn in her palms, she scowled into the midnight depths below. Patches of moonlight rippled over stones, the branches overhead rustling in the night breeze. Isla tightened her grip and raised her eyes slowly to frown warily into the shadows of the trees encircling her small clearing.
An inhuman howl rose above the woods.
She shivered. How far away did the Wolf wait tonight? Shrinking into the crimson folds of her cloak, she swallowed and focused on the lip of the bucket, dangling just in sight within the well.
A twig cracked in the darkness. She froze, ears straining to hear more, wondering if she should flee now while she still could. Grandmother had seemed better today — cheeks flushing pink in the sun while blue flickered through the mist over her eyes. Perhaps tonight’s drink wouldn’t be missed.
Another twig cracked. Dry leaves rattled near the forest floor. Isla clamped her lips on the whimper in her throat, pushing the spiraling fear back down past her racing heart. She would not panic.
She wouldn’t.
The Wolf couldn’t be far.
The next howl raised the hair on the back of her neck and she fumbled the rope, fingers cold as ice. The bucket dropped like a stone, a faint splash echoing up from the depths.
A hulking shape separated from the shadows across the clearing.
Terror shot through her like lightning. A foul stench filled the air as the creature stumbled forward, empty eye sockets fixed on her.
It howled again, and an answering scream tore through her throat.
“No!”
The shout came from behind her. Two strong arms caught her around the middle and swung her away from the well — away from the rotting creature and the death it carried. Human warmth and a familiar musky scent enveloped her, and Isla felt her body relax in relief.
The Wolf had come.