He stands on the bank where forest parts to sunrise on the rich strip of green, and lowers his muzzle to feed. Thick grass pops between his rotating jaws, snapping as he tears into clumps of equally satisfying roots.
He sneezes, shakes his antlers, and freezes at the whisper of small feet on the low cliff, opposite.
Alert, he steps back into shadow.
She sees him and laughs like water over shallows.
He nods, unconcerned, as she sheds her nightshirt and plashes into deeper water. Skin twinkles and turns, and flipping her tailfin, she’s gone.
He nuzzles the grass.
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2017)
Carrot Ranch Prompt (08/03/2017): In 99 words (no more, no less) use sound to create a story. Just as you might “see” a scene unfold, think about how it might sound. Even one sound to set the tone is okay. Go where you hear the prompt lead. Feel free to experiment.
Valley of the Trolls 
A beautiful telling of a moose sighting, thought I.
Probably shouldn’t skinny-dip with a moose, I mused. (They can be unpredictable)
Oh! Mermaid. Okay, swim at will, nothing to see here.
I’m sure the moose will keep his silence.
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Magical beings keep each others’ secrets…
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Yep. Shhhh…
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🤫
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Oh… so it wasn’t a Moonicorn 😉
Mermaids are good 😀 🧜♀️
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I love the magical quality of this story. The mermaid is such a great addition!!
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Thank you, Colleen!🧜♀️
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You’re so welcome, Liz!!
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Your most welcome!
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Wow, that’s one for the imagination, ‘She flipped her tail and she was gone’, magic! 🙂
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Thanks, Mick!
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My pleasure!
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Such a beautiful flash that makes me believe in forest mermaids. Although moose can be as elusive.
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😀
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