They’d packed coffee and sandwiches, heading out, bike trails edging around lakes green with duckweed, geese and duck leaving their own paths as they nibbled, non-stop snacking to prepare them for the winter. The two biked on, through leaf-changing suburbs, under sharp-echoing freeways, until they finally arrived at Jack’s place.

The orchard spread before them, multiple rows of red and green globes of goodness, a cool welcome after their long ride.

“Took you long enough to get here!” called out Uncle Jack from the picnic table. “I was just about to grab a snack from one of these trees!”

© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2020)

Carrot Ranch Prompt (09/24/2020): In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about snacking. It can feature crunchy snacks, or creamy one. Who is snacking on what and why? How can you make this a story? Go where the prompt leads!