The enormous tree drew her. Its branches reached up into the bright, blue sky, far above its fellows. She knew only too well that all of the trees were nourished with the flesh of humans deemed by society to be wasteful squanderers, but she still admire this particular tree’s tenacity in beating its competition and achieving such great proportions. She thought of another tree. The one she had seen on the eve of the Great War after the bombs had rained down. She recalled the tendrils of fire running up its wide trunk and licking greedily at its branches.
May 16, 2019, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that goes in search of trees. It can be one particular tree, a grove, woods, or forest. What makes the tree worth seeking? Go where the prompt leads!
You can join in the prompt here: https://carrotranch.com/2019/05/16/may-16-flash-fiction-challenge/
I love this little story! I don’t understand how you fit a particular number of words and made it seem like you were neither cutting nor reaching. (Because, yes, I couldn’t help but count all 99 words.) Awesome.:-)
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Thank you, Priscilla. You say such encouraging things.
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Oh, I like this!
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Thank you, Susan.
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Love those who can connect with trees and share that bond. Brava
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Thank you, Annette.
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🔥 🌳
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Thank you, Chelsea.
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🙂 I liked it, but only had time for a quick pictagram.
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Pretty grim, but, yeah, I’d still like trees even if they were feed human blood.
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Thank you, Trent. An eye for an eye in this particular piece.
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Excellent Robbie 💜
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Thank you, Willow
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💜💜💜🙋
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This so reminds me of a tree that survived the World Trade Center bombing….
I think the moved it to a special location away from people so it could grow stronger with intentions of returning it to it’s original spot.
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Thank you, Jules. That is an interesting story. I hadn’t heard it and think it is a lovely thing to have done.
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This is very good, Roberta.
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sad result of war … only gun runners profit!
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Yes, you are absolutely right about that, Kate.
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Oooh, that fertilizer is pretty crazy! Dark little flash!
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Thank you, when you damage the trees in an earlier time, something has to be done.
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Looks like your characters took that VERY seriously!
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I’m happy for the tree but it is too bad that the fertilizer is so readily available.
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Yes, it is rather awful when the tables are turned.
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Your description of the tree on fire is pure poetry, Robbie, though sad.
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Thank you, Norah. The idea is to go into a sort of natural reversal in the future where people have to put right the wrongs of the past.
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I agree. I just wish there weren’t so many wrongs to put right.
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There have always been lots of wrongs, Norah. I think the communication is better now so we know about them all.
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That’s true, sadly. 😦
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I think the trees will outlast us, as they should. (K)
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Yes, they should, Kerfe. If they don’t, it is sadly usually our fault.
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I often feel sorry for men, Kerfe. They are so easily influenced by women.
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When I think of trees, I often consider their capacity to hold our memories or mark significant lifetime events. You have fully embraced both in your chilling thriller.
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Thank you, Charli. I am glad you enjoyed this.
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