"At Dawn, A Chorus"

250 Words

Inspired by a prompt by my pal

Scoot

over at

Gibberish

.

Prompt: Camping

Finally, tell-tale signs of summer had arrived in the heart of Georgia. Honeysuckles blossomed. Lighting bugs meandered. And the cool of spring had relented. The air that remained was hot and thick as molasses, as they say. But the humidity mattered not to little Austin “Tuck” Welch. Summer meant only one thing. Camping.

At the start of every summer, Tuck and Grandpa Eli would take to the woods just outside of town. After constructing their tents they made their way to the river in hopes of catching the night’s supper. With any luck, they’d nab a fat catfish or two and call it a day. Once back at camp, Tuck would start the fire while Grandpa prepared the catch.

But this year was a bit different. Grandpa was fine, only Tuck noticed he’d been moving somewhat slower. Tuck tried to pretend that he’d not noticed but his gaze was not lost on Grandpa Eli.

Over the crackling fire and the setting sun, Grandpa Eli broke Tuck’s contemplation.

“Tuck, I’m alright. Just gettin’ older. I like it, actually. But we’re with God out here. Don’t you go worryin’.”

“We’re with God?”

“You bet. We’re never alone out here.”

“How’s that?”

“For me, I just listen. At night, we may sleep but the earth is not silent. The Lord hosts His jamboree. The frogs, cricket and cicadas all sing and dance together. And before we wake He’s got his birds all chanting his name. At night, a dance. At dawn, a chorus!”

Please give me your honest thoughts/ reactions. I want to get better at writing so I need your honest feedback. What works? What doesn’t? I won’t be recreating a 250-word flash fiction (most likely) but I’ll carry your critique with me to the next story.

And if you feel like getting in on the action, write a story based on camping and drop it in the comments or post to your our Substack. Or leave me a challenge if you wish.

Thanks for reading!