Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Explore: A Six Sentence Story


The state conservation area was quite lovely most of the year; in the summer, there were picnic spots and lakes for fishing, in the fall, there were the bright oranges, yellows, and reds of autumn foliage, and in the spring, wildflowers bounded from the ground, but in the winter, the area was brown and gray, dark and dreary, and mostly uninhabited, save for an occasional duck hunter.

The two friends met there to walk along a path through the woods one mild day somewhere between fall and winter; they chose it for its convenience, as it sat halfway between each of their homes, and also because of its isolation that time of year, so they could tell secrets and gossip without any other ears about.

Talking and laughing, they walked along the trail, picking their way over fallen branches and kicking piles of leaves, when Christine stopped and said, "I don't believe we're on the main path any longer, because there's an odd little hill over there that I think I would have remembered if I had ever seen it before."

The two women made their way around the strange little hill only to discover it wasn't a hill at all, but an earthen bunker nearly buried in wild grape vines and hidden by tree branches; the heavy wooden door was ajar, and Christine eagerly moved towards it, calling over her shoulder, "Hey, this looks like a cool place to explore - come on!"

"I don't know..." replied her friend, hanging back, "I don't think we should."

But Christine, already at the door and peering inside, said, "It's really dark, but it looks like there's just some straw in there and a wooden crate," when with a sudden, silent jerk, Christine was violently pulled through the crack in the door just before it slammed shut as her friend, standing frozen in horror, slowly sunk to her knees.


The very much still alive Christine while we explored the bunkers
at August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area near
St. Charles, Missouri.


Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge's Blog for Six Sentence Stories with the prompt "explore."





19 comments:

  1. Oh no, poor Christine! Super scary ending to a tale gently built, then bam! I want to know what happens next...
    - Ford, Atomic Mage

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  2. Whoa... you can't just leave my 'Sunday name' namesake there!

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    1. It's like all the horror movies, when you're shouting at the screen not to go in the woods, go down in the basement, go up in the attic, etc. Always have an exit strategy!

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  3. great job on this good build UP

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  4. It was all going so well, then you left us on the edge of our seats! Well done.

    My Six!

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    1. Thanks so much! Yeah, all going well, until it wasn't.....

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  5. I am reminded of Hansel and Gretel. Looking forward to what happens next to them.

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    1. This place sure wasn't made of candy and gingerbread! :)

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  6. That's sound like Christine, lol
    Tense Six, sis! 'Course I'd be the chicken saying "no! don't go near the door!" Not that I don't like adventure but...
    Excellent cliff hanger.

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  7. For some reason, the picture just came into my mind of Fred Munster with his comic book, saying he just doesn't know how Little Orphan Annie is going to get out of whatever scrape she is in this time.

    There has to be more to this story.

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  8. Eeeek!
    I'm with Romi...I hope this is fiction!

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  9. Ooooh! I wanna hope for an escape.

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