FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Beware the Gris Gris

 

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Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending.

 
But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens next to the characters of each story. This week’s Flash Fiction is about an old swamp legend…

 

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Low hanging Spanish moss makes it difficult for the piroque to cut through the trees of the swamp. The air is humid and smell of rotting vegetation. Lee scratches his arm where a mosquito bit him and he’s glad he is up to date on his shots. Swamp fever is a deadly thing to catch, laying a man low for months even if he is lucky enough to survive the fevers.

The light is fading fast and there is just enough time to make it to the cabin before night. Lee sure doesn’t want to be on the water after dark. He has heard the legends of the gris gris and he isn’t taking any chances.

Old man Boudreaux even saw it once; standing about seven feet tall and covered in grey moss. A creature born of the swamps and known to tear a man limb from limb if he was dumb enough to be on the water after dark. The old man was rushing to get home one hot summer night when he saw something move among the trees. At first he thought it was just a gator; could even hear its deep croaking in the distance but this thing was too big to be a gator. Rising out of the swamp, the creature quickly moved toward him and the old man almost had a heart attack when he realized he was looking into the evil eyes of the gris gris.

Lee wipes the sweat from his brow and looks nervously around him. He can almost make out the front porch of his cabin. He just might make it home safely after all. Old man Boudreaux was lucky that night he got caught in the swamp. He made it out alive and days later was telling anyone who would listen about the swamp creature that almost got him.

What is that? A sound Lee has never heard before. Almost like a low moan and getting louder. The hair on the back of his neck rises as he realizes what is making that sound. The last thing Lee remembers is the old man’s story and the shock of the swamp water as the creature rises out of the deep and reaches for him…

What happens next? Share your imagination with others by leaving a comment below!

 

donna

 

International best selling, award winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, My Journey, My Journal, is scheduled to be released by Expert Insights Publishing in the Fall 2018.

Donna L

Hybrid award winning author; aspiring sketch artist; and 4th Degree Senior Certified Taekwondo Instructor. Host of BOOK NOOK REVIEWS. Member of SCBWI. Mom to fabulous son and adventurer delving into the tricky world of indie-publishing.

4 thoughts on “FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Beware the Gris Gris

    • May 8, 2018 at 9:39 pm
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      Thanks Tiffany! I grew up in the swamps of southern Louisiana and were told tales of the gris gris to make sure I behaved…;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Reply
  • May 9, 2018 at 1:51 pm
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    Leaning away from the creature, Lee reached for the bullfrog he had heard croaking. Closing his eyes, he threw that bullfrog at the creature and passed out.

    Reply
    • May 9, 2018 at 4:19 pm
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      I LOVE it, Janet! Only a chosen few know how to get rid of the dreaded gris gris!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Reply

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