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ECHOES

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶
© Ayr/Gray

It had been quite a long while since Celia had taken a vacation. Now here she was, hiking the Appalachian Trail; it was the perfect get-away. The day was gorgeous and Celia was surprised to find she had the trail to herself. After about 90 minutes she came upon a split in the path. Placing her backpack on the ground, she pulled out a map and leaned against a tree. Suddenly there was a startling crack as the tree snapped in half. The ground beneath her gave out and she plummeted off the edge.

Celia had no idea how far she’d fallen or where she was. She called out but all she heard were her echoes. Celia was pretty badly bruised but she didn’t think anything was broken. It was a struggle but she made it to her feet; it was then she realized she didn’t have her backpack which meant no food, no water, no bandages and no phone. Her only choice was to keep going.

She must have walked for miles. Exhausted, lost, Celia fell to her knees, sobbing. She squinted through her tears and could barely make out the shape of a cabin. Was it real? Was she hallucinating? Slowly she pulled herself up and trudged toward the building, praying it was not an illusion.

There were no lights, no signs of life. Raising her arm to bang on the door, it suddenly flew open and Celia was pulled into blackness. That’s the last thing she remembered.

NAR © 2023
250 words

The Unicorn Challenge – 21/07/23

42 thoughts on “ECHOES”

  1. Like they say, Don’t knock on a door you’re not prepared to enter.

    (Technical appreciation: nice job with lulling us into a state of interest in what (we think) will be a riuaing adventure and triumph over adversity.)

    :Rug Pulled

    Lol

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  8. …which just goes to show you should take frequent vacations. I mean, usually something goes wrong on a vacation – one thing! But it sounds like fate has gathered up all the ‘one things’ from the vacations Celia didn’t take and served them to her, poor dear, all at once! You have a dark imagination, Nancy – but then I’m hardly the one to talk! 😏

    NB: From next week, and for the following few weeks, the Unicorn Challenge will be published on Saturdays, since all true Scots will be flying home for the annual Unicorn Games and Nessie Spotting. 🦄🦕

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  10. She breaks two important rules. Don’t hike far on that trail all alone and don’t knock on a stranger’s door. If someone lives up in the mountains in a cabin far away from people they might want to be left alone. What are the odds? They might have a mean dog and a shotgun pointed at you, or they might GRAB YOU!

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