Vanished

Written for Crispina’s Crimson’s Creative
Challenge #078. I chose Pic #1.
Here’s where the image took me.

Gabe set off at dawn, same as always, down Turks Lane, past the cedar fence, past the Henderson’s place with its crooked chimney.

His dog came home alone at half past seven.

By noon, volunteers were searching. They combed the woods to the north, called his name between the trees until their voices gave out. They checked every barn, every outbuilding, every padlocked shed for miles around. The Hendersons let police officers walk through every room.

Nothing.

His cap was found near the lane’s edge. His flashlight, still on, half-buried in the grass. People shook their heads. Vanished into thin air.

But Gabe had not vanished into thin air.

The lane sat quietly as it always did after a heavy rain, its sated puddles wide and still, reflecting a pale sky.

Waiting patiently for the next passerby.

NAR©2026

This is “Gone Away” by The Offspring

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #078

^{Everything seen here was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}