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"Everybody has a secret world inside of them. All of the people of the world, I mean everybody. No matter how dull and boring they are on the outside, inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds. Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands maybe" ~ Neil Gaiman (A Game of You)

4.29.2011

Yearning

The night was beautiful, the stars sparkling with an intensity you never see in town.  As I leaned back in my camping chair, I saw a shooting star flash across the sky.  I automatically made a wish, then chuckled at myself.  Years of wishes on stars that never came true, and I was still as superstitious as ever.

I leaned in closer to the campfire, rubbing my hands to warm them.  I picked up the bag of marshmallows and fitted two of them on the hanger at my side.  I supposed a couple more wouldn't hurt.  I'd certainly burn off the extra calories on my hike back down the mountain in the morning.

A rustle in the woods behind my camp caught my attention.  I loved the little creatures that visited at night, racoons and opossum and once a small fox.  I picked up my flashlight and shined it in the direction of the sound, hoping to catch sight of my visitor.  The beam illuminated two bright green eyes staring intently at me.

I froze, mesmerized.  I held still, afraid to frighten it off, and my heart accelerated a little with excitement.  Whatever this animal was, I'd never encountered it before.  I couldn't wait to tell my students about it on Monday. 

The animal moved towards me.  As it approached, I realized it was much bigger than the visitors I had been used to, and the first primal hint of concern throbbed in the back of my head.  It moved lithely, slowly, with grace and purpose.  Its furry head and strong shoulders came into view, and it stopped for a moment, considering me.  I wanted to move closer, to see if I could get close enough to touch, to wrap my arms around its neck, place my cheek against its chest and feel the beating of its heart.

A deep growl from its throat broke the spell, and I became aware of how precarious a situation I was in.  I stood up quickly, brandishing the now flaming marshmallows, and yelled like a maniac.  The big cat bounded off into the woods, disappearing from my view.  My heart sank, and I wished I could bound away with him.

*****

Today's prompt:  For some extra fun each month, we are utilizing  ”Story Starter” die. Look at each face of the dice, ponder on its significance to a character, setting or plot you may have bubbling away.. now write – using these as your inspiration.

To play along, visit Write Anything's [Fiction] Friday here.

6 comments:

Langley Cornwell said...

Oooh, good story. We just went to see the movie Big Cats. I'd love to see one up close.

I’m A-Z Blogging on Langley Writes about Writing and Langley’s Rich and Random Life

Anonymous said...

Really nicely done!

I’m A-Z Blogging and my “Y” post is right here.

Unknown said...

I like how they are excited at first and then the truth sinks in.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Lovely post, Shelli. I was scared for you there!

And I must confess when you talked about the green eyes and the chest, I had visions of this being the opening for a romance fantasy. lol

Shelli said...

Langley, I would love that movie! I'll have to see if I can catch it.

Thank you, Word Nerd!

Mauve, thank you.

Donna, I thought about making the ending more gruesome, but I've already done that -- twice. Hm, I like where you're going with that second idea, and I bet I could have fun with it!

Cathryn Grant said...

You capture yearning on so many levels it takes my breath away! The wishing on stars ... the desire for warmth from the fire ... the conflicting desire for marshmallows vs not wanting calories ... then the more powerful longing to embrace the cat ... and finally, wishing to bound away with him.

A very powerful piece, Shelli. Well done.