| General Flash Fiction posted August 24, 2022 |
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Flash Fiction Contest
The Engagement
by Wayne Fowler
"Hey Girl."
"Hey Boy."
"I noticed you cut yer hair off."
"Well, ain't you the observant one."
The boy squinched his eyes in frustration at his imbecility, wondering where he'd gone awry in his pick-up approach. The girl was the all around best gal in the hollow. It was a wonder that some man hadn't grabbed her up by her hair and drug her off to his cave already.
Still experiencing frustration, he kicked at a rock, intending to let that be the catalyst with which he could yank himself back on track. Only it was a cypress knee and not a rock.
"A person would think you would know a cypress knee from a rock." The girl giggled, finding the boy's hopping about while holding his bruised toe over the top of the good leg's kneecap while still hopping.
Finally, in control of coherent speech, the boy asked her if she had tangled her hair in a briar patch, or maybe a monkey puzzle tree.
"Nope. But you might take a look at Stumpy's right arm, next time you see him. Those bite marks are mine. Had to nearly bite his arm clear off to get him to turn a'loose. That's when I cut my hair off. It's got so's a girl cain't even pick strawberries without some behemoth bohemian yanking her hair nearly out by the roots in order to get to his cave and marry her.
The boy, back down on both feet, the cypress knee forgotten, tightly pinched his lips.
"Guess that means you was of a mind ta git your own hands tangled up in my curls, was ya?" the girl tipped her head to the side as she zoned into the boy's eyes.
"Mighta thought about it a time'r two, or dozen." He clasped his hands behind his back and did a swaying shuffle. He reared back a foot to give another rock a little push, but thought better than to kick another cypress knee.
"Wouldn't want no boy who couldn't learn from kickin' a cypress knee." Not able to contain herself, she turned away from the boy long enough to chortle up a little guffaw.
Clearly out of his element, the boy spent a few minutes strutting and prancing. He picked up a rock, a real rock, and threw it as far as he could as a demonstration of his prowess. A moment later, from the same direction as his throw, they heard a bellow like a man hit by a rock. The boy grimaced. The girl laughed out loud.
"Tell you what. See this hand?" The girl held her left hand out, palm down, fingers extended. You keep comin' round here, and in three years, hold out your hand just like this. I'll take ahold of it and we'll walk side-by-side to your cave.
The boy snatched the girl's hand, held it high, and danced a jig beneath the twined fingers while the girl's laughter filled the valley.
Flash Fiction writing prompt entry
"Hey Girl."
"Hey Boy."
"I noticed you cut yer hair off."
"Well, ain't you the observant one."
The boy squinched his eyes in frustration at his imbecility, wondering where he'd gone awry in his pick-up approach. The girl was the all around best gal in the hollow. It was a wonder that some man hadn't grabbed her up by her hair and drug her off to his cave already.
Still experiencing frustration, he kicked at a rock, intending to let that be the catalyst with which he could yank himself back on track. Only it was a cypress knee and not a rock.
"A person would think you would know a cypress knee from a rock." The girl giggled, finding the boy's hopping about while holding his bruised toe over the top of the good leg's kneecap while still hopping.
Finally, in control of coherent speech, the boy asked her if she had tangled her hair in a briar patch, or maybe a monkey puzzle tree.
"Nope. But you might take a look at Stumpy's right arm, next time you see him. Those bite marks are mine. Had to nearly bite his arm clear off to get him to turn a'loose. That's when I cut my hair off. It's got so's a girl cain't even pick strawberries without some behemoth bohemian yanking her hair nearly out by the roots in order to get to his cave and marry her.
The boy, back down on both feet, the cypress knee forgotten, tightly pinched his lips.
"Guess that means you was of a mind ta git your own hands tangled up in my curls, was ya?" the girl tipped her head to the side as she zoned into the boy's eyes.
"Mighta thought about it a time'r two, or dozen." He clasped his hands behind his back and did a swaying shuffle. He reared back a foot to give another rock a little push, but thought better than to kick another cypress knee.
"Wouldn't want no boy who couldn't learn from kickin' a cypress knee." Not able to contain herself, she turned away from the boy long enough to chortle up a little guffaw.
Clearly out of his element, the boy spent a few minutes strutting and prancing. He picked up a rock, a real rock, and threw it as far as he could as a demonstration of his prowess. A moment later, from the same direction as his throw, they heard a bellow like a man hit by a rock. The boy grimaced. The girl laughed out loud.
"Tell you what. See this hand?" The girl held her left hand out, palm down, fingers extended. You keep comin' round here, and in three years, hold out your hand just like this. I'll take ahold of it and we'll walk side-by-side to your cave.
The boy snatched the girl's hand, held it high, and danced a jig beneath the twined fingers while the girl's laughter filled the valley.
"Hey Boy."
"I noticed you cut yer hair off."
"Well, ain't you the observant one."
The boy squinched his eyes in frustration at his imbecility, wondering where he'd gone awry in his pick-up approach. The girl was the all around best gal in the hollow. It was a wonder that some man hadn't grabbed her up by her hair and drug her off to his cave already.
Still experiencing frustration, he kicked at a rock, intending to let that be the catalyst with which he could yank himself back on track. Only it was a cypress knee and not a rock.
"A person would think you would know a cypress knee from a rock." The girl giggled, finding the boy's hopping about while holding his bruised toe over the top of the good leg's kneecap while still hopping.
Finally, in control of coherent speech, the boy asked her if she had tangled her hair in a briar patch, or maybe a monkey puzzle tree.
"Nope. But you might take a look at Stumpy's right arm, next time you see him. Those bite marks are mine. Had to nearly bite his arm clear off to get him to turn a'loose. That's when I cut my hair off. It's got so's a girl cain't even pick strawberries without some behemoth bohemian yanking her hair nearly out by the roots in order to get to his cave and marry her.
The boy, back down on both feet, the cypress knee forgotten, tightly pinched his lips.
"Guess that means you was of a mind ta git your own hands tangled up in my curls, was ya?" the girl tipped her head to the side as she zoned into the boy's eyes.
"Mighta thought about it a time'r two, or dozen." He clasped his hands behind his back and did a swaying shuffle. He reared back a foot to give another rock a little push, but thought better than to kick another cypress knee.
"Wouldn't want no boy who couldn't learn from kickin' a cypress knee." Not able to contain herself, she turned away from the boy long enough to chortle up a little guffaw.
Clearly out of his element, the boy spent a few minutes strutting and prancing. He picked up a rock, a real rock, and threw it as far as he could as a demonstration of his prowess. A moment later, from the same direction as his throw, they heard a bellow like a man hit by a rock. The boy grimaced. The girl laughed out loud.
"Tell you what. See this hand?" The girl held her left hand out, palm down, fingers extended. You keep comin' round here, and in three years, hold out your hand just like this. I'll take ahold of it and we'll walk side-by-side to your cave.
The boy snatched the girl's hand, held it high, and danced a jig beneath the twined fingers while the girl's laughter filled the valley.
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Writing Prompt Write a story that has 500 words or less. Any topic. |
499 words
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one point
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