I met K.T. Rose, an American horror writer, on Twitter, and we discussed exchanging guest blogs. However, K.T. didn’t feel her writing style and genre (which is more horror) matched my site, so instead she suggested a piece by her friend Brandon. So here is a high fantasy flash fiction story from Brandon Meadows, courtesy his friend K.T!
Reid
by Brandon Meadows
The beating of wings on the air and melodious chirping of some nearby birds awaken Reid from his slumber. The sun has yet to finish rising in the sky as Reid begins to stir, he feels as if he’s still in a dream, sitting up in a clearing in the forest, unsure of how he came to be there. His things are strewn about and he quickly begins to gather them as he sees the golden rays of the sun cresting of the eastern border of the forest.
Where am I, he thinks.
He wanders in search of water, listening for a river. The air here seems to be fresher than any he’s breathed and the trees have white bark and great canopies of gold and silver. The grass bows before any step is laid, never feeling rough. Occasionally he hears laughter, though he cannot seem to place from where.
He hears rushing water in the distance. Reid follows the sound and stumbles upon a river, little more than a creek really. He splashes himself in the face and takes a drink. The water flows down his throat like ice.
As grogginess abandons him, Reid notices large black eyes staring at him from an almost childlike face. But though similar in size and shape to a child, this creature was not human. In place of hair there was a tangle of bramble and vines. Its skin was a pale brown and as rough as tree bark. Soft moss had grown over its body in place of clothing.
The creature notices Reid looking back, and it runs away from the river. Curious, Reid gives chase, darting in between trees and under branches until the childlike being seemingly falls into a tree. Reid searches for it , but to no avail. He gives up, and sits against that same tree to rest. He hears the same laughter from before but this time he can follows the sound. It leads him out of the forest. It’s still morning, though he’s wandered in the forest for what seems to be hours. He turns back for the forest but finds his path blocked by vines and overgrowth. Unsure of what happened but glad it was over, he heads down the road back to town.
Links for K.T. Rose:
https://www.amazon.com/K.-T.-Rose/e/B01N4T91M2
