short story

Barn on the Hill
The sun had arced over the barn- almost 180 degrees - and was beginning to slowly fall beyond where the field meets the forest of Pines, Maples, Birch, Oak, some remaining Black Walnut, but sadly no more Ash because they had been taken by blight in the past years. The renovated barn now held space for a second-floor deck in place of where the original hayloft would have been. Summer in New Hampshire – a warm, humid, slightly hazy evening with the pink of the sunset slowly transmuting into various shades of darkness welcoming the night. The barn owl perched herself in the middle on top of the white, wooden fence which encompassed the second-floor deck. The owl eerily and majestically exuded a presence as if she embodied Athena herself, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. The owl looked out onto the field and watched the sun fall where the trees met the field to say goodbye to that day.
By Susan4 years ago in Earth
Nin Ninna
*ACT 1* Leaving North Carolina to start a new life in Missouri seemed like my only choice at the time. Robin, my oldest, was still in middle school, Sofia was just a few months old and Jay, my middle child still had asthma then, and a lurking congenital defect that would show its ugly face the very next year.
By *LILIAN BLU*4 years ago in Earth
Angel of the Oilfields
Shane didn’t believe me. We had covered over 200 miles just since sunrise and the fact that he had run out of coffee didn’t make his surly disposition any more affable. Even if he had been in a better mood, it wouldn’t have mattered. I was the “FNG” as the others called me: Fucking New Guy. My opinion simply didn’t matter.
By SJ Howe4 years ago in Earth
Purple Royalty
If you would like to get me a gift, please consider the colour purple. Well, I'll accept gifts in any colour of course. I'd be excited about gifts in shades of pink. I'll happily accept red too. But a gift in purple goes deep to the deepest part of my heart. It's my favourite colour. And I'll tell you why. It's all because of one tree.
By Gal Mux4 years ago in Earth
Barn Owl
I was stuck. In between a rock and a ridged place. I was prey to great eyes that scanned my environment. Writhing to peel myself away from my plight. Lungs burning from exertion. Above, she lurked. I could hear the scratching on the beam about me as she paced. Those eyes. I knew those huge dark eyes would be watching. I knew she would be listening for my breath, for my squirm.
By Rohann Chas Coffey4 years ago in Earth
The Lair of the Baobhan Sith
There isn't much of the supernatural in the Scottish Highlands, but for the baobhan sith. Much like a banshee and vampire mixed, but is actually a dark fae, the baobhan sith is always a woman. She makes her home in the moors and swamps, drifting near enough to civilization to eat at night, calling out to those who taste of blood. Her hooves crunch the bones of the devoured, wayward souls that litter the Highland moors. On April 15, 1743, the trees fade into open grassland as the sun sinks below the horizon. A white and brown barn owl flies overhead, searching for it's dinner.
By DarkRandall4 years ago in Earth
The Light of Civilization (and the Shadows it Stole)
Before you, my life made sense. It was natural to hunt at night. A flash of feathers and razor-sharp talons. A single swift blow, an all-encompassing pain, and then the calming invitation of joining the stillness of a cold, dead night. I was a pale-white reaper cloaked in darkness, unseen until the fate of my prey is sealed.
By Zoe Becker4 years ago in Earth
Herba and Doris
Herba looked at the damp rock in her beak and felt happy. This is what Herba was content on doing, she was happy just tossing her rock up and down, she would watch it fall and catch it once more in her beak. It was not the best activity, but it was better than sleeping on a Wednesday afternoon.
By Ada Zuba4 years ago in Earth
Bird, Rattlesnake, and Rain
I miss the shortgrass prairie. I miss the landscape falling apart into broken red rocks, in a blaze in early September. I miss the scorching sunlight, gusts of wind and low-flying hawks, and chirps from prairie dog towns. I miss abrupt, stony cascades, where no water ever does cascade, except in flash floods.
By Sarah Dendy4 years ago in Earth
The Huntress
She lay there beside what was left of her mother. She was too young to understand. Clinging to her three younger siblings, they whimpered from within the rotted tree where their father left them. Another owl had come and attacked. Leaving talon marks across the white heart shaped face of their mother. The sounds which left her mouth as her life was stolen from her echoed through the night. The four offspring witnessed the entire thing and cowered deeper into the trunk of the fallen tree.
By Myr. B 4 years ago in Earth
5 Occasions When Nature Amazed Everyone In 2022
1. Fish with parasitic lice instead of tongue Eventually, everything dies and becomes food for insects. But sometimes the parasites don't wait to die.
By KeNnz04 years ago in Earth
An Owls Journal Entry
An Owls Journal Entry 01.20.22 6:30am Location of tree: 3rd one on the left of the forest, old's man's beard hangs all around it and if you listen closely, it has a low hum, very lovely exposure to sunlight, perfect for napping.
By Rachel Elizabeth Marvin4 years ago in Earth