Crunch crack. Crunch crack, pause.
You can hear a pin drop at the tip-top of the Appalachians.
The silence is tranquil, the stillness is immaculate. An imagery I can’t articulate into words.
The sounds of small sticks falling, but in the most soothing way.
Nothing but snow on top of snow.
The weather is at a calm, crisp 30 degrees. As I continue to trek, I begin to sweat, tying my sweater around my waist and now I’m in a tank top.
Crunch crack, crunch crack.
CRUNCH.
Crack, pause.
Turning around, hearing additional crackles behind me.
I see nothing in view.
This is by far the most surreal place I’ve ever been. Savoring every moment.
I shut my eyes, and sniffed long.
“CRACK”
I jolted, turning my back again, this time it was closer.
Still seeing nothing, I bend down to adjust my boot. As I stood up, there it was.
The crackle. In front of me. Standing face to face.
Its shoulders as broad as a man, standing around 10-feet tall and a face like a gorilla.
Frightened, I froze.
Click. Backing up slowly from the creature.
Click. My other foot followed even slower.
Clack.
“CLICK CLACK CRACK”
Everything goes black. A dull ringing in my ears.
Laid out, I see the grey clouds.
Nodding in and out of consciousness, I lift my neck, I couldn’t feel my body.
The most peaceful place, lay me to rest, when I saw the monster feasting on the bones of my chest.
About the Creator
Natasha Collazo
Selected Writer in Residency, Champagne France ---2026
The Diary of an emo Latina OUT NOW
https://a.co/d/0jYT7RR
Keep reading
More stories from Natasha Collazo and writers in Fiction and other communities.
Poetry Workshop
Previously, I published my first ever exclusive story on Vocal. If you’ve subscribed to my work, then you have access to it. Thank YOU for your support. I hope to make each read worth your while. So with that, I’ll be posting insights for exclusive readers only, such as a workshop on my craft. The hows and who’s of my stories. Pretty much revealing my secrets on how I write with you. So welcome fam, and let’s get started!
By Natasha CollazoExclusive • about a year ago
The steps to losing a child
Step One: Lose a child. Not what anyone wants to happen and nothing you can do to change it, but you can go through steps to becoming happy again. You can go through steps to loving again. You can go through steps to become a new you because after losing a child you will never be the same person you once were.
By Tabitha Hinkley5 days ago in Fiction
Me, Myself, and I
“Alright. Get in, get out.” “What do you mean, get in, get out? You have to buy stuff for a party!” “Yeah, but I know exactly what I need to get. None of that anxious debating between two items for who knows how long. And it’s just stuff for French bread pizza. The others are bringing the rest of the stuff. And I already got the cheese at the other store. Man, I was lucky there was a sale!”
By Rebecca Patton5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (8)
I like the suspense of this, how fun! I like how you paced it with the cracks spaced through the story. I could really hear the crunching of feet through snow.
I thought this was going to be an atmospheric piece about the noises of winter. Nope. You're being stalked. That threw me completely!
Hahahahahahahahahaha I freaking grinned at the ending! So dark and delicious! I loved it sooooo much! It was like a sweet treat!
The sound effect was potent! It added so much to the suspense!
I was like, wow she climbed the mountain. But oh microfiction. Now she dead instead. Meat for the monsters, oh my. Love it.
Wow! That was a jolt at the end!… not as much as it was for ‘you’! Sadly, I wasn’t able to comment on Dreamland … I was beautifully optimistic… I loved it! Especially the line near the end about you’re the writer but not author of your life… or similar. So true of all of us!
You shocked me out of the still and calm and into terror...well done.
Sasquatch with a sack (tank top) lunch? Nicely done, Natasha.