The Tracker – Weekend Writing Prompt

hinterland by c e ayr

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend.  How you use the prompt is up to you.  Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like.  Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.  If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in Sammi’s Comment Section Click here to hear the author read his words:

The Tracker

Kill them all!
Males, females, cubs, they are savages, sub-human creatures.

We obey with glee, guns against sticks, we wipe out the entire settlement.
I see some day-old tracks, follow them into the hinterland.
On soft ground they are clearer.
One set large, wide-spaced, male.
Second set smaller, closer, female.
Third set erratic, small and scuffed, but consistently close to the female.
Suddenly I understand.
Not a cub.
A running, skipping, dancing child.
Holding mother’s hand.
I turn
back, wiping away my tears.
We are the savages.

Unknown's avatar

About ceayr

A Scot who has discovered peace in a small town he calls Medville on the Côte Vermeille, C.E. Ayr has spent a large part of his life in the West of Scotland and a large part elsewhere. His first job was selling programmes at his local football club and he has since tried 73 other career paths, the longest being in IT, with varying degrees of success. He is somewhat nomadic, fairly irresponsible and, according to his darling daughter, a bit random. So, nobody’s perfect.
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16 Responses to The Tracker – Weekend Writing Prompt

  1. Danny James's avatar Danny James says:

    Just WOW!

  2. Fantastic. Also savagely true of what colonialism had done.

  3. Bill's avatar Bill says:

    This dovetails into what I am reading now. Makes me shudder. Indeed we are. Great sound bite, CE.

  4. notestowomen's avatar notestowomen says:

    Powerful last line.

  5. What can I say? It’s an absolute gem.

  6. Dear CE,

    One of your best. One of my favorite quotes came from Pogo, a comic strip character in the 1960’s. “We have seen the enemy and he is us.”

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    • ceayr's avatar ceayr says:

      Thank you, m’lady,much appreciated.
      It is based on one of those ideas that’s been kicking around inside my head for ages, but I thought it would be a longer story.
      It still might be.
      Good quote.

  7. Dale's avatar Dale says:

    Ohhh. Well done!

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