10. Photo by Josh Hild on Pexels.com
Rules
By: Josh Weiss-Roessler
(200 words)
Touch nothing at Grandpa’s without his permission. It was a rule even their parents followed.
Because no one wanted to make Grandpa mad.
But as Tremaine watched the hammock swaying gently, sunlight haloing around it, his older brother’s arguments started to sound appealing.
“Grandpa just wants to control everything,” Sammy growled. “We shouldn’t have to ask just to try it out.”
Tremaine hesitated. “Wasn’t here before dinner,” he said. “Must be brand new.”
“Even better,” Sammy said. “We’ll be the first ones in it.”
Tremaine licked his lips. “What if Grandpa finds out?”
“He’s busy with dad,” Sammy reasoned. “He won’t even know.”
Tremaine nodded. “Okay.”
Sammy grinned, and they crunched through the leaves toward the hammock. Tremaine felt giddy; he couldn’t wait to climb inside.
Sammy reached out his hand–
“Don’t you touch that!”
Behind them, the screen door banged open, Grandpa raging.
Too late. As Sammy’s fingertips brushed the fabric, the hammock enveloped his hand, his horrified scream cutting off as it slurped the rest of him inside its folds.
Tremaine crumpled to his knees, mouth open in an “O” no sound could escape from.
Grandpa’s hand landed heavily on his shoulder. “Rules,” he said sadly. “Rules.”
Thanks to everyone involved in this contest:
Host: @kaitlynleann17
Guest Judges: @Ms_Holliday93 @ebonylynnmudd
Prize Donors: @AndreaYWang @chanastiefel @JStremer @amandarhill32 @AutumnLeaflet @HovorkaSarah @readbystephanie @Ms_Holliday93 @SerendipityLit @BrianGehrlein @IvanTaurisano @ErDiPasquale @ShannonStocker_ @ebonylynnmudd @kaitlynleann17 @AReynosoMorris @DianaMWrites
Great job! Fantastic ending!
Love the hammock slurping his older brother up. Great chemistry between the brothers!
I love how you build the suspense and what a terrrifyingly satisfying ending!
I did not see that coming. A true thriller.
A tale as twisty as a hammock with fantastic voice and imagery. I especially love “sunlight haloing” and “an ‘O’ no sound could escape from.”
I guess all rules are NOT meant to be broken.. Good, scary, Job