[Short Story] - Squirrel - Example story for Constrained Writing Contest #13

Much like every sunny Saturday in autumn, I was out picking mushrooms in the nearby forest. I was addicted to the taste, addicted to the thrill of the hunt and addicted to the beauty of solitude in nature.

But one Saturday something was different. I didn’t have that feeling of solitude I usually had deep in the woods. I could practically feel a set of eyes on me at all times and I kept looking over my shoulder to try and find anyone there. I tried my best to shake away the feeling, but I just couldn’t get rid of it.

At last, the rustling of the fallen leaves gave away its position.

“Oh. A squirrel. I can’t believe I was feeling anxious because of a squirrel!” I laughed at myself.

I crouched down and extended my hand toward it to try and have it approach me.

“I am Chuckles.”

“You speak!?” I exclaimed in shock and fell on my butt.

“My humble vocabulary consists of exactly twenty words, and what I just said are all the words I am capable of saying.”

“What?” I was puzzled.

“My humble vocabulary consists of exactly twenty words, and what I just said are all the words I am capable of saying,” Chuckles repeated.

“Oh… Okay. That’s oddly specific and very interesting. Anyway, nice to meet you, Chuckles! I’m Rebecca. So if I understand this correctly… you can’t say any other word but the ones you said, but you understand everything?” I didn't want to count out the words, so I subtly asked that too.

“Exactly.”

“How… why?”

“Exactly twenty words.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot. Hmmm.” I raised my hand to my chin and thought real hard. How could I learn something more about this mysterious creature without it having to use any additional words.

“Can you write?”

It shook its head no.

“Draw?”

It shook its head no again.

“So I guess we’re stuck to yes and no questions. A lot like a game of guess. At least until I figure out something else. Alright, first question! Do you have any other magical powers?”

Chuckles nodded.

“What ones?” My eyes shone with excitement, then suddenly lost their glow again when I remembered the communication barrier. “Oh. Right. Let’s start with something simpler, shall we? Were you following me?”

Chuckles nodded again, then raised up on his hind feet and pointed at my basket, overly filled with fresh mushrooms.

“Oh, you want a mushroom? Sure, pick whichever you’d like.”

His face turned into a mischievous grin and his eyes went from cute to creepy in a split second.

“All.”

“You want all the mushrooms?”

Chuckles nodded in response.

“Sorry little one. I can let you take 2, maybe even 3, but certainly not all. I need some for myself too, you know.”

He just stared at me, without so much as a blink of an eye.

“All,” his lips hardly even moved.

I was starting to feel uneasy in his presence. He looked scary with that killer look in his eye and who knows what magical powers he possessed. It started out cute, but when it turned creepy I just wanted to get away as fast as possible. The thought of a murderous squirrel with magical powers was far more intimidating than a human stalker.

“Fine. All mushrooms. I’ll just leave the basket here on the floor and continue on my way, okay? You can claim them whenever you’d like.”

I put the basket down on the floor and made a couple steps back, carefully observing his every move still.

Chuckles then raised his hand again, but instead of at the mushrooms, he now pointed at me.

“All.”

My heart started beating at speeds far above normal, my hands began to sweat and my muscles froze in place and I couldn’t move.

“W-what?” I stuttered at last.

He raised his hand further up toward the skies and opened his hand. The ground around me followed the movement and rose upward, carrying me with it about 30 feet high.

“I am capable of all!”

“Fine! Fine! What do you want? I’ll give you anything! Just please stop and put me down!” I yelled, standing on nothing but a patch of soil suspended in mid-air.

Chuckles nodded, his smile now turned into a vicious smirk.

“Wait no. I didn’t mean like that! Please Chuckles!”

Chuckles thrusted his hand down toward the ground and formed a fist. As before, the little patch of soil I was standing on, followed suit. The fall was far too great and there was no way I could survive it. In the last few seconds I had before imminent death – when my life flashed before my eyes – I closed my eyes and prayed for my family to be alive, healthy and safe. Before I could finish my prayers, my body hit the floor. Free falling from 30 feet I had built enough speed to break my spine, killing me instantly.

“Tasty,” muttered Chuckles as he approached my dead body.