We-Write (Week One): A Forest Encounter

If you have never participated in a We-Write, go to this link to learn how it is done and to enter the contest. The first half of this story was provided by @zeldacroft. The second part is written by the participants, who finish the story however inspiration strikes, preferable in about 5 minutes.

This Week's Prompt

A quiet settled into the cozy valley, occasionally broken by the chatter of birds. In a little campsite along the stream, Randy sat watching the flitterings of robins against the twilight hues that painted the sky. He could see a large swath of sky between the trees, and anxiously awaited the arrival of stars.

“Careful with that, Honey.” Randy looked over to see Debra grasp the pointy stick their daughter had been waving about. She pulled the little girl onto her lap near the firepit, and showed her how to roast a marshmallow. The fire was small but still going strong after cooking their meal, and Randy delighted in the warm atmosphere.

A heavy crack from the darkening forest disturbed that. A silent unease grew within him when it sounded again.

Now, Randy and Debra had lived all their lives in the big city. This was their first camping expedition, and everything was new to them, including all of the forest sounds. A heavy crack was a scary noise for them to encounter out in the woods. They felt very isolated from civilization, even though the main road was less than a mile away.

Randy pictured zombies in his mind, or a wild mountain man carrying a big gun. Debra heard it, too, and began to imagine lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Were there such things in these woods? Well, probably not lions and tigers, but surely there might be a bear!

The two of them moved closer to each other, and Debra held the baby more tightly as they stared into the dark forest, wondering what was making those scary noises. Presently, a moose wandered out of the woods and stopped to gaze at them. Then her twin babies followed behind her. Randy and Debra were fascinated to see those huge creatures in person! Even though they were city slickers, they had the sense to keep still and let the moose alone. The stately mother remained in that same spot for at least five minutes while the astonished humans held their breath and waited to see what would happen next. The young ones sniffed and nibbled at the foliage and scampered around. Finally, all three of the animals turned and went back into the forest, accompanied by more cracking sounds as they stepped on fallen branches.

"Whew!" exclaimed Randy. "I'm glad that's all it was! And now we've really experienced nature! Can we go home now?"