Aftermath

“This is what happens?” said Nathan.

The creature nodded. A thin trickle of frozen green pus dangled from the scratch Nathan had left in its cheek.

“But I didn’t realize.”

The creature shrugged.

“Is there anything I can do?”

The creature looked around the frozen wasteland and scratched its head. Grimacing with concentration, it poked around in its ear for a moment and then tugged a few wiry hairs free. Nathan watched the creature twist the hairs into a tiny braid. The creature opened its mouth and mimed swallowing the braid and then handed it to Nathan.

Nathan shuddered.

Story originally submitted to the Tuesday Tales 17 Flash Fiction competition.

This is an example of a story where I took Anne McCaffrey’s advice so there’s a detailed back story behind those 100 words. Maybe one day I’ll extend it into a full length story.