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Loon in the Moonlight
The Campfire Story Challenge set by Mother Combs
"Mum! Mum!!"
Hayley was woken by the whispering of her son, Mark.
"Ugh, what?" She was full of the fug of sleep.
"I need the toilet! I'm desperate!"
Hayley looked at her phone. 2.48am. Dead of night. Great.
"Take the head torch, love. It's not far. And it's a bright moon tonight."
She went to roll over but heard Mark's whimpering and unzipped her sleeping bag.
"Okay, I'll take you."
She stood and looked for her Crocs. Her husband, stayed fast asleep, snorting gently which Hayley found incredibly irritating.
Mark was hopping from foot to foot.
"Hurry, Mum! I'm bursting!"
"Okay! Okay!" and she stumbled to the door of the tent and unzipped it.
Out of their little cocoon, the night was glorious. The moon shone silver, coating the campsite with light, like the trail of a snail on a tree trunk. In the dead quiet, trying not to trip on the guy ropes, they made their way to the toilet block.
Funny how the night makes everything seem different, she thought, suppressing a shiver and she looked to the moon, thanking it for its glow.
A howl pierced the quiet. Hayley's heart thumped.
"What was that?" Mark squeaked.
Hayley wasn't sure, but her hackles rose.
"Just a loon, honey," and she held his hand more tightly.
And then a strange voice came from the shadows:
"Not a loon. You know, I really do object to that term especially as I appear when the moon is full."
Snarl.
Slash.
Dark.
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Comments (7)
Yikes! The suspense really built in this one. Perfect campfire ghost story! Great job, Rachel!
Rachel you did such a great job Turing an unassuming story into something so tense and chilling! I'd love to know what happens next!
Lol, I loved the ending! Awesome take on the challenge!
Love the personification on that! Good twist.
Oh, chills!! Very good
This remind me when I was at summer camp, I had to pee so bad but had to go to used the John in the middle of the night . Excellent camp story 🌺With a cliffhanger
Great micro fiction! Very eldritch! Scary! Great work!