She slings her deep blue backpack over her left shoulder
And takes a swig
From her plastic water bottle
Swinging one dainty leg
In front of the other
Carefree
She whistles merrily
As she begins the three hour long trek
Up to the tip
Of the steep mountain
Where her family is vacationing
For the summer
Having just been awarded
Her college degree
She wished to remain
In the city
For just a few days
To fully conclude her year
Before joining her parents
And siblings
In the country
Now armed with a map
She courageously hikes up
The mountain
To meet her family
Two and a half hours in
She's panting
Out of breath
Sweat trickling
Down her back
Her water's gone
As is her will
And energy
Step by step by step by step
She pushes forward
One leg in front of the other in front of the other in front of the other
She pushes forward
She stops to rest
She gazes up at the beating sun
Squints in pain
And looks down - almost
For her eyes got caught
On something else
Something queer
Something strange
She shields her eyes
With her hands
And takes another look
Expecting to laugh
At her overactive imagination
The sun rays blocking her vision
But alas, it is there
A thick tree
Then a thick branch
Then a thick knot
Then a thick rope
And then,
A purplish face
A limp body
Whites of the eyes
Rolled up to the heavens
Tongue lolled to the side
Mouth foaming at the corners
And then a neck
And arms
And legs
Hanging forlornly
Dangling like a puppet
A mangled puppet
Her stomach churns
heart sinks
Eyes tear
Then the sun moves aside
And her heart lurches
As the corpse
Comes in to view
Clearly this time
An anguished, piercing wail
Rips from deep within
That horrifying corpse
Is that of her mother's.
Oct 26, 2025
Oct 26, 2025 at 10:26 PM UTC
She slings her deep blue backpack over her left shoulder
And takes a swig
From her plastic water bottle
Swinging one dainty leg
In front of the other
Carefree
She whistles merrily
As she begins the three hour long trek
Up to the tip
Of the steep mountain
Where her family is vacationing
For the summer
Having just been awarded
Her college degree
She wished to remain
In the city
For just a few days
To fully conclude her year
Before joining her parents
And siblings
In the country
Now armed with a map
She courageously hikes up
The mountain
To meet her family
Two and a half hours in
She's panting
Out of breath
Sweat trickling
Down her back
Her water's gone
As is her will
And energy
Step by step by step by step
She pushes forward
One leg in front of the other in front of the other in front of the other
She pushes forward
She stops to rest
She gazes up at the beating sun
Squints in pain
And looks down - almost
For her eyes got caught
On something else
Something queer
Something strange
She shields her eyes
With her hands
And takes another look
Expecting to laugh
At her overactive imagination
The sun rays blocking her vision
But alas, it is there
A thick tree
Then a thick branch
Then a thick knot
Then a thick rope
And then,
A purplish face
A limp body
Whites of the eyes
Rolled up to the heavens
Tongue lolled to the side
Mouth foaming at the corners
And then a neck
And arms
And legs
Hanging forlornly
Dangling like a puppet
A mangled puppet
Her stomach churns
heart sinks
Eyes tear
Then the sun moves aside
And her heart lurches
As the corpse
Comes in to view
Clearly this time
An anguished, piercing wail
Rips from deep within
That horrifying corpse
Is that of her mother's.