In a Big Country
A 100 word short story
Lying on the cottage roof, he scanned his surroundings.
Lionthorn Woods to the east, the River Carron tumbling contentedly down from the north, and the Ochil Hills cocooning the valley in protective grandeur.
A beautiful place.
Their home.
They had been safe here.
But war and famine shattered those dreams.
Now, once allied armies ravaged the land. Claiming the spoils.
Movement on the horizon.
A platoon advancing.
Evelyn whispered softly from the forest glade where she lay waiting for him.
“Soon my love,” he murmured, lifting the rifle to his shoulder.
Sighting on the first soldier, he pulled the trigger.
So, this story is inspired by the title of the opening track from The Crossing by Big Country. As I mentioned previously, I am writing ten stories based on the song titles from this outstanding album.
I live quite near Prestwick Airport on the west of Scotland, which is used as a transatlantic fuel stop for military aircraft. As I was walking the dog the other day, one of these huge grey metal birds flew overhead and I thought, what if - (those scary words again) - it suddenly drops its devastating payload?
It should be a ridiculous idea, but in these times when “nothing is off the table,” what was once unthinkable, existing only in the realms of dystopian science fiction, is maybe becoming increasingly real.
As well as the song title, I also got some inspiration from The Death of Grass by John Christopher which has been on my mind a lot recently and is a classic of the genre.
The song itself speaks to the love for ones country, even in dark times. Scotland really is a beautiful place to live. Regular readers will know I have no time for jingoism or nationalism, but, sometimes, to protect what you love, you have to take a stand.
Thanks for reading. Until next time.
Excellent, Dan. I've been looking forward to the next instalment. It's great going in with just the title and then seeing what world and scene you crafted. Highly believable as something from the near future (especially in our current times as you say) or from the far past.
Fave line: "the Ochil Hills cocooning the valley"
Just listened to the track, too. Really great. Love that snare.
Looking forward to each of the remaining stories. It's curious how worlds so far apart can mirror each other. I grew up on farmland a mile from our nearest neighbor, and not far from a military base. It felt so isolated. Giant military aircraft would sometimes fly over the mountain at the end of our field and slowly make their way across, disappearing above the treetops just past our house. In those days, to a child, it was a curiosity. Today, it would likely take on another vibe entirely.
Also, I was today years old when I found out that the author of my favorite childhood series of books - The Tripods - wrote under a pen name. I don't know why I never thought to look up his other works until now. I just ordered "The Death of Grass" from my local indie shop. Thank you!
Stay safe, and I look forward to reading the rest of this series!