Riparian: Relating to or situated on the banks of a river.
He
enjoyed a riparian existence, sitting on the riverbank and casting out his
line. This particular section was new to him and he was keen to see what he
could catch.
The
bank had looked pretty solid, but as he stepped closer to the water his boot
sank into the soft soil. He managed to pull it out with a “glop” noise, but
when he put his other foot forward it was pulled down and he couldn’t move at all.
“Help!”
he shouted, but no one was around.
His
heart went still as something gripped
his ankle and tugged hard.
31 comments:
Hi Nick - lovely story .. I was thinking of Wind in the Willows - they had a riparian existence ... but here you've introduced a nasty twist to your story ... his day of happiness has turned to great anxiety and stress ... what next? Cheers Hilary
Uh-oh - I do believe he has stepped into something's trap. Not good for him at all! Great little story.
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
My inner horror fan can't help but love the dark twist this took. Great story!
Sounds like my childhood nightmares! I remember watching an old black and white movie called the Mole People?? They did that! Grab your ankles.
Yikes. Maybe he will wake up and everything will be okay?
Oh oh, I fear for our Riparian adventurer!
betty
Oh dear - you would have thought a riparian like him would know to take more care!
Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
Uh-oh... That can't be good. I knew there was a reason I didn't like fishing... :D
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
Now there's a word I recognized. We have lots of riparian zones around here. Poor guy, just wanted a chill day of fishing, but sounds like he's the one that got caught.
Scary ending, Nick...
I had to laugh when I saw your title.... it reminded me of one of my favorite British sitcoms, Keeping Up Appearances.... The hostess, Hyacinth Bucket, or Bouquet, as she so often reminded people, was hosting an afternoon picnic with Riparian entertainment .... Too funny!
This seems straight out of my nightmares. Yikes!
Ah, one word I have heard before. Love the little twists to the stories you write, Nick.
It started out as a calm and peaceful story and then became thrilling. Nice twist.
I love this word. I find ways to use it just because.
The hunter becomes the hunted.
I enjoy a riparian lifestyle, too. Love the peace I find there. And guess what? I knew this word today. That's two for eighteen.
Oh dear. Oh my. I'm worried. What.is.pulling.him.down???
Oops! That's unfortunate. I wonder what the derivation of riparian is?
That is exactly why I don't like riverbanks. There could be something there.
Riparian seemed like it would have such a happy context. Surprise! Remind me never to go fishing near that section of that riverbank.
On a more serious note, you accomplished a lot in this 100-word flash fiction. Good for you.
My heart would go still, too, if something I can't see, grabbed my ankle.
Thanks, folks! As soon as I saw this word, I knew what I was going to write. True story: I was out walking the dogs at the weekend and came to a little stream in between fields. It looked innocent enough with little dirt banks, but I ended up with two feet sunk into sucking mud, straddling a stream. My 6-year-old was with me, pointing and laughing - not much help. I eventually managed to get out, minus one shoe. I tethered the pups to a fence post and went to get it to find the mud had covered it over, so I had to dig it out with bare hands. I tried to wash it in the stream which didn't work too well, as I then had one soaking wet foot.
Sorry that this comment is probably longer than the story I wrote. Suffice to say I won't try anything like that again!
Uh-oh! Strange river banks can be dangerous places!
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press
Something is lurking under the mud.
I think we've all gotten a shoe stuck in mud like that.
He's dead.
Eeek.
The fisherman got caught!! It's seaweed, right? Nothing serious or deadly like a sea monster, just seaweed...
Scribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge
Yikes. Scary twist at the end.
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Ooh, creepy! Another great story, Nick.
I'm with Michael De Gesu - the first time I heard this word was on Keeping Up Appearances! :)
So much for relaxing near the water. Jeez!
Something went fishing other than the human! I was twisted enough to laugh.
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