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Here is a quick piece I had fun with in response to April 25 Your Daily Word Prompt. Great Site. Check it out.

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Nakul huffed as he lugged the bucket toward the river. 

“Why do I always have to fetch the water?”

The dusty path slowly wound its way downhill. A constant swarm of gnats nipped at the boy, further souring his mood. At first, he tried reasoning with them but realized their thirst and hunger made that impossible. 

“It’s just when she’s about to do something interesting, too!”

The heavy bucket bounced annoyingly against his legs. He hoped it would leave a bruise, causing Indali to feel guilty. 

“Don’t touch that, Nakul! Shh, Nakul! Back to work, Nakul! All she does is order me around.”

He had come to learn from Indali, but she hadn’t taught him anything as far as he was concerned. For months now, the woman merely lectured Nakul about responsibility and the danger of communicating with animals. He had tried to argue he couldn’t stop hearing what they said. Nonetheless, Indali insisted mastering his ability to tune out the surrounding wildlife’s constant chatter was important.

Continue reading “Flash Fiction: Doing What You Want Instead of What You Otter.” →