a Story by Lady Hawke 2

Majestic Buck

The majestic buck walked through a thicket of trees, stepping cautiously over old mossy logs in his path. He was one with the Earth as he listened to the song of crickets all around and admired the beauty of daisies peeking up through the mulch of leaves and pine needles resting on the ground. Suddenly, he spied a female of his herd sniffing a strange object up ahead. It had not been there yesterday, and through his years of experience, he recognized the block of salt and knew it was not good.

He snorted commandingly at the female, “Get away from there!”

She only pawed the ground rebelliously and lowered her head to lick at the hard substance.

The buck was ready to go to her and force her to leave the block of salt, when the very trees seemed to shudder and cringe in fear as a loud booming sound echoed through the forest.

The buck froze as did every other living thing in the forest, watching the female stumble and drop, her life blood spilling onto the forest floor.

Then he was shouting to the others in his herd, “Run! Get out of here!”

And the peace of the woods was disrupted by the sound of them, crashing through trees, running away from the female who gasped her last breath beneath the triumphant gaze of the hunter who shot her.

Laura Lawless

A story by Lady Hawke

Mouse in a Maze

The dream, like morning mist, shimmers to life. I am running down dark alleyways, scattered like some maze, twisting and turning, often leading to nowhere. I double back to get out, only to find another brick wall, impenetrable. Teetering on the edge of panic, gasping for breath, I spy a man leaning against a wall.

“You, there,” I call out. “I need help. I can’t seem to find my way out of this alley.”

The man turns toward me with a look of cool assessment. “Indeed, is that so?” He responds as he raises a pipe to his lips. The smell of tobacco wafts through the dark air.

“Yes, it’s so,” I say as rain begins to fall from the sky. Thick heavy droplets fall with loud splashes on the pavement below. The sound is so loud I can barely hear myself think, so I raise my voice, shouting above the sound of the rain. “Please show me the way out.”

He merely chuckles as he coolly observes my frustration, making no move to comply.

“Did you not hear me, sir,” I say, my panic returning. “I need help out of this maze of alleyways. I’m lost.”

The man smiles regretfully. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you. You must find your own way out.”

My frustration boiled over and I shouted at the man, “Oh bugger you! I am only dreaming. If only I could wake up and be gone from this dark, cursed place! If only I could wake up, you, sir, would be no more.”

The man took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled slowly. He eyed me curiously and laughed once more at my plight. “My dear, that would only happen if this were your dream.”

“What do you mean” I spat, “Of course it’s my dream. Who else’s could it be?”

The man pushed himself from the wall, and as he did so, he began to grow at an enormous rate. He became a giant right before my eyes, and he stepped over the wall I was so desperate to pass. Then he turned and looked down at me still trapped in the dark alley.

“It’s my dream,” he said calmly. “And you are merely a mouse in a maze. It’s up to you to get out.”

Laura Lawless