migration – Sillyfrog's Blog

PROMPT WORD: EXPLORE
[You can find the previous 5 chapters of Perilous Promises in my category labeled “6 Sentence Stories”.]

Mig stiffened at the sound of gunfire but it didn’t have the rat-ta-tat-tat of the cartel automatics, he assumed his friends were safe as it was likely the commonplace neutralizing of a rat, so he continued to explore for food.

***

Beyond Butch’s splayed dead body, an elderly woman summoned Ernesto and Abria to come quickly and, still in shock, they complied.

The woman moved swiftly in spite of her age as the children struggled to keep up.

A gang of police officers, blowing whistles, ran past an alleyway they had JUST ducked into, when the old woman ushered them through a most cleverly concealed door behind a dumpster.

Once inside, she lit a lantern which revealed a quaint, windowless, one-room living space that included a table, sink, portable stove, and a large over-stuffed feather bed.

The woman calmly produced a rusty revolver from under her apron and stashed it in a metal box, that was laying open on the table, then slid it under her bed, while speaking in their familiar Honduran form of Spanish which differed a bit from the local Mexican dialect, ” My name is Yuni and I’m an old friend of your Aunt Maria… She’s sick with worry over you two !”.

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/sundays-six-sentence-story-word-prompt-173/
https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/its-six-sentence-story-thursday-link-up-173/

Two women of the remote untouched island prepared their offering according to ancient rituals.
The 37 fish were laid end to end before the eldest unwrapped the extravagantly woven pearl Orca Shawl, laying it over her shoulders, and proceeded to begin the ceremony. Each fish stood for one hundred years of worship. This was year 3799.
The honor of this task showed in their sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks.
They’d fasted for the last two days, prior to this most holy event, so some of their lightheadedness may have been from the lack of calories rather than the approaching Spirit, but they didn’t believe that.
The first Orca would be here before dark and the sun was already getting low in the sky. They broke into songs of praise to the God of Longevity who rides on the Orca as they migrate through this channel every year. The timing was always to the first day of the full moon after the Spring equinox.
The eldest men manned a boat near the mouth of that avenue waiting to signal the arrival of The Keepers of Life.
Suddenly the boat lit up with torches lining its deck!
The women tossed the fish, one by one, starting as the first jet black dorsal fin passed the sacred rock.
The leaders, and largest of the beasts, rolled on their sides studying the women baring wide toothy smiles of recognition, after accepting the gifted fish, then proceeded on their trek.
The yearly ceremony ended once the moon was directly overhead and the ocean had turned to glass.
As the lookout ship escorted the women home from their rocky post, the eldest carefully rewrapped the shawl that her great grandmother had worn for the very first ceremony of The Keepers of Life.

Flash Fiction Challenge – This, That, and The Other (fivedotoh.com)
Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #113 – This, That, and The Other (fivedotoh.com)