Stretch: The Burn
Writing Exercise #37
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Good news: At the time this publishes, I’ll be on my way back to my apartment. I’ve confirmed that the power has been restored, at long last. I’ll be slowly building up to my usual schedule, after I get my real-life steady again. I’ve been away from my apartment for 26 days, except for a 4 day stretch where I commuted to a nearby city during the day and slept in my powerless apartment at night.
And yet! I had generous friends willing to host me, there was no physical damage, and I was still able to clown on Notes. I fared better than many after hurricanes Helene and now Milton too, and I am blessed to have my burdens limited to “merely” the power being out.
Thanks for your patience for this strange, difficult time.
This story was inspired by this note by
:If you have ideas for Prompts, Crunches, Sprints, Relays, Stretches, Fables, or other writing exercises in the future, please leave them in the comments! If you would like to write your own take for this exercise, please comment with a link so that I can see what you wrote and support your work, maybe even share your version with my subscribers. Please let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, or constructive criticisms as well!
Enjoy!
Stretch: The horizon is burning
I entered the town through the east gate after sundown. I had timed it perfectly—it’s not safe to be outside some township’s walls after dark. I’d have arrived earlier if I hadn’t had had to deal with…well, nevermind that. I was here. The little door in the gate closed heavily behind me.
Once inside, the gateman gave me the standard interrogation. “State your business.”
“Pilgrim.” I said.
The guard looked up from his paper. I knew there was no box there for pilgrim. “I’m going to mark you as refugee,” he said. “How long do you plan to stay?”
“No more than one week.”
“Short term stays are limited to five days. Stays longer than five days require a permit.”
“Five days is fine.”
The guard pulled out a slip of paper, and began writing in the details. “Name?”
I told him my name. It was funny to me that it was less important who I was than what I was doing. Such were the times.
“Anything to declare?”
“No sir, just what I’m carrying.”
The guard pulled the paper off the pad with a flourish. “Five days. Present this paper with your identification for any transaction. We have a curfew in effect, there’s a lodge two blocks down. I advise you to stay there and wander the city in the morning.”
“Yes sir, thank you.” I said. I bowed my head politely, and continued down the street.
The road through the town was organized like a maze—it was indefensible to allow the road to pass straight through, so it wound curiously and confusingly through the city. I followed it towards the lodge. When I finally got an unobstructed view west, I noticed that the horizon was aglow with light, despite it being long after sundown.
It was a beautiful white glow, reflecting red and pink off the low hanging clouds. I paused, awe-struck, at the sight.
The innkeeper opened the door and hissed at me, “Pssst, stranger! Get inside, don’t you know there’s a curfew?”
I hurried inside. “Pardon me, sir. I was struck by the sunset!”
“That ain’t no sunset. That’s a controlled burn. Mayor’s orders. Where’s yer papers?”
“A controlled burn? You mean that whole horizon was alight with fire? Why the burn?”
“Fightin’ them night-crawlers. Lost too many men at the gates—if we burn the area around the city, so the rumors say, we can see ‘em coming.”
“So you’re burning acres of forest and it’s not even going to stop the night-crawlers?”
“Watch yer mouth if ye know whats good fer ye. The Mayor says its fer the best it surely must be.”
= = =
A few days later, as I passed through the road heading west, I thought about the innkeepers words. Charred deer carcasses, some human remains, and yes—occasionally the strange and unsettling apparition of a burnt night-crawler littered the path.
I was eager to put the town behind me. Gradually, the smoking wasteland gave way again to green.
(501 words)
Talk to me!
Your feedback helps to improve my writing. I would really appreciate a comment on your thoughts on this writing exercise. Consider telling me your thoughts about:
Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? (Fiddler on the Roof fans need not apply)
Did you see the aurora recently, or the one back in May?
What’s a place you traveled to which you were happy to leave?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy! Come back next week for another writing exercise!
Have you taken a look at the section called “The Volume” recently? All my longer-form stories are kept there! Be sure to take a look and catch up on any stories you’ve missed!
Thank you and God bless!
I like that you left the night-crawlers to the imagination. The name is evocative on its own. Yeesh. I wouldn't stay there either.
1) I like sunsets, even if sometimes they remind me of the sky in that "Dinosaur" movie Disney made, the one where Aladar and the lemurs were watching the sunset on their little island...AND THEN CAME THE METEOR.
2) I did not, sadly. My wife got great pictures, though, with her phone.
3) Once back in college I stayed in a Motel 6. It was cheap. Bad choice. The wi-fi didn't work and there was an odd stain on the carpet. I didn't do that again.
1. Sunrise, I am west of my nearest parish church and sometimes go to an early daily Mass so to see the bell-tower against a sunrise is picturesque.
2. Too urban in my immediate neighborhood.
3. Anytime I am in a hotel room with 3 kids I am pretty ready to leave by the end of the stay (feels like we are living in each other's pockets), no regrets though.