The Adventure of a Lifetime

The Adventure of a Lifetime

William was an avid canoeist. Each year he planned his vacation around new places to explore.

Arriving home, he looked through the mail that lay scattered on the floor in front of the mail chute. "Is than an owl?" he muttered, picking up a large envelope. He had answered an ad by the Outdoor Water League, a travel agency which boasted 'canoeing trips around the world.'

He excitedly ripped open the envelope and was rewarded by a single piece of paper. Dear Sir, blah, blah, blah he read ... and stopped.

"Oh my God," he whispered, "The Bermuda Triangle!"

Two weeks later, he sat at a small nondescript pier in the Bahamas. He double checked everything – maps, radio, water, food.

"Mon, you be to worried," the dock hand laughed, pushing the nose of the canoe toward the great unknown. Adventure!" William thought as he dug his paddle into the water.

William was so inwardly focused that he failed to notice the darkening horizon. Soon, the waves began to build as he struggled to maintain his course. Rain began to lash him. The canoe was flung about and William found himself climbing the face of an impossibly huge wave. "Push, push!" he exhorted his aching muscles and, as he was about the crest the wave, he felt the canoe teeter backwards and he fell into darkness.

William awoke with a start, lying on the sand. Next to him was his canoe. Scrambling over to it, he saw all of his supplies neatly lashed in place.

Staring at the impossibility, movement caught the corner of his eye and he turned. Within a small copse of trees, he noticed a pine tree slowly changing from green to a dark, muddy red color. Its color began spreading to other trees, then grasses, moving inexorably toward him.

Grabbing the radio, he sent out a distress call describing what was happening.

"Mon," came the reply, "there's nothing to worry about ... you're just being marooned!"

Notes

Word Count: 300 .

An entry for July 26 "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+]
Prompt: Write a story that includes: a canoe, an owl, and a pine tree.

Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise are all equally welcome. Please, however, keep the groans to yourself .

Ken