Returning

She and her brothers spent many summers out by the rusted cattle shed, before the sunburns became too much. They thought it was haunted.

“Pantry and freezer are stocked, should do you all till we get back,” their parents would say. Then they wouldn’t hear from them for weeks.

At first it was exciting, then it became routine.

They grew up.

The shed sat in the same dust-bowl, protected beneath the town’s new dome.

At least their parents’ money went toward the town’s protection, though more for themselves than anyone, probably.

But she had no where else to turn.

© 2021 Rebecca Glaessner

---

July 22: Flash Fiction Challenge « Carrot Ranch Literary Community
In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a hometown. It can be your hometown or a fictional one. Who is there? When is it set? What is happening? Go where the prompt leads!

Submissions now closed. Read the full collection here.

If you enjoyed this piece, please consider supporting the author via ko-fi.