Thanks to Rochelle @ Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple for another Friday Fictioneers inspirational photo, promulgated on Wednesday. Her weekly challenge is to write a story of 100 words or less based on the photo prompt, provided this week by J Hardy Carroll.
Title: Big Bend Kill Me, Save Me
Genre: Fiction (Texas Outdoors)
Word Count: 100
I was lost at night in the Chihuahuan Desert of southwest Texas. Thunderstorms flooded arroyos with torrents leading to the Rio Grande. Without overnight gear, rain soaked me. I couldn’t see as storms raged and lightning flashed.
A bolt struck near me. I felt an electrical burn run through my body. I was going to die. A nearby cactus caught fire and burned despite the rain. I crawled under a rock outcropping.
Park Rangers rescued me in the morning. Someone had seen my signal. I asked, What signal? They said, a tall pillar of yellow light pointed the way. Strange.
Look both ways and carry the ten essentials of survival.
Mind the gaps for flash floods.
Our Literary Journey 
Oh my! Struck by lightening and lived to tell the story 🙂 Fiction, you say? This was a great take on the photo prompt, Bill!
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Thank you, Sue. While it is fiction, there is some truthful portions. I have been dumb enough to be out in the wilds at night without the essentials of survival. Once was enough.
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Yep, learned that lesson myself once. Fortunately, I was with a Boy Scout who guided us out with a pen light. Three miles through the rain forest in the dark of night😳
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Love the mystique of this Bill.
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Thanks, Iain. 🙂
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Hellfire! What a great tale, if you have been struck by lightening has it given you any superpowers? This was really exciting to read, great stuff
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Thank you. I love rain. Not thunder and lightning, although distant thunder can be relaxing.
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Thunder and lightening when you have cover, preferably indoors is a cool thing
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Yes. or at a good safe distance. 🙂
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Oooh. Wonderfully written! Glad the Rangers saw him light up (so to speak…)
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Thanks, Dale.
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Now if he can only learn to tap that superpower
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Good luck. 🙂
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Thank heavens for guardian angels.
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Wow! Gave me goose bumps. Great take on the prompt!
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Thank you. 🙂
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Nice to think that something might have been watching over the narrator. Love that kind of story.
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Well, a blessed tall pillar of yellow light. Lucky survival.
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Took me back a few weeks to when I was in my tent during a thunderstorm. Fortunately, no park rangers were required in the morning!
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As I have said, while fiction, parts of this are from experience.
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And they say miracles don’t happen! Storms have always fascinated me, that combination of danger and light. Maybe too it’s that we survive them. Nice tale.
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Thank you, Dora.
I love rainy days (pluviophile), not so much thunder and lightning.
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thank goodness, he survived. some weren’t that lucky.
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A nice story with a mysterious apparition at its heart.
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Oh! I love your take on the story. Especially now, more people are dipping their toes into the wilderness and don’t know what the heck they’re doing. Well done!
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Thank you, Alicia.
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Strange things happen in the desert. I spent ten years in Tucson. I loved the afternoon monsoons and the lightening.
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I only spent 3 days in Tucson. Nice place. I’d love to go back for a visit.
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I love to go out and stand in the summer rain. I do it in my backyard where it’s almost safe. Two weeks ago today, lightning struck a few miles from here and started a big fire. Today’s the first day we’re not inundated with smoke in almost two weeks. It’s always fascinated me that fires can start in a downpour.
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I have heard the light shows in Texas are the best in the world. It might have been worth it. I might be bias, I love thunderstorms.
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They’ve convinced me to run for cover many times.
We used to have to fly around them because they were too high for us to fly over them.
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Ugh to flying in storms. No thanks.
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Dear Bill,
I’m worn out and need to dry off after that riveting story. Love the pillar of light that led the way. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you, Rochelle.
Fall and Winter are the preferred seasons out in those parts. Rough country for many reasons.
Thank you & Peace,
Bill
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At last, a use for a burning cactus.
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Gosh! Lightning strike that saves as well as burns. A lovely image capture here of a violent stormy night.
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The title of the story was marvellous! and a great take on the prompt too – I’d love to see El Capitan in real life, it must be incredible.
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Thank you.
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I love a nice piece of short fiction, well done!
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Thank you, Joey.
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I love the image of the burning cactus (probably) saving this person’s life. Such an evocative story.
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Thank you.
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I’d like to see this as simply magical. I suppose, though, there’s a more mundane explanation having to do with the cactus deflecting some of the power of the lightning, In either case, a really good story.
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If you’ve ever seen cactus burn at night, it is an eerie sight. Because it is mostly moisture on the inside, it resits combustion. But it will burn.
I am not sure what would deflect lightning. I just know that I don’t like it around me when I am out and about. 🙂 Thanks for comment, Linda.
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