The boomslang slithers from beneath the canopy of acacias, the nearest hunter in its big-eyed sights. Aquila cries out, letting his powerful talons swing forward to pluck the serpent from its thorny perch, as a group of startled magpie shrikes rise from the trees in a shrieking cloud of black and white feathers.
The snake thrashes while the eagle’s talons tighten, spearing the serpent’s skin. Ruby beads bleed across its sapphire scales and the snake slumps. Aquila spirals back to the waterhole, dropping the vanquished snake at Owab’s feet.
They will feast tonight
but the journey continues:
mauve mountains beckon.
Previous episodes of this little African adventure are here.
Photo credit: © Koshy Koshy / Flickr
Written in response to two challenges:
– Di of Pensitivity101‘s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge – MAGPIE, OUTLET, NEAT
– Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge‘s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt – POWERFUL
I also set myself the additional challenges of confining my piece to 100 words exactly and writing in the haibun form. Just for fun!
Click here for more Six Sentence Stories – or bring one of your own to the party!
luna's on line 
Wonderful picture and story. I enjoyed this post. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks very much, Molly. I’m pleased you enjoyed! 🙂
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Love how you wrote this scene! Absorbing story
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Thanks, Sadje! More to come…of course 🙂
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You’re welcome! Of course 😍
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😀
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💖
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Brilliant immersive story, Chris! Sweeps us right into the action 🙂
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Thanks, Tom! Literally for the poor snake 😉
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Covering the haibun too in 100 words is a great challenge. And you always weave the stories with haibun awesomely. Loving the series.
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Thanks so much, Kritika! I’m delighted you’re enjoying this 🙂
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Welcome 🙂
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talon s snare
feast of the serpant
coiled
and fresh meat
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That’s a great epitaph for the boomslang! Thanks 🙂
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yw not sure what boomslang is . some kind of lip sync perhaps.
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boom = tree, slang = snake. Boomslang is a tree snake (and very venomous)!
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i see. ty
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Superb Chris!
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Thanks, Di! Great challenge, saved by the ‘magpie shrike’. I hadn’t heard of that particular African bird 😉
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You are so clever putting these together Chris.
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😀 thank you, Di! – all those years of playing Scrabble.
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I love Scrabble too, but we haven’t played for a while.
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We’re the same. We mostly play when we’re on holiday with our 30 year old travel set, and of course, we haven’t been away for such a long time…
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We have a travel set somewhere too. It’s actually smaller than the Scrabble dictionary we use!
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Three cheers for the triumphant aquila!!
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‘Piece of cake, Liz,’ he says, carefully cleaning those fearsome talons with his beak. 😉
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🙂
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I adore how this is written Chris….this is something i can’t do..lol
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Thanks, Mich! Sure you can though 🙂
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Aquila’s talons were sure in removing the threat of the snake and turning it to a meal for Owab and co. “Ruby beads bleed” is good, and like how you inserted ‘neat’ into ‘beneath’.
😎
Ford
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Bending the words to my will 🙂 Thanks, Ford!
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😎
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Brilliantly done!!
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Thank you!! 🙂
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Quite a ‘tactile’ Six (as always)… life in the never-ending-here-and-now… not sure I could do it.*
*no, my reflection, in terms of the Six you’ve written, doesn’t quiet make any sense
….or does it?
lol
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It makes sense to me – very much written in the here and now of the moment when my fingers strike the keys!
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Aquila not only rescued them but brought dinner. That must have been a big snake.
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Two metres long!
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This was a rather vividly descriptive story! Loved the usage of prompts in this piece ❤
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Thank you, SS 🙂
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An engaging tale, wondering every moment if the snake would fight and win.
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Perhaps Aquila thought that too!
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Yes, perhaps 🙂
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One more reprieve, i only hope they can keep those coming.
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I hope so too, Mimi 😉
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Challenging yourself just for fun?! This was incredibly well done considering the use of prompts, form and word limit. Love the vividness of the prose! ❤️
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Thanks, Irma 🙂 I’m pleased you enjoyed my little tale.
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Enthralling piece, Chris, expertly crafted.
(But maybe an extra ‘the’ in the first sentence?)
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Eagle-eyed as Aquila, well-spotted! Now to amend 😉
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Your six reads as swiftly as Aquila’s acquisition of the boomslang! Love the visual, active writing, Chris. Excellent.
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Thanks, Denise!
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Following attentively 💜❤️
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I’m delighted the story’s pulling you in, Jude!
P.S. – my copy of your book has reached the local depot – excited to say that it should be delivered on Monday 🙂
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Oh. I saw an email. I’m going to check it out.
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Just a pic to show you ‘Crossroads’ arrived. It’s here next to me on my desk as I line you up on Luna’s Launchpad for later this afternoon. The post should go out at 5pm your time 🙂
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Can’t wait. It’s been a long time coming 😃❤️❤️
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There’s such poetry in your writing, both in the words and in the images they reveal. And the action of the story too. Powerful work, Chris.
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Thanks so much, Jenne. 🙂
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Yay! I’m glad the snake didn’t win. Panda was getting flashbacks about the giant condor in Peru from that one!
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Oh gosh, yes! 😮
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You work so well with this form! You are a true creative. I feel you have so many stories waiting to come out of you!
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What a lovely compliment, Benjamin! Thanks so much, you’re making me blush 🙂
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You’re welcome. It’s very well deserved, Chris! Keep up the exciting work!
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A great piece, Chris. When ever I think about SA snakes I am reminded of Herman Charles Bosman’s short stories.
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Thanks, Robbie! I’ve just bought one of his books at our new indie bookstore – building up my SA bookshelves. 🙂
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I love his works, they are so descriptive and give so much insight into the Afrikaner people. I also have some amazing books about African myths and legends. This country has so much to offer and such a richness of culture and history.
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So true!
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Gripping, Chris. Literally! 😁
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Hehe, indeed! 🙂
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🙂
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This is a wonderfully visual piece, Chris.
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Thanks, Susan. Rooted in a place I love! 🙂
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Wonderful as always, Chris. I can see it in my mind’s eye writhing in the grip of those talons!
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Thanks, Matthew 🙂 Eish! Writhing snakes… but I’m pleased I conjured up that image for you.
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Always good with an eagle on your side… Suspenseful.
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Can’t go wrong really… Or can it?
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