Welcome to the fourth week of the Spring Writing Challenge!
You all did so well with your stories last week! There were so many interesting and unique ways you interpreted the prompt. It’s now the fourth week, so it’s time to do it again! Will your story have an epic battle between good and evil? A long-lost evil brother? Whatever you decide, we can’t wait to see what you come up with.
So, without further ado, here’s your next prompt!
Week Four Prompt – The Theme Prompt
Write a story that’s about a
Bigfoot Reunion
Wait…what’s a theme prompt?
A theme prompt is a prompt that’s about a particular subject! It doesn’t matter where your story takes place, who’s in it, or what’s said. The only thing that matters is that your story must be about a Bigfoot Reunion.
Before you start writing, we have some important rules for you to follow.
Writing Rules
1. Please keep the content of the stories you post to a PG rating. Please avoid real curse words. Violence/fighting should be limited and purposeful. Please do not include any spice.
2. Your story must be 1,000 words or less, and must contain the prompt to be counted for the challenge. You’re not required to post it in order to “win” the challenge, but if you want it to count for your team, your story must be posted by Sunday at 11:59 PM ET, and you must include your team name.
Remember to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and post your story as an “answer” to this question, not a “comment”. 🙂 You’re all doing such a great job! I’m so proud of all the stories you’ve posted.
Happy Writing!
The Decennial Reunion
By Leah Criss (Team 1)
Hadrian Bigfoot groaned when he saw the letter in his mailbox. Creamy white with a wax seal bearing the imprint of a footprint meant it had to be from Great Great Great Aunt Yellina. Once a decade, their family gathered in the Himalayas, their ancestral home.
Now, Hadrian had nothing against his family. They were spread throughout the continents, so it was nice to see the Yetis, Bigfoots, Sasquatches, Pendeks, and Windigos – the more distant branches of his relatives – every so often. Only the Sasquatches lived close enough to meet up occasionally. Usually the Yetis, being descended directly from the first Abominable Snowman, called the reunions. As a young Bigfoot, he actually enjoyed these reunions. There was nothing like the Himalayas with their snowy peaks, thrill of fear, and unrestrained mountain winds to entrance a teenage monster.
However, for him, this reunion would be different.
If a member of the Yeti family line, no matter how distant, reached a hundred without finding a spouse, the family reunion became an excuse to matchmake. Hadrian knew it was important; there weren’t that many of them, so it was necessary to maintain their existence. But instead of getting to run wild with his other bachelor cousins frightening the occasional mountain villager or tourist, he would be stuck listening to the matchmaker try to convince him of one match or another. He supposed it might be nice to have a companion, but he had hoped to wait a few more years. Nonetheless, here he was. Maybe with any luck, the invitation was sent early. Quickly scanning the letter, he found his answer. Nope, it wasn’t early. He had five months to figure out how to get himself to the Himalayas from the middle of the Canadian wilderness. What a headache on its own. Included in those five months, he had to also prepare a home for the inevitable bride to return to after the reunion. He knew better than to assume she would patiently wait for him to build her a house.
He spent a while trying to cut and assemble trees. Unfortunately, architecture wasn’t one of his skills. Hadrian stared at the dilapidated box of logs that smelled far too much like pine sap to be pleasant. Why couldn’t a nice cave work? But no. His mother told him before he moved out that a cave might work on his own, someday he and the person he married would want a proper house.
A log creaked and fell. Hadrian winced when it thudded to the ground. That settled it. He needed Uncle Kerosin’s help. Fortunately, he lived just three days away to the west. Mentally calculating the remaining time, he knew there was just enough if he set off now.
Three days later, Hadrian found himself on his Uncle’s doorstep. “So, you’re looking to build a house and settle down?” Uncle Kerosin’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought you had another few years.”
“So did I, but Great Great Great Aunt Yellina’s letter says otherwise.”
Uncle Kerosin laughed when he saw the dejected look on Hadrian’s face. “It’s not that bad. Hey, you might even enjoy the company. Until I met your Aunt Rinati, I thought for sure I would be the only Bigfoot bachelor.”
Hadrian just shook his head. “Will you help me with the house?”
“Sometimes, I think the Yetis have the right idea. Just find a nice mountain cave. Whoever decided we needed to live in houses like the humans never experienced the luxury of our North American cave systems.” He slapped his knee and stood up. “But, sure I’ll help you.”
True to his word, Uncle Kerosin helped him construct a decent cottage that didn’t look like a safety hazard. It was to his credit he only laughed at Hadrian once when he saw the pile of logs that was Hadrian’s first attempt. The next two months, they spent cutting, sawing, and nailing together the beams. When they finished, Hadrian admired their work with his uncle. The sun faded in the west, casting shadows over the new massive house.
“Well, I best be off. I’ll see you at the gathering.” Uncle Kerosin said before lumbering away through the dense forest back to his own home.
Hadrian spent the next week putting the house in order before setting off on the hidden paths that would take him safely to the Himalayas. The paths were long and took him on a winding route through Northwestern Canada, through Alaska, across the sea to Russia, and down through Russia, Mongolia, and China, until they finally reached Nepal and the Himalayan Mountains.
“Hadrian, you made it!” Great Great Great Aunt Yellina wrapped him in a hug. Despite her age, her grip betrayed her strength nowhere near diminished. “My how you’ve grown! You’re past one hundred years now unless I’m mistaken?”
“One hundred years as of last year.” Hadrian said through his forced smile.
“Excellent. Have you met anyone who has stolen your heart yet?” An excited twinkle in her eyes belied her intentions.
“Not yet…” Hadrian’s shoulders slumped knowing what would come next.
“Not to worry. I have the perfect person in mind.” Great Great Great Aunt Yellina must have interpreted his demeanor as dejection, because she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to where a cluster of young Sasquatches had gathered. Not one for being subtle, she made her intentions crystal clear. “Rena Sasquatch, meet Hadrian Bigfoot. You two should spend some time together at this reunion.” She then let go of Hadrian’s arm and walked away.
Rena’s friends looked between them and melted away. Hadrian awkwardly coughed. “Hello.”
Rena gave a wry smile. “I guess this is Yellina’s way of telling us to talk.”
“Yes. Would you like to go on a walk?”
“Okay.”
On their walk, Hadrian found that this might not be the reunion he feared. Far from being the worst, this decennial reunion might turn out to be the most memorable and best one of his life.
I had a good laugh reading this. I loved the whole matchmaking aunt! Thanks for sharing.