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!
Last Harry Reunion
Last Harry didn’t get the invitation by mail. The Bigfoot Reunion invite was more like a bell going off in his mind, like spawning season for the salmon, or the Monarch butterflies to Mexico. It was late spring in Far North Territory. Big snowflakes the size of goose feathers cascaded in slow motion to rest on ice-coated drifts. Trees poked and scratched at the sky like bones clawing out of a grave. Time to head Home… or to The Lab, as the scientists called it.
The hive consciousness Last Harry had relied on since his escape seemed to be getting dimmer year by year. Without a strong connection, he led himself back to Home by memory. From there, he’d head north into steeper terrain, looking for a stand of Jack pines. Climbing higher still, he’d find the opening that led into a tunnel which led to an enormous cavern inside a mountain.
Running across a frozen meadow, Last Harry’s furry feet crunched through knee-deep snow. Stopping suddenly at the edge of a birch forest, he noticed a difference. Although he didn’t see them, he knew the scent. Fresh humans. He’d have to tread carefully, eyes open, ears sharp.
But before long, Last Harry began remembering past reunions. He hoped to see Harry 2057 a great grill cook, or even Harry 2074 a campfire chef. What they say of a clone reunion, is if you’ve met one, you’ve met them all. At one time, that might have been true.
However, the scientists had failed to consistently create a viable female Bigfoot. While Scientists One through Five worked on resolving the issue, Scientist number Six, continued cloning males. The Bigfoots referred to him as Dr Different. He tampered with DNA sequences, resulting in different—not identical—clones. These results were invisible to outsiders where it didn’t matter. It only mattered to the reuniting clones.
For example, Harry 2069 had a cocked eyebrow and a wonderful sense of humor. Harry 2024 was a bit of a party animal with blue eyes. Harry 2031 had a sad smile and was more sedate, while Harry 2032 had lavender eyes and smacked people for staring at them.
Using telepathic hive consciousness was like tapping into every ancestors collective experience. Harry easily survived many summers in the wilderness. But, with fewer Harrys reuniting every year, the hivemind database grew dimmer. In fact, Last Harry hadn’t seen another Bigfoot since last reunion. So maybe, he was looking forward to seeing who was left.
Because the Harry’s were grown in a lab, they’d been chipped. The other reason they were chipped was because every Harry was stronger that all six of the scientists put together. Once a Harry understood that, he fought to be unconfined. Eventually each one broke out. With no way to subdue a Harry, the scientists chose to track them. This was, after all, a black budget operation, or so Harry 2020 had told Last Harry.
Because falling snow erased his footprints, Last Harry traveled without stopping for two days. He carefully swept snow laden tree branches out of his way. So muffled were his movements that he once startled a deer. The air thickened with snowflakes. The human scent thinned, but didn’t disappear. He was getting close, now. His heart tapped out a warning in his chest as he caught a glimpse of the fence surrounding the lab compound. Last Harry sniffed the air and crouched among the sparse undergrowth. With a layer of snow covering his fur he disappeared into his surroundings.
The buildings looked empty. There were no transport vehicles. He stood again and walked along the fence to continue on his way. What he really wanted was to find the cave and take a nap.
Toward the very back, where the science lab once stood was a great crater.
Last Harry heard a snap and resounding crash. He wheeled around to face the noise. Under the weight of the snow, a great branch had broken and fallen through the trees. When he turned back, there stood Dr. Difference.
“Hello Harry. I was hoping you’d come.” Little clouds of breath hung momentarily in the air when he spoke. Dr. Difference wore a white wool cap and snow camo polar gear. His hands hung by his sides encased in white thermal gloves.
“It was you following me?” Harry asked.
“I couldn’t be sure you’d get the message.”
“Where is everybody?” Last Harry asked.
“They’re all at the reunion,” Dr. Difference said, staring at the depression in the earth. “You can see the lab’s been shut down.”
“Shut down?” Harry clung to the fence, gazing through it.
“Well… it was bombed.”
“What happened?”
“A calculated explosion to close the program. The other scientists never accomplished their goal. Without females, the Bigfoot race isn’t self-sustaining. At least, not here.”
“If not here, then where? Tartaria?” Harry scoffed.
Dr. Difference chuckled. “So you’ve talked to Harry 1959.”
“A very long time ago.” Harry looked back through the fence, at Home. “I miss him.”
“He’s still alive. He’s been asking about you.”
Harry turned and stared at the scientist.
“Is he here?”
“No, but…”
“Can you take me to him?”
“If I do, we can’t come back. This is my last trip. Your hive consciousness is faint because they aren’t in this realm anymore. They’ve been transported to another location on Terrainfinita where they’re not hunted and tracked. They have their own kingdom.”
“Females?” Last Harry’s black eyes shone with hope.
“And Bigfoot cubs.”
“I want to see it!”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Let’s go.”
Last Harry clambered up the slope following Dr. Difference to the cave. Deep in the cavern stood a circular stone arch. They stood side by side on an elevated step. One more step and they’d be in the archway. The scientist pulled an electronic device from his coat and handed it to Last Harry.
“The Bigfoot Reunion awaits.”
“This will be the best one ever!”
A Team Herbert
Thank so much, Eunice!
I feel so much for Last Harry! This was cleverly written (with the experiment tied in) and I’m glad that it’s a happy ending with the hope of Last Harry reuniting with his hive once again. Very beautiful story, Juli!