Path to Manhood

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.


The prompts: This story must contain the words: canoe, pine tree, owl


Path to Manhood

Rapid Mudhen’s vision quest had taken yet another turn for the worst. The last five days had been filled with one spectacular crisis after another. He had come to believe that his power animal was not only going to pass on making an appearance but was actively working against him.

Day one stood out as remarkable in that no travesty befell the young boy as he made his way down the river. The next morning, as he was loading up his canoe, a bear surprised him and he had to make a run for it. By the time he made it back to camp, his supplies were spread everywhere. All of the food was gone.

He really didn’t start to worry until the second morning. That was when he woke up to find his canoe missing. This was a major problem since all of his hunting gear was stowed on the floor of the wooden craft.

Now, as he lay on his back, pinned beneath a pine tree that “just happened” to fall on him as he slept, Rapid Mudhen considered giving up. He hadn’t eaten for two days. He was covered with bug bites and had absolutely no idea where he was. Dying seemed easy.

Peace filled him as he watched the clouds pass through the treetop foliage high overhead. Surrender could be a beautiful thing. When it started to rain, everything changed. It was time to get pissed off.

With strength born from an anger-charged adrenal pump, he tossed the tree aside. Standing up, shook his fist at the black sky and shouted “Fuck You Spirit Animal!”

He looked down to see his missing canoe drift up to the bank. A white owl sat atop his missing gear.

“Welcome to manhood,” was all it said.

Word count 297


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