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Rated: E · Fiction · None · #2336402
Short story for a flash fiction contest - 300 words or less
There was not a cloud in the sky.

Travis loved hiking. The trail that he had chosen was the most direct route, but it was rugged. But being an experienced hiker and outdoorsman, he didn’t think it would be a problem.

It was approximately five miles to the spot where he planned to camp. Supposedly there was a small waterfall that spilled into a mountain stream. The campsite would be a square flat clearing where he could set up his tent.

This general area had been popular with adventurers looking to strike it rich during the California gold rush of the mid 1800’s.
The sound of the gunshots startled him!

Travis hit the ground and waited. After fifteen minutes, there was only silence. Moving cautiously forward, he reached the top of a hill that overlooked a valley. Peering over the edge, he saw two men. They were rough looking, both with scraggly beards and dirty jeans. They were standing over another man who was lying on the ground - one had a rifle. Both men started dragging the body off into the woods.

Travis crawled backwards and ran back the way he had come. When he got to the trailhead, he used his cell phone to contact the police. He explained what he had seen.

The authorities responded immediately, and a two-day search ensued. No trace of the men or evidence of any crime was ever found. When he was questioned further, Travis swore to the officers that he had absolutely seen what he had reported!

The officers said that they found nothing. They told Travis that there was a murder that had occurred in that area just as Travis had described. The problem was – it had occurred on this very same day but in 1849.


297 Words
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