(c) all rights reserved · dverse · poetry · prosery

dVerse — prosery — Red Moon Rise

msjadeli

Blood Moon
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A red moon rides on the humps of the low river hills.
— Carl Sandburg, from Jazz Fantasia

A red moon rides on the humps of the low river hills. My head tilts just so and I swear the hills are moving like a great dark beast; a shadowy twin of my guilt, following. Red rippling water radiates from the far side of the river; accusation calling from the cabin. I hurry along and away from my sin, stumbling on the narrow path through the dunegrass. He’ll be home soon and the table isn’t set.

The moon hides behind clouds as his work boots clump along the wooden porch to the door and he enters.

“Good evening, Father.”

He sits quietly at the kitchen table, head bowed, waiting for me to serve him crockpot stew, biscuits, and a glass of port.

After dinner, as I clear the table, he smells the scent of blood and looks up, head swiveling toward me.

[144 words]

 

Lillian is today’s host at dVerse.  Lillian says:
The prompt is to include either the line “a red moon rides on the humps of the low river hills” OR the line “moan like an autumn wind high in the lonesome treetops” in a piece of prose (not poetry) that is 144 words or less.  The two lines are from Carl Sandburg’s poem JAZZ FANTASIA – you’ll find his full poem here. 

Published by msjadeli

mother, gardener, retired government worker, observer, reader, learner, bicyclist, woman who runs with the wolves, lover of music!

65 thoughts on “dVerse — prosery — Red Moon Rise”

  1. Oh…..I wish you were here with me….I just let out an audible “ohhhhhh” when I finished reading this! What a twist! A macabre tale indeed! Oh that blood red moon precipitates dastardly deeds indeed!
    Glad you posted today! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. I love the focus on the red moon and the hills in the first paragraph, Lisa, to set the scene, which you have done so well, especially ‘I swear the hills are moving like a great dark beast’ and the red rippling water. I also like the suggested urgency to get home in ‘He’ll be home soon and the table isn’t set’, and the ominous clump of the work boots. The final line is chilling.

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  4. A very clever and strong slice of prose here; like it a lot. This could be the descriptive prose on the rear cover of a novel, full of hooks and teasers. I see it as a werewolf family, and this was her first kill.

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  8. Oh my, a chilling tale .,., and we’re left to write the ending as we see fit. I don’t know how to make it a happy one ! Well done.

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  13. THAT ending.

    Bravo, bravo! This is what we call a true, unexpected twist. I was honestly not anticipating it. You utilized the prompt brilliantly to create this enthralling tale and prose. The imagery is immersive around the red moon and I love how descriptive this piece is. Amazing, amazing writing.

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          1. I love a mindbender…I’m looking forward to it.

            I just watched “Manhunter” 1986…the first Hannibal Lector movie. Really good. It was before Silence of the Lambs…I had no clue.

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            1. Is that the movie where the FBI’s profiling unit with John Douglas gets started? Actually I think that one is called Mindhunter. So there is a prequel to Silence of the Lambs? Worth seeing? I remember reading that book (Silence of…) before seeing the movie. It scared the living bejeezus out of me!

              Liked by 1 person

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              1. Yes it is…It was filmed in the 80s and there is no mistaking that but I liked it. Brian Cox as Lector is great. Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde does a wonderful job…or totally creepy job.

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                    1. So many blogs, too little time 😦 I wish I had clones of myself! What was that Michael Keaton movie where he made clones of himself? I remember it didn’t work out very well for him 🙂

                      Liked by 1 person

  24. Breathtaking! There are so many ways in which this “sin” can go! I actually wondered if the protagonist was washing away a menstral cycle, or evidence of a sexual encounter, when I read the last line. A true tour de force!

    Liked by 1 person

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