Writing Exercise Wednesday #24

WEW #24

Prompt: In the fashion of a folktale, folklore or myth, write a passage using these words or any others you choose.

Bundle, bird catcher, travelers, raven, astronomer

Result:

On a path, in a forest, in a land upon the earth, stood a Raven, breast of oil, feet of twigs.  He floated up to a high branch on a tree, for travelers traversed his path.

Upon the back of one of the four travelers, were berries overflowing from a bundled pack.  The travelers set down at the base of the bird’s tree and commenced eating their food.

The Raven was ravenous and hopped to a lower branch.  And, then again, lower.  The traveler with the bundle looked up, startled, for the Raven was a large bird, and then he started laughing.  He picked a berry and tossed it at the bird.

The Raven bobbed and caught the berry.

The traveler got an idea to be a bird catcher and coaxed the Raven closer with each berry.  When the Raven was the closest, the traveler lunged and grasped the Raven, only for the bird to slip up and away.

The traveler fell onto a broken branch that stabbed through his stomach, and died.  The three other travelers shrieked then ran away, leaving the greedy traveler dead and alone.

The Raven returned to finish the berries and shared the last one with the dead man and placed it in his mouth.

          Astronomers often tell the tale of the Raven to travelers not inclined to share their goods.  For the Raven's constellation follows those traversing his path in the forest, in a land upon the earth.