The Edge of Freedom (Honorable Mention)

Missy dipped a strip from her dress into the Ohio. She hissed as she tucked the cloth between the iron and her raw, bloody ankle. Several links still trailed the shackle, so Missy wove the remainder around them. Sound carried across open water.

The night concealed and comforted her. Crickets serenaded, and an old bull frog courted his lady. Missy cocked her head listening for a distant rhythmic splash. She grinned, her white teeth flashing in the dark. It was getting closer.

“Lawd, thank you!” she whispered.

Another sound pierced the darkness. Missy whipped her head around, staring over her shoulder. Now, only the whites of her eyes showed. There it was again—baying hounds trailing their quarry.

“Lawd,” Missy prayed.

She limped into the lapping water. Behind her, each howl edged closer. In front of her, the faint dip of oars. The hunter was drowning out the sound of freedom.

She was up to her knees now in icy water, shaking from the cold and fear. She was trapped at the edge of freedom. If she left the rendezvous spot, her rescuer would never find her. If she stayed, her hunter would.

The hounds bayed again—closer.

“Lawd, you knows I can’t swim….” Missy kept sloshing forward up to her neck, the current sucking at her.

Her next step met an abyss. She came up sputtering and clawing for air until her hand struck something soft and warm.

“Easy there,” came a voice from above. “Let’s get you in the boat. I’d like to be half way across the Ohio before those hounds reach these banks.”

In no time, Missy lay in the bottom of the rocking boat wrapped in a blanket. As the hounds faded, she stared up at the twinkling stars and whispered, “Thank you, Lawd.”





Submitted for

Daily Flash Fiction Challenge  (13+) Enter your story of 300 words or less. #896794 by Arakun the Twisted Raccoon

Must include an escaped prisoner.

Word Count: 299 out of 300 word limit