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Rated: E · Fiction · Nature · #2345038

Covering clothes are worth it.

“Oh, those old things?” Anna said, looking at a folded stack of long-sleeved sun shirts. “They are more trouble than they’re worth. You need to get air in on hot days like this.”

Nonetheless, I had nothing better to hike in, so I borrowed one from Anna - my sister - on our Appalachian hike, three days into my visit to the East Coast. I wore an old fishing hat she kept in her closet, too, something she said an old friend left behind. It smelled like dust and neglect but covered my neck and ears.

She slathered her arms in sunscreen and seemed to never get tired, though she acted like she needed a water break when I was getting winded, probably out of politeness.

Three hours in, we were sitting on a rock, and I saw a tick crawling on Anna’s ear- then her neck- then three down her shirt.

She looked at my loaner clothes enviously the whole trek home.

Written for a daily flash fiction contest:
Daily Flash Fiction Challenge Open in new Window. (13+)
Enter your story of 300 words or less.
#896794 by Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon

Today’s prompt was to include the line, “They are more trouble than they’re worth.”

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