Wednesday Blog Hop - Hope

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This post is part of the Wednesday Blog Hop, a weekly hop aimed at creating flash fiction inspired by a photo and five words selected by one of the lovely hosts.

To check out the other weekly entries or to link up yourself head over to Carrie, Nicole, Tena or Leanne's blogs for more information.

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I meant to post this entry yesterday but I've been struck down with the dreaded lurgy, so I apologise for it being a day late.

As requested by fellow hopper Chris Shawbell this weeks entry is a continuation of the story I posted in last weeks blog hop. If you missed it then you can read it here first.

This weeks picture:

This weeks words:  pocket watch, cosmic, ghost, vegetable, train

And here it is!

Hope

The man who had spoken her name came further into the barn, expanding his search while the other hung back near the door. She bowed her head, praying for them to turn around and leave. She wanted to find out a little more for before she handed herself over to anyone.

The one by the door was growing impatient, checking the time on his pocket watch. 'Sir, we really need to be going.'

The one in the barn took another step towards me before sighing in defeat. 'Let's go. Davis isn't going to be pleased though if we've lost another one.'

Wendy's body sagged with relief as he walked out and closed the doors behind him, and she waited until the sound of the engine had completely died away before emerging. It seemed she'd narrowly avoided capture, but was still in the same predicament, trying to get out of the barn.

Trying the big doors again was futile, there was nothing else she could do except scramble over the hedge.

Settin off along the road, picking off twigs and leaves from her clothes as she went. She had no idea what the time was, only that the sun was shining high in the sky now. Her stomach was rumbling, reminding her of how little she'd eaten. The road was straddled either side by fields, but there wasn't any sign of civilisation anywhere nearby. Looking over into the neighbouring field there were some plants sprouting, growing uniformly in lines leading of into the distance. A closer inspection revealed they were carrots, and Wendy dug and ate three in earnest. They tasted earthy and raw, but they were food. She pocketed a few more of the vegetables for her journey.

She walked seemingly all day, and now her feet were beginning to drag a little as she grew weary. She almost didn't notice the train track intersecting the road. The section that crossed the road was clear, but either side it had become overgrown with bushes. It certainly hadn't been used for transport for a long time. It extended in both directions for as far as she could see, but in the east she noticed something else just visible on the horizon. She was unsure at first if her eyes were deceiving her but it looked like a city, way off in the distance. It had a hazy, almost ghostly quality to it but she was sure it was real.

She started to head in its direction, the faintest glimmer of hope beginning to tingle within. She crossed my fingers, willing the vision to be real, and if not then the world was playing some giant cosmic joke on her. There was only one way to find out though, and she willed her feet to keep moving.

Word count: 472

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