Prompt 50-Campfire

Write about a memory you have related to a campfire.

The smell of wood smoke mixed with tobacco smoke was the first thing Remi noticed. He listened to the crackling of the wood and became aware of several distinct murmured voices. If they thought him still asleep, he would let them continue to believe so until he sorted out a few things.

The air was cool, though the fire warmed his back. He was on the ground, the soft grass cushioning his unwounded side. The other side burned where an arrow had grazed him. He fought the reflex to touch it, not ready to alert the people around the fire that he was conscious. He wasn’t yet sure if they were friend or foe.

The wound, he realized, had been treated. The burning sensation was from the wrappings pressed on it, but they were also cool, as though they had been changed recently. An enemy wouldn’t take the time to dress a wound unless there was something to be gained from it. He’d had no possessions on him when he had been shot but that didn’t mean there was nothing to be gained from taking him.

He resisted the urge to laugh at his plight. Mother would be so disappointed. He was not as impulsive as his brother and yet he had been the one to be captured. Possibly. He had no bonds, so there was no reason to suspect he was a captive, but caution was the wisest approach in this case.

He focused on listening to the voices, discerning what they had to say. “I dunno, that wound is deep,” a woman’s voice was saying. “Are we sure he’s going to last thing night?”

A low chuckle followed by an exhalation of smoke. The tobacco scent rose slightly. “Have more faith in your brother’s skills,” an old masculine voice said.

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, Master Elvior,” a much younger man’s voice answered, “but I’ve never done anything quite that extensive before.”

Master? Was this older man a noble? Or was that simply the term of address for Elders in this region? Another woman responded, her voice much softer than the first. “Kennick, you are learning your talents much quicker than me or Zinnia. It’s ok to take pride in that.”

The young man muttered thanks, while still denying that he was any more useful than the rest. They fell silent for a while and Remi could feel their eyes on him. The heat of the fire was making him drowsy again, and the cool air of the night caressed his face. He wanted to listen more, but he fell back asleep before they said anything else.

Notes: Apologies for the late, short tale. Being late with Thursday’s meant I put off Friday’s to Saturday, but I spent most of the day helping my friend move and by the afternoon was taken over by a nasty migraine. I get them a few times a year and there’s nothing for it but to lie down in the dark and let it pass. I had hoped it would be gone in time for me to write this up in the evening but it persisted and I just went to bed early.

Campfires are always relaxing. I’ve spent many summer nights around them but felt like it was a good prompt for a story scene. I left off one of my previous short stories with a campfire so I thought I might as well pick it up there and delve into the new character’s head a little bit.

What sort of memories do you have surrounding campfires? There are probably some good details for a story in them! Get them down!

Next prompt: See below.

Whew, so this is #50. I’ve been at this daily for 10 weeks! That’s amazing. I’ve been looking ahead at the upcoming prompts though, and a lot of them are not particularly creative-inspiring. I’m thinking I might change the post format a bit from here on out, but I’ve gotta do some brainstorming to see where I want to go from here.

I am going to take the week off and do some planning instead. I will post an update towards the end of the week detailing what’s next! This is not the end, just a turning point! There are still 250 prompts to go, after all! Have a great week! I’ll see you soon!