“Hold the bridge!” the commander had yelled. The horde had been almost upon them, their iron blades gleaming, so much darker than the gleaming bronze of the defenders. The defenders had stood there as an endless wave of barbarians surged towards them, knowing that this would be their last stand.
“Hold the bridge!”
Centuries later, the crumbling bridge still stood over the winding river. A traveller approached it at the midnight, when the moon shone bright and the stars gleamed in the black. No sooner had he set foot upon the ancient stone when he heard the whistle of the cold wind.
Rushing footsteps and roaring voices filled his ears. He cried out as they fell upon him like a pack of jackdaws, ghostly blades and fingers brushing his icy skin.
“Hold the bridge!” the ghosts howled in his ears.
In death, as in life, they fulfilled their duty.
Word Count: 149
This is for Flash Fiction for the Aspiring Writer. Thanks to Priceless Joy for running the challenge and Joy Pixley for providing the prompt picture!
Wow Nice! Loved your take on the prompt.
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Thank you!
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Chilling tale. Do get a sense of history when you get the stories behind some of these ancient bridges and buildings – hopefully not as vividly as this poor person! Great take.
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Thank you! Yes, there is this great sense of history with ancient places.
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This is a story that I would have loved to have written.
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Thank you! That’s one of the highest compliments I can think of.
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Love the historic feel to this piece. Nicely-written.
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Thank you!
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Great, chilling story! Love that the ghosts are still trying to hold the bridge. Also, great tension build-up!
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Thank you!
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Amazing story and chilling description… the past and present juxtaposition is outstanding!
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Thank you!
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Great take on the prompt! I really like the legend or fairy tale quality to it. I often wonder, when examining these old structures, what stories they could tell, how many ghosts might be there. Although I certainly wouldn’t like to meet them in person!
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Thank you! A lot of those old places certainly feel like they have ghosts.
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Wonderfully descriptive – I felt I was watching it happening!
My story is called The Stranger
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Thank you! Your story is very descriptive as well.
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delicious story. love the descriptions. totally conjured up the ancient fight in my mind’s eye. good one!
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Thanks!
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Reminds of the dead army in LOTR cursed to fulfill their oath so they remain ghosts. Aragon releases them if them of their oath in RotK. NEat twist. I didn’t think holding the bridge meant no one gets across in modern times too.
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Thank you! The army of the dead was probably on my mind.
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