The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Reckoning of The River 
by Kathleen McCluskey 

The river had always been sacred. It was once hallowed ground, revered by the native Americans who saw the river as a sacred vein connecting the spirit of nature to all living things. To them, it was not merely a river but a sanctuary, a vessel of purity and balance bestowed onto them by the divine. It was the lifeblood of the valley, winding its way through the dense forests and nourishing the creatures that dwelled there. But the river now ran thick with poison, its once crystalline surface now clouded with sludge. Fish floated belly-up, and the air reeked of decay.

Mother Nature watched from the shadows, her face an intricate lattice of vines and gold. Her eyes reelected the fury of storms, steely and intense. Her dark hair swirled around her face like a tempest. She had warned humanity for centuries through whispers in the wind and cracks in the earth, but they had turned deaf ears on her pleas. Now the time for warnings was over.

The men in hazmat suits worked beneath the towering smokestacks, dumping barrels of toxic waste into the river. Their laughter echoed like a death knell as they tossed another drum into the water. Its contents hissed as it spilled. The sludge inside the barrels was a vile, oozing concoction of noxious chemicals, the surface bubbled with a heat that warped the air above it. Its stench was suffocating, a rancid blend of rot and acrid fumes. The earth itself seemed to recoil from its touch.

She rose from the depths of the forest, her steps silent but her presence overwhelming. The trees bent toward her as if bowing to their queen. Their branches trembled with anticipation. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.

The first man noticed her when the air grew unnaturally still. He turned, his smirk faltering as he caught sight of her. Her glowing, azure eyes locked onto his and he dropped the barrel he was holding. Its contents splashing onto his feet.

“Who…who the hell are you?” He stammered as he backed away.

Her voice was the rustle of leaves and the crash of waves. “I am the mother of this earth and you have desecrated my child.”

The ground beneath the men began to quake, roots broke through the soil and coiled around their ankles. They screamed as they were dragged toward the river. The toxic water surged unnaturally, reaching for them with eager hands. One man broke free, running toward the nearby truck, but the vines followed, snapping and twisting until they caught him. He was dragged back, his fingernails clawing the dirt, leaving crimson trails behind him.

“Please!” He cried. “We didn’t mean to…”

“You meant to destroy,” She bellowed, her voice thunderous, “…and so you shall be unmade.”

The river surged higher, the waters black and churning like a storm. The men’s screams drowned as they were pulled under. Their bodies disappeared into the filth they created. The river grew calm once more, its surface reflecting the moonlight.

Mother Nature turned her gaze to the factory. With a wave of her hand, the smokestacks crumbled, consumed by climbing ivy and strangling vines. The machinery groaned as the rust spread like a disease, gears grinding to a halt. She dismantled the factory brick by brick until it lay in ruin. Within minutes, nothing was left but silence and a field of wildflowers blooming where the factory once stood.

Satisfied, she turned back to the forest. Her work was far from over. Humanity had forgotten its place in the balance and she would remind them, one river, one forest, one reckoning at a time.

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Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgmental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequences that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!