Picture Prompt #6

This beautifully eerie picture was taken on another of my woodland rambles. The green of the algae was intense (the picture doesn’t do it justice). The water is usually quite swampy and brown, so to see it so insanely green was enough for me to choose this picture for today’s picture prompt.

The area in which I live seems to be taking precident in these writing exercises, so after this week, I plan to steer clear of the landscape/ nature picture prompts to shake things up a little.

Ensnared

I warned them to stay well away from the swamps, yet they paid me no heed. The search party found evidence of their untimely deaths scattered around the boggy pits, but no sign of the seven hunters. They’re down in the depths no doubt, however, no local in their right mind would disturb the swamp lands in search of some careless out of towners.

The swamps have a power all of their own. Once you are ensnared there is nothing to stop you from wading into the murky, tar like depths of doom. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen entranced men dive headfirst into the sludge never to resurface. They say on clear nights when the breeze carries from the west, you can hear their ghosts screaming. That’s what they say, but I know different. I know about the forest folk and what they want with the souls. And I know that if you are claimed by the swamps you never truly die.

Written works and images are the property of K.J.Chapman