Posted in Fiction

Retribution

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

red fox

Jack lived in a quiet, wooded subdivision outside of town. The lots were large. Lots of privacy. Jack and his friend, Charles, liked to hunt. They said it was for fun. Everyone knew it was because they enjoyed the kill.

Jack and Charles didn’t think they had to go far to kill a deer. There were many all around Jack’s home. Jack set up a tree stand and baited the deer. Every year, he shot at least one right in his yard, in the midst of the subdivision.

Jack and Charles hunted other animals as well. There was a family of red foxes that lived in the subdivision. They were sly and crafty. Even though the men tried to lure them out to shoot them, they were smarter than the hunters. They never shot a red fox.

One year, Jack took his deer to the taxidermist. To his surprise, there sat a red fox, ready to be picked up. As Jack left the shop, he could have sworn he saw that fox move. He turned around to leave. The last thing he felt were the teeth of the fox sink into the back of his neck.

Sunday Photo Fiction

Photo Courtesy Natural History Museum of London

 

 

Author:

Freelance writer, blogger, aspiring novelist. Former career as a college prof in finance. Encore career as freelance writer for a number of financial websites.

19 thoughts on “Retribution”

  5. It actually is the start of deer season in these parts, but I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to hunt in a populated area. No, I don’t hunt, but this is Idaho, so I know plenty of people who do.

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      1. A co-worker and his family are hunting deer this weekend. His “hobby” is trapping coyotes, usually to sell their pelts. He’s also sometimes paid by ranchers to trap them. He’s very proud of his specialized traps and the cell phone that will tell him when he’s on public or private land, that will let him mark where his traps are, and even get him back to his truck should he get lost.

        He’s a nice guy and I don’t have the heart to tell him I really don’t care.

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    2. Illegal yes. But that doesn’t stop people from poaching. Its the same in Oklahoma. We have a lot of deer in my area and I was recently told that someone went on the property across the road from us and illegally shot a deer, taking only the head. It happens.

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