31 Stories of Halloween

Day 13: The Crown

Prompt: Antlers

As a hunter I take great pride in only catching what I need, one deer lasts me two months so I only need one deer. I only feed myself and my parents, people who hunt for games are disgusting they are destroying the balance. I take my shot and kill the buck before me. He's a beautiful creature he had 20 points on his antlers. What a beautiful crown attached to his head. I gather the buck and get him home he was cleaned and stripped of his organs.

I take the meat inside of my cabin and there my parents are resting, not old enough for a nurse but they need someone to keep an eye on them, but not every day they can do whatever as long as they have a beeper in case, they get sick or hurt. I set the meat on the counter as my mother begins having a meaningless conversation with me. My father was reading the paper and grunted every time mom tried adding him to the conversation.

I walk off after mom had finished telling me, and I take the one other thing out of my bag, the antlers, normally I would refuse to take them but this buck was so beautiful I couldn't help myself but ask for them. I hang them from the wall and admire them. As I admire them there was something about them that kept drawing me close to them. Voices rang in the room, "The king is gone, what are we going to do? A life for a life!"

Confused I step back as I run from the voices, "Son where are you going?" I yell back, "Out; I forgot something outside in the truck!" she shrugged as I slam the door I run out into the forest as the voices continued and pain grew from my head. Reaching up I feel horns, no that's antlers. Blood drips down my head as my body is ever-changing.

I scream as my body changes; I continue to run until I'm out of breath. Looking into the river I see my own worse fear, I am a deer, during hunting season. I am a dead man walking. I begin to cry, as I hear someone call out, "Hey! It's okay, come this way we can help you!" The tears in my eyes slow down, finally someone who can help me. I run after the voice it repeats itself for a couple of minutes then grows silent. I stop right outside of a clearing looking and listening. They (the voice) called out once more they were right past the clearing, this is my chance. I jump out...

**

"Hey Robert, that's a mighty fine buck you got there." Robert turned to his friend, "Yeah that new deer call you told me about really did work. I've never seen such a healthy young deer come so quickly to a call before." The men chuckle and gloat over their latest game.