creek – Dave Williams

Photo of a stream, with stones on either side of the water, also with trees on both sides, some of the trees overhanging the stream.

I’m lucky to live near Sligo Creek, which flows by several neighborhoods here in Maryland. A paved path follows the stream, and it’s popular with walkers and joggers. I was especially grateful for the creek in 2020, during the lockdown due to Covid-19. The path made for walks to get fresh air and a distraction from the bad news of more and more people dying from the virus and testing positive.

I recorded videos of four waterfalls along the creek. These are lovely and small — nothing dramatic like you’d see in a hilly or mountainous landscape. The path by the creek is pretty flat.

I combined the four videos into a single one, and each waterfall runs for a minute.

If you’d rather watch the video on YouTube, it’s here.

Photo of a cupped hand holding dirt, and the fingers are forming the shape of a heart.

An earthy story based on Carrot Ranch’s April 22 Flash Fiction Challenge, which is:

April 22, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about earthing. Put a character’s hands, feet or body and soul into the earth. Who needs recharging? What happens between the interaction? Go where the prompt leads!

A Pause in the Rush to Keep Up
by Dave Williams

News said it was popular and she thought Why not? so she went to a creek trail and normally she would’ve felt happy inside the weekend crowd but not now so she went Monday (work was slow) and the walk was quieter, a pause from pre-Covid trend-flitting: coffee shops wine bars brunch cafes fusion restaurants new movies.

Seeing someone else do it inspired her to sit on a stone amid the creek, eyes closed. Listen. Water birds wind.

Her own idea: remove shoes and socks, barefoot in the creek. Feel. Chilly water smooth pebbles. Life underneath trends.

Photo of two feet in a creek, with rocks around. — by Dids/Pexels