The Hatchet

I wanted to plant a garden against the back fence. My nose already tingled, imagining the scent of the beauty bark that I planned to order, and the corners of my mouth turned up, picturing how the burgundy flakes would coat the now-dull ground... Once I’d exposed the face of the faded fence, I reached behind me for the rake and began wrangling the dead vegetation into a compost bag. My arms jolted when metal struck metal.

This piece of short (flash) fiction is an eerie horror story inspired by a community garden Alix rediscovered near their friends' house in Seattle last year. You can "The Hatchet" in the second issue of Warning Lines.