Freedom is a dizzying gift to a child, a dare to get a little lost, wander from the path, ski off-piste. A little liberty tests a child’s mettle, and the wisdom of their elders.
The rule was stay together. The rule was be back before dark. The rules made sense, with the wisdom they had learnt, and they stuck to them. There was no rule about skiing off-piste. They had never been told to stick to the path. Wolves were for storybooks and faraway. Lost was the route to adventure.
Together, Lilah and Nathan slipped away from the smoothly groomed slope, the pendulant spruce branches closing behind them, the shrieks of passing skiers soaking into the snow clad boughs. The children were alone in the tree studded wild.
Towering evergreens appeared to shrink to friendly Christmas trees as they cut deepening lines into pristine white. Exhilarated and alert, Lilah was still unprepared for the sudden plunge. Chest deep and panicked, her skis swung and flailed, finding no purchase in the void beneath her, as their weight pulled against the tender crust she clung to.
A distant story returned to Nathan then, of quicksand and peril, and he dropped spread eagled across the snow, extending a pole to meet her grasping hands, edging them both back in inching drags to solid ground, where they panted in near miss horror.
Later, they told their parents. “Well done for staying together”, they said, distracted, uncomprehending. Without a word, they swore their oath. Always.
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Why, Why, Why. Runner-Up in Snow Micro Challenge.
It rained all day today, and I with it. Silently misting, pooling in my eyes, battering the earth, streaming down my cheeks, dripping from the gutters, rain fell all day, as if we would fall for evermore. What can I make from rain though? Only rivers and seas too strong for me to stand against. Now evening comes, let me close my swollen eyes and breathe frost across the sodden tableau. Let me dress this rain as snow.
By Hannah Moore2 years ago in Fiction
I Had Already Given Up… But Then Something Unexpected Happened
From the outside, nothing looked too bad. I had a roof over my head, a few people around me, and dreams that once gave me purpose. But inside… it was a completely different story. I was tired. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally exhausted. I had tried so many times to improve my life. I made plans, set goals, and promised myself that “this time will be different.” But every time I tried, something went wrong. Either I failed, or things didn’t go as expected. Slowly, those failures started building a wall inside me—a wall made of doubt, fear, and disappointment. At first, I kept fighting. I told myself that failure is part of success. I watched motivational videos, read quotes, and forced myself to stay positive. But the truth is… there is a limit to how much a person can pretend to be strong. And one day, I reached that limit. I stopped trying. I stopped setting goals. I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing that anything good could happen to me. Days became empty. I would wake up without purpose and go to sleep without hope. Life felt like a routine I was forced to follow, not something I wanted to live. One night, I remember sitting alone in my room. The lights were off, and the silence felt heavy. I kept staring at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. A question kept repeating in my mind: “What’s the point of trying if I’m just going to fail again?” For the first time, I didn’t have an answer. That night, I silently gave up—not just on my goals, but on myself. The next morning, I woke up late. I had no plans, no motivation, and no reason to get out of bed. I picked up my phone just to pass time, scrolling mindlessly. And then, I saw something unexpected. A message. It was from an old friend I hadn’t talked to in months. The message was simple: “Hey… I don’t know why, but I just felt like telling you this. I believe in you. Don’t give up.” That was it. No long speech. No deep advice. Just a few words. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I even smiled a little, thinking it was random. But as I kept staring at those words, something inside me shifted. “I believe in you.” It had been a long time since I heard that. And even longer since I said that to myself. For months, I had been my own biggest critic. I kept reminding myself of my failures, my mistakes, and everything that went wrong. But I never once reminded myself of my efforts… or my potential. That small message didn’t magically fix my life. My problems were still there. My situation hadn’t changed overnight. But something else changed. My perspective. For the first time in a long time, I thought… “What if I try again? Just one more time?” Not perfectly. Not confidently. Just… honestly. So I started small. The next day, I woke up a little earlier. Not 5 AM like those perfect routines—but earlier than usual. I did one small productive task. It wasn’t much, but it was something. The day after that, I did a little more. Some days were still hard. Some days I felt the same heaviness, the same doubt creeping back in. There were moments when I wanted to quit again. But this time, I didn’t. Because now, I had a different mindset. I wasn’t trying to be perfect. I was just trying to not give up. Weeks passed, and slowly, things began to change. Not dramatically—but noticeably. I became more focused. My thoughts became clearer. I started feeling a little more in control of my life. Opportunities didn’t suddenly fall into my lap, but I started noticing them again. And one day, while reflecting on my journey, I realized something powerful: I wasn’t stuck because I failed. I was stuck because I stopped trying. Failure didn’t destroy me. Giving up did. That one message from my friend didn’t change my life directly. But it reminded me of something I had forgotten—that even in the darkest moments, there is always a small chance to start again. And sometimes, that’s all you need. A small reminder. A small step. A small decision to try again.
By Tawseef Aziz6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (22)
Another story with wonderful imagery of the winter snow, and the tension tightens as it goes on until the fall. Thank goodness for happy endings, “A little liberty tests a child’s mettle, and the wisdom of their elders.” is my favourite line, and is very much true. Great read😊
Your ability to vividly set the stage, create palpable excitement and concern, and then resolve it all with thoughtful reflection is incredible. What a gripping and beautiful micro that wastes no time and makes one feel grounded in the story at the same time.
Oh God. I felt that plunge!
Brilliant. Didn't expect that!
Omgggg my heart was beating so fast! So glad they're okay! Loved your story!
"Together at last, together forever. We're tying a knot, that never can sever...." At least when skiing. The rest of the time we can annoy each other as much as we want.
This is such a good micro! -the challenge requested a balance vivid imagery with dynamic storytelling ✅ So poetic in describing the setting and cinematic in the action.
I know that oath - which reminds me of another story... Really enjoyed this Hannah!
Magnificent story!!! Loved it!!!♥️♥️💕
Great story, Hannah.
Wow, I’m glad the children survived this adventure!
This was one of the best of these I’ve read
This is brilliant Hannah. I can totally imagine this happening and then making a pact with your sibling never to confess to your parents! Excellent pacing and writing in so few words.
That was great. Makes me think of times when I and my brothers got ourselves into tricky situations and how, once safe, all we cared about was making sure Mom didn't find out.
This is a wonderful story, Hannah. So evocative of those moments in childhood when something unexpected happens and no adults are around to help or experience the terror of it with you. Although every line in your story is evocative, I especially loved 'A distant story returned to Nathan then, of quicksand and peril, and he dropped spread eagled across the snow, extending a pole to meet her grasping hands, edging them both back in inching drags to solid ground, where they panted in near miss horror.' And I learned a new word!
❤️ Incredible work Hannah! ❤️
Beautiful read… typical of how often parents are blithely oblivious of what went on!
I think if we think too much about our childhood escapades, we'd never let kids out of our sight... I guess some never do!
Great tale of adventuring kids. I love the way that you get that sense of danger and the dismissiveness of all parents when they know that nothing serious happened. If only they knew! Fab read.
Compelling! I believe she had fallen through a frozen pond without you saying so and that's a succinct delivery for micro-fiction. I don't want to know what my young one got into when I was not around. Really clever, Hannah!
Loved this. I was very very nervous for the kids, though. Glad they got through it.
Intense! Great work. Parents shouldn’t be so distracted 🙁