Piégé

by

I am participating in the 6th Write Tribe Festival of Words. I hope to blog for seven days in a row. The theme for Day 3 is “Feature a map, and write about a place, either virtual or real.” I’m using a treasure map I found on Pixabay.

Treasure Map

Piégé – The Search for Treasure

“X marks the spot,” said Lloyd, stopping near a thatched hut. There wasn’t anyone in it. Peter smiled.

“Piégé is cursed,” the old man had said, trying to scare them off the island.

“If he could return, so can we,” they laughed.

Peter had paid the old man a hundred dollars for the map. They would find millions more after all. They had found the inlet to the island easily enough, and tied the boat to a tree. The path wasn’t that difficult either. It had been marked by circles carved on tree trunks.

As they dug, they wondered what it held. The sound of metal on metal told them their quest was at an end. Bending down, the two of them pulled it out. There was no lock. They saw the glow of gold as they opened the lid.

“Cursed, my foot. He was only trying to scare us,” said Peter, laughing.

He never saw the spade that hit the back of his head.

“I ain’t sharing this treasure,” said Lloyd, picking up the chest and walking away from his partner without remorse.

When he reached the inlet after an hour’s walk, he saw that the boat was gone. It had been cut loose, and was now drifting away in the wind, too far for him to swim even without the chest.

Lloyd turned to go back to the hut, but he was shocked to see that the carved circles had now disappeared from the trunks.

“This is not happening,” he cried, cursing his luck.

The chest suddenly seemed lighter. When he opened the trunk, Lloyd saw that there was only a piece of paper there.

“Piégé is French for trapped. I warned you, didn’t I?” he read, just as the old man’s laughter echoed from between the trees.

You can read some of my earlier posts for Write Tribe – here.

(© Vinay Leo R. @ I Rhyme Without Reason,
7th August, 2017)

mysign2017

Poetry & writing are to me, a breath of fresh air in a life that is sometimes covered by the smoke of sorrow or self doubt. They also become the sweets I share to celebrate when life offers me a reason to. But most of all, they are to me, my life. For each word I write is a piece of my heart, a thought that just had to find its way into the world.

46 thoughts on “Piégé”

    • I’m hoping the twist was unexpected enough, Kavita, though a few of my friends would have guessed it, I’m sure. 🙂 Thank you. Glad you liked the story. 😀

    • Yeah. I was going more for the supernatural touch, Steph. 😀 But kind of worked out as a parable, I guess.

      I wonder if the treasure map will help Lloyd now too. And if the island is safe anymore, even with a hut. 😛 😉

  16. Great story Vinay… the island is not cursed but greed is that looms over us like a curse. He tried to grab everything alone only to be stranded in a god forsaken island.

  21. Eerie… I love spooky thrillers and horror stories. I did suspect that the old man was up to no good 😀 (courtesy my devouring horror novels and movies) and once Lloyd’s greed took over, he was in for it, deservedly so. Nicely written Vinay… also, thanks for bringing forward the French word for trapped – will try using it to perplex my friends 😛

    • Hehe 😀 Yes. I didn’t think it would be a big twist for many people, Venice. Glad you liked the story! 😀 Just went for a supernatural effect, so glad it worked out.

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