Old Curt

They only know me as Curt and I keep to myself.

I never wanted to end up living with bullfrogs and mosquitoes as neighbors, but the law cannot touch me close to the swamp and when they come they will find my cabin deserted.

The law cannot follow where my scow takes me beyond the bayou, and likely they only want me for moonshining.

I manage… but sometimes the great bones of my life feel so heavy and I would like them to fear me, like the coeds of Princeton did.

I hope that one of those long-legged rangers will come to visit all by herself. I have watched them and crave to undress them. I can almost feel their soft hair wrapped around my hands.

But meanwhile, I cope, caressing the shrine with keepsakes from my accomplishments.

They will know me as Curt.

Today it’s prosery at dVerse. hosted by Linda. As usual we should weave a line from a poem into a very short story of a maximum 144 words.

Today we should use the following line taken from Spring Azures from the book Wild Geese by Mary Oliver ‘Sometimes the great bones of my life feel so heavy,’

I am sorry that I couldn’t stay away from being gruesome, but this is where my muse lead me tonight.

January 18, 2020

26 responses to “Old Curt”

Okay Bjorn….I hope I never meet up with Curt. ” like the coeds of Princeton did” these words hint that this is not a good man….and then we learn of his horrible thoughts…deeds? The line that really gave me the shivers was “I can almost feel their soft hair wrapped around my hands. I don’t want to meet Curt and see him in any book plot or movie plot. Goodness, you’ve brought him to life in this!

Björn Rudberg (brudberg) January 18, 2021 at 22:28 · · Reply →

Don’t you even want to see him eaten by alligators?
- Ken / rivrvlogr January 19, 2021 at 16:55 · ·
  
  It does seem like that would be fitting.

Gruesome character study, Bjorn. I have a feeling there will be more “Curts” on the fringes as anomie continues to expand within our species.

Oooh this is fantastic character sketching, Bjorn! Curt seems like someone who has many shades to his character and that not everything is just black and white in his book. Especially like; “The law cannot follow where my scow takes me beyond the bayou, and likely they only want me for moonshining.” 👏👏

A wickedly imaginative use of the prompt! I could imagine a horror movie all about Curt and his misdeeds. Perhaps in the end he could be eaten by an alligator, as you suggest!

Curt is indeed terrifying. I love that you went dark.

Ewww. He is one evil man, that Curt. I’m with Lillian. I don’t want to know him at all. He gives me nightmares, but yes, I’d be OK with him eaten by alligators.

a toch of the James Herbert ! i like

What an evil character, Björn! The name you chose for him is perfect, as I imagine he is rudely blunt, terse, monosyllabic. He is the antihero to your ancient librarian. The part where he fantasises about a long-legged ranger visiting all by herself is so creepy – and the thought of him ‘caressing the shrine with keepsakes’ – a killer’s trophies?

Curt by name and curt by nature … I’d expect to find his ‘type’ lurking around the bayou! graphically eerie

Our minds ran down parallel paths tonight, brother. I went dark(ish) too, but my guy was not as evil as Curt. I imagine he was not a handsome lad. You rocked the prompt for sure.

I find Curt to be very creepy, hey but its flash fiction and like you said, that’s where you followed the muse to

Thanks for dropping by to read mine

Much💖love

“…keepsakes from my accomplishments.” Oooo.
I could feel the creepiness. Thanks, Bjorn!

Bjorn, your brand a gruesome is a gift. The way it flows, your ability to get into the (twisted) minds of your chracters is extraordinary. Bravo!

I hope I never meet Curt. A Bjorn story, for sure. Love it!

Very Stephen King, Bjorn, the way you expose the psychotic interior of a killer. The bayou has its secrets and apparently “Old Curt” is determined to be one of them.