THE MAN IN THE FOREST

~ Iain Kelly

Boris sat in the burnt out car, turning the steering wheel as he screeched round the corners, chased by the polizei.

In the forest outside the town of Riedenberg, Boris had stumbled upon the old car. It had been there for decades, plants and grass had surrounded it.

He picked up the revolver he had found in the glovebox. The trigger was jammed. He shouted ‘bang’ as he pretended to fire the gun at the pursuers behind him.

When he turned round an old man stood staring at him. Boris froze.

The man approached him and dragged him out the car.

‘Give me the gun,’ he demanded. Boris handed it over. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’

‘Sorry sir,’ Boris apologised.

‘There must be no witnesses.’ The old man raised the gun. On his shirt Boris saw the swastika. ‘We must wait for the führer to rise again.’

The old man shouted ‘bang.’ Boris turned and ran.

Behind him he heard the deranged howls. He kept going until he could hear them no more.

photo-20170313154657842
© Tim Livingston / The ForesterArtist

Written as part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The challenge is to write a flash fiction story in around 150 words, based on the weekly photo prompt. Thanks as always to the challenge host Priceless Joy. For more information visit HERE.

To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

Published by Iain Kelly

39 year old writer, avid film viewer and book reader, employed in the media industry as a television editor.

48 thoughts on “THE MAN IN THE FOREST”

      1. The story didn’t indicate he was a ghost but it kind of left it up to the reader to decide. I felt like he was probably someone who had died in that car in the woods from a crash or something.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. I saw an old man who was loosing his marbles, and a frighten young boy. Will they become friends if you develope the story further?

    Liked by 2 people

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  8. Creepy old Nazi, hiding out in the woods? Enough to scare the whatsits out of anyone. Reminds me of the stories of those old Japanese soldiers, still fighting the war decades after peace was declared. Nicely done Iain.

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. There were tons of stories like this published and on TV back in the 1960s. They usually revolved around Hitler secretly being alive and plotting a Fourth Reich. As time passed and most of the original Nazi thugs died of old age, the stories faded.

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. Was the old man real, or was it part of the boy’s hallucination in his panic? I wonder. There’s been so many urban legends about vanquished WWII warriors haunting the place, or as the old man did, waiting for a sign. A curious story, but an interesting one!

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. Holy Crap Iain! Homerun with this one! Initially I thought this was going to be a gangster related story. And then the word “swastika”made its appearance. Isn’t it amazing, the mention of one word and your mind goes in a given direction. Truly enjoyed it

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. Great suspense! I could easily picutre the whole thing as I read and also realized the fear he must have felt when approached by the man. Thankfully, he managed to get away and will have a hair raising story to tell his buddies.

    Liked by 1 person

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  20. seems that things abandoned in the woods have secrets and hidden objects that trigger memories or apparitions. I felt the old man was trapped in a time warp and still waited for an era to arrive. Poor Boris accidentally crossed the threshold. Nice story but lots to conclude.

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. Hearing those words about Hitler would be scary enough. Having the crazy guy point a gun hit you with a swatzika symbol on his shirt, gypsies e as frightening! The boy shouldn’t trespass but still a weird neighbour. Nice writing Ian.

    Liked by 1 person

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