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Around the Fire, by Julius Nageezi

Assignment for the NYC Midnight 100-word Microfiction Challenge 2023:

Genre: Historical Fiction

Action: Building a campfire

Word: shot


Submission:

Around the Fire 

Hephy gets off his butt to collect kindling. He can spark a flame like a bolt from Zeus yet lacks zest for labor. 
 
The round stones underfoot fit well with my shepherd's sling. My aim is true, striking the hare in the bush squarely in the head with one shot. 
 
We sit on fallen wood, rock, and ground in a loose oval around the fire. Brothers remembering, swords and shields lain aside, for tonight. This break in the battle we have longed for.  
 
With nourishment and warmth, the blind one sings.  
"Tell Us, O Muse, of that ingenious hero…"



People

Hephy/Hephaestus - Greek god of Fire


Homer - the blind poet

"Tell Us, O Muse, of that ingenious hero…" - First line from Homer's "The Odyssey"

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