Robin Hood statue outside of Nottingham Castle
The Archer
by Leara Morris-Clark

I saw the path my arrow would take. Ricocheting off the large pan hanging in front of me, it would curve to the left, slide over the large boulder and angle upward into the tree. The shaft hitting a small branch would slant the arrow’s trajectory back toward where he stood. It would finish its journey by slicing through the apple atop his head and embedding itself into the tree behind him, a split second before my second arrow cut it in half.

Like Robin Hood, I tore my first arrow from the quiver, pulled back the string of my longbow, released, and just as quickly fired my second arrow.

The birds became silent.

I stayed my position with eyes closed and listened to the sounds as the arrow followed its predetermined route, pierced the apple, and lodged into the tree before it was also split in half.

I smiled at the scent of fresh apple as it fell in two pieces.

PHOTO: Robin Hood statue outside Nottingham Castle (England).

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I have loved archery since I was a child but never had the time to get good at it.

leara

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leara Morris-Clark came to live in Massachusetts from Florida by way of Tennessee. She enjoys photography, voice acting, writing, drawing, and trying to sing. The ocean and animals inspire her and she plans to return to the southern shores when the time is right. She has two books in the works, Pieces: A Collection of Poetry and Do You Have a Minute: A Collection of Micro Fiction. She spends a lot of time on social media and would love for you to drop by: Twitter, Facebook, and learawrites.wordpress.com.

AUTHOR PHOTO: The author in Savannah, Georgia.