The Windmill, haibun #99-Word Story

Posted on by Colleen M. Chesebro

This week’s Carrot Ranch November 7, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes something squeaky. What is squeaky and why? How does it move the story or disrupt a character? Listen, write, and go where the prompt leads! Submit by November 12, 2022.

Photo by Noel McShane on Pexels.com
as autumn flows into winter,
the squeak of the old metal windmill
vibrates in the wind—

The fierce winds howl across the Montana prairie. The brown grasses undulate like waves on a tumultuous sea. There’s a bite in the air. I shiver.

Today, I’m captivated by the wide expanse of winter-blue sky. Clouds hem the gathering storm to the north, a sure sign of the snow to come.

The wailing squeak of the old metal windmill reminds me of the wailing of the banshee back home in Ireland. I swallow my homesickness and make my way to the mines.

© Colleen M. Chesebro

Read more about Drumlummon Mine at Marysville, Montana HERE.

36 thoughts on “The Windmill, haibun #99-Word Story”

        1. Lewis and Clark chronicled much of their early travels. After living in Montana for 17 years, all I can is what hearty folk, they were. Brrr. Those were some of the most brutal winters I’ve ever known.

          Liked by 1 person

    1. Windmills are so useful. I can’t even imagine how people survived in those temperatures without the comforts we had today. Lewis and Clark almost perished, except for the help from the Native Americans. We left Montana when we couldn’t deal with -40 degrees F. in the winter. Michigan is much milder.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.