"Branches"
December 13, 2010, 3:16 a.m.

Write a brief bit of fiction using the prompt "Branches".

Ruthie felt like she was being hugged. She had nestled her bottom between a sturdy branch and the firm trunk of the massive tree. Her legs were smooshed together with one leg crooked higher than the other but it was not too uncomfortable. She leaned into the trunk of the tree until her face was pressed against the rough bark. Ruthie squeezed her eyes closed and sat motionless. Last summer her Pop had told her that if she sat really still against a tree, she would be able to feel it breathing. She held her own breath and waited. A moment later, the huge tree moved against her with a subtle swaying of the trunk. Ruthie opened her eyes then and smiled at how the branches too seemed to move on their own, joining with the breeze to make the leaves dance and make the sunlight play peek-a-boo with her. Ruthie liked this spot best. No one could see her, and she could be alone. Just her and this live tree with all its branches.

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Friday Fiction is your opportunity to write a short (short, short, short) story. Many participants use more than one minute for Friday Fiction prompts at The One-Minute Writer.

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