A Golden Moment
A Micro Fiction by ML Strijdom
Witwatersrand Gold Rush, South Africa—1886
The campfire hissed as fat dripped from the firepit grill. Hendrik sat rigid, staring into the flames, hoping they might erase the shame of the afternoon.
“You left me,” Pieter said, dramatically turning the meat. “Like a strip of biltong tossed to a lion.”
“I did not throw you to the lions.”
“You galloped off on that skinny mare like you were chasing the Kruger gold. I saw your boots disappear in a cloud of dust while I stood there, waving at the lion as if I’m a polite British tourist offering it tea.”
“I panicked,” Hendrik muttered, clutching his tin mug. “Besides, you distracted it with your gold tooth when you smiled. That bought me time.”
“Sorry, I forgot to blind the lion with my charm while you galloped off like Jan van Coward. At least I saw you trip over your own feet while climbing the bobotie tree!”
The fire died down to orange and white embers. Hendrik finally drifted off, snoring.
Pieter didn’t.
Too easy.
He crept to Hendrik’s tent, drew a deep breath and screamed, “ROARRRR!” He crashed into the side of Hendrik’s tent like a charging wildebeest.
“AAHHH!” Hendrik shrieked, launching out of the flap with a flintlock in hand, wearing only his underpants.
Pieter collapsed in laughter, howling. “That,” he wheezed, “is what you get for abandoning me to the lions this afternoon!”
Hendrik lay flat on the dry grass, clutching his stomach. “You should’ve seen your face!”
“You’re lucky I didn’t cock my rifle,” Hendrik grumbled, pulling the tent off his head.
“Hey,” Pieter said, slapping him on the back. “You’re lucky I didn’t take your map pointing to the gold vein.”
“That map’s worth less than your sense of direction.”
They collapsed by the fire, breathless with laughter. Between fits of chuckling, the friends traded wild ideas about how to stake a claim and strike gold.
By dawn, they still had no plan to fill their pockets with golden nuggets.
Pieter leaned back and smiled. Some things were worth more than gold.
Author: ML Strijdom is a South African medical professional and emerging writer, crafting stories in her second language. She draws inspiration from untamed landscapes and african sunsets, often found on safari. Her work was recently recognized with an Honourable Mention in the Tenth Writers Playground Competition.