Art Prompt Writing Contest #6

Earlier today I announced @tanglebranch as the winner for my Writing Prompt Art Contest. The winning entry is shown below.

This is the fiction writing phase of my contest. I require original works of fiction, using the painting above as a prompt and a springboard from which to exercise your literary imaginations. Anywhere from 500 to 1000 words will suffice, but I won't be terribly picky unless the judging is close.

Once you have written your stories, link them below in the replies. There will be one overall winner who will receive 20 SBD, plus the SBD payout from this post. Thanks to the generosity of @authorofthings and @negativer, the prize pot is increased by 15 SBD, therefore I will have 3 runners up who will all win 5 SBD each.

This contest runs for the next seven days and will close at midnight UTC / GMT November 24th.

All upvotes to increase the liquid rewards for the winner are appreciated, as are resteems to get the word out. Thank you.

I would encourage everyone to submit their work for critique and editing at The Writer's Block before this contest closes. More eyes on your work may give it the extra polish it needs to win.

Good luck everyone!

Are you a writer or keen to learn? Do you wish to join a community of like-minded individuals who can help hone your writing skills in the fields of fiction, non-fiction, technical, poetry, songwriting or playwriting? Join us at The Writers' Block on Discord and follow our community account @thewritersblock.