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About the Author: John Clark is a retired Maine librarian with a background in mental health. He has been writing short stories and young adult novels for fifteen years.
I loved the stillness, I loved the challenge, but most of all I loved the thrill of outwitting someone I’ve disliked since seventh grade. I brought my eye back to the faint green glow of the night scope and let the cross-hairs settle right behind the 12 pointer’s shoulder before squeezing the trigger. Just as I was about to fire, I felt something crawling on my back and flinched. It was enough to throw off a perfect shot. The tiny white flash and accompanying report disturbed the calm hovering over the North Harmon Cemetery.
The buck staggered and then stumbled off, disappearing into the swamp bordering the older graves at the bottom of the hill. I knew he was gut-shot and would probably go to ground far enough into that morass so finding him would be next to impossible. I reached into my thermal undershirt and grabbed the offending insect, crushing it before shaking my hand to get rid of it. I didn’t need to smell my fingers to know my evening hunt had been ruined by the current bane of my existence. The acrid odor of an Asian Lady Beetle permeated the velvet dampness surrounding me.
I've been subscribing to Mystery Weekly's free mysteries of the week for awhile now, and this story is by far the best I've read. Thanks, John Clark! I wish you much success in your future writing endeavors.
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