Number 5

Number 5

written by: G. Lynn Brown

In the gray moonlit pale
I walk along the wooded trail
And as I strolled among the trees
I heard a voice upon the breeze
“Who goes there?” I asked aloud
All I heard was a low-key howl
So I kept on moving through the park
Quickly, swiftly through the dark
Still I heard the voice on air
Tempting me with a certain dare
“Off the path, come to me”
Was the repeated tease
“No,” I said and covered my ears
My eyes began to fill with tears
I’ve heard the stories but never believed
How all those people disappeared
While walking along this very trail
But now I know the haunted wails
Are not a story, not a myth
And I’m not about to be the fifth
For four have vanished without a trace
While walking through this forsaken place
“Off the path, come to me,”
Repeats the voice I cannot see
I’m praying and running for my life
And now I see a beckoning light
The street lamps from the parking space
A few more steps until I’m safe
There, ahead! I see my car
But, wait! Suddenly everything is dark
And a hand has taken hold of my arm
“Come to me, I mean no harm”
That’s when I see the glowing eyes
And though I know those words are lies
I veer from the trail without a fight
Destined to become number five

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• About
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G. Lynn Brown

G. Lynn Brown, originally from New Jersey, now living in Tennessee, is a published writer and poet, whose work can be found in various literary journals, including Fictionette (where her short story, "The Reason Caramels Make Me Cry," won the Star Prize Entry Award, April '23), Monday Microfiction Magazine, Paragraph Planet, Rejection-Letters and others. Her story, "Passing the Torch," made the Australian Writers Centre Furious Fiction Contest longlist (June '23), and in November 2024, she will have her microfiction, "Submerged," published in Vine Leaves Press's "50 Give or Take Anthology." She is a contributing author at Friday Flash Fiction, where her 100-word tale, "Her Best Bud," was recently chosen Editor's Choice. G. Lynn has a passion for creativity that has bubbled within her since childhood and, in adulthood, her writing is more than a hobby, but serves as a form of therapy, allowing her to escape the stresses of day-to-day life. She appreciates all those who read her stories and poems, and hopes they enjoy reading them as much as she does writing them.

Latest posts by G. Lynn Brown (see all)

• Number 5 - October 22, 2025
• Too Good To Be (True Story) - August 9, 2025
• Purple Lonesome - May 5, 2025