Ten-Minute Writing - June 18, 2019

Down a dirt no-name road,
Darla Jean skipped along in the fadin' light.
Was she chasin' a Monarch 'round the bend,
Just before a flutter of sparrows took flight?

By dark, her mama was sure in a panic,
Where's my Darla Jean LaFontaine?
Anyone see that li'l girl gone?
Cryin' face shone in a window pane.

The neighbors came and gathered,
Whispered to each other a solemn warnin'.
Somethin' real bad might be revealed,
When the sun rose up in the mornin'.

All fears came to pass,
The town's quiet was rocked,
A scuffed leather shoe,
Tangled hair all in a knot.
Lyin' half in the woods,
Fingers clutchin' a bonnet.
Dress soiled with mud,
With a streak of red on it.

Her mama shrieked with news,
I can't never live with the pain.
Lord, I never done ya no wrong,
Please bring back my Darla Jean LaFontaine.

Many years done passed,
Since that li'l girl's been gone.
Neighbors still sometimes wonder,
​What happened one night before dawn.

Life goes on 'round town,
While rumors circle all in a hush.
When someone whispers Darla Jean's name,
It's always followed by nervous shush.