1 November 2026, Freewriters Community Daily Writing Prompt Day 3274: The Bone

This post was inspired by today's 5-minute writing prompt in the Freewriters Community - They Found It In The Marsh

Enjoy !

Image by yoshitaka2 from Pixabay

"What have you got there ?"

"Nothing !"

It was clear that Klara didn't believe them. They were children, and that made them notorious liars. She reached out, grabbed Tom's arm and pulled it forward, revealing what he'd been trying to hide behind his back.

A bone. Well, half a bone, to be more precise. It looked like an upper arm bone, or maybe the leg bone of a deer or sheep, snapped off halfway along it's length.

Snatching the grisly thing, Klara felt revulsion. It wasn't white like a bone should be. It looked ancient, greenish grey, and she was shocked when it felt slimy in her hand.

"Where did you get this ?"

"From the Jones twins," Sophie said, edging protectively in front of her younger brother.

"And where did they get it, huh ?"

"They said they found it in the marsh. But I haven't seen them since."

Looking more closely at the bone, Klara saw it seemed to have faint symbols carved into it. Not in any language or alphabet she recognised. The following morning, Klara took the bone to the local museum.

The curator there took one look at it and frowned. "It's old, very old indeed. I recognise those symbols; proto-Celtic. This is what is known as a curse-bone. According to local legend, anyone finding one is in very deep trouble indeed...."