“Are the trees guarding territory, or making an effort to break in?”
“I presume none. They cannot read the bad spelling, nor comprehend red alerts.”
“Nor can I.”
“Cheers, my boy! You’ve developed the right mind-set for this job. Now, let’s explore what lies inside.”
I’d passed the inane test, but he did not know the fate that awaited him. The trees were wired, and responded to my remote signals.
Stories of killer trees are splashed in the news next morning. The house is safe, and so are my secrets. I will cross the border, before any evidence is unearthed.

Very original!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lisa!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Intriguing and originally scary!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Venky!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to wonder who was the good guy and who was the bad guy 🙂 I think I’ve got it now, though. An evil genius, I think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fascinating story, which took me down a sci-fi path,
LikeLiked by 1 person
Look forward to a reading a better story from you ☺
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sinister!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Liz!
LikeLike
The thief has been outfoxed, methinks!
Reminds me of Karate Kid, with the pseudo-philosophical musings, but then you swap the power dynamic of the mentor and student, and leave us wondering what could possibly lie behind those walls.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
An intriguing tale. Secrets, killer trees and a dash across the border. I wonder what lies within?
My tale – ‘No pain no gain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Clues to another story 😀😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
His secrets must be valuable to go to such lengths.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A scandal comes to light, and is followed by a series of murders of people in the loop. This happens in real life. Dark connected to survival or greed often drive crime.
LikeLike
I’ll ditto Neil’s comments. I like the sound of those trees. Well, not really. Sounds like an incarnation of a scary fairytale and the sort of thughts you’d have walking through a forest at night. Well done.
Best wishes,
Rowena
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Rowena!
LikeLike
With killer trees under his control, your main character sounds like a dangerous man. His secrets must be valuable indeed to be worth the life of the investigator.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Appears to be so. Thank you, Penny!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A worrying development. The trees are getting their revenge.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are right.
LikeLike
Sinister and mystrerious
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. Thanks!
LikeLike