The Hoaxer

Below is a short peice that I sat down and wrote tonight, after seeing a 'assignment' on a writing group's web site. I thought it would be a good challenge to see if I could write a peice on the set topic.

The Hoax

By Sarah Jones

© 2012

 All was quiet, as the campers slept peacefully in their tents. Except The Hoaxer. No one knew who The Hoaxer was, only that it was one of their own. This added to the air of mystery and intrigue. Never had The Hoaxer made the attacks truly personal, directed solely at one person. 

 
As they slept, The Hoaxer was at work, ensuring that the morning surprise was in order. It had to be subtle, never obvious. In order to work properly, the hoaxes required twelve months planning between camping trips.

This was one of the intriguing aspects of The Hoaxer. It was clearly a member of their camping group and the hoaxes always happened on the camping trip over Christmas /New Year period. Yet, no one in their group had worked out who it was. There was an air of reluctance to do so, as it would have spoilt what had become a tradition of the annual holiday. As the children in the group had started to hit their teens, the incidents had only added to the holiday period. Especially as the teens spent hours trying to solve the daily mysteries.

Tonight, The Hoaxer worked patiently, as the task at hand requited their full attention. It had also taken some planning through the previous twelve months to work out how to change the colour of the milk with food dye, yet leave the cartons appearing to be un tampered with. However, The Hoaxer had found a way to do it and knew this would be the most talked about hoax of this year’s camping trip.

The Hoaxer jumped, startled. They turned, to only realise that the noise was a goods train rattling by in the distance. Upon checking no one else had stirred, The Hoaxer went back to finishing the last carton and putting back into the eskey, slowly lowering the lid before heading back to the security of their sleeping bed, and making sure the camera was at hand.