Writing Prompts
New
Sagey
violent gremlin
Can you imagine it?
A child standing
at the mouth
of the underworld
pleading
for a time-out,
trying to reason
with whatever’s
in charge:
No, no! I never
meant to stay dead.
I simply wanted
a sweeter life.
-Rachel McKibbens, from Blud; “the first time”
A child standing
at the mouth
of the underworld
pleading
for a time-out,
trying to reason
with whatever’s
in charge:
No, no! I never
meant to stay dead.
I simply wanted
a sweeter life.
-Rachel McKibbens, from Blud; “the first time”
The sky above had darkened over the last several days, casting nothing but darkness on the land for as far as the eye could see. He could see where they came from, the glowing circle in the forest below as he wobbled slowly at the edge. Markings decorated the circle and a smaller one inside, glowing a fire orange and red remained lit. Every once in a while something would crawl out and he could only imagine what it looked like when it first opened.
The sound of cheers and laughter and chatter echoed on and off from below, near what was to be assumed the summoning circle but not in a place he could see properly. If he looked close enough, there may have been a roof amongst the trees, but it was too dark to make it out well.
"They're witches." Came a soft voice, almost a whisper that cracked, a sign she was still in tears. He didn't bother to look back at her, on the verge of tears himself. Barely an hour before they had been with a group; including both of their parents. He could only grab his sister's wrist the moment those monstrous creatures pounced on the adults with them. Unable to allow himself to look back, he dragged her away as fast as he could, pulling and tugging so as to make sure she didn't look back at herself. But those screams echoed for miles. He just wanted to get them away from the screaming, the howling and the raking of elongated nails ripping at flesh.
It was his sister's voice and hard tug at her own arm that pulled him back to reality. She was screaming at him, her face covered in mud and tears, long blonde locks a rat's nest now atop of her head. He couldn't hear her, all that screaming and pushing she was doing and he couldn't hear her. No, the only thing he was still hearing was the sound of his parents' screams and the growls of those beasts that ripped them to shreds.
Once again her tugging brought him back to the present. She pulled him away from the edge of the cliff, arms wrapping around him as she hugged him close. Her smaller frame was easy to wrap his own arms around, resting his chin atop of her head. "Doesn't matter what they are." He whispered to her, "We just need to find a way to get out. Go as far away as we can." He felt his sister nod but she added nothing further.
It felt like years had passed, but it could only be hours. They had been on their way home from his softball game, which he didn't even win. Realizing he was still in his gear, because they never did make it home, he gave a heavy sigh and started tugging for his sister to follow. These last two years had seen his family fall further and further from the spotlight he had seen them in. The day he turned eleven, his father lost his job. Shortly after turning twelve, his mother lost hers and his father was barely keeping one still. More and more life grew more difficult; at times there'd be no food in the house, others their parents would be zoned out or passed out because they developed a drinking problem.
He couldn't understand how drinking helped relieve stress, all it did was add more to him.
Come this way...
He could feel a tug at his right arm, another at his left. All he could do was shake his head, "No, we're going this way. Find some clothes and water and leave." Another tug at his arm saw him pull his sister closer to him. Her mouth was open, she was talking to him, but his mind was too far in itself to hear what she was saying to him.
There is water here...
"Where?" He looked about before settling on his sister. She tugged at his arm to go west and he followed suit, unsure why he was following. How would she know? Maybe she had seen some when they were running away.
And so he followed quietly, allowing this small girl to guide him through the twisted, dark forest. Her one arm that she wasn't using seemed to have more dirt on it than he remembered. Smirking, he gave a shake of his head and reached over to dust off the dirt from her shoulder. Little by little the dust rolled down her arm, followed by a black, thick substance. "Hey..."
Just a little further...
Flashes of memories erupted in his mind. Stopping in his track he forcefully pulled his arm away, hands coming to his head as a loud screech pierced his mind. The forest rang with his yells, bouncing off every tree as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
You're here...
Before him lay his sister. No, she sat there, smiling. Laying there, covered in dirt and insects and decaying. Sitting there, smiling, holding her hand up. Her favorite pink frilly dress now covered in dirt, the soft pink threading gone and the trimming frayed.
"You wanted a sweeter life, brother."
He could finally hear her but all he could do was shake his head. "But I don't want to be dead for it."
You won't find a better life while you still live...
The sound of cheers and laughter and chatter echoed on and off from below, near what was to be assumed the summoning circle but not in a place he could see properly. If he looked close enough, there may have been a roof amongst the trees, but it was too dark to make it out well.
"They're witches." Came a soft voice, almost a whisper that cracked, a sign she was still in tears. He didn't bother to look back at her, on the verge of tears himself. Barely an hour before they had been with a group; including both of their parents. He could only grab his sister's wrist the moment those monstrous creatures pounced on the adults with them. Unable to allow himself to look back, he dragged her away as fast as he could, pulling and tugging so as to make sure she didn't look back at herself. But those screams echoed for miles. He just wanted to get them away from the screaming, the howling and the raking of elongated nails ripping at flesh.
It was his sister's voice and hard tug at her own arm that pulled him back to reality. She was screaming at him, her face covered in mud and tears, long blonde locks a rat's nest now atop of her head. He couldn't hear her, all that screaming and pushing she was doing and he couldn't hear her. No, the only thing he was still hearing was the sound of his parents' screams and the growls of those beasts that ripped them to shreds.
Once again her tugging brought him back to the present. She pulled him away from the edge of the cliff, arms wrapping around him as she hugged him close. Her smaller frame was easy to wrap his own arms around, resting his chin atop of her head. "Doesn't matter what they are." He whispered to her, "We just need to find a way to get out. Go as far away as we can." He felt his sister nod but she added nothing further.
It felt like years had passed, but it could only be hours. They had been on their way home from his softball game, which he didn't even win. Realizing he was still in his gear, because they never did make it home, he gave a heavy sigh and started tugging for his sister to follow. These last two years had seen his family fall further and further from the spotlight he had seen them in. The day he turned eleven, his father lost his job. Shortly after turning twelve, his mother lost hers and his father was barely keeping one still. More and more life grew more difficult; at times there'd be no food in the house, others their parents would be zoned out or passed out because they developed a drinking problem.
He couldn't understand how drinking helped relieve stress, all it did was add more to him.
Come this way...
He could feel a tug at his right arm, another at his left. All he could do was shake his head, "No, we're going this way. Find some clothes and water and leave." Another tug at his arm saw him pull his sister closer to him. Her mouth was open, she was talking to him, but his mind was too far in itself to hear what she was saying to him.
There is water here...
"Where?" He looked about before settling on his sister. She tugged at his arm to go west and he followed suit, unsure why he was following. How would she know? Maybe she had seen some when they were running away.
And so he followed quietly, allowing this small girl to guide him through the twisted, dark forest. Her one arm that she wasn't using seemed to have more dirt on it than he remembered. Smirking, he gave a shake of his head and reached over to dust off the dirt from her shoulder. Little by little the dust rolled down her arm, followed by a black, thick substance. "Hey..."
Just a little further...
Flashes of memories erupted in his mind. Stopping in his track he forcefully pulled his arm away, hands coming to his head as a loud screech pierced his mind. The forest rang with his yells, bouncing off every tree as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
You're here...
Before him lay his sister. No, she sat there, smiling. Laying there, covered in dirt and insects and decaying. Sitting there, smiling, holding her hand up. Her favorite pink frilly dress now covered in dirt, the soft pink threading gone and the trimming frayed.
"You wanted a sweeter life, brother."
He could finally hear her but all he could do was shake his head. "But I don't want to be dead for it."
You won't find a better life while you still live...
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