Excavating the Archives: The Frozen City

I had never seen anything like it.  A city made of crystal, that shimmered in the light of the sun, moon and stars. So different and bizarre to my eyes was it, that I could have been on another planet.  Perhaps I was.  Or perhaps it was the same planet, but a different time; a different reality.  I could not say.  I was puzzled by many things, the chief of which was how I came to be here, a mystery I had yet to find the answer to.

To look at it from a distance – and I did, for I was so taken by its beauty – you would see a collection of upside down icicles.  Some ended in sharp points.  Others appeared as if they had been broken, their tops snapped off, leaving either strange jagged protrusions or else being weathered smooth by the passage of time.

It looked cold, a city of winter in the heart of a forest that stretched for thousands of miles in every direction.  But looks can be deceiving.  There was warmth there and much jollity to be found.  The people were quick to laugh and slow to anger.

It was a pleasant place to stay, but I wasn’t from there.  I wasn’t one of them and this wasn’t my home.  I was stuck here, unable to return, no different from being stranded on another planet…but I could imagine worse places…

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This was originally posted in September 2017. You can find the original post here.

Excavating the Archives: A Half-Memory of Somewhere

The rain came down in sheets, but that didn’t stop me from walking out of the door with no coat on, my feet bare.  It only took a few seconds before I was drenched.  And yet I didn’t care.  I couldn’t feel a thing.

There I stood, in the middle of the lawn, in the dark, in the rain, looking up at the night sky.  If anyone was to see me they would think me mad, though I was pretty certain I wasn’t.

As the rain lashed my face and plastered my hair to my scalp, I remembered a time before.  I’m not exactly sure when, but before now.  Before this.  Before everything I knew with certainty.  When things were less distinct and more blurred.  Imprecise and ill-defined.  You understand me?

I had a strange memory – a half-memory – of the darkness and of the rain and this overwhelming sense of peace.  That, coupled with the knowledge that I knew of a place beyond the clouds, near the stars.  A place I had been.  Out there.

So what do you make of that?

Maybe I was mad, but that wouldn’t stop me from searching for it.  Just in case…

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This was originally posted in March 2018. You can find the original post here.

Maintaining the Mask

A random photo…

I couldn’t keep the puzzlement from my face.  I had always tried to keep up with the mental trampolining of my best friend, but sometimes, like now, it was no good.  I was lost mid jump.

I could have just said, ‘What are you going on about?’ But that had never been our way.

It would have revealed that I was perhaps not as smart as I liked to think I was, or as clever as I liked to pretend. No, the ruse needed to be maintained. Let the mask slip and who knew what the consequences would be. It could change the nature of our friendship forever.

‘Elucidate,’ I prompted, sounding far calmer than I felt.  In for a penny and all that…

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Written for: Weekly Word: Elucidate, hosted Louise Bunting at An Enchanted Place – Thanks for the inspiration, Louise! 🙂

Magic of Times Past

(picture credit: Wikipedia)

I close my eyes and I can see them as clear as day before me. Whitewashed walls, glowing in the light of a torch, stretched around the room. Neatly chiselled into the plaster and then painted with a steady hand are shapes and symbols…

I could read them all, once, millennia ago. These strange drawings were words, and these words formed the spells to keep us safe, in this life and the next…

In my mind’s eye, I trace them with my finger, longing for the knowledge I once possessed before time eroded it away, just like the words themselves, which have long since turned to dust.

A Half-Memory of Somewhere

 

The rain came down in sheets, but that didn’t stop me from walking out of the door with no coat on, my feet bare.  It only took a few seconds before I was drenched.  And yet I didn’t care.  I couldn’t feel a thing.

There I stood, in the middle of the lawn, in the dark, in the rain, looking up at the night sky.  If anyone was to see me they would think me mad, though I was pretty certain I wasn’t.

As the rain lashed my face and plastered my hair to my scalp, I remembered a time before.  I’m not exactly sure when, but before now.  Before this.  Before everything I knew with certainty.  When things were less distinct and more blurred.  Imprecise and ill-defined.  You understand me?

I had a strange memory – a half-memory – of the darkness and of the rain and this overwhelming sense of peace.  That, coupled with the knowledge that I knew of a place beyond the clouds, near the stars.  A place I had been.  Out there.

So what do you make of that?

Maybe I was mad, but that wouldn’t stop me from searching for it.  Just in case…

Wool-Gathering

Life is nothing like I dreamed it would be…

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Written for Day 14 of A Month of Mini Writing Challenges 2017: Write a story in less than 10 words about a dream.

I like the term “wool-gathering”, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as, “indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absent mindedness”. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/wool-gathering)

Uncertainty

I hoped my fears were unfounded but I was unsure.  Wishful thinking hadn’t got me anywhere. It was a question of fate.  Destiny.  And subsequently, it was beyond my control.

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Only one day late 🙂  Written for Day 10 of A Month of Mini Writing Challenges 2017: Write a story in less than 30 words that includes the words: hope, fear, unsure.

I (rather surprisingly) made the short list!

So…umm….wow!  The latest story I posted up on Sweek, The Cultic Coffee Collective, made the shortlist for the MicroCoffee competition they have been running.  I’m totally blown away…it was completely unexpected.

Here’s what it’s about:

In the future, the people of the world are divided along the lines of what beverages they drink.  It sounds simple.  It sounds civilised…

This is the very short story of one of these groups, The Cultic Coffee Collective…

If you want to read the story – and I would be ever so pleased if you did  (it’s short, less than 200 words) – click on the cover below.  And, in case you’re interested, here’s the link to my profile, where you will find my other very quick reads, including one about a dragon 🙂

Thanks all.  Have a great evening 🙂

As long as it rained, she would dance

This is my first attempt at Sonya’s Three Line Tales writing prompt, over at Only 100 words.  Week 76’s prompt can be found here.

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photo by Sam Burriss via Unsplash

She danced in the rain because she could; because it didn’t matter any more; because it was the only thing she had to hold on to.

At least outside, turning and twirling through the downpour, she felt younger, as if the clock had turned back to a time when her husband was still here and she was still happy…to a time where fear, loneliness and sadness had yet to tear her world apart.

And, if she closed her eyes and listened carefully, she could hear his laugh, feel his hands on her waist as they danced, his kiss on her lips…as long as it rained, she would dance, and she hoped it would rain forever.

I’ve joined Sweek…

A few weeks ago I stumbled across another writing platform, Sweek.  The main reason I signed up to it is that always seem to have interesting competitions running.

When I first joined, it was “Unbelievable Tales”, where you had to write an unbelievable tale in 1000 words or less, and “Storytellers”, which required you to write a story in only 500 words.

And as you know, I love writing prompts, so I couldn’t very well pass on this.  The two stories I have posted so far on there I really enjoyed writing.  I also liked working on the front covers.  So what are these stories about?  You know, just in case you were interested and were thinking about reading them… 😉 (It’s free to read stories on Sweek and you don’t need an account; just follow the links below.)

The Dragon-Maiden: A Very Short Fairy Tale (Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale)

A maiden on the run is trying to escape becoming the next Dragon-Maiden – a glorified dragon-babysitter, only the dragon she’ll be babysitting isn’t a baby. This fate can be avoided, but only if she finds a husband…The problem is, time is running out, fast…

You can read the story by clicking this link:  https://sweek.com/#/read/44543/1400000162

Desperate (Historical Fiction, General Fiction)

A group of men and young lads, pushed to the edge of starvation, go to attack a storage barn full of food that is guarded by soldiers, in the hope of stealing something to eat.  What choice did they have? It was that or die.  But something goes wrong…

This story, set in the eighteenth century, is told from the perspective of one of the men as they are trying to make their escape.  Through his eyes we will see just how desperate they have become…

You can read the story by clicking this link:  https://sweek.com/#/read/45979/1400000162

I’m still trying to work my way around the site, but so far, I’ve had fun and enjoyed the time I’ve spent there.

Are you on Sweek?  What do you think about it?  Do you have any stories posted there?  If you do, please feel free to leave links to them in the comments below so I can read them 🙂