It is hard to determine gifts from curses when dealing with the Folk. Even their most well-intentioned of gifts can turn unexpectedly sour, leaving the victim wondering if it had been a cruel trick all along. Be it speaking gold or a magic flute, anything freely given by the Folk carries risk. And a childContinue reading “The Curse of Beauty”
Tag Archives: fantasy
Tree Song
I am a savior of lost souls. I am release, I am relief. I call to those who need me most. Weary travelers, desperate mothers, fearful children. I welcome all. Criminals, runaways, vagabonds. If you are scared, or tired, or lost, I will take those awful feelings away. Even now comes a weary child, drawnContinue reading “Tree Song”
The Birth of a Mermaid
In the quiet hours on a moonless night, a desperate man carries a limp form gently to the water’s edge. Cradled in his arms, he places her hand in the water and sings softly to her as he waits. It does not take long for a blue-tinged hand to take hers, and a head liftsContinue reading “The Birth of a Mermaid”
For My Father
Her father had hated the thought of growing old, of losing himself to a failing mind and body. How many times had he insisted “Just take me out back and shoot me” with a smile on his face? The older he got, the less it sounded like a joke, and the more it stabbed atContinue reading “For My Father”
Frost
Written Nov 26, 2021. Prompt: winter is on my tongue It is dark. It is cold. A sliver of moon glows unexpectedly bright on the untouched layer of frost. There are no clouds in the sky, no lights in the windows. Everything is still. The perfect stillness is broken only when a slight figure stepsContinue reading “Frost”
Forest Born (part 2)
The human mother awoke to the high-pitched wail of the abandoned baby, when the rays of the sun had just begun to stretch above the horizon. She pulled him from his cradle and rocked him, but still he cried and screamed. When she’d tried to feed him, he had bitten her, and when her husbandContinue reading “Forest Born (part 2)”
Search
Late into the night, so late that it is almost morning, a single soul lies awake, surrounded by books and loose papers covered in scrawled notes. She is searching. She has to find him. He’s lost. He’s in danger. She flips frantically through the pages. Her eyes burn, her head pounds. She takes a shakyContinue reading “Search”
The Wists
When the humans first started to fear us, they avoided our realm. When they realized that they could use our magic and our land, they began negotiating. Caravans of ambassadors and gifts swarmed our forests. They offered us food we did not eat, cloth we did not wear, and tools we did not use. TheyContinue reading “The Wists”
The Prince’s Death (part 2)
The next night, I met Prince Oryn in the tack room, long after the stable hands had gone to sleep. He was cross-legged on the floor, braiding hay. Silently, I sat down in front of him. He set the hay in his lap. “You said you’d make me look sick. How real is it?” IContinue reading “The Prince’s Death (part 2)”
The Prince’s Death (part 1)
Prompt: When I was younger I used to pray to every falling star to make me a bastard, now I just hope to die before I’m forced to wear the crown. “Your parents are expecting you, your majesty.” I told the prince, standing in the doorway to his chambers. He was sitting curled up onContinue reading “The Prince’s Death (part 1)”
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