Blazing Readers & Wordy Writers discussion
Personal Writing
>
Anything and Everything by Catherine
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
~Alterno
by Catherine
Johanna was jostled once again out of the way of another person walking down the busy streets like she was. Why did everyone think they had the right of way? Annoyed, she continued walking. she continued walking, admiring the brightly lit shops surrounding her. The name of each shop was proudly printed in fluorescent letters on the front of each one. “Everything Clothes,” read one; “Used Furniture,” read another. Johanna didn’t particularly need anything here.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to be running! Johanna whipped around to see a… a creature running down the street. Being the smart person she was, Johanna didn’t run away from it, she simply ducked into a nearby alley, hoping it wasn’t a creature that liked dark, spooky, creepy-looking, could-be-hiding-anything alleys. She shivered, and it wasn’t because of the cold wind whipping through the alley.
She continued to walk, going down the alley. Thankfully, she had brought with her a flashlight, which she shone in front of her, seeing only darkness. That is, until she walked smack into something and was knocked to the ground. How smart of her.
She got up and felt what was in front of her. Some kind of wall. It wasn’t like a wall she’d felt before. It was oddly… soft.
Suddenly, she noticed that the cold wind had stopped. At least that was working in her favor. She turned around to look behind her, and her heart skipped a beat. Standing behind her was… the creature.
* * *
It was a short, squat thing, with wrinkles in its wrinkles. It was an odd shade of green, like a combination of forest green, neon green, and evergreen. It kind of looked like a cooked potato with limbs and extra wrinkles and, of course, the odd shade of green.
Johanna stumbled back in fright, crashing into the wall again. What was that thing? It didn’t do much, just… opened its mouth. An odd, eerie sound came out like a violin and an organ and a burp singing in perfect harmony.
Suddenly, the wall Johanna had been up against just.. Disappeared! Catherine fell for the third time in five minutes. The creature then walked forward and disappeared into the passage behind her.
Johanna just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Should she follow it into the passage? Was she brave enough? Or should she continue on her walk like nothing had happened? Johanna stared down the passage and.. Stepped forward
* * *
Approximately 10,000 steps later, Johanna came to the end of the passage. It was? A DEAD END? That couldn't’ be right! Johanna examined the end, passing her hand over the wall. This one felt soft too! She finally felt something. A hole? Johanna stupidly stuck her hand inside the hole and felt around. There. There was something there. Johanna wrapped her hand around something metallic and solid and pulled it out to look at it. Suddenly, a trapdoor swung out from beneath and her and she plunged down.. down.. down…
* * *
Johanna reached the end of her plummet and landed on her butt on some sort of cushion. She opened her eyes a few seconds after she stopped her screams of terror, and looked around. She was in some sort of shop. There were displays set up around her and each one displayed a few glass balls? A woman stood across from her and looked up. “Hello there, who are you?” She looked down at a book on a table and skimmed through. “You aren’t on my list of elves arriving today.”
“I’m not an elf!” Johanna exclaimed angrily.
“Not an elf? What are you then? A beardless dwarf?”
“I’m NOT a beardless DWARF” Johanna protested.
“What ARE you?” The woman looked up from her book curiously.
“I’m a girl?” Johanna said, confused.
“I can tell you are female, yes, but what species?” For some reason, Johanna felt that it may not be the best idea to say she was human. She decided to backtrack.
“Oh sorry I am an elf I think I’m confusing myself,” she announced laughing loudly and hopefully convincingly.
“Oh well you aren’t on my log,” the woman informed her.
“I’m not? Well put me on there then!!” The woman stared for a moment and then shrugged and wrote something down. Johanna stood and brushed herself off, looking around the shop. Each glass ball was about the size of her palm and had some sort of picture in it. One showed a waterfall, another a tall city, another a flower, and another a tree!
She turned back to the woman and, trying not to seem like she didn’t know what she was talking about, asked, “So what should I do with these today?”
The woman stared then laughed at her. “You must be a new arrival,” she laughed. “Those are the portals that take you around Vaihtoehtoinen.” Portals? Johanna froze for a moment. She had stumbled upon an alternate world.
* * *
Johanna tried to act casual and pretend she wasn't panicking inside. She walked over to the glass ball containing the waterfall.
"Where does this one take me?" she asked the woman casually.
"To the waterfall in the mountains, obviously," the woman rolled her eyes as if Johanna was stupid.
"Oh, right, of course," Johanna backtracked. She picked up the glass ball. A moment later, her surroundings seemed to dissolve. She felt a pulling, a pushing, and twisting all the same time before her surroundings appeared, but different this time. She looked down to see that the image on the glass ball had dissolved and it was now blank. Maybe that took her back to the shop?
She was surrounded by trees all around, and the ground sloped away beneath her feet. The sound of rushing water was heard nearby. A forest on a mountain? She walked toward the sound of the water.
As she emerged from the forest, she saw a pounding waterfall only a few yards away from her feet! She nervously scrambled back, a bit into the forest. The drop was sheer, with sharp-looking rocks at the bottom. She nervously wondered what to do next. Should she return to the shop? Should she explore more? Well, her best chance of getting home would be finding out more, and her best chance of not getting caught and thrown in some kind of prison was acting like she belonged here.
She went around the forest a bit and found a slope leading down that was much less steep than the others. She decided the safest way to the get down would be to slide, which she then did. She reached the bottom and looked around.
Mod
Mod
Mod
Word Count: 1676
Genre: Dystopia/Fiction
Title: The Maze
By Catherine Roche
Taking a deep breath, I step in front of the box. A small, red light beam comes out and I force myself not to flinch as it passes over my eyes. A green light lights up on top of the box, and it opens the tiniest bit. I pull it open a bit more and step into the box. It clicks shut behind me. There is no going back at this point. I take a look at my surroundings. The box is about 12 by 10 feet, the size of my father’s office back at home. It’s a tiny bit bigger than what I was expecting, but not huge.
One wall of the white room is covered in a long glass display case. Above it is a sign saying, “Choose two. Pick wisely, you will not be able to put it back.” I examine the case. In it is a first aid kit; a couple weapons; a small compass with a little booklet attached, some food, and water. This maze must be bigger and harder than I expected. How long will it take? And how can I choose only two?
For a moment I am tempted to try to take more, but they probably have some kind of latch that won’t let you take more after two are taken. I scan the items. Water is important. I pull out the water and the sign flashes to “Choose one. Pick wisely you will not be able to put it back.”
I examine the rest of the items in the case. As much as it makes me queasy, I’m considering the knife. I may need protection. The compass may be equally valuable, and what if no food can be found? Well, the maze probably won’t last three weeks, so at the very least I won’t starve to death most likely, so that is out. The knife or the compass. Protection or speed? Which one is more important to me?
I feel slightly dumb as I pull out the knife, but it is more valuable to me. As I suspected, the case locks and the sign switches to. “PIck no more. You should have chosen wisely.” Are they watching? Does that mean I didn’t choose wisely, or is it automatic? Maybe they are just trying to spike self-doubt. In that case, mission accomplished. I don’t feel sure about it at all, but it seemed my best option.
I look around at the rest of the room. A plain chair sits on the opposite wall, decorated with the magenta, navy, and white colors of The Academy. The rest of the room is mostly bare, with a beige cabinet that I find contains a very small amount of food and a glass of water. I quickly eat and drink. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.
A minute later I feel like the box is moving. Well, it probably is. My suspicion is confirmed when the light furniture slides around a bit. I’m on my way to my ‘starting point.’
* * *
Eventually, the box comes to a halt. The door slowly slides open and I peer out. Darkness. I see a few lights that seem to be lining a path of some sort.
Suddenly, the wall behind me starts to slide slowly toward me. Uh oh. The furniture in the room is pushed forward and I start to walk with it. It’s not like I have a choice. I feel the ground in front of me. The lights lining the path of some sort are very dim, and it’s hard to see where I’m going. This is not a time to shy away from danger. Just go! This is your time to shine… and not die… I hesitantly step out onto the rickety path. The wall moves quicker now, and I quicken my pace and crane my neck to see behind me while trying not to fall into the pit of certain death.
I hear a scraping sound of some sort as the furniture in the room is pushed further.. And off the ledge into the blackness. I listen carefully for the sound of it hitting the bottom, since I will be able to tell how far it falls, but I hear nothing. Is it really a bottomless pit? It can’t be. Or can it? I continue walking down the path, trying to keep from falling off the thin path and into the blackness.
My thoughts continue to wander though. If it is a bottomless pit, would I starve to death falling through the air? Would I fall for three weeks until I died? And then keep falling dead? I force myself to concentrate on the job in front of me. I start to count my steps, not knowing what else to do with myself.
Twenty...forty..sixty..eighty,..one hundred..two hundred.. When I hit two hundred fifty, I finally seem to see something ahead. Or is it just my imagination? I peer behind me to see that the barrier has stopped moving. Does that mean I’ve reached my destination?
My suspicions are confirmed when I arrive at a decrepit brick building. I slowly walk in and decide to look for some sort of clue as to what to do next. A small old-looking lightbulb hangs from what looks like a strand of rope. It swings and I realize that there is wind coming from somewhere. The bricks that line a wall are very old looking. Some are sticking out maybe 2” and some are missing their mortar… weird. The room suddenly starts to shake. It wasn’t the wind making the rope sway after all, it was the shaking! Is this part of the test or is there an earthquake?
Whatever it is, I need to get on track.
I notice on a different wall there is a piece of paper that has something written on it. Is it a riddle? It reads “I am a word with six letters. Subtract one and you get 12. What am I?” Hmm… What do I do when I have the answer?
I carefully look around for any hint of how to do it. I examine the brick wall with the odd pattern. It looks like some sort of grid. I tug lightly on a brick. The light goes out. I wait for a moment, hoping the light will go back on or my night vision will kick in. When nothing happens, I slowly feel my way along the brick wall. What is that I feel? On an impulse, I start to climb the wall, using the sticking-out bricks as hand and footholds.
When I reach the top, I feel around a little. I think for a minute. Maybe I should do something to keep myself from falling if the floor was to cave in. I use my knife and gently toss it at right above where I recall the lightbulb being. A swishing noise reaches my ears and then I hear a crash as though something is shattering.
Double checking that my shoes are on well, I jump down and feel around cautiously. There’s the rope! I grab the rope and tug it off the light bulb. I then carefully search for my knife. I nearly prick myself when I find it, but manage to grab the handle and tie the the rope to it.
Aiming the best I can, I toss the knife at the ceiling after tying the rope around my wrist so that if the floor was to cave in, I would be secured to the ceiling, and if the ceiling was to cave in, my knife would pull out before that. Hopefully it holds up. The shaking starts to intensify. I climb back up the wall, using the rope to help swing myself up there. I feel around. There! Something is engraved on the top of the wall. I run my fingers through the greive. Is that… A?
I continue feeling along. A...B...C...D… It must be the alphabet! I then feel around the rest of the top edge and down the sides. The right side feels like something is there too.
I feel along the edge. 1...2..3.. Numbers! I must use them to spell the answer to the riddle! Now the riddle. A six letter word that when you take away 1 you have 12. Maybe it’s a word that means twelve? The word twelve has six letters, but when you take one away it doesn’t mean twelve anymore. And ‘twelves’ isn’t a word. What other words mean twelve?
Then it hits me. The word dozens! It has six letters and if you take away the s it means twelve! I scramble up the brick wall and feel for the D at the top of the wall. I find it and pull out the brick that is in the first row. I hold my breath, but nothing happens and the shaking seems to even subsided a bit. I scramble to spell out the rest of the word.
As I pull out the final letter, S, the lights turn back on, but the brick wall starts to shake. The rest of the building ceases to shake, but the wall is violently trembling. I quickly transfer my weight to the ceiling and spider-crawl toward my knife. I pull it out of the ceiling and drop to the ground. I wince as my feet absorb the shock of the landing, but I force myself to ignore it as I untie the knot on my knife and put the knife back in its sheath. The wall suddenly stops shaking and falls away, revealing a dark passage.
I follow the dimly lit passage for what seems like hours, though I doubt it was more than a few minutes. My heart pounds in my chest, making my breathing quicken and everything feel like an eternity.
I see a light up ahead.
Slowly, I make my way toward the light. What will I find there? I take a slow drink of my water, preparing for my next test.
Mod
Word Count: 1676
Genre: Dystopia/Fiction
Title: The Maze
By Catherine Roche
Taking a deep breat..."
Oh! And I really loved this entry last month too! (I think I already told you that, but in case I didn't here it is again.) I definitely hope you continue this one!!!
Mod
Word Count: 1676
Genre: Dystopia/Fiction
Title: The Maze
By Catherine Roche
T..."
I've actually continued it :D This is just an excerpt from the book I'm writing.
Mod
Mod
I would actually love some help on the book. You give really great feedback! My story is on Google Docs, meaning if I have someone's email I can send them a link to view/comment on the story! If you want to PM me your email I would be happy for the help. Some of my IRL friends comment and read it too, so that's what all the previous comments are.
Mod
Mod
The Jewels of Rebellion
Word count: 1974
Jade walked down the bare street. It was almost curfew and she was one of a few stragglers hurrying home. Hurrying, because well, who didn’t obey the rules of Fachada? No one that she could remember, nor did anyone talk about anyone who hadn’t.
In actuality, everyone only thought she was hurrying home.
Why wouldn’t she be?
The rules were clear: Everyone should be in their homes by eight sharp each night, or they may be..called in. Jade shivered, despite the fact the air was still and room temperature like always. Someone must have disobeyed the rules once for the procedure to be put in place. No one knew what happened when one was called in, only that no one returned. And there were so many rules in Fachada! Curfew, plain clothing, three people present for a conversation, jobs starting at 13, they went on and on! The biggest rule, however, was instilled into every child:
Never leave Fachada.
Everyone was required to stay in the strict town, following dull rules. Of course, children were permitted to play for a certain amount of time every day, and there were some fun jobs, but life was so predictable.
That’s why Jade escaped every night after curfew. She went to a field, a sanctuary. It was nearby and she was always back by midnight so she had time to sleep before Morning Call. She knew she shouldn’t. It was a huge risk, but the flowers were so colorful compared to the dull town. It gave her courage for the next few days until she could escape again.
She ducked behind a drab bush and waited. Jumping as she heard a voice nearby, she quickly realized it was one of the talking clocks and rolled her eyes at herself. This happened every night, because she was more nervous then she admitted even to herself about the possibility of being caught. “5 minutes until curfew,” the mechanical voice announced. “Be in your homes at curfew or be locked out of your home.”
The hardest part of figuring out her escaping had been how to get back into her home after the doors were locked. Her mother worked in the law department and was sometimes home late, and had a clearance card to get back into the home which Jade stole and carefully replaced when she arrived home. It wasn’t an ideal situation, taking a large risk, but what other way could she do it?
Her parents hadn’t even noticed her absence every few nights because of the carefully placed items inside her room giving the impression she was asleep. She was teased about being in bed so early, but it was worth it. Her brother was too gullible to even check her room, believing her parents. Why wouldn’t she be in bed?
After a few minutes of crouching behind the bush, she heard an audible “click” as all the doors latched for the night. She smiled to herself and slipped further under the bush. The night patrol would pass by soon to check everyone was inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jade reached the field and paused at the edge for a moment, as she always did to take in the beauty of the field. Hundreds of forest-green stalks covered the field, each tipped with color like someone had painted small cups and placed them on top. Cornflower blue, creamy white, cardinal red; they were beautiful together. And the sky- oh the sky! Unlike the plain gray of Fachada, the sky was ever-changing and ever-beautiful. Sometimes, like today, she would arrive just as the sun began to dip below the hills in the distance and it exploded with the color. Before the field, Jade hadn’t known so many colors even existed!
She sat down amongst the flowers and caressed one gently. Soft and yielding, it seemed to caress her hand back. She took a deep breath. The sweet scent of the flowers flooded her nostrils. The first time she had smelled the flowers, it had been a shock to feel something in her nose. Usually it was just, well, there.
Looking into the distance, she wondered what was beyond. More towns like Fachada, strict and unmoving? Or towns like the field, bright and refreshing? Well, she’d probably never know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jade was heading home from work the next day, exhausted. The lady she had been working with had been extra demanding today for no good reason. “Fetch me more cloth for this shirt, Jade,” “Jade, you should be using the thicker thread to mend those shoes,” “That’s the wrong size of button, Jade.” How she hated her job! Working with the seamstresses was not her favorite job. Her mother had put in the suggestion, and of course it had been accepted. Why couldn’t she be working with the landscape workers, the cooks, the loudspeaker workers, or anything but seamstress? Even the cleaners would be better!
She decided to stop by her friend Opal’s residence before continuing home. Since her work was finished for the day and curfew wasn’t for a few hours, she might as well. Since Opal was only 13 and this was her first year with a job, she didn’t go until almost curfew like most cleaners; she finished a bit before Jade did, who was fifteen.
Jade pressed the buzzer on the door once and then sat down on the waiting bench. Buzzers were attached to each person’s watch, and when they had a guest they vibrated to let you know. Politeness rules dictated to sit down and wait calmly until the door was answered, and if it was not answered within the hour to leave a polite note about stopping by but being unable to continue to wait. Opal always answered promptly, however, just as she did today.
As Opal opened the door, Jade smiled at how her eyes lit up. “Hello, Jade,” she greeted formally. “Welcome to my residence.” Jade held in a smile while Opal did the polite greeting. She didn’t get why everyone had to say it, and it was always funny to her when it came from someone young.
“Like I haven’t been here a thousand times before,” Jade joked, striding inside.
Opal looked after her strangely. “Aren’t you going to say the reply?” she said.
Jade rolled her eyes to herself, but decided to do it anyway for Opal’s sake, who was terrible about always following the rules. “Thank you for the kind welcome, Opal,” she recited in a monotone.
Opal smiled and brought Jade to the kitchen, where they each took a seat and a plum. Jade looked at the plum. Fruit and vegetables were one of the few colorful things in the town, and they reminded Jade of the garden. She glanced back up at Opal, who was eating her plum without caring about what it looked like, just as she had been brought up. If only Opal wasn’t so mindless! Maybe she just needed a glimpse of the outside world...
Jade shifted in her seat. Inviting Opal to the field could end really badly, or she could end up with a friend to hang out with in the field and appreciate its beauty with.
She chose to be impulsive.
“Hey, Opal, would you meet me at the end of Sector 6, Residence 13 around 7:50 tonight?” Jade asked casually.
Opal blinked, “But what if we don’t make it back to our residences before curfew? That’s a pretty late meeting time.”
Jade looked in her eyes, “Please?” She watched Opal’s expression turn slightly afraid before settling back down to passive.
“Okay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the corner where she had asked Opal to meet her, Jade started to wonder if Opal was even coming. Breaking a rule to Opal was absurd and dangerous. It was already 7:56 and if Opal was too late she could be putting both of them in jeopardy.
A few minutes passed and Jade was forced to go hide alone. If Opal didn’t want to come, then it was her loss. Unless she told someone… No, she wouldn’t. Opal might be a rule follower, but she wouldn’t turn her own best friend in, would she?
Jade shivered under the bush as she heard the 1-minute warning before the doors locked. It had been a lost cause anyway. She was forever alone in this town, and hoping that would change had been a stupid mistake.
Wait, what was that sound? Like shoes quickly hitting cobblestone, a quiet echo reached her ears just as the doors locked. Could it be Opal?
Jade thought her heart might just burst with happiness when she saw Opal. She quietly raised her head above the bush and motioned toward her. Opal’s head whipped around and she slapped a hand over her mouth like she was muffling a scream. She relaxed when she recognized Jade and walked over. “What are you doing? Why are we here?” Opal hissed at her.
“I need you to trust me,” Jade told her, clasping hands with her. “Please, just come hide in here with me.” Opal look at her dubiously before climbing into the bush with Jade, who smiled at her gratefully. “Now wait until I give you the signal and don’t make a sound.”
After a few more minutes, Jade heard the night patrol pass by and continue to check the next sector. “Follow me,” Jade whispered, slipping out and walking toward the field. “There’s something you should see.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opal sat among the flowers with Jade. The former had finally got over her gawking and was now enjoying them.
“Why do they smell?” Opal asked Jade again. “Why are they so bright?” Jade sighed. Opal kept asking her these questions, and it was the same answer every time.
“I don’t know.”
Opal sighed and pinched one between her fingers gently. Jade had thought it would be more fun then this to share the field, but she had been mistaken. Opal just wanted to know why why and why. She couldn’t wrap her small mind around the concept of so many colors in one place and right outside Fachada. She also seemed so uptight, like she was expecting a guard to come any minute and take them away. Jade hadn’t been discovered for the past few months, so why would she now?
Just as she thought this, her heart dropped to her feet. Heavy footsteps echoed behind her. Hoping with all her might it was just Opal stomping in the flowers, Jade turned around.
It was a night watchman. He walked straight toward Jade, scowling fiercely. Jade started to scream at the top of her lungs, which was all she remembered before blacking out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opal followed the night watchmen who was carrying Jade back to the town. Yes, she had turned her best friend in for suspicious behavior, but wasn’t that what any good citizen would have done in her place?
She told herself it was, but the guilt weighed on her like a ton of bricks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opal sat in the field and cried. She didn’t care if they found her, she didn’t care! Jade was gone and she was never coming back and it was all her fault. She was treated like a hero by most of the town that thought she had done a good deed, but others knew she had betrayed her only friend and gave her the cold shoulder.
Even the bright colors of the flowers couldn’t calm her as she watered them with her tears. They were a reminder of what she had done.
After a few minutes her tears dried, a resolution stirred up inside her: The whole town would find out about the field and the leaders who had convinced them they were the “good guys” would suffer for what they had done.
Her resolution. The spark before the blaze.
Mod
A blood-red flower was picked the day unfathomable power was passed to a mere child.
The power of the elements.
The flower was placed in a case in the center of the town, because the former Powerful had dictated that when the flower died, the new Powerful should pass the power on to the next Powerful.
The Powerful was named Kabira.
Chosen from a line of Powerful descendants, Kabira was only thirteen years old. But that was how the passing of the power went. Sometimes the next Powerful was only twelve, sometimes eighty-eight. It was all determined by the flowers and when they died.
Kawasa wasn't a land you would want to mess with.
Of course, the current Powerful was already going mad with power. He either froze or burned to ash anyone who defied him. The residents were afraid, but if they were caught trying to leave they could be severely punished. Anyone who entered the land was captured and held until they were obedient enough to be released. Most were quickly, knowing what the Powerful could do.
Mod
The Unbreakable Bond
Word Count: 359
A cry of despair rose from the mouth of Sir Aencius, who was surrounded by his enemies. His fellow knights lay around him on the battlefield, although they had fought fearlessly. He was devoid of hope, until he heard a mighty roar. Turning, he saw a dragon swooping downward, heading toward the group of men. Sir Aencius was filled with anticipation because he did not know whether the dragon was to help or harm him. The dragon arrived. Landing in the midst of the men, she blasted fire at some of his enemies, and all quickly turned and fled except Sir Aencius, who bowed gratefully to the dragon. He owed her his life. The dragon flew on, leaving him staring after her.
Sir Aencius stood by the king, guarding him, when he heard a familiar roar. Looking to the west, he saw a shape flying in front of the setting sun. He recognized the dragon. She swiftly flew to the king and started to inhale to blast fire. She saw Aencius then, which caused her to stop. She lowered her head subtly his way and flew off again. The king soon after told Aencius to find and kill the dragon because she threatened his life. Aencius agreed and treked to the battlefield where he had first met her. The dragon came and Aencius raised his sword, preparing to complete his task.
As his sword started to lower, he gazed into the dragon's eyes, which looked utterly betrayed. He plunged his sword down into the ground and bowed to the dragon sorrowfully. He whispered to the dragon about the King's plan, and asked she not return to the castle because he did not want the king to know he had failed to kill her. The dragon spread her wings and flew the opposite direction of the palace. Sir Aencius returned to the king and informed that the deed was done. As the last word left his lips, he saw a red shape near the palace. The shape almost seemed to wink as it left the palace forever; the bond between the fiery red dragon and loyal knight never to break.
Mod
1
Mood: Calm
Narrator: A calm girl named Ela
Word Count: 107
Ela drifted through the forest, brushing her hand against the trunks of the trees she passed. As her toes sank into the soil, an earthy smell soothed her. She could rest here. Fluttering his wings, a bird lifted off from a nearby tree, disappearing above the canopy of branches. Her mother wouldn’t notice her disappearance for a while yet, so she had some time to spend in the tranquil forest. Her troubles never failed to disappear when she sat on a rock and listened, as she did now. If only she could sit on the ground… But no, her mother would notice the stains on her gown.
2
Mood: Angry
Narrator: A frustrated man named Liam
Word Count: 134
Birds shot out of the trees as Liam stamped through the forest, leaving boot prints behind him. He rubbed his arms as the thick branches above prevented the sun from warming the gusts of wind assailing him. He was already done with the forest, but he had to find that cursed plant because Leader had a cold. It wasn’t a chore; it was an honor. Snorting, he recalled his instructions. Find three yellow flowers with dark green leaves, pull them, roots and all, and return them to base. The plants supposedly smelled like lemons. A deep breath brought in earthy scents, but the tang of a lemon was lacking. Well, he would find the plant if it took all day. He had to, if he wanted to continue his climb up the pecking order.
Mod
Mood: Nervous
Narrator: A man named Max
Word Count: 253
Max cast a glance around at the dark trees. His instructions for meeting were unusually vague, but he knew he was looking for “stone where water flows beneath green” in this general area. He watched as a rabbit scampered forward, and realized that there was a rush of water up ahead. That was promising. Leaves crunching under his feet, he continued forwards, pausing periodically to check if he was being followed.
The dim forest slowly began to brighten, and he could see the trees around him more clearly. They towered many feet above his head and twisted to block the sunlight. He must be reaching the end of the forest.
His foot bumped a stone and he heard it bounce, sounding farther and farther away. WIth a start, he realized the forest had ended and he was standing at the edge of a waterfall. A river led from his left into the forest. Nature stretched out before him as far as he could see, untouched by man. The waterfall cascaded into a pond far below, with dark green trees sprawled behind it far off. He was secluded as possible.
A groan escaped his lips, and he quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard. He couldn’t risk being discovered. But now it seemed he would have to scale the cliff to reach the “stone where water flows.” His feet complained at the thought, but it was his only option.
With a sigh, he went back into the forest to collect vines.
Round One Contents:
Alterno
The Maze
The Jewels of Rebellion
The Flower Part 1
Round Two Contents:
The Unbreakable Bond
Good, True, and Never-Changing Infallibility (Nonfiction)