Writing Challenge ~ November 2011

WRITING CHALLENGE ~ NOVEMBER 2011​

Things have gotten a little quiet in the challenge threads lately but I shall continue, for the time being at least, to put them up. This month though we’re going to have just one prompt with the thread open for submissions all month long...


You can involve the prompt itself in your piece and make your link to the prompt as obvious or as subtle as you like or use it simply as inspiration for something else. You can use part of the prompt, just one aspect of the image, or use it in its entirety.

The word limit for this challenge is 2,750 words and your submission can take whatever form you desire – poetry or prose, complete story or a vignette. Erotic or not, serious or light hearted, it’s whatever you want it to be!!

Post only your submissions in this thread, constructive comments and reviews are to be posted in the appropriately named – Writing Challenge Review Thread

The deadline for this month’s challenge is Wednesday 30th November 2011, with December’s prompt ‘going live’ on Thursday 1st!

Previous challenges and reviews can be found here.

Happy writing!

The sullen sky is cracked with rays of hope. She stands alone, a pillar of pale and power rallying against the coming storm. Though the thunder and the rain will chill her to the bone, she will stand adamant. There is beauty in the tragedy of her sacrifice, both physical and metaphorical. In the brief moments of lucidity offered by lightning flashing, it is hard to tell if she is real or a figment. She could be a ghost, a wraith, a nymph flitting to and fro in a dance of material and ethereal.

The sky will clear, the forest and hills will be renewed. Still she will remain, a statue, an obelisk, a reminder to all who face the storm that even at the darkest hour strength can be found. A temporary hearthfire, a rest stop, where all travelers may come. A beacon to all who lose themselves in the turmoil of the road; that even though the path may be lonely it need not be walked alone.

What had she done?

Briella watched as the weather shifted from a grey overcast to something more devious...sinister...

Quickly, she whirled back to the fire she had built earlier, but it was too late. It had died out.

A sign of things to come?

She hoped not... Diving for the book, a large book filled with spells and recipes for potions, it was covered by a faded and worn leather jacket, she had gotten it from her Grandmother.

Her Grandmother who had told her not to do any of the callings unless she had a full coven.

Why didn't she listen? Grandmother was always right!

"You're very powerful Briella. The powers that have been passed down from generation to generation have gotten stronger. Your mother did not listen. But I expect you to listen to me Brie. You are special."

Briella shook herself away from the thoughts..the ghostly reminders, why didn't she listen?

Frantically she flipped through the book! There had a be a spell to counteract what she had just done...there had to be...

There had to be...

Light at the end of the road

How could it all have gone so wrong? Danica had met Jason half a year ago. They'd hit it off straight away, he bought her gifts, flowers, treats... She had felt so special. Well, turns out things had been way too good to be true. Today, prince charming had left her, it's a shame that really; him leaving her had been the top of an iceberg.

A week ago Jason had proposed to her, and she'd accepted. The marriage wasn't going to be for a while, but he'd sent her away for a weeks holiday in his bungalow on the beach. He's promised her a surprise when she got back, he'd come pick her up at the end of the week... Today, he'd have come pick her up this morning, and her back at home her surprise would be waiting for her.

That however had not been the case, when this morning no one came; she'd thought that perhaps he was just a little late. When she'd heard nothing through the afternoon she had gotten worried and tried to call him, she had been met with a message saying that the number she was trying to call was no longer in use. She'd tried 3 more times before she tried calling her home, no response. She then called her mother, already crying at this point. Her mother had no idea what was going on, she'd gone over to Danica's house to check what was going on.

That had been when the worst shock had come, the whole house had been robbed empty, safe for a few pieces of furniture; all of her belongings had been stolen. Her can was gone, television, computer, radio, silverware, paintings... Even the clocks had been taken off the wall and had dissapeared with the valueables.

Danica had been devastated, she had cried for hours before she had left the bungalow and started walking through the windy weather towards the nearest town where her father would soon be arriving now. The wind was harsh and pulled angrily at the dress she was wearing, the terrain was horrible- the heels under her shoes had broken off shortly after she'd left the bungalow. Not that she cared much for that, in fact it had come as a tiny spot of light in an otherwise horribly dark situation; since it had made walking that much more bearable.

Tears had not stopped rolling since her mother had given her the terrible news, they didn't stop coming now either. Slowly she made her way towards the forest's edge, stumbling from the irregular terrain every odd hundred feet. And so she walked, slowly, sobbing, stumbling...

Another few minutes had passed when under the sound of her sobbing she could hear the sound of an motor engine approaching from behind her. Danica sniffed and sat down, shivering to the bone on the side of the rocky path as the motor approached.

The motor slowed down, the motor stopped. A woman, about her age stepped off- threw her helmet to the ground and, without prompt- the woman hugged Danica tight. Startled, Danica bursted back in all out crying, hugging back against the woman and clinging tightly against her. Her heart pounding in her chest, her head feeling as though ready to explode, on the woman's shoulder.

A minute had passed, atleast...Probably two- before either one of them said anything. It was the woman who'd startled Danica by, seemingly unprovoked- giving Danica a tight loving hug.

"It's okay.. Whatever it is, it's okay, things are going to be okay now. What's your name?"

Danica sniffled, whispering her name who now tried to make eye contact with her. Danica couldn't quite look up from the ground yet, the woman took her hands and helped her up.

"I'm Daisy" the woman said with a warm caring smile. Danica nodded lightly as Daisy stripped off her leather jacket, giving it to the shivering woman standing in front of her "Here, put this on. Whatever happened, things aren't going to get any better sick" the woman said. Danica uncertainly took the jacket, slowly putting it over her shoulders and pulling it close against herself.



Another 10 minutes had passed and Danica sat behind Daisy on the motorcycle, headed towards town. Her hands were around Daisy, holding on to her tight as to not fall off on the wobbly, sandy road. Finally, her tears had stopped coming- though she still felt horrible. Still, she couldn't help but to feel thankful, and feel a slight... Something weird, down in her belly.

Soon they arrived at the town they'd been headed to, Danica's father explained that he had just gotten off the phone with insurance. Not only was everything covered, they were overinsured and she could expect to be compensated for everything she lost.. And then some.


---


That was all 3 years ago though, Danica stood on the dirt road where 3 years ago she had met Daisy. They'd decided that this would be the first stop on their honeymoon, and Daisy was right behind Danica to taak the picture you are now looking at up above.

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Personal Note: This is my first writing of any kind to Literotica, I hope I did okay- though I suspect my spelling and punctuation could've been a lot better. I'm dyslectic, so manybe it's to be expected. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it- and I hope I understood the goal / purpose of this thread properly and didn't just make a fool out of myself.

Once upon a time.

Where was he? He'd promised..Promised he'd never leave their garden! In all the time they'd lived here, he'd never left the grounds before without her being with him. Didn't he know how dangerous it was out there? Didn't he know They'd always be looking for her..for him?

Nine years ago, she'd met him. Her Lucas. He was her Romeo to her Juliet. Sweet young lovers, torn apart by family loyalties. Drawn together by something more powerful, stronger than anything that anger could separate them with.
He was tall, gangly, his body still maturing. Lean, pale skinned, his blond hair curling against his collar, different from the sallow skinned cousins and his own parents.

He was the most perfect thing she'd ever seen. And he adored her. Adored that when she spoke he had to struggle to understand her accent; for it meant he had to stoop lower to listen to the inflections in her tone, and the pronunciations he loved hearing her struggle with, before stealing a kiss from her lips.

Their families had been born, created to hate one another. Somewhere, generations back, a blame was laid and the fault carried on for years and years, across a border that was only a river, until no one was sure anymore why it had all happened. It didn't matter to the cousins..to the aunts..to the uncles..to the Grandparents, to the parents. They just hated.

Lucas proposed on the night before his birthday. He would be 21 and free to take a bride of his choosing. And he chose Anna.

His family were bereft at his love for the daughter of their enemy. Her father struck Anna for the first time in his life, and ripped her from Lucas arms, banishing him from ever seeing her again. She had thought she would die of nothing only the pain of her own panic. But he had come back. Two nights later, and they stole away into the night with nothing only some saddle bags full of food and two canteena's of water.
And for six weeks they'd lived off the lands, sleeping where ever Lucas deemed safe. They'd become true lovers then. And he had called her ''wife'' under the stars, with her wrapped in his blanket, wearing a single flower tucked behind her right ear.

''Vere are jou? Lucas?!''

And Anna ran, with panic replacing the very blood in her veins. She wasn't dressed for the cold, wearing only the light petticoats from beneath her gown. Half crazed with fear on seeing the garden gate open from her bedroom window, she'd run only half dressed to find him gone.

The wind whipped at her shoulders, and her arms goose-bumped with the cold. Her feet felt heavy, carrying her nowhere too fast, despite her fear filled dash up the dirt path. All she could think of was the years they'd had, that could now be destroyed if They found him!


''E's dying''. Her words were like hoarse razor blades at the back of her throat, as Anna sat with Lucas head on her lap, his father standing with the flap raised to their humble shelter, looking in at her in tear-filled disbelief. It had all gone wrong.

His son lay dying, with his blue eyes staring up at Anna, his face pale with fever, his breathing shallow. A day ago he'd been wonderfully perfect...today his chest was stained with blood, the knife wound too deep. Anna had done what she could, and sat bathing him throughout the night. But he was leaving her.

''Jou killed him''. She'd whispered to his father, and looked up at him in accusation. '' Jou murderet your own child ..Unt for vhat? B'kause jou can't vont him to love me''!
Lucas coughed, his breath catching on a wave of pain, and she pressed her lips to his forehead whispering in her own native tongue that he forgive her for her anger.

He was gone then. In such simplicity, his spirit just left her. There was no grand ending..no finality. The End was just a whisper instead of a roar. He was just gone. Still looking up at her, still perfect, still there with her in her arms, her hands sticky with his blood...But Lucas was just gone.

They took him back when she stopped crying. He had died at Their hands, because he fought Them to remain with Anna, but yet he was to be buried in the Family Mausoleum. His father offered to take her home to her family, but Anna refused to allow him touch her. He didn't understand..They didn't understand. So she was left abandoned in the middle of the woods, with nothing only the tiny evidence that Lucas once existed with her - for her, growing in her belly.

Suddenly the clouds parted, and a white spray of light softened the cold greyness of the winter heavy sky. Crows seemed to waft in one loud wave from the tree tops in the distance, and vanish right into the brightness, and Anna ran.

What if They'd found him? What if he was gone and she was left without either Lucas or his son named for him? What if They took him, and kept him from her? God in Heaven, They couldn't be so cruel!

A terror gripped Anna, that dragged her feet on the dirt road, leaving them inflexible as she sobbed her breaths. His name unable to leave her lips with the weight of her fear.

She ran, and ran, until she fell and cut the skin on her two knees, the petticoats offering her no protection. But she rose and ran on...and on towards the trees..

''Lucas! Answer me!...Lucas! Oh God pleaze answer me''!

Ankle deep in wet grass, she left the road and scrambled upwards on a mossy bank into the tree line. They'd been safe for so long. Her heart beat its panicked beat. The convent had been good for them..to them. And he'd promised! She'd come to the nuns hungry, her belly swollen, and they'd taken her in. There had been no condemnation. Not that night, nor the night after, or after. When the pains came the Reverend Mother sat with her, as the midwife helped Anna. And when the baby came, the world became better again. A beautiful pale, fair haired boy with eyes just like his father.

Word had traveled however. Cruel words that carried the news of a grandchild. Her own family turned their backs on her entirely, leaving her and her sin, with only her son to call her blood.

Lucas's family however, wanted their sons son. But she had Sanctuary on the grounds of the Convent. Sanctuary even they couldn't deny. They petitioned, they demanded, they bribed, they pleaded. But no one could abuse or deny the intervention of God's hand on Anna's and her childs safety.

''Lucas!!''

And then there he was. She almost fell as she stumbled to a halt, and watched him. Standing staring upwards above the trees, watching the crows come back through the light in the sky, to their nests on the tree tops.

''Look Mama''

All ten years of him mimicked his father as he grinned up at where his finger pointed and Anna walked closer to him, her eyes hungry on his well being, to relieved to be cross with him, too full of love to care about his disobedience.

''I just wanted to see the nests''

She put her arm over his shoulders, and confined herself to just nodding. There were times when boys needed not to be reminded of the dangers in their life. Especially little boys that just wanted to see more than what the Convent gardens offered. Life was good behind the Convent walls.., but it was small. Their world just didn't stretch far enough for a boy who wanted to see nests, and dared to disobey the rules, despite knowing the dangers of being taken from his mother.

''Ve have to go Lucas''.

And he looked at her, his smile a little unsure for a moment until his Mama spoke again, taking his hand in hers.

''I know vere der are more nests. Far avay. Jou vont to see?

And her son,- Luca's son nodded 'yes'. There were many more convents..many more woods, many more places, many more ways of being in the world without always being afraid to allow her son see more of it. At least until Lucas was old enough to know the truth about why hiding was a part of their lives.
It wasn't a happy ending. There was no ending. The running and hiding would go on and on until They gave up looking for him.

Happy endings weren't for now. There was just another way until then.

storm

first the patter of rain
the rumble of thunder
the flood of water
tumbling down
washing away

sorrow swept
memory faded
sodden but clean

Desperate. So very desperate.

She'd lingered too long with the human, her toy. She'd known she was short on time and to miss the leaving was disaster for her kind, but hubris was in her nature and she had lingered to play.

Sated, her toy lay on the once white sheets. She sighed and smiled and turned her back on the lifeless form.

Laughing and euphoric she ran out of the stone cottage and down the path to meet her clan, eager now to take to the skies in the delirious pleasure of "the flight."

The dark sky rumbled and boomed and lightening littered the horizen. She saw movement above and her eyes grew wide as she saw her clan whip and saw away through sun streaked clouds, impossibly far away now.

A scream caught in her throat and she trembled in fear. Grounded forever now, a shrill desperation engulfed her. Oh God, so very desperate.