Writing Challenge ~ 15th - 19th April 2011

[Britwitch]

WRITING CHALLENGE ~ APRIL 2011 ~ PART TWO​

Here is this month’s second prompt…

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w62/Britwitch/WC_April2011_2.jpg​

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 2,000 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 Friday 29th April 2011, to allow readers time to get through everything before the first challenge of May starts!

Previous challenges and reviews can be found here.

Happy writing!

 

[marauder13]

Awakening

Adrian stood patiently, leaning against the wall of the apartment building, reading a newspaper. He had been watching her for a month now. He could feel that she was close, her epiphany was at hand. He had sought her out when he felt the echoes of her awakening approaching. The last divination he cast told him that today was the day.


Adrianna was dragged from her sleep by the jangling racket of her alarm clock. Her hand slammed down on the clock, sending it to the floor as she silenced the irritating noise. Her hand returned to her face, rubbing it for a few moments as the groan of wakefulness replaced the earlier sound.

"Aawwww... fuck!" Once more the hand scrambled about, finding her cell phone and confirming her worst fear. "It's Saturday! Why didn't I remember to turn that fucking alarm off?!?"

The covers exploded off her with a flurry of violently thrashing limbs. Once free of the confines of the fabric, her limbs dropped to the bed and she lay still, staring at the ceiling, blaming it for her predicament. The sun faded red, which was more like a pink to her eye, failed to be moved by her glare. Its apathetic response summed up how she felt the world thought of her.

A groan that morphed into a soft scream of frustration marked her exit from the bed. She stormed out of her bedroom into the bathroom. The dull white walls matched the stained porcelain of the sink, bath and toilet. She paused before the mirror, gazing at the view that she presented to the world.

Her long black hair hung lifelessly about her face. It was the black that sucked in the light, almost projecting a shadow about her head. She was slightly grateful for that, as her skin seemed to lean towards a rather unhealthy shade of gray, which in turn made her washed out blue eyes look gray as well. She pushed a few strands of hair back, hooking them over an ear while she sorted out what she was going to do, now that the planned sleeping was no longer an option.

"Yeah," she sighed to her reflection, "if I chose some other option, I would sleep through it and things would be even worse."

Adrianna found herself falling into her normal weekday routine. She went to the toilet, letting her body rid itself of the overnight buildup; she showered and washed her hair. Neither the shower gel nor the shampoo smelled as nice as the packaging suggested they would, and Adrianna's hair failed to gain any of the life and bounce the hair care products extolled. She was out of the shower, a fluffy towel that lost its fluffiness over a century before going by the feel was wrapped around her body. She grabbed the comb and ran it through her hair. The stainless steel teeth were the only things that seemed to be able to withstand the highly resistant knots that seemed to form as her hair dried. Of course, each tug brought a painful wince, gritted teeth and occasion tear.

She sat down on a stool in the bathroom, slamming the comb into her lap as she stared at the join of the wall and ceiling. She took several deep breaths, all of which loosened the towel wrapped about her. She felt her eyes watering, her hands quickly moving to rid the evidence of their presence. All about her was listless. She felt that everything about her was washed out and gray. The air felt thick with a stifling smog that the wind never seemed to clear. Her work was sucking the life from her soul, the music did nothing to lift her spirits and anything she ate was bland at best, tasteless at worst.

Deep within a boiling rage erupted, enveloping her in a moment. She launched herself upright, the comb getting caught in the towel and the pointed end of the handle scratching her belly. She snatched it from its perch, pulling the towel from her as well. A full bodied scream of anguish echoed through the tiny room as she fought to free the comb from the encumbrance of the towel. The towel sailed into the empty bathtub before she threw the comb with all her rage at her reflection in the mirror.

The glass exploded into a shower of shards, and a rain of larger pieces. But with the cracking of the glass, Adrianna screamed in agony. Pain ripped through her body in lancing waves of blazing heat. Pinpoint stabs of pain erupted through her as it felt like her bones were snapping and being pulverized. She collapsed onto the towel, fighting to breathe while being overwhelmed by panic that threatened to smother her.

The sharpness of the pain was soon blunted, her entire body aching. She lay curled up, tears brought on by her hurt and fear. She opened her eyes slowly, afraid her eyes would confirm her feelings. Before her, half resting against the vanity was a large fragment of mirror. Her shuddering hand reached out, carefully grabbing it and bringing it closer to her face.

Adrianna gasped. She blinked her eyes repeatedly, even going as far as to sit up so she rub her eyes with her free hand. In the fragment of the mirror was a woman Adrianna could barely believe. The first thing she saw was the raven hair. Fine strands of sable floated down beside the face, lustrous in the sunlight. Beside that midnight curtain was clear, pale white skin that was flawless in its shape, lines and texture. It was then, Adrianna saw that her own hand still carried the gray pallour, while the parts that were reflected by the fragment were pink, flushed with a healthy colour that skin was meant to have. Finally, she was drawn to the eye that stared back at her. Bright blue of a clear sky looked back at her. It changed slightly, becoming more the blue of the tempestuous sea. She could not take her gaze away from it. Soon, she felt herself falling into the very blue captured by the mirror.


Adrianna felt herself sinking in the turbulent water. The cold water about her brought her back to her senses. She drove herself up towards the surface. Her lungs started to burn as she was buffeted by the water about her. Just when she thought she would breach the surface, the water would surge, adding a few more feet, or it would pull her down. Powerful, desperate strokes continued to propel her towards the air she needed.

She surfaced with a loud expulsion of air, and a rapid gulping of air before she sank beneath the waves once more. Adrianna was ready for the water's attempts to keep her submerged, and was able to keep her head above water enough to ensure she could breathe. A quick glance showed her land, and she swam towards the safety it offered her.

Again the waters fought her. She tired as her arms and legs left like they were made of lead. But through the spray of the ocean she could see vibrant colours of trees, flowers and birds. Those same birds called to her with voices that echoed life, joy and happiness. Both seemed to revive her flagging stamina, and she pushed on. After what felt like hours of swimming, she could hear the sound of the surf. Another surge of energy carried her closer to the shore. But the waters made one last effort to hold her back. Adrianna called on the deepest reserves of her courage. The wave slammed her on the sand, rolling her and trying to bury her face in the sand. But she scrambled up the beach, collapsing. She laughed, coughed and cried staring at the sky until she passed out.


Adrianna awoke with a start, shivering on the towel in her bathroom. She shivered, reaching for the warm, soft towel that she had been lying on. The smell of brine and the irritation of sand in delicate places confused her. She looked around at the pristine white walls of her bathroom. Eyes wide, she slowly looked down at herself, shocked to find that her skin was indeed a light shade of pink and not the sickly gray.

Forgetting her current state, she dashed into her luscious red bedroom, seeing the soft sheets and full blanket carefully laid out on her bed. Her hand covered her mouth, laughter and crying escaping her lips in equal measure as her still saucer like eyes took it all in. She stepped slowly through the remainder of her apartment, seeing all the bright colours of her walls, furniture and paintings.

She raced to the kitchen, opening the cupboards and finding her spices. She opened them frantically, inhaling lungfuls of rich, aroma laden air. She raced to the fridge, pulling out a soft, plump peach and taking a huge bite. The cold juice ran down either side of her chin, tickling her as they went. But the rich texture, and sweet taste of the fruit were like nothing she had ever had before.

There was a knock at the door, soft and polite. Adrianna responded to the knocking by walking to the door and opening it. Outside, a middle aged man in a hemp shirt, jeans and canvas shoes waited, smiling.

"Good morning, Adrianna. My name is Adrian, and I am your mentor. I am here to guide you as you start on the new journey of your life. May I come in?"

Even though she stood before him completely naked, his eyes never left hers. Adrianna looked puzzled for a moment, before she smiled again, opening the door to let him in. When the door closed, it closed on her old life, letting her step into the greater wonders her new life held in store for her.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Mine

I came to a conclusion. You have to go. Disappear. It’s the only way he’ll turn to me again. All he had was me until you waltzed in. Slut.

I sat there, drink in hand, looking from him to her and back to him again. I was feeling way too much all at once. Disbelief, anger, despair, pain, so many things. I crushed them all down inside me. It wasn’t easy. I managed it though. I painted a weak smile on my lips. Let surprise fill my eyes, masking the inner rage and pain I was truly feeling.

“But how? When?” I stared at her, filled with disbelief she could do this to me. Her eyes slid away from mine but not before I saw the pity and sadness in hers.

Yeah, right. Keep your pity to yourself. I don’t need or want it.

“Amanda,” his deep rich baritone voice reached out to me.

Please. Don’t. Just don’t.

“Amanda, please look at me.”

His voice was soft, laced with that thread of command he always knew I needed. My fingers tightened around my glass. I refused to look at him. I knew what would happen if I did. He always had that affect on me. He loved that about me the most he had confessed. Apparently not enough.

My eyes slid away from her face. I concentrated on the drink in my hand, forcing myself to take a sip. I would look anywhere but at him. Cayden. The man who had been my very core. The man I thought had loved me just as deeply. I heard him sigh.

“We didn’t mean to hurt you, Amanda. Danielle and I fought it as hard as we could…”

Not bloody hard enough.

“…..Amanda, I don’t know what else to say. I can’t shelter you from this….”

The hell you can’t. You swore to and I believed you with every fiber of my being. But it’s not your fault, Cayden. It’s hers. She’s always had to have what’s mine. She never could stand to see me happy when she had nothing.

“….. I can’t hide from the truth. I love Danielle and we plan to get married this summer. We wanted you to hear it from us.”

Then I did something I shouldn’t have. I looked at her again. Fuck. That look of sadness and pity in her eyes only fueled the rage in my gut.

“Does Mom and Dad know?” My voice was soft, tightly controlled. She nodded. “We told them yesterday. They aren’t too happy with us at the moment.”

It didn’t matter. Our parents would fawn over me with their concern for a few days, then it would start, especially when Mom started to get excited about the wedding.

Amanda, snap out of it. There’s nothing you can do. Can’t you be happy for your sister?

Was she kidding me? NO. Oh HELL no.

This was all Danielle’s fault. They all knew about Cayden and I. We had been living together for the last four years. Danielle had been away at university studying to become a lawyer and now had come home to roost, touting a law degree and a job offer.

“No, of course they wouldn’t be. Don’t worry, they’ll get over it. They always do. It won’t be long before Mom starts talking about wedding plans,” my voice remained level and calm, “ Will you both excuse me please? I need to go.”

I needed to get away from them before I got sick. I set the glass on the table, bolted from my chair and got the hell out of there. It didn’t matter where I went. Behind me I heard Danielle’s soft voice.

“Let her go, Cayden. We knew this wasn’t going to easy on anyone.” Easy for her say. She had him now.

Outside the restaurant I pulled my coat closer, holding it tighter against me. Maybe the cold air would numb me to the pain I was feeling. Something had just curled up inside me and died. Pain was a greedy bastard. It wasn’t happy with just clawing through my belly, no, now it was moving through the rest of me, determined to own me. I laughed grimly. I thought Cayden had owned me once…. god this hurt. So bad. Blindly, I walked, putting distance between myself, my ex lover and my traitorous sister.

It was dark when I finally stopped walking. I looked around, No recognizable landmarks. Where was I? In some sort of forest, apparently and when had it gotten dark? There was a light mist rolling on the ground. It swirled around my legs caressingly.

“Missy looking for a cure?” I swiveled around, my eyes searching for the voice that sounded like old parchment.

“Who are you? Where are you? Come out wherever you are.” I demanded as my eyes strained to see in the darkness.

“Missy’s heart is hurting. Plentiful. Does she wish to make it stop? Old Agatha can help. Oh yes, she can.”

The voice came from behind me. I whirled about. Walking, stooped over with a cane in one hand, the old woman parted the darkness. She came toward me. Where had she come from? Closer she came. Her skin was crinkled and layered. Her long grey hair hung around her shoulders like a curtain. But as she drew closer, it was her eyes that drew me. They were a sharp deep blue. They seemed to see everything. There was a fountain of knowledge in those eyes and the most startling thing about them was that they were very young looking and out of place in such an ancient face.

“Who are you? What do you want? I don’t have any money on me, old woman.”

She stopped just in front of me. She stretched out a boney hand and laid it on my chest. Why I didn’t step back away from it or even knock it away, I don’t know.

“Young missy is hurting badly. Agatha can help. But you have to promise Agatha something in return.”

It figured. There was always a catch.

“I’ll bite. How can you help me, old woman? And what do you want in return?”

“You bring me something. Anything from the source of pain and old Agatha will make it stop hurting,” she let her hand fall from my chest and rested her palm on the top of her cane, “You trust old Agatha.” She nodded her head several times.

“You’re crazy," still I asked, "What do you want from me in return?”

I couldn’t believe I was standing there talking about making some sort of deal with this old crone. But desperate measures called for desperate actions right? I’d give anything to make this pain go away.

“A drop of your blood, missy, that’s all. One drop.”

“You’re a crazy old bat, know that?.”

“Missy wants the pain to stop. Agatha can help.” Those brilliant, alert blue eyes of hers were starting to make me nervous.

“Fine. Whatever. It couldn’t hurt, right?” The old woman just turned and walked away, back into the darkness.

“Hey wait! Where am ---” she was gone. Well, maybe if I walk back the way I came…

There was a fine mist in the air. I kept my head down and walked. When I lifted my head, I found, to my surprise, that I was standing at the end of my street. What the hell?

Days came and went. I kept thinking about the old woman. She was crazy. I was crazy for even thinking she could do anything. In the meantime, I bit my tongue, went to dinner at my parents’ house. Danielle and Cayden were there, of course. I smiled. But every moment in their presence, my rage and pain grew. My eyes followed Danielle to the bathroom. I waited until she left it, then excused myself and went to the bathroom.

The next night I was standing outside my apartment. Now what you idiot? You don’t even know how to get back to wherever it was.

Well. if something worked, don’t fuck with it. I started walking. It was odd. The night sky didn’t have one star I could see. Even the moon was missing. It kept getting colder. I pulled my coat closer.


“Missy have what I require?” Damnit! How did she do that? I whirled about. She simply stood there. I was back in the woods again.

“But… how… where did you come from?” She hobbled closer, chuckling.

The sound reminded me of rustling dry fall leaves. She held out her hand. I reached into my coat pocket and handed her a strand of Danielle’s hair. Turning, she slowly moved to a large picture mirror I hadn’t noticed before, leaning against a tree. The crone kept her back to me as she did something. There was a soft blue light that seemed to radiate from the mirror then was gone.

“Come missy. Come see Agatha’s work.” She turned slightly toward me, beckoning. Those bright blue eyes studied me quietly. As I came closer, she stepped from in front of the mirror and I gasped. It wasn’t possible. But the evidence was right before me.

“Is this some sort of trick? Because I’m not biting.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the mirror. It seemed real enough. I reached out to touch it. Agatha stopped me. Her grasp on my wrist was surprisingly strong and swift.

‘You pay Agatha now. One drop of blood. Then you can have it.” She released my wrist and produced a small intricately carved knife, holding it out to me. My eyes reluctantly left the mirror and focused on the knife. I shrugged, reaching for the knife. It was only a drop. What harm could it do? Pricking my fingertip, I watched the rich red blood flow to the surface. I held my finger out to her. She guided it to a necklace around her neck. I watched in fascinated silence as she pressed my bloody fingertip to her necklace. It flared briefly and then was dormant. Strange. Agatha took the knife back, sliding it into the volumes of her cloak.

“You take the mirror now, missy. Break it when you’re ready. Your pain will be gone.”

It couldn’t be that simple. My eyes went back to the mirror. As I gazed in, I could see Cayden’s apartment. I knew it so well. I saw my sister moving around. My jaw tightened and I felt that gnawing pain and anger flare again. Danielle was changing for bed. I stared at her nude body, bitterness filling my eyes.

‘This is all your fault,” I whispered, “ I hate you!”

I picked it up in both hands, raising it high above my head, savagely throwing it to the ground. Pieces of glass littered the forest floor. I waited. I waited for the pain to leave me. It didn’t. The old woman lied. Damn her. I nudged pieces over with my foot. A particularly large shard caught my eye. I bent down and picked it up, staring into it, dazed. My laughter bubbled over as realization set in. That cunning old woman. It had all been worth the drop of blood it had cost me. This was just too precious. She was right, the pain was gone now. I looked back into that shard of glass and smiled. He would be mine again. Eventually. I could wait.

“You’ll never have him now, dear sister. He’s always been mine.”

There was a frantic movement in the shard. She stared out, a horrified, disbelieving expression on her face. I pocketed it and started walking. There were muffled screams and words. I don’t know how that old crone had done it. I really didn’t care to.

My dear sister Danielle was trapped in that glass and Cayden was mine again.

 

[wideeyedone]

Lovely
Adored
Wanted

Pursued
Watched
Stalked

Glimmer
Glamor
Shattered

 

[fr33ks33k]

Beyond Blue Eyes

(I decided to retreat into prose again...I'm gonna submit even though I'm not entirely sure it's what I want)

Behind blue eyes lies a world of black and gray. The brutal hues of brown and green have been sapped to naught but shadows of that pain. In quiet tones and hushed whispers will she sing: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" And in loud and grating roars the answer; still the same: "Never you, for there is one who's fairness leaves yours feeling like a pall."

Behind blue eyes, a world devoid of pigment. The joyous tones of pink and chartreuse have given way to bland slate and granite views. In ragged sighs and imploring cries she will plead: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's left to claim this love I bear inside my broken heart?" And in raucous angry tremors bellows forth the response: "No one lives now to hold those broken shards. You destroyed them when you claimed their unwilling love."

Behind blue eyes, a reflection of what lies within. The power of color has been trapped forever inside. With a dying breath, the question once more leaves tired lungs: "Mirror, mirror in my hand, what must I do to make amends?" And in an equal sighing voice, the last one ever heard, the atonement given: "You have done all you can. With your passing, this last shard will fall from hands. In that moment when glass meets stone, all your wicked deeds will be undone. All your sins absolved; be known, all you must do is just let go."

Beyond blue eyes, a sliver of a mirror once grand in scale clatters to the floor. It is broken in an instant, sent scatt'ring like a raindrop poured. Blue eyes are grayed, fading into nonexistence, and in their place gray eyes take on azure hues, restored at long, long last to life anew.

 

[fddb410]

The Uninvited Guest

It had been a long trek through the high country. The snow had been falling almost daily for weeks now. The weather had been crisp too, which made the track a bit more difficult for this time of year. He’d had to wear the snowshoes to stay atop it and not sink into the deep powder with each planted step. While effective, the shoes set him at a slightly slower pace than if the snow had melted a bit and become packed enough that he could walk on it much like a paved road down in the town. Yesterday he’d finally made down it to the tree-line. It almost felt colder to him here since the pines and spruces shaded him from the faint warmth of the sun. But he knew that he’d not that much further to go.

As the sun began to sink, he came upon the lumber road, he’d been headed toward. He followed its familiar track for a couple more miles. He smiled as he reached the clearing and paused. Somehow he’d timed it perfectly. The sun was making great broad bands of shaded colors across the horizon and even above him. There were various shades of reds, oranges, and purples intermingled and spread across the darkening horizon as the bright red ball of the sun began sinking faster into the bands of color headed eventually to settle behind the high ridge of the mountains across the vast valley below where he stood.

With repeated glances toward the west, he headed in a straight line across the clearing toward his cabin at the southern end. By the time he reached the midpoint of this last trek his senses had his skin alert with goose flesh under his layers of clothing, and every hair on his body was raised in alarm. He chided himself for not noticing the gentle plume of white smoke rising from the chimney and the track around the front door which seemed to be set no further than the wood pile he’d always set in the spring between the two big birch trees. He unshouldered his pack and hung it on a low branch on the first birch. He took his revolver from its holster on his right hip and held it in his right hand. With the left he pulled out his badge and creds which hung on the chain around his neck. He really had no issue with hikers and climbers using the place to spend the night or as a refuge from some of the fierce storms that often suddenly swept up though here. What he didn’t like was walking in on anything unprepared . . . and he’d already missed all the signs he should have been alert to if he’d not been so mesmerized by the sun setting.

With a grunt of self-reproach he reshouldered the pack on his left shoulder and quietly and carefully made the rest of the way to his front door. He tried it cautiously and found that it was latched. He smiled to himself as he considered the cheek of his uninvited guest locking him out of his own cabin. He didn’t knock, after all it was his place so he took the key hidden in the caulked line between the log and the hewn timber that framed the top of the door. Quietly he slipped the key into the lock and turned the key in the cylinder unlocking the deadbolt. Carefully he withdrew the key and re-stowed it in it’s spot and then opened the door. The hinges creaked loudly as he knew they would. It had been kind of a security feature for the place. No one had yet gotten in when he was there without being announced.

He noticed in the air a soft sweet and very pleasant scent intermingled with the smoke from the wood stove. Almost immediately as he stepped inside Jake closed the door behind him. As he turned up the oil lamp, he heard a rustling noise off to his right, in the direction of the bedroom area. It was not the sound of a visiting mouse. It was made by something much bigger. He decided that it wasn’t a wild critter as he’d not been challenged. It had to be a person. Jake let the back slip off his shoulder and slide down his arm until he could hang on the back of the nearby chair. With his now free arm he reached out and took the flashlight off the top shelf over the sink. He stepped quietly toward the hallway and as he made the turn around the kitchen counter he raised the gun and light in unison and flashed on the light.

With a start he inhaled loudly as he pointed the revolver at the ceiling to avoid shooting the beautiful woman wrapped in one of his green blankets. She was looking directly back at him. Her blue eye was clear and sparkling. The woman’s dark hair framed her face in the most beautiful way.

He smiled as he set the gun on the nearby counter and shut off the flashlight. He stepped closer and drew the blanket back off her head, cupped her face and kissed her deeply. Her body relaxed and rested warmly against his parka as she returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their kiss deepened to the point that their bodies flushed with the warmth of desire. He broke the kiss and leaned back a little to look at her and smiled.

“So Sally . . . how long have you been here dear? I had no idea you were coming up here.”

“Oh only a couple days. I missed you in our bed so much . . . I had to . . . then the storm came and I wasn’t sure when you’d be back.”

Sally grinned at Jake as she brandished the hunting knife she’d given him. She’d it taken from the scabbard she had worn on her belt when she’d heard him at the door.

“You scared the crap out of me the way you came in here. I was thinking that coming up here alone maybe wasn’t the best plan.”

“We’ll I’m glad you did. Let me get Red settled and I’ll be back. Shall I feed Diablo too?”

“Yes, please . . . he’ll love the company and the attention. I haven’t been out there yet today.”

Sally let the blanket she was wrapped in open enough to show him how little she had on under it. With a very coy and sexy look that Jake knew very well she whispered in a very feminine but husky voice, “I’ll be in the bedroom waiting, Jake.”

He kissed her deeply and hard as his hand caressed her left breast. He sighed as they separated.

“I won’t dally!” He grunted in a gravelly voice as he left his wife and headed toward the door to go and bed the horses for the night.

Sally grinned as she saw her Mountie hurry out the door. She had always liked how his job title very often suited her very real need for him.

 

[Britwitch]

This challenge is now closed for new entries. Thanks to all who joined in!

The next challenge will be up very shortly!

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