I am pleased to share with you this week’s submission from redgypsophila of Adventures in Writing, who accepted last week’s writing prompt challenge, and wrote another inventive piece entitled Jill and the Beanstalk. Please give it a read and offer her your support. Again, thank you for sharing your creations!
As for me, I went back to my writer’s group last night – I had taken a small hiatus, and because my computer is on the brink of death, I struggled to write anything. It’s old. Really old. And it strains itself to open each app, sometimes failing. That little color wheel just spins and spins. When I realized it wouldn’t be able to open my email and give me access to the newer version of my script, I settled on writing more Dragon Age fan fiction. From all my time gaming, you’d think I would be better about hitting that little save button, but no…my computer shut down on me mid-type, and I felt those first tinges of fear, that I had lost everything I had just written, about 500 words.
I quickly jotted down, by hand, what I could remember while I prayed to the gods of technology to restore my computer and my words. It took a good 15 mins. for it to turn back on, its poor little motor wheezing the entire time, but success! Document restored! I quickly used the camera on my phone and took a screenshot in case it shut down again. My writing group friends laughed and mocked my outdated tech, but desperate times and all that.
I haven’t had a chance to really go back over what I wrote, but I’d like to post it anyway. Once I do a little rewriting, I’ll post it under the Excerpts section. I hope you enjoy!
III
I called out to my companions as they drew nearer to the creature to not strike at it. Although it had commanded the spiders and every other facet of this environment, I had the innate understanding that it was only protecting its home. There was no reason to strike it down, if anything, it may be helpful to our cause.
I couldn’t tell if the being was a man or woman from this vantage, only that it had sacrificed itself at some point to become the creature of flesh and forest before me. Once the spiders were vanquished and we had the opportunity to regroup, I moved closer to the being to get a better look, despite the protests of my friends. Although it seethed with anger and vibrated with powerful energy, I was compelled to try to speak to it, something about the idea of it having once been a mage.
Along our journey, Alistair had created a holster for my staff. It was a leather strap that I could easily wear across one shoulder so that when I was not using magic, I could be free of the added burden of carrying my weapon. I tucked my staff into its new place upon my back, and gingerly pushed Alistair’s pleading hands aside. I looked into his eyes, his concern for me so visible, that I had to bite back the smile that threatened to break free.
“It will be all right, “ I reassured him resting one hand upon his unshaven cheek. I probably shouldn’t have done that. The heated moment elevated, now fueled further with a desire neither of us was prepared for. We gazed into one another’s eyes for a moment as we both wrestled with our newfound feelings. An interrupting cough from Sten was all that was needed to break the spell. With a heavy, submissive groan, Alistair finally acquiesced and stepped aside. My fingers twitched at the loss of contact.
I took my first few pensive steps with my hands before me in a conciliatory gesture, all the while my companions still at the ready. Both Leliana and Morrigan voiced a final word of caution, to which I nodded silently. As I drew closer, I was able to make out that the being had in fact been a woman at one time. The body was thin and lithe, with soft curves at the hips and breasts; the remnants of which lay hidden beneath the vines that meandered upwards. The face was shielded in a mask of mud and flora, but what remained visible were radiant blue eyes, a long, thin nose, and full lips. Beneath it all, there was still a lovely woman.
I called out softly, in a reassuring tone, that we were not there to harm her. We had happened upon this cave and we were not there to destroy it, her, or her companions. I saw as she worked every word over in her mind in an effort to understand something long forgotten. Her tension alleviated with every word. I stopped a few feet short, not wanting to scare her away, or scare her into greater action. She was powerful, and I wasn’t certain I would be able to resist a direct assault. Her eyes were full of emotion; confusion, fear, and relief. She reached a hand out to me. I heard my friends’ voices of dissent.
To be continued….
Have a wonderful week everyone! And look for the new writing prompt tomorrow! 🙂
I’d been traveling what was left of the upper world so long; I knew it like the back of my hand. The dark days were all any of my people knew, except for the elders, who spoke of a different time, the time of the light. It was a time when the buildings had reached for the heavens, as had we. Now it was covered in ash, torn down, brick by brick. What remained were the ghosts of the past. What now inhabited those remains were unlike anything anyone had ever seen, except for me, and the few members of my team. Each time we surfaced we risked not only exposure, but also discovery. There was life here; tiny green tentacles of life making their presence known. There were stories of such things, but it was best to keep it to ourselves, at least for the time being, because the rest of the upper world held no place for us. Maybe it was as the elders said, our time had passed.
A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales 