Otherworldly at Absolute Write
Ghouls, ghosts and things that go
bump in the night. Old Hallows Eve, Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. October
is the month where the veil between our world and the other things. Therefore,
this month is about those things beyond our world, be they scary, funny or
anything in between. Write wherever the prompt inspires you, fiction or
non-fiction, prose or poetry. Do try to keep things at a PG-13 level, though.
My Otherworldly Weirdness!
Who
Art Thou?
The danger looms.
"I am that from which you have
escaped many times," the low, raspy voice insists.
"Who are you?"
"I'm not here to harm you, only
to help."
The kind sentiment puts me at ease.
"You must know my dilemma." I ponder this aloud, attempting to
unravel the mystery behind such a gracious offer of support.
The voice continues after a brief
chuckle, "Ah, but you see, your dilemma is no mystery to me. By your
escaping me, consistently and with much success, I can guess with relative
surety what torments you. Your persistence, your tenacity, and your insistence
in continuing escapades throughout my lands gives me a very clear picture of
who I'm dealing with."
I wonder how I might respond to this
interlude. I expect it to be brief. I will make an attempt to flee after I
satiate my curiosity.
The dark figure, now looming over
me, reaches out and lifts my chin. Red eyes glow brighter than rubies and burn
into mine. They unleash a fire into my core, singeing my heart, and encasing
its outer layer in a hard, blackened crust.
I feel hot tears fall down my
cheeks, yet the curiosity lurks.
The figure speaks a final sentiment
before it fades away, "Let your hardened heart heal on the inside. In
time, you will understand my purpose in your life. For now, know that I am.
If you enjoyed this theme, please
visit the other participants:
pyrosama: (YOU ARE HERE)
xcomplex: (post link here)
bmadsen: (post link here)
Very intriguing, a bit ambiguous even. Good work!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christina!
DeleteWow, talk about a tease. Would read more of this one for sure. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Simon. I love reading all of the different takes on these hops.
DeleteVery nice!
ReplyDeleteI miss the AW blog chains. I had to stop doing them because I was liking the work so much that I wanted to turn around and sell it instead of posting it on my blog. I still use them every now and then, but I keep them to myself. :P
Well, you're welcome on the hops either way. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteAs always, nicely done!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kelly. I need to hop on over for your Monday Mishmash! :)
DeleteWhat a unique style and a interesting voice. Thanks for sharing your talent Diane!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eve! I appreciate the feedback. The monthly exercises are fun and they keep me writing when I don't feel the urge to do so otherwise.
DeleteThanks, Debra. I appreciate the feedback.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what that thing was but I don't want to run into it while I'm walking alone in the woods!
ReplyDeleteYou never know, Deb. It could be a friend in disguise. :D
DeleteDeath doesn't quite take a holiday here...more like Death Gives a Pep Talk : Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteWhat I would give to be a protectee of the darkness (in the sense of fiction, of course).
Delete:)
I'm a horror fan so October is like my favorite month. I love stories like this! Great work.
ReplyDeleteThere's still time to join the fun, Auden! Take the link and sign up. We'd love to have you.
DeleteDon't watch Blair Witch, then read this and go for a walk in the woods . . .
ReplyDeleteBlair Witch scared the beejeezies out of me. Especially the very ending! :O
DeleteA threat from within and without. Nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I like the dark stuff! :)
DeleteI love the line about the danger looming--really pulled me in right away! Also, the simplicity of this piece lends to the tone of it very well. An excellent bit of work you have here, Diane :D
ReplyDeleteThank you randi! Danger is my game.
DeleteA very weird piece of fiction. It's amazing how the scene shifts from dangerous to calm to magical. Great job.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think darkness can be quite magical when we open our eyes. Glad you enjoy weird, so do I! :)
DeleteAnother well-written piece, Diane, way to go! Given your spooky opening, gulp, am glad I
ReplyDeleteventured in during the day instead of late at night. Keep these engaging reads coming.
Are you kidding? Keep the blog hops coming! I can't find a better way to be inspired than by this group. I also think providing links to all the other wonderful stories keep the fun going for readers around the net.
Delete=)
Thanks for your feedback too!
Oooh so intriguing! Write the whole story! I can't wait. It certainly gave me goose bumps, the good kind. ;)
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Alynza. At one point I wanted to become a fantasy writer and this was my style back then. I'm happy you liked. :)
DeleteDark and ambiguous. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane! Sorry I missed your visit. :D
DeleteGreat job with the prompt. I enjoyed reading it and wish there were more.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue. Otherworldly turns out to be a challenge, but fun!
DeleteI love that we never really know what the Otherworldy entity is. I'd love to read more, to see that curiosity satiated.
ReplyDeleteIt's her own inner demon. :D
DeleteThanks for stopping by and your feedback!