Paperback book sale on lulu.com – Monday 30th November
My recommendations: ‘Fallen Star Rising’ and ‘Four’ by Tara Caribou, and the ‘Creation and the Cosmos’ anthology, edited by Tara, and including 5 of my poems!
Category: Stories, poems and other short pieces
Do you believe in faeries? ~ episode 14
Once they’d reached the apparently unguarded exit from the dungeon, Mr Eyre and Bryony introduced themselves to their fellow prisoner. Hildebrand explained that she’d been arrested for Word Singing, something she did every afternoon to entertain her husband’s elves while they plugged away assisting him in his shoemaking business, ‘Without my singing, all concentration will be lost and production will cease,’ she lamented, rubbing her red-rimmed eye sockets.
Peering around the door, they surveyed the empty yard and beyond it, the entrance gate which swung on its hinges as though someone had just departed. Mr Eyre beamed at his two companions then, taking their hands, he propelled them across the open space and through the gate.
Soon they were standing in a grove of slender poplar trees which led to the Owl-King’s palace; the ground began to shake to the rhythm of marching feet and a few moments later the palace’s emerald-green lawn was filled by an army of assorted brightly-coloured insects.
‘Perhaps you were thinking I did wrong in letting them go? said Captain Stinger to his lieutenant as they emerged from behind the dungeon’s walls, ‘but now we’ll take all the dissenters by surprise and exterminate the lot!’
Written in response to two challenges:
Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge: PLUG, SOCKET, INLET
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: LOST
Bryony, Bethany and Mr Eyre first appeared in my historical fantasy fiction novel, Following the Green Rabbit. They’ve been begging to go on another adventure and now they’ve got their wish!
MORE SIX SENTENCE STORIES HERE
Killing Spree
Fish jumps, gulps a fly
bright waterdrops scattering;
cracking lake’s mirror.
Turquoise wings flashing
snapping beak swallows a fish;
bobbing waves diffuse.
Brown-fur dives deeply
leaving lacy white backwash;
dark head surfaces.
Fish flapping wildly
between sharp-clawed greedy paws;
nature in the raw.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image credit: Pixabay (free images)
Written in response to Sadje‘s What Do You See #109 photo prompt
Do you believe in faeries? ~ episode 13
Bethany scanned the length of the rickety bridge which crossed the Owl-King’s Great Divide, grateful for the blanket of fog cloaking the craggy depths below; Greta nodded her encouragement and together they stepped onto the first of the wooden slats as Lobelia, her anxious wings beating, led them forward.
Alighting unscathed on the other side, they entered a towering woodland, buzzing with insects; moments later a small shower of bright beetle-like creatures descended from the orange-red canopy. One, larger than the rest and clearly their leader, scuttered over and stood before them: ‘My sisters and I welcome the golden-haired child.’ Her fellow creatures bowed their heads, then brought out a succession of leaves, laden with ripe berries, and placed them at their feet.
Bethany looked at her companions in astonishment; Lobelia stepped forward, dropping a deep curtsy, her wings fluttering delicately: ‘Greetings to you, Florigia, we thank you and your sisters for your hospitality.’
Florigia inclined her head, ‘The Owl-King’s activities have been a disappointment to us all; she turned to Greta, ‘we received Hans’s message from one of the Wandering-Wasps, the three prisoners have been freed and should be joining us shortly; then we will march on the Palace.’
Written in response to two challenges:
Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge: HOSPITAL, APPOINTMENT, SCAN
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: BLANKET
Bryony, Bethany and Mr Eyre first appeared in my historical fantasy fiction novel, Following the Green Rabbit. They’ve been begging to go on another adventure and now they’ve got their wish!
MORE SIX SENTENCE STORIES HERE!
Mind Block
build a wall, brick by brick
lay firm foundations
make each brick stick
over crimson clay
slather thick cement
leave not a crack
seal every chink
concentrate, visualise
this wall surrounds
a great oak door
close it tightly
turn the key
safe inside
you can’t
reach
me
locked within
my fortress
you can’t
hurt
me
anymore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image credit: Photomix company @ Pixabay
Written in response to Sadje‘s What Do You See #108 photo prompt
Do you believe in faeries? ~ episode 12
Mr Eyre paced the cell slowly, ‘we could use the bracelet to escape,’ he turned to face Bryony, ‘but that won’t help us find your sister, although in our current predicament…’ his voice tailed off as he caught a glimpse of the gallows outside the narrow window of their prison.
Bryony was about to reply when a strange, beetle-like creature came racing down the passageway and skidded to a halt in front of their barred cell. Glancing nervously over its shoulder, it reached under one of its armoured wing cases and drew out a key, which was almost as big as itself, and dropped it on the floor in front of them; then without a word – if indeed it could speak – it turned and scuttled off, back in the direction from where it came.
Bryony swiftly retrieved the key and Mr Eyre applied it to the lock; a moment later the cell door swung open. They were about to follow their strange, silent rescuer, when an ashy-faced woman appeared from the shadows of the cell opposite; the key fitted that door too.
Mr Eyre raised an optimistic eyebrow, ‘now all we need to do is get out of the building.’
Written in response to two challenges:
Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge – SLOW, CAMERA, SHY
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: ARMOUR
Bryony, Bethany and Mr Eyre first appeared in my historical fantasy fiction novel, Following the Green Rabbit. They’ve been begging to go on another adventure and now they’ve got their wish!
MORE SIX SENTENCE STORIES HERE!
Castles in the Air
If I were able
I’d build a castle
just for you
A pearl-white, perfect vision
fashioned from daydreams
forged in the flames
of burning desire
If I were able
I’d offer my castle
only to you
A shining cerulean citadel
sculpted from fantasies
shaped by illusions
of anxious lust
If I were able
I’d trade my castle
to be with you
A glowing golden fortress
moulded from memories
shored up by recollections
of passions past
If I were able
I’d secure you
in my heart
And never let you go.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image credit: Google Images
Written in response to Sadje‘s What Do You See #107 photo prompt
Do you believe in faeries? ~ episode 11
Bethany stared round-eyed at Lobelia as she fluttered through the open window and landed at Greta’s feet, without doubt, the anxious creature was one of the faerie folk; Lobelia returned Bethany’s astonished gaze, ‘so the golden-haired child has returned!’
‘We thought so too, Lobelia, but she wasn’t wearing the travelling bracelet we left for her, so she can’t be,’ said Greta, looking at Bethany doubtfully, ‘she just appeared out of nowhere, and now two more Other Worlders are here; Captain Stinger and his soldiers took them away just now.’ Greta slammed the window shut, ‘you say the Shoemaker’s wife has been arrested for Word-Singing?’
Lobelia nodded, her wings drooping for a moment, ‘so many people have been taken away for Word Crimes since the Owl-King arrived: we must do something to restore justice!’ cried Lobelia. ‘All the other faeries have gone into hiding until a solution is found,’ she stared up at Bethany, ‘and if she isn’t the golden-haired child, who can we pin our hopes on?’
Greta looked at Hans, ‘I think the time has come for us to take matters into our own hands; after all, the Owl-King doesn’t know that Bethany isn’t the golden-haired child, does he?’
on to the next episode!
Written in response to two challenges:
Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge – PIN, SOLUTION, WITH
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: RESTORE
Bryony, Bethany and Mr Eyre first appeared in my historical fantasy fiction novel, Following the Green Rabbit. They’ve been begging to go on another adventure and now they’ve got their wish!
The Wall
A country, carved into four
by the victors.
A city, divided
by ideology and
something more.
Erected in haste
assembled in the silent hours
while they slept
apart, in blissful ignorance,
concrete and iron
snaked through
their lives.
Three decades on
torn down in protest:
lovers reunite
whom time
could not
divide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image credit: Gennaro Leonardi @ Pixabay
Written in response to Sadje‘s What Do You See #106 photo prompt
Do you believe in faeries? ~ episode 10
Bryony’s face itched from the thick hessian of the hood that had been forced over her head; behind her she heard the rasps of Mr Eyre’s breathing, as Captain Stinger and his guards herded them across the wooden bridge that crossed the Owl-King’s Great Divide.
They stumbled off the slatted planks and their forced march continued through what Bryony, from the late-season scent of autumn leaves, could tell was woodland, until eventually Captain Stinger called a halt; their hoods were removed and she and Mr Eyre were left blinking in the sunlight.
A towering, pink-stoned palace, surrounded by emerald-coloured lawns, rose up before them reminding Bryony of an illustration in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, a volume she’d been given as a keepsake by a favourite aunt.
‘To the dungeons!’ yelled Captain Stinger and once again they were on the move, escorted swiftly to a drab grey out-building set within a high-walled yard; ‘you will await your fate here,’ the Captain announced, glancing meaningfully at the gallows in the corner.
Dread welled up in Bryony’s stomach; Mr Eyre took a breath and squared his shoulders: ‘Surely your Owl-King will permit us a fair trial?
No reply came from their grim-faced captor.
Written in response to two challenges:
Di of Pensitivity 101’s Wednesday’s Three Things Challenge – ALLOW, PERMIT, SEASON
Denise Farley of GirlieOnTheEdge’s Sunday’s Six Sentence Story Word Prompt: KEEPSAKE
Bryony, Bethany and Mr Eyre first appeared in my historical fantasy fiction novel, Following the Green Rabbit. They’ve been begging to go on another adventure and now they’ve got their wish!
Join the party and read more #SixSentenceStories here!
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