Civilization

Civilization

They gave me one water skin and a hard roll filled with dried fruit; reckoning if I needed more I would have failed, anyway.

The mountain was not steep, at first. In the bright morning I passed a pleasant hour or two climbing the various broken trails dotted with romping sheep, chattering birds and later, stern-eyed mountain goats. The wildflowers gave the mountain side a vivid purple hue, a haze of heavenly beauty come to earth.
At midday I stopped to rest, sitting against a moss strewn outcropping of rocks overlooking my village.

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Hollow

Hollow

It was a small thing, really, to misplace an invitation. But when the error was discovered, it was with cries and horror as the party attendees witnessed the slighted sorcerer curse the Kingdom, it’s land and all it’s inhabitants.

He held out his arms and decried:

Listen all, to all the Kingdom
listen to your fate.
Heed me now,
all that scorned me
none shall escape.

Hunger and pain,
shall be your pillow.
Pestilence, your very bed.
You will all die alone, in anguish,
living despair and dread.

The King and Queen, hearing the deathly terms of the curse, begged a private conference with the sorcerer. For the love of their Kingdom, they pleaded, offering all they own.
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The Day is Done

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When the Day was Done

I woke to the sound of my heart pumping slowly.

I felt my lungs take a couple of ragged breaths. My eyelids, sticky with blood and crust, were swollen shut.

I was laying on my side, my hands bound behind me. I felt the cold dirt floor scratch roughly against my cheek.

I laughed briefly, coughed, and laughed again.

I was alive!

I heard him move. Continue reading