Writing Prompt: Hell and Tree

Bridget changed positions for what felt like the hundredth time. She had books with her to keep her entertained, but she was still bored. She had been given information that there would be activity around this area. She was excited. She hadn’t had any demon action in almost two months. Her life was beginning to grow a little too comfortable.

The informants seemed to be reliable. They were reformed demons that still had contacts in Hell. They kept up to date with what was going on. Mostly out of curiosity, but now and then they used the information they gained for their own personal gain. For most people, that gain was monetary. They went to the highest bidder with the information. For me, it was my protection. 

My services were well known. A lot of the demons constantly sought me out for protection. Some paid me in money and others paid me with information from the other world. I profited from both. 

The demons who came to me with the information had a major need for my protection. The information they had was that some of the big bosses had found an opening by the big tree in the central park. They were going to take advantage at the top of the day to get through it. Their first order of business was to execute all demons who had betrayed Hell. 

I had suspected something was going down before they told me. I had noticed that the demons that usually took pleasure in driving everybody nuts were suspiciously absent for a few days. It was like they wanted to minimize being seen at all costs. When the two demons approached me and told me everything, it all fit together like a puzzle.

Just as I was about to give up and go, I noticed a movement right by the biggest tree in the park. It was subtle, but I was sure it was there. I watched for what seemed like an eternity, but may have only been a few minutes. Without warning, a head popped out followed by the rest of the body. They turned around to help the demon behind them out. 

I didn’t hesitate. I pulled out my bow and arrow and fired them both. They went down without a sound. I knew the poison would take a minute to fully kick in, but I had to go closer to fully inspect the situation. The demons were just disappearing when I got to them. I was just casting the spell to close the portal when a face appeared.

Devon.

Writing Prompt: Rabbit and Wisdom

Gretchen walked around the woods slowly. She was enjoying the scenery around her. The woods were always so beautiful. Especially in the morning hours right before the sun started to rise. She had come to the woods every morning for years just to talk around and enjoy the scenery. She also enjoyed her lovely chats with the creatures that lived there. 

A rabbit hopped out of the bush next to her launching itself into her arms. She let out a startled gasp until she realized what had happened. She took a few moments to nuzzle the beautiful white rabbit and stroke his head and back. He nuzzled her showing how content he was. Feeling the connection in her mind, she greeted her favorite little rabbit.

Good morning, Peter. How are you feeling, today?

I am good, Mistress Gretchen. My paw is almost healed.

She took the moment to inspect his paw. It was still a little swollen and red, but she could see that the cut was almost completely closed. She kissed his nose to show how happy she was to see that. 

I am so glad to see that it’s healing. What will you do when you are all better?

I plan to stay here. With you. Somebody needs to keep an eye on you.

I can take care of myself just fine thank you very much.

Vera tells me that you come here every morning and you have been for years.

Yes. She’s quite right. This place has been a second home to me and has for a long time.

Mistress, you have to see how unsafe it is. Especially these days. Haven’t you noticed the darkness that grows increasingly every day? There’s not much wisdom being here when it’s not light out.

Oh, Peter. I try to ignore things because I think I’m just overreacting. You are here much more than I am. Will you please tell me what it is you see. 

I don’t want to. I want you to be cautious but I do not want to scare you away forever. You have to understand that as a human, you are in much danger here. 

Don’t you see how terrifying that is by itself? What do you know, Peter? 

There is a being that is like nothing I have ever seen. It is not animal. It is not human. For some reason, he can not see us. We see him though. We see the terror he causes and the horrible things he’s done to the humans he finds. You are important. He cannot find you. He also cannot come out in the day.

Writing Prompt: Passion and Apartment

Paige looked out her window. The city was bustling with activity. Vendors were trying to sell goods on the street. People were walking from one place to another as quickly as they could. Lovers were stealing quick kisses before parting ways and going about their day. It was a typical morning. 

Once she had seen her fill of the activity around her, she turned around and looked around her apartment. It was time to plan the day ahead of her. While she was fortunate to be able to make her own schedule every day, she was also plagued by it. She had the power to plan out a productive day or an absolutely disastrous day. It was all in how she felt each passing day.

With a sigh, she took her planner and computer and sat on the windowsill so that she could enjoy the scenery as she made the plans. She spent the better part of an hour checking her email and getting everything put into her planner that needed to be added. She also responded to any emails that needed to be responded to. 

Once she had finished that task, she decided to take a look at the to do list for today. She was surprised to find that she didn’t really have many tasks to do today. She could probably even take a good part of the day to work on the project that Ash hired her to do. After scheduling all the tasks to do through the day, she got up and stretched. She felt lighter now that she had a plan.

First thing on her list was to eat and take a shower. She didn’t really feel like fixing anything so she grabbed a pizza from the night before and ate it cold. After that, she hopped into the shower. The hot water on her skin instantly soothed her. She wanted to stay in the shower all day long, but knew she would regret it later if she did. Light day or not, she still had too much to do.

As she was getting dressed, she heard a sound. The sound had come from the hall. Instantly drawn to it, she made her way to the door and cracked the door to take a peak. She wasn’t really nosy, but sometimes her curiosity got the better of her. What she saw took her breath away.

Her neighbor Grace was making out heavily with a rugged looking man right there in front of her door. The passion was raw and intense. Paige felt like a voyeur even looking. As she was about to softly close the door again and finish dressing, Grace pushed the man off her. 

“Greg. Stop. We can’t do this. I told you this already.”

“You want it.  You know you do. You still love me. Stop fighting it.”

“I have moved on. I’m married now. Please accept that. I can’t keep doing this. Please. Stop.”

“Married? To a woman? Seriously? You and I both know that you belong with me. Stop fighting it.”

“Greg! No! I don’t belong to you. I don’t belong to anybody. I am my own person. I am in therapy now. You can’t control me anymore.”

“The hell you say. You will not talk back to me. Ever.”

With that, he put his hands on her throat. The look of terror on her face was instant. Without thinking, I yanked the door open and rushed toward them tackling him to the ground. His head hit the floor, surprisingly knocking him out instantly. Grace looked at me in shock. 

“Don’t just stand there! Call the cops! Is this the asshole you told me you had a restraining order against?”

“Yes. I don’t know how he keeps finding me.”

“We’ll let the police figure that out. Go call them now!”

Without arguing, she rushed into her apartment. She came back out a few minutes later with her phone in her hand. Her whole body was trembling. I quickly remembered that I wasn’t fully dressed. This will be a story to tell the cops when they get here.

Writing Prompt: Piano and Football

Josie felt like screaming. She couldn’t believe he had done it to her again. She really got that football was important to him, but football wasn’t everything. How dare he blow her off. Didn’t he realize how important this audition was to her?

Luckily Lucy was able to go with her. She could have gone on her own, but she was nervous. She needed a familiar face with her so she didn’t completely mess up the audition. This audition could change her life as she knew it forever. It could get her into one of the most prestigious musical schools of the country. It may be the best in the entire world.

Josie had been a natural at the piano for as long as she could remember. Her mother said that she was drawn to the piano from the moment she could crawl. She told anybody that would listen that Josie barely even needed lessons because she was such a natural. Josie didn’t know if she believed that, but she was always so blessed to have her mother on her team. It encouraged her to always push to go further.

She looked up to see Lucy pulling into the parking lot. The weight on her shoulders instantly went away. The tension she felt while waiting since she called Lucy vanished instantly. She practically ran to the car to get to Lucy. Her audition wasn’t for another hour, but it may as well have been now.

Lucy stepped out of the car and was practically tackled by Josie. Josie immediately started talking her ear off. She was so relieved that Lucy was there that she was practically crying. Lucy chuckled and held Josie steady so that she didn’t fall as she rambled on. She wasn’t about to interrupt Josie when she was like this. She’d been there before.

“Josie, love. Calm down. You’re going to be fantastic.”

“Thanks to you! I’m so sorry if I pulled you away from anything important. Brad was supposed to have come. He was supposed to have met me at the hotel last night. He never showed. He texted me about five minutes before I called you. Not saying I wouldn’t want you to come. I just know how busy you are.”

“I know, but I cleared all my plans for today the moment you told me you were auditioning for a place at the school today.”

“I told you that weeks ago.”

“I know. I planned to be here to cheer you on. I also planned on taking you out to eat when you were done to celebrate.”

“I won’t know if I got in until tomorrow morning at the earliest.”

“Oh, you’ll get in. You are too talented not to.”

Writing Prompt: River and Tiger

River patrolled the woods. It had been a long time since his scouts had left and he was wondering why they hadn’t returned yet. He made one last round before returning back to the cave and his pack.

One look around told him that everybody was still asleep. Not wanting to disturb their sleep, he laid out on the entrance and pondered on things. He had heard that there was a threat from another tiger colony nearby. If his sources were correct, they would attempt to attack when everybody was asleep. He was startled by Alicia coming up behind him. 

What troubles you, my love?

The news of the attack.

We haven’t confirmed it yet. Is there a cause to worry about it?

My scouts have not returned yet. They should have been back hours ago. 

That is troubling. When did they leave?

They left two nights ago now. I’ve looked for their return every six hours since.

Let us pray to Zeus that they are safe and will return soon.

Yes, that’s all I want. Their safe return. Thank you for always being there to lend an ear.

It’s what I do. We are a team and will always be a team.

Yes, we will be. Aria is asleep, I hope?

Yes. She sleeps with her brothers.

Soon, she will have to start her training. I am not ready for it.

Neither am I my husband. 

They were distracted from their conversation by a movement in the distance. They saw a group of tigers heading their way. With a jolt of shock, River realized it was his scouts returning at last. He was excited at first, but also concerned. He noticed that at least half of them were limping and all of them looked wounded. 

Writing Prompt: Rose and Brooch

The field was moved by the breeze that shuffled through the sky. The silence that followed the breeze was deep. The field had not been tended to by any human for many years. It is a mystery what happened to them. One day, the town was full of life and the fields were constantly visited and tended to. The next, everything was completely silent. 

The fields continued to thrive despite the lack of care that the humans gave it. Some would even say that it grew more and more beautiful as the time went on. The flowers were bright and cheery. The grass was tall and strong. The only thing it lacked was somebody around to enjoy all the beauty it had to offer. The field was lonely. 

One night near Christmas, the field whispered a wish to the moon. It wished for people to come visit. Even just one person. The loneliness was too much. It feared the end of its existence if it didn’t have somebody come enjoy their time there. The beauty of the field meant nothing without the love and appreciation of a human. One they had admittedly taken for granted in the time before.

Three days after the desperate wish to the moon, something amazing happened. A single purple rose fell slowly from the sky. It was shortly followed by a rose shaped brooch. The field and flowers didn’t know what to make of the sudden addition. They were thinking about it so much they didn’t hear the soft footsteps along the walkway. They almost missed the beautiful little girl with the brown curls. 

Mary was lost. She had been with her family in a car when suddenly she vanished. She found herself in a field. The field was large and beautiful, but she was scared. She didn’t know where she was or why she was there. She was worried she had done something wrong and was now being punished for her bad behavior. Did her parents know she was gone? Were they here with her? 

Mary found herself drawn to the rose and brooch that were now lying ahead of her on the walkway. She walked over to them and picked them up. With a gasp, she realized the brooch was her mother’s. The flower was her mother’s favorite flower of all time.

Writing Prompt: Sacrifice and Painting

Aiden fought back the tears that kept trying to bubble to the surface. He knew that everybody would talk about how he couldn’t even hold it together at his mother’s funeral. He was expected to be the man that held the family together now. He was expected to keep his emotions to himself. He was never allowed to show weakness for any reason. Nevermind the fact that the woman who raised him was never going to be around again. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the funeral was over. He waited until every single guest had made it to their vehicles and left. He wasn’t about to hear how he didn’t play the host until the bitter end. His mother would roll in her grave at the thought of it. He kept himself from chuckling thinking of the lecture she would be bound to give him. 

His journey home was pretty uneventful. He lived alone and had nobody to talk to on the way home. He thought of all the things he would say to somebody if they were with him. He would probably talk about his mother. He would talk about her giving nature and her willingness to sacrifice anything if it meant another human being was taken care of. He would tell them stories about her. He would let them know that he was who he was because of her.

Once he got home, he immediately went to the painting he had been working on. He had been stuck on where to go with it for awhile, but tonight he seemed to know exactly where he was going. He decided to take advantage of the inspiration before it left him. Who knew when he would ever get inspired again. 

By the time he was finished with the painting, the sunlight was just beginning to to pour through the windows. He was ravenous with hunger. Before he made his way to the kitchen to eat, he took one last look at the photo. In his opinion, it was one of his best works. It was of a ballerina in a subway. The ballerina and the subway were captured beautifully. Everything looked to be normal. Until you got a closer look. There was a knife in the ballerina’s hand and the wall behind her was covered in blood.

He was shocked. He had never been known for adding anything violent in his paintings. He didn’t even remember adding the touches. He was known to go into a zone when he was painting, but he had never been in one so heavily that he didn’t remember what he was painting at all. Slowly he backed out of the room. He didn’t know what to think of the whole situation. He was terrified and intrigued all at the same time.

Writing Prompt: Star and Cottage

The stars were shining bright in the clear night sky. It was beautiful and peaceful. There were hardly any sounds to be heard throughout the fields. One star in particular shone over a beautiful cottage. The cottage itself seemed ordinary, but that was just an illusion. The cottage was a very important place. That wouldn’t be known for many years.

Right now, a child was being born in the cottage. This child would be the beginning of change in all the lands. She would lead the world to greatness. She would also be the ruin of her parents. She would become everything they despise despite trying to mold her into someone more like them. Someone whose soul was tainted and evil.

Her name was Harmony. Harmony grew up lovely. She was full of love and peace. She touched the lives of many who met her. She was kind to everyone. Her parents hated it and her for it. When she was old enough to fend for herself, they quickly threw her out. They told her she was a disgrace and they were ashamed to have given birth to her. 

Her heart was broken, but she was bound and determined not to let it get to her. She went to the closest village she could find for comfort and shelter. She found both. She was accepted by everybody there. She wound up living many years there comfortably and happily. She was accepted by everybody as family. She did what she could to help anybody in need. She was a joy to have around and people were happy to be near her.

One day, she was approached by a stranger. He informed her that her parents had passed away in an accident. As they had no other relatives, everything they had got left to her. At first, she refused. She didn’t want any part of it as she remembered how they were and what they did to her. In the end, she finally accepted. She realized she could turn the cottage into something good. 

It took many years to undo the dark taint that surrounded the cottage, but she managed to do it. She turned it into a lovely home for herself where she spent many moments of leisure painting or reading. She also turned the cottage into a sanctuary for anybody who needed it. She healed those who were sick or hurt and comforted those who were in pain. She became known for her compassion and dedication to others. The village that took her in were especially proud of her.

Writing Prompt: Sky and River

Sky shifted her position. She had been squatting behind the bushes for half the day. She was growing bored and restless. It didn’t seem anything was going to happen. She wanted to go back to the camp, but she had to wait until Rayne replaced her watch. She would then spend all of two seconds telling him of the nothingness that transpired during her watch. After which, she would promptly head to camp and sleep.

The time finally passed and Rayne relieved her of her duty. After casually flirting, she made her way back to the camp. The closer she got to the camp, the less tired she seemed to feel. She was hungry and starting to get a little grumpy. She didn’t understand why she was constantly being picked to do watches. It didn’t seem anybody else was being chosen as much as she was. Once she arrived at the camp, she found River waiting for her smiling. River had a bowl of Sky’s favorite soup. She was so happy she promptly kissed the woman without even thinking about the potential consequences of what would happen had anybody seen the kiss.

“Sky! You have to be more careful.”

“Oh shush. It’s not like anybody would think anything of it. I am merely a hungry woman who was so happy to see food I went mad for a moment.”

“You know that they will know better than that nonsense. They will start putting two and two together. You have to think sensibly. You will be married in three nights.”

“Fooey!”

“Sky! Be reasonable! This is a very well made match! You could do so much worse.”

“If you like the man so much, you marry him. I have no interest in men and I never will.”

“You know that I am not interested in men either. Even if I was, I am not permitted to marry. You know this. I am meant to serve you. That is my life’s purpose.”

“It’s a bunch of rubbish! That’s what it is. You’re an amazing woman. I’m so tired of certain members of our tribe being seen as better than others. Especially you.”

“We must accept things as they are. They can never be any other way.”

“Unless we fight it. Unless we make a new rule.”

“Sky! You mustn’t talk like that!”