“Fiction In A Flash Challenge” Week #13 NEW Image Prompt. @pursoot #IARTG #ASMSG #WritingCommunity.
Hi everyone!
I hope you’ve had a good week. My muse ran wild with this week’s picture fiction prompt from Soooz last night, and I have a bit of flash fiction for you, entitled The Undoer.
The image prompt comes from Soooz’s blog: https://sooozburkeauthor.wordpress.com/2020/08/14/fiction-in-a-flash-challenge-new-image-prompt-week-13-pursoot-iartg-asmsg-writingcommunity/
The Undoer
Millennia ago, they believed they’d destroyed the key.
Millennia ago, they entrapped The Undoer.
Millennia ago, such evil as you’ve never seen nearly undid the whole world.
The demon slithered into the mind of the mage responsible for melting down that small brass piece that would ensure the monstrosity remained contained. Instead, the confused old man swallowed the key. At some point a few days later—for, in his dotage, his movements happened but seldom—he shat out the magic-forged metal. A few hours later, with a mew of disgust, some young acolyte tossed out the waste.
Centuries passed. Magic disappeared from the world. And a vast, deep forest grew all over the land. Eventually, man grew clever in the ways of commerce, hoarding, and building. The natural ways fell into disrepute, and anyone who claimed extraordinary abilities suffered mockery and denigration.
Into this cold, uncaring, and disconnected modern world, a girl was born. An angel made flesh. A blank slate, ripe for the picking—finely balanced on the razor’s edge that lay between the Light and the Dark.
Molly adored adventure and running in play through the dwindling woods around her home. The squirrels and the birds and all the small creatures made friends with her. Oftentimes, they could be found in a fast game of Catch-Me-If-You-Can.
Long forgotten, The Undoer had grown strong. With his newfound motivation came restlessness. Over time, the demon contrived to erode the soil until, one day, the innocuous-looking little brass key lay atop the mulch and foliage of old growth. Waiting.
A hidden root tripped Molly, and she fell headlong onto the forest floor. Her dainty fingertips splayed mere millimetres from the key. Curiosity lit a flame behind her eyes. Molly reached out for the intriguing trinket.
Time stopped.
Preternatural silence thickened the air, as though all of life held its breath.
With a shudder of revulsion, Molly flicked the key away. Horrified, she brushed the contamination off on her frilly pink skirt, along with the dirt and mulch. Existence stretched and then snapped back, much like an elastic band. The Earth breathed out. A sudden tremor rattled Molly’s teeth. A gaping chasm opened, swallowed the key, and then convulsed shut once more.
In his prison, The Undoer let out a roar of rage. Finally, he knew the name of defeat.
Copyright ©Harmony Kent 2020
I hope you enjoyed this bit of fun, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’d like to take part, here’s the link again: https://sooozburkeauthor.wordpress.com/2020/08/14/fiction-in-a-flash-challenge-new-image-prompt-week-13-pursoot-iartg-asmsg-writingcommunity/
Here are the rules:
Please put it (or a link to it) in a comment on Soooz’s blog or email it to her at her email address. by DEADLINE: 4pm EDT on Thursday, August 17th. Subject: Fiction in a Flash Challenge. If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to Soooz’s blog page would be much appreciated.
She will be sharing all entries received, and, her own contribution on her blog beginning on Friday, August 20th.
Thanks to Michael Dziedzic for sharing their Free Image on Unsplash.
Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash
We hope the image inspires you! Come and join in the fun.
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