Plot Picture Challenge 44

Greenie

Follow the Strange Trails
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Beginner
  2. Elementary
  3. Intermediate
  4. Adept
  5. Advanced
  6. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Fantasy, Supernatural, Horror
A picture is worth a thousand words, as is often quoted.

How does the picture below speak to you? Perhaps as a poem? Perhaps a roleplay idea? Maybe a story?

Whatever comes to your mind, write those words down! All is well and welcome, whether a couple of sentences or more!

tumblr_p0ef41Aq7U1r7llf5o5_500.jpg

 
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“What a long and exhausting night.” Clarabelle yawned, not bothering to cover her mouth with her hand. Both were full anyway, one holding a lantern, glowing a brilliant white, while the other held her broomstick. “I think we’ve done quite enough witchcraft for the entire week. Wouldn’t you agree, twiggy?” Her eyes looked up to the Raven perched upon her head. She only asked because she knew it would stay silent. Unfortunately, her other companion would not.

“I would say we’ve barely reached our quota for the night, let alone the week!” Gloria sounded as uptight as ever. For a cat, she sure was uptight, she never let the young witch take it easy, much to her chagrin. She was all about work and efficiency, but one could hardly blame her, it was her job to keep the girl on the right track. “Tomorrow night we need to work a little harder to make up for today’s blunder. I think that if we follow my route we…we…” A yawn escaped the bipedal cat’s mouth. When did she get so heavy…? She decided it best to use her umbrella to help keep herself out.

Clarabelle just laughed, albeit tiredly. “We can plot routes tomorrow over our morning brew. For now, I think we deserve a nice rest.” She leaned her broom against the door so that she could open it properly. She rapped her knuckles against the door twice, once more and then three more times in a rhythmic pattern. The locks on the other side could be heard turning, the chain at the top moving before the door opened wide, her broom falling on the floor as a result. “Uuugh…bloody hell…”

Both the feline and the bird couldn’t help the snickers that rose from their throats. “I would say you should have foreseen that result.” Gloria normally would have teased her more but she was too tired for that. The two magic users had been flying around casting spells, delivering potions and gathering materials and ingredients almost the entire night. She was too sore to truly enjoy the blunder. She hobbled into the house using her umbrella like a cane. “I bid you farewell and goodnight my dear, please do rest! I will wake you early!”

“Ah…goodnight…” Clarabelle watched Gloria hobble away, sticking her tongue at her back in the process. She did not fancy the idea of waking up early after such a night, but Gloria was the boss until she was capable enough to be her own. She supposed she could always sleep in but it was not quite worth the scratch marks she would receive. “Well Twiggy, I suppose you’re off to bed too?” She asked the bird, who had not moved from her head, as she stepped into the home. The door closed on its own after she kicked her broom out of the way, locking itself once more.

It was funny to the young witch how, despite the raven’s almost eternal silence, she could tell when he was responding or not, regardless of his lack of sounds. Right now Twiggy was snoozing in her hair, having fallen asleep standing upright. “Ah…Twiggy.” She giggled a bit, hand muffling the noise she made. As gently as she could, she kicked off her boots as gently as she could, trying her hardest not to wake her avian ally. “You can sleep in my room, it’s terribly lonely anyway.” She whispered to him. He’d probably leave once she hopped into her bed, but that was fine with her.

As she made her way upstairs, moving as carefully as she could, she couldn’t help but think, think about the present and her future, but never the past. Her thoughts eventually found their way to her lips, not that she minded. Gloria was sleeping, she was sure, and Twiggy always listened to her when he was awake, maybe he wouldn’t mind it in his sleep. “I’m grateful for you and Gloria, I truly am, but it’s still always so…so lonely.” She started. “I know you listen, but we don’t really talk. And Gloria is always going on about business this and magic that…I just wish I had a…a sibling or something!”

The young witch finally made it to her room, opening the door and stepping inside. Now she had to figure out how to get into bed without disturbing her bird friend. “I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side, huh? But maybe it is. Gloria always scolds me for saying this but when I’m older I’m going to start my own family.” She closed her door as quietly as she could, the click only serving to rustle Twiggy a little bit. “I’ll have a handsome husband and…and two boys! Maybe a girl, I’m not sure. My niece is quite the monster and I’d rather not bring another into the world.” She used her toes to scrape her stockings off, biting her lip as she struggled to do so.

“I’ll spoil them silly too, and I’ll teach them to be every bit as good a witch as I am! We’ll be the world’s greatest magic family.” She had finally gotten her feet free of her stockings, raising her feet onto the bed. “I’ve just got to become a full-fledged witch first, then my life is my own again.” She thought about for a moment but there was no real way she could lay down without disturbing Twiggy, so instead, she got under her blankets and leaned back against her headboard. “Well, enough rambling from me, glad I did not wake you. Sleep well, my friend!” She whispered before closing her eyes.

Despite the how uncomfortable the position she was in, it did not take her long to fall asleep. Once she did, Twiggy cracked open an eye, looking around the room. The bird had dozed off for a bit but she’d awoken him when she closed her bedroom door, she was just too caught up in her thoughts to notice. He hopped off her head, foreseeing that she would move a lot in her sleep. He would grant her wish though, settling himself at the foot of her bed.

She may not have much of a family now, but she had a friend in him at least. Tonight, he would stay with her.

At least until she kicked him in her sleep. Then he was gone.
 
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Noirelle looked up at Mara and whispered, "Are you quite certain about this?"

"Yes, Quite." was the terse reply. The lantern lit the gleaming golden numbers that were affixed expertly to the bricks next to the beautifully carved door. she dared not glance down at her companion for fear his doubts would seep into her own heart and steal the last remnants of her courage.

It seemed forever but the door eventually creaked open and a tiny woman peered out through the small slit she'd made. She did not speak only looked the group up and down before her eyes settled on Mara. "Your business?"

Mara forgot to speak at first but then shook herself and cleared her throat, "We need help..."

"No."

"But...wait why?"

"You do not need help," she said as the door began to close.

"But I do...They say you know all...you MUST know why I've come!"

"I do, but it is not for help. You want me to spare you the consequences of your foolishness and that I cannot do." There was an accusation in her eyes and a knowing glint as well.

"I am willing to bear the consequences, but others should not have to....I need your help to spare another."

The door opened a bit more, "Who do you wish to spare?"

Mara pushed her companion forward, "Noirelle..."

The cat hissed, "No Mas...Mara..."

"Return her to her former state and I will willingly accept the rest upon myself."

The door opened then fully and the tiny woman reached out and touched the cat. Instantly a beautiful woman stood with them on the porch. "As you have vowed before me and this witness, so be it."

Mara nodded and stepped toward the door.

Noirelle grabbed hold of her arm, "No...this is not right...it was my mistake...my wish..."

Mara looked up at her and smiled sadly, "I should not have listened...you must return princess..." She stepped across the threshold of the door not glancing back, her long black tail swishing as she was transformed into a familiar for all time.
 
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11 PM

It was a chilly spring evening. Oh how I wished I could go home and take a hot cocoa drink in front of the fireplace, but no, I was stuck in the mortal realm. Never did they allow me a minute of rest, never did I get to take a vacation, never as much as a minute of me time. It was only work work work, all day and night, seven days a week, 364 days a year. Though I guess I shouldn't complain, it's only 573 days until I retire, then I can do whatever I want until the day our universe cease to exist, if that ever happens. According to these humans it has already happened hundreds of times for the past hundred years. When would they stop listening to those stupid doomsdaysprophecies?

Another house, another soul. Sometimes I wonder where all those souls go after we release them from this earthly realm. They certainly didn't enter my world, we would have noticed if a million human souls suddenly invaded our home. No, they must go somewhere else. I doubt they just disappear, become nothing, cease to exist. You can't destroy that which already exists. Even if it died it would become something else, like the corpse of a human decaying and becoming part of the ground.

Humans did have their theories of course, reincarnation was probably the most plausible in my opinion. Though that would also suggest that new souls were created at a rapid speed as there wouldn't have been enough souls with their ancestors to make seven billion of them today.

But non of that mattered really. All I could do was speculated, just like the humans did, because I couldn't experience their death for myself, nor could I ask them about it since they didn't seem to know themselves.

The air was heavy. Maybe it was due to today's job. The adults seemed devestated by today's death, even though they had no idea it was coming at this very moment. It was a death that seemed to have been affected for quite some time, maybe there was even a hint of hope that we would miss their home because of the time it took for us to get here.


Peeking in through the window, I saw a fragile little creature lying on the bed, her limbs barely had any meat on them and she breathed with the help of a machine. Maybe they weren't fearing for death to come, but for it not to come. Watching the girl lying there in agony, day in and day out must have taken its toll on those humans. Still, an elderly woman sat beside her bed faithfully, holding the girl's cold hand.

I walked throught the window into the room, which was when I noticed that the old woman was whispering something. I did not know the language, I did not know any human language, wherever I went, their words was incomprehensible, but their actions and emotions were not. She repeated the same phrase over and over, maybe it was a prayer, or a rhyme, maybe she just told the girl that she loved her. Her voice was shaky. Fear perhaps, or just sadness. The tears were all dried up, but you could still spot the remains of them. She must have been sitting here for quite some time.

I put my hand on top of the girl's chest and slowly a white glimmer is drawn out of her. The soul soon sits in my hand as the girl's heart stops. The woman doesn't even seem to notice that she had stopped breathing. She sits there and continues to pray, over and over again. The soul fits perfectly in my hand, a ball of light just big enough for me to hold. If I were to let go, it would fly off and that could cause all kinds of troubles. Once a colleague had accidentally let go of a soul and it had flied right into a coma patient whose soul had already been taken.It created chaos not only for us, but for the humans. Never let go of a soul.

I walk out onto the balcony once again. Opening a portal, I release the soul into it. I have no idea where the portal goes nor what happens to the soul in there. It's not my job to know that. All I know is that if we don't do it, humans would live long past their death and their bodies would decay with their souls inside them. The agony those souls would feel would be unmeasurable. In a way, we saved them, though it was not always apreciated. Some wanted to fight longer, do more, be more, but just because they had the spirit to live, didn't mean they had the body to do so. When their bodies were ready to give in we had to be there, even if I would prefer a vacation and let them rot for a few weeks.

Maybe one day humans would understand how good death is to them, that all we do is to protect them. Though considering the advancements in technology, I wouldn't hold my breath. They were getting older, their bodies could last longer, maybe in a not so distant future, humans wouldn't need our services as often. Maybe then, I could finally have a break, if I don't retire first.