Hi!
I posted a short story of mine to a separate thread and was told I should make a thread for them. So here it is.
Please be mindful of others work. In my experience short stories hold a lot of emotion and personal experiences in them, respect the outcome.
You can hate it, but do it respectfully.
@PsychedelicMind
I made it.
Nice-! I'm actually working on one right now so I'll put it up either tomorrow or Sunday- depends if I'm not too lazy to do it
I'm going to post the swing one here because why not.
The playground is a special place for children. The yellow slides and blue ladders with poles to slide down and metal net’s to climb. These become castles with walls to scale, royalty to save and Monsters to fight. They become Ships on the high seas being tossed in a Violent storm,their colors flapping in the wind and sailors being thrown over the side by huge waves and powerful gusts of wind. They become forests and Caves, Great Mansions and small cottages.
But there is always one playing tool that’s different from the rest, and on this playground that plaything happens to be a swingset, five rubber seats sit suspended by long chains to a thick metal pole, the hinges squeak and the seats are cracked. It stands unused but for one swing. The swing on the very end, as far away from the screams and shouts of the other children, is occupied by one Lucy Collin from Miss.Bennet’s third grade class.
Her bouncing brown curls are kept at bay by a bright blue ribbon, though such a ribbon can only do so much as she flys up and down with the complaining of old hinges. Up, Squeeak, down, Scuur. There she sits her feet moving up and down, propelling her movement through the air. Some days she soars moving high above the ground and plummeting back towards the earth, only to rise up once more. On others she merely sits in the seat scuffing her black shoes against the ground The other children pay her no mind here. It’s just Little Miss Lucy and her swing.
On this particular day, Lucy comes and sits in her seat, the chains jingle happily as she sits and the hinges squeak hello.
“Mr. Swingset, today, today is good.” She says, happily pumping her little feet back and forth, “Let’s touch the clouds today.”
To this the Swing set happily replay’s with a Squeak and Scurr, as two little feet propel them into the sky they go up and plummet back down, the changes happily jangling all the while. When the bell rings the two little feet stop and drag on the ground the Hinges squeak goodbye, and the chains clank sadly as she slips off the seat, waving goodbye to her friend.
The Next day comes and children pour out of the classrooms. The Swingset waits for little Lucy to come running out, The sound of Children laughing begins to fill the air, the vocational screams and cries ring out, one minute, then two. Finally the Long bouncing brown curls are spotted racing from the bathroom, as the small girl races to her favorite plaything, the Chains jingle and the Hinges squeak as Lucy jumps into the worn rubber seat.
“I’m a little late today,” Lucy tells her friend, wiping at her eye’s, “I had to wait in the bathroom until it was safe to come out, you know how Tylor is Mr.Swingset.” The Chains clank together and the Hinges squeak and Scurrr in reply. The little feet swung up and down and she flew through the sky. The Bell rang, they said their goodbyes and the Swingset waited for little Lucy to come back.
As children poured out of classrooms the next day, the Swings waited, and waited. The sounds of playing filled the air, still they waited for little Lucy. After an agonizing wait she was spotted, sprinting for her Friend, tears trickling down her face, laughs following and grabbing at her ears. She collapses into the familiar rubber seat. The chains clank, the hinges squeak, and little Lucy Cries.
“Mr.Swingset why don’t they just go away.” The little black shoes scuff the ground, the hinges squeak and Scurr rhythmically as she sways back and forth, scuffing her shoes. “Mama says to just ignore them, but oh, I wish I could just!” Lucy stops there, letting the Swing talk in it’s own little language, filling the air with simple sounds, Mingles with the soft hiccups and hitched breaths of Lucy crying. The Bell Rings, and Lucy goes, Not returning the Swings goodbye.
Lucy didn’t come out to the playground the next day, the swing waited, ready to fly into the sky, but no Lucy came from the Classroom.
Then the Weekend came, long and lonely, the Swing sat occasionally calling out for the little girl with a little help from the wind.
When Monday arrived Lucy came and sat on the swing, the chains jingled, the hinges squeaked, Lucy said nothing at all. She only pumped her leg’s back and forth, ever so slightly, Her brown curls were missing today, the Swing wondered and asked in it’s own little way, there was no ribbon and there were no bouncing curls.
“They put gum in my hair Mr.Swing Set.” She replied, “Right next to my head, Mom had to chop it all short.”
New voices interrupted then, “Look she even talks to herself, so weird.”
“I Do you have a Mental problem or somethen?”
“Only stupid people talk to something that’s not there.”
How the Swing wanted to lash out at those children as they hurt their Lucy, how they wished the wind would come along to help. But no wind came, and the taunts continued. Wood ships were thrown, words were said. The Bell rang and Lucy slipped from the seat to her knees, the chains Clanked good by, and the hinges squealed and apologized. Lucy walked away.
Ske didn’t talk the next day, then she stopped showing up, a whole week went by, the children came and went, the swing sat unused, the hinges calling out to their friend with every gentle breeze and gust of wind.
Lucy came back again once. The Chains clinked with joy, the Hinges excitedly let out Sqeeak, Scurr. Luct sat on her swing, and scuffed her black shoes, “Goodbye Mr.Swing Set, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.” She whispered, she stood up then, and left her swing. The furthest from the other children, with a cracked rubber seat.
The Swing cried out as she stood, the chains clanking, it all fell on deaf ears, Little Lucy didn’t look back.
Something I spat out a few months ago.
The door stood in front of him menacing and inviting. All the doors he had passed through before were different. They were ornate, often covered in patterns or covered in precious substances. This one was made of plain wood, worn with time, the handle sparkling not from the glow and glitter of gold but by many uses throughout the long years. All the doors before had all had writing near the top. He was never able to learn what they said. This time he was almost certain this one read Curiosity.
He put his handle to the door softly. All the doors before had led him to great things. The first one had led him to his first job, when he was just a boy, when the doors first started to appear to him. The second one had put him in the position to save a wealthy man’s life, and gain all the wealth he could wish for. The third had led him to the loveliest woman he had ever met. His wife. Ever since then, whenever a door appeared, he had gone through immediately, and been more than richly rewarded. He now possessed power and respect beyond all his peers had ever dreamed of. But now he hesitated. For one, something felt different. Something in the door’s magic seemed to pull at him more strongly than the others. But still he hesitated. What more could he gain? What was there beyond the door? Every time he had passed through a door, the world had changed. Rearranging itself around him for his pleasure. He gripped the knob. And began to turn it. All reason left his mind and his eagerness to see what lay beyond gripped him like the jaws of a wolf. An instant, and he was through.
The land ahead of him was barren. At first it seemed like a great desert before him, but reformed into the cool shadows beneath a highway. He froze in horror when he saw the occupants. He spun around, hoping more than he had ever hoped that the door was still behind him. But, like always, it had disappeared. Only for a second did the words on the door sparkle, before fading away as a fierce gust of wind came through the darkness. One of the huddled bunches spoke to another.
“So. Another one.”
The others all turned to him, their eyes full of sympathy. Sympathy and crushing loss. He felt dizzy and fell to his knees. The others murmured something that sounded like understanding. But he felt none of it. He sat on the hard, dirty ground, and began to weep.
That's a sad story Relsey. The description is good. We can feel it.
Thank you!
I really liked yours too, It's just metaphorical enough but still feels like it's own story.
Thanks! I put a twist on a fairytale I heard somewhere once upon a time.
both of your stories are amazing (and i might put up one of mine at some point) but how dare you make me feel real human emotions
aight, i got one done. it's not that good cause i did it in the moment and haven't looked over it but here it is nonetheless. i put a spoiler on it because it could potentially be triggering for some people, so keep that in mind before you click on it. it has to do with mental health and all that jazz. a bit long, sure, but i always tend to go overboard. also, i wrote this out as i listened to windmill by mccafferty, so that'll give you an idea where my head's at right now. idk dudes, i like writing dark shit, leave me alone lol
me @ Lazda as i wrote this:
I feel like I need to read that several more times to fully digest the words, but it is beautifully written .
thanks dude, but please dont read it again lmao it's kind of embarrassing and i lowkey wanna delete it now.
also, i know it's very hard to follow but that's because i put flashbacks between what was happening in the moment-
another thing to note is that, this actually happened, this year actually. But i dont remember much cause it was just one thing after another. if you dont know what a manic episode is then you probably wont get it, but this is basically that. it took me several days to calm down after that.
(Sorry, my English Literature class has gotten to me so I tend to over read and look to deeply into things I apologize) I think it should be hard to fallow.
It feels like a lot when you read it, because it is a lot. But when you're going through an experience like that, it feels like a lot, it's overwhelming and no matter how much time actually passes, it feels all to fast and painfully slow. If it were easy to fallow, you would inevitably lose the raw and real feel it has.
nono, it's okay lmao im just very insecure when it comes to my writing- everything i write is shit to me. but yeah, i guess so, thanks :)
The steel sky loomed high and threatening overhead. A rough wind blew from the coast and you could just feel the tang of the sea in the air.
Alice stumbled along the river, hands in her pockets. It was raining hard, and you couldn’t see further than 5 metres. The sweet smell of damp earth wafted through the air, soothing all the sullen souls roaming these streets by night. All but hers.
She stepped into a deep puddle. Her boot soaked through. She kept walking. Where was she going? She had no idea– all she wanted was to get away. She let the hammering, repetitive sound of the raindrops numb her thoughts and let the penetrating, wet cold numb her pain, and let the forces of nature take her away.
She was headed for the park without even knowing it. Of course, that would be her first instinct: so many firsts had occurred in the innocent surroundings of this child paradise. His first steps, his first laugh, his first soccer goal. She stood still, staring blankly at the deserted play area. Her tears rose to the surface, mingling with the rain. She wept, silent, still, suffering.
The sun was beginning to set. She hadn’t moved, and the tears still flowed freely. She kept trying to stop them and kept breaking further. Her tired legs trembled and caved, and she fell to her knees on the muddy ground. This time, a terrible keening accompanied the crying. She sobbed uncontrollably, chest heaving, images flashing before her eyes: his eyes fluttering shut, his toddler’s hand going limp in hers, the nurses rushing in and dragging her out, the consistent beeping of the machine… the line going flat. The cold rush of shock, the deafening realization, the screaming. She curled up on the cement.
It was irreparable, this grief. It was too big, too overwhelming, too constant for the mind to even comprehend. It was ever-growing, for nothing could replace a loss of this kind. Nothing ever would. This piece of her so suddenly torn away from her, this four-year-old wonder she had brought into the world, had vanished in a heartbeat. And there was no heartbeat anymore, only the rain, and the cold, and the wet, and the broken mother mourning her deceased son.
Passers-by didn’t stop to wonder why this woman was crying. What did it matter? They didn’t know her. She was probably crazy. And so they kept walking, and life went on, and his ended, and hers came to a stop.
Nice last line.
Thanks!
Here's a wip entitled Memories, which I've shared before with people…. Anytime I try to write a short story they always end up being longer than I intend them to be.
Here's a wip entitled Memories, which I've shared before with people…. Anytime I try to write a short story they always end up being longer than I intend them to be.
Commenting is on.
Anyone remember the website Story Wars? I kinda want to make a thread where we all collaborate and what not.
Also, here's something that became part of a story on there.
Luna fled, her legs and adrenaline pushing her through the fangs and claws. Tree branches whipped by her, scraping her face and arms. Blood flowed as tiny rivers over her skin, leaking from her wounds.
"Catch her! She must not reach the river!" Fen's voice rang out. The river was Luna's one hope. If she could get across she knew that the rest of the pack couldn't follow her over the boundary. Pack law prevented pack members from crossing it, for the other side belonged to the Coyotes.
The glassy surface of the river lay just ahead. Luna's lungs burned as she forced herself forward. Wolves howled behind her, angry that she was getting away.
Luna's foot caught in a root, tripping her. A branch tore into her leg, tearing through flesh and muscle. Luna screamed in agony, and yanked her foot free. Blood oozed from her new wound as she struggled to pull herself across the stream. The pack was catching up as she scrambled to her feet, and limped into the water. Her blood stained the water crimson as she collapsed on the other side.
JOURNAL OF STARK TENEBRIS
1 Today I have laid my eyes upon quite a beauty. Her hair was long and brown with a tinge of red. I sadly was not able to see the entirety of what she looks like. I have been told that she is not of noble blood, but she still made my heart quake with something that I have not felt for any other outside of my family. I must find a way to meet her.
2 I dreamed about the girl last night. She was always just out of sight, and I was imagining what she looked like.
3 I have talked to my father, and he has given me the responsibility to be the guide of a family. He told me that the last name of the family that I am to guide into the workings of the kingdom is Renident.
4 I have met the girl. She is even more beautiful than I imagined. She told me that her name is Debilis. I feel sorry for her, for her name means ‘weak’ in a language that does not belong to Middle Earth. I find it ironic that my own name means ‘strong’. Maybe we are meant to be together.
5 I have asked my father for permission to start a romantic partnership with Debilis, and after a heated argument, my mother had talked him into allowing me to court Debilis. Now I am to ask her father if it would be alright. I have no reason to see why he would say no, for I am a prince after all!
Two years later.
6 I have decided that Debilis should be my wife. I’ve asked Mr. and Mrs. Renident if I could have their daughter as my wife, and they have accepted. Obviously, I talked to my own father about this beforehand; he too accepted, and gave me his blessing. This would be the first time that noble blood would be marrying the blood of someone like Debilis.
7 I have already got the ring for the engagement from my grandmother, and have also planned out how I am to propose to Debilis.
8 Debilis accepted to marry me! I have asked my parents if we could have a ball, at which I plan to personally announce my engagement. They do not know that she said yes, but they think that a ball would be wonderful, for we are having some of the Forest Elves as guests.
9 The ball was today. I was introduced to three elves during the ball; Daneris, Urchin, and Tritain (they are only teens, just like Debilis and me). Daneris seems like a lovely person, and so does Urchin. I could sense that they would become very great friends of mine. As for Tritain, she was pleasant when I talked to her, but I saw something dark and malicious in her gaze. I will have inquiries about her for my parents at some point in the near future, but I must be careful.
Debilis’ parents, the guests of the ball, and my parents as well were astounded when Debilis and I announced our engagement. We were given many blessings by the guests, including that of the Forest Elves. I also revealed that there will be an engagement party in a month.
10 Today was the engagement party. Debilis looked stunning in the dress that my mother gave her! Daneris and Urchin gave us a wonderful gift; an Elvish mirror that would allow the user to view those that the user named while in front of it. Tritain gave flowers to us that would never wilt, and would fill the room with the smell that the person smelling them liked the most.
Four months later.
11 Tonight was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. What went wrong? Where did they come from? My wedding reception was interrupted by renegades. They came swiftly, killed the guards, and somehow got to my parents. Our knights managed to drive them off. Right now my parents’ advisors are acting as the rulers over the kingdom. This is wrong! They should be coming to me to ask me what to do; am I not my father’s son? My parents lie wounded in the infirmary, and most of the guests are dead. I will find out who was responsible for this! I am thankful that Debilis is safe! I am also crying for her own loss, for she lost her father during the battle.
A week later.
12 My mother and father are dead; they went into the void last night after fighting through their pain. My father gave me one last order on his deathbed; find out who did this. By Gandalf’s beard, I shall!
13 The wills of my parents were read today. They have left a small fortune to the residents of the kingdom, and have given a small portion of land to Daneris and Urchin. They were amazed by this gift from my parents, but accepted it. My father left his sword to me, and my mother has given Debilis her jewelry.
14 The coronation took place today, and was finished a few hours ago. My first act as King was to order an investigation. One of my knights, Ardis, had asked me what to do. I told him to question all of the surviving guests, and to travel to the surrounding kingdoms to see if anyone had heard anything. He left right away. Another knight, one that my father had knighted himself and trusted, Ardin, has taken it upon herself to round up the other knights. I have ordered her to bring them to me one by one. However, I shall start with her.
15 Ardin is, as to be expected, innocent. Some of the other knights had seen Ardis talking to someone in the dead of night a few nights before my wedding. Now my suspicion is on him, and I will question him when once he returns.
16 Ardis has returned from his investigation and told me that the rulers of another kingdom, one that my parents weren’t allies with, was responsible, but I do not believe him. I told him what I learned while he was away, but he denied the accusations against him. Even though it pains me to do so, I shall have him tortured to get him to tell me the truth, and the identity of whom he had spoken with!
17 I have gotten Ardis to admit that he had let the renegades into the reception. It took 20 lashes onto his back to get him to admit, so I am going to let him heal before I give him more bites of the whip.
18 It seems that Ardis had taken his own life last night, but I have reason to suspect that something more sinister had happened to him.
19 Daneris and Urchin have come to tell me that some of the Forest Elves are missing. I have given an order that the bodies of the renegades be dug up immediately.
My heart grew heavy when Urchin confirmed for me that the bodies of the ‘renegades’ are those of the elves that have gone missing. I have asked them to try to deliver a message for me to the Elven Council. I request an audience with them, here in my castle.
20 The Council has accepted my invitation, and will be here later tonight.
21 That was a surprise that I had not prepared for! Somehow Tritain has gained a seat in the Elven Council, and she is the youngest elf to ever be part of the Council. I have brought it to their attention that the so-called ‘renegades’ that attacked my kingdom were elves. Daneris and Urchin have told them that what I said was the truth. I also made those on the Council aware of Ardis and his demise. After an hour of discussion, Debilis, the Elven Council, my advisors, and I agreed that the one responsible was an elf!
Two weeks later.
22 I have received word from the Elven Council that they have caught the one responsible for attacking my reception. They sent over the statements of several of their kind saying that an elf by the name of Spartain had asked them if they wanted to make a move onto my kingdom. They have also gathered evidence that Spartain and his crew had stolen the weapons that renegades would use from their armory. The Council has decided that they would let me decide what to do about Spartain, and I have decided that I will hold a trail.
23 The trial against Spartain was today. His peers have sentenced him as guilty, and I, being the King, have given the order that Spartain be publicly executed tomorrow at dusk.
24 Spartain was executed for his crimes, and he slowly died at the tip of my sword. I am scared that I enjoyed watching that wretch die slowly! Now my parents and those that died at his hands can rest easy.
25 It has been three years since the wretch known as Spartain was put to death by my own hand. We have had a period of peace since then. My wife woke up and vomited this morning, so I have sent for the royal physician. Debilis has refused to see him though. We, my wife and me, have warrants out for the capture of several of our enemies; such as a witch that calls herself Duvainethgwendes.
26 Debilis has given me news that we are to be parents! We are so happy that we have decided to throw a ball, which we have not done since Spartain’s treachery!
27 The people are happy that we are going to have a ball.
28 Urchin, Daneris, the Elven Council, and our other guests are so happy for my wife and me.
29 Urchin has given the unborn baby a gift; a beautiful sword spear made of mithril. The blade is crafted oddly. I will give it to my child when it is old enough to use the weapon.
30 I have told Daneris and Urchin that they are now as family. They shall be a part of my child’s life, and if anything were to happen to Debilis and myself, they would raise him as their own. Debilis is happy that I have made them part of our family. We welcome them with open hearts, and open arms.
Eight months later.
31 An uninvited guest came to see me and my lovely wife today. This person wore a hooded cloak, and covered her face when she first came. She said that she had a gift to give to the child. A gift that would stay with it for as long as it lived, but she said that the gift would not start to work upon the child until it was the age of ten. She asked if she could lay a hand upon my wife’s stomach. Debilis hesitated at first, and then the woman said that the gift could not go to the child unless she was touching Debilis. Debilis finally allowed the woman to touch her. The child within moved, and she told us that the child was healthy. She started to speak in Elvish, stopped, removed her hand, turned around, and started to walk out.
I asked her what she had done. She turned back to face me. She smiled, and told me that she had given the child a gift that would make it evil every full and new moon after it was ten years of age. I drew my sword, and advanced upon her. She just stood there, smiling as I held the edge of the diamond blade to her throat. I asked her who had sent her. She laughed, and told me something that shook me to the core; that she was sent to deliver a message to me from the one that was truly responsible for the attack that took the lives of my parents, and that the ‘gift’ was her own idea!
I had the woman lower her hood. She was the witch, Duvainethgwendes, whose real identity was Braigdes, one of our advisors! She laughed, and told me that the one that was responsible is on the Elven Council. Debilis stood up, and yelled at Braigdes that she would see to it that she died a very slow, agonizing death. The guards came in, seized Braigdes, and took her to the lower dungeons upon my order. The dungeons that I had them take her to lie beneath the castle that is under the dungeons of my family’s castle. The ‘gift’ that she gave to my heir was no gift, but a curse!
32 Debilis has asked Daneris to lie a curse upon Braigdes that will have her never die. If Daneris does that, then the witch shall live for all eternity, alone in her cell! I fear that Debilis is planning something worse than that. Daneris has told me that the particular curse that Braigdes gave to my unborn child is unremovable, and cannot be altered or the child would die.
A month later.
33 Debilis has given me a son today! He has brought light into our lives during these dark times, and seeing that the name Tenebris means dark, he shall be called Lux, which means light. It is only fitting that he have this name, for his left eye shines a bright blue while his other eye is brown. Tonight we celebrate as a family!
34 I have told Daneris and Urchin what the witch had told me, and warned them to be careful when dealing with the Elven Council. Daneris is now having suspicion grow inside of her. It pains me that I had planted that seed, but it had to be done! The Elven Council can’t be trusted at this time, but Urchin said that they must still obey those on the Council.
Ten years later.
35 Lux became evil today. We had sat with him in his room, and when night time fell upon us his eyes became black. This black is unlike any other black that I have seen. I could see the blackness swirling inside. Lux tried to bite me, but I pulled away, for I saw that his teeth had become sharp and pointed. As I looked back into my son’s eyes something took hold of me, and I just stared into those swirling black vortexes.
My worst fears became a reality before my very eyes. My family lay dead before my feet, the kingdom lay in ruins, and my people were running from something evil. To my horror I saw Tritain at the helm of the siege. I tried to fight her back, but she pierced me through my abdomen. I saw myself fall before her blade, bleeding as I reached out to touch the hand of my wife. I had seen myself and my kingdom die in Lux’s eyes.
(That is part of Lux's backstory. His mom has one too, and then there's Lux's own journal. Waiting for feedback.)