Going in Circles The third time in passing, there was no doubt. I recognized that tree. A slab of scaly bark, one end snapped clean, curled away from the trunk. On our second pass I’d taken the missing piece. I fished it out of my pocket for Misa. “This is no use. We’re getting […]
Rural Fantasy
by ima erthwitch
Ice Snakes
Ice snakes Amy ordered ice cleats the other day. We laughed about that. She never goes outside. Not even in winter because there might be snakes. Ice snakes come out in winter. They hide under the snow and you can’t see them at all until all you see are the little glassy red eyes. By […]
Savor
The burn crept higher, rising from her root. Her throat reddened. Savvy dinner guests would have noticed. Depending on the energetic pattern her gift took today, it would either give or take life. Heal or kill. So today was a taking day. Soon, she knew, the tremors would start. And once she crossed the threshold, […]
Silence
There was nothing. Not a sound or even a waggling leaf in a slight breeze. Barely two weeks ago, I’d spoken to her, right here in this spot. And now? Even the acorns refused to speak. Ordinarily they were the loudest of all the forest, but I could never tell if it were the […]
Grapevine
If I had given more thought to the matter, to the infrastructure of this … arrangement … I might have avoided my current predicament. The insidious creep disguised himself in the seductive beauty of light and form. Then began the slow displacing of my own welfare, exchanged for the needs of another. It seemed symbiotic initially. […]
At the Gate
I realize what I’m telling you is hard to believe. But it all came together last night, while I was closing the gate, telling the trees goodbye. Everything made perfect sense. Not that I like it, you know, but it fits. The land is sentient. It knows. It plans. It executes. That’s the scary part. […]
The Choice
The Choice “There can only be one … One what?” I asked. “One bond,” she said. Her voice and that of the creek were difficult to distinguish, but I heard her clearly all the same. The implications of what she meant seeped into and stilled my heart, leaving nothing but her words echoing in my […]
Sapphire Rhapsody
Sapphire Rhapsody She rolled the pink sapphire from hand to hand, gauging the weight. Placing it to her lips, she inhaled slowly. A few stray ions lingered. Good. She placed the stone into her mouth on her tongue, avoiding her teeth. Touching them would have grounded the little energy she’d managed to siphon off. Raising […]
Live or Die
Live or Die She sighed. He waited. Over the hill, the sun rose beneath storm clouds. Soon the horizon would light up bright red and pink. “I don’t know if I can live with myself like this,” she said, finally. He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t protest her statement. There was nothing he […]
Duty
Duty “What are your priorities?” She asked me and continued her task without waiting for an answer. My wrists jerked when she cinched the saddle. I winced. This would be an uncomfortable ride. “Hindsight isn’t very useful from that positon, is it?” she said, more as a statement than a question. Apparently, she thought I […]