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 […]
Rural Fantasy
by ima erthwitch
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. […]
What are Farkleberries? Or did I just make that up?
If you’ve read First Hunt, you might have noticed the part where Treya is tasked with gathering farkleberries. Are They Real? You might have wondered if such a berry is a real thing, or if I just made it up along with all the other made up things in that story. So there you have […]
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 […]
Rousing the Volcano – Twitter fiction
Rousing the Volcano is a Twitter fiction story by @erthwitch in response to the #vss365 prompt on Twitter by @flashdogs. To find out more about what these hashtag things mean, read my post about Twitter fiction. Rousing the Volcano Why stroke the flames when she could rouse the volcano instead? She’d leave more in […]
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 […]
Full Disclosure
Full Disclosure “Your window is closing,” she said. “Why do you keep telling me that?” he replied. “I said I don’t care.” I have to. Full disclosure, you know. She slipped into thought transfer. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. She sighed. If you have any doubts, now is your last chance to leave. I need […]