Eddie’s Words

[Edema Rue she/her]

Hmm…I wrote a scene…not sure how good it is, but I enjoyed it, and hopefully you will too!

Within a Wish:

Spoiler

The boy had been in bed for a full three days. He’d lain, unmoving, eyes shut so that he could almost be sleeping. He was sleeping, he must be, for he still had a pulse. His heart still beat. His chest rose and fell softy. His lips were a pale pink, though they seemed vibrant against his nearly white face, which was, perhaps, made to look more pale by his dark brown hair. Was that…were his eyelids fluttering? No. No, they were still.

There was an older boy was sitting by his bedside, a boy who imagined that he’d seen his brother take a deeper breath, who imagined his brother, his Ryin, had started to awaken. The brother’s foot was tapping, though he wasn’t aware of it. He should have been. The tapping was the only noise in the small room. The brother finally looked away from Ryin. He looked up to the unfamiliar roof. To the unfamiliar rafters. And he wished. He wished for home. For the house he’d helped build, for the smell of their barn, for the smell of bread cooking in the hearth, the sound of his sister’s laughter and his mother’s singing. And he wished for the sound of Ryin’s knife quietly scratching away at some new project. 

He wished powerfully. His wish filled his heart and every part of his soul. His wish was so strong the inn should have collapsed in on itself until it became his home. His wish was the sort of wish that should have made the world right again, just by wishing it.

It didn’t. But as he leaned over to blow out the candle, to give in to the shadows that bled in from the window, a weak cough stopped him. He spun so quickly he dripped hot wax on his leg. It burned, but he didn’t care. Because Ryin’s eyes were open.

“Jae?” His voice was thin and raspy, and Jae scrambled to find a cup of water.

“I’m here, Ry…I’m here. Oh, stars.” He held out the water, suddenly unsure what to do.

Ryin slowly sat up. He looked…tired, which was to be expected, Jae supposed. His hair was damp, and his skin still looked deathly pale. Finally, he reached for the cup of water. Jae started to hand it to him, by the boy’s hand shook and he nearly dropped it, so Jae kept holding it, carefully helping his brother drink. Ryin had always been sickly but this…this was unlike anything that had happened before.

“How long has it been?”

“Three days,” Jae said. “I’m so sorry, Ry, if I’d known this would happen I never would’ve suggested…” Ryin was shaking his head.

“No,” he said firmly. As firmly as he could. He still looked half dead. “No. Jae, you don’t…it isn’t the Wish. It was my fault.”

“What did you do?” Jae demanded, guilt instantly transforming to fury. How dare he. How dare this boy take everything he had loved from him, demand he become something he would never be, then leave him to worry for three days by making a foolish choice in a world of magic? When Ryin didn’t answer, Jae leaned forward, glaring into the boy’s bright eyes.

“I didn’t want to come back,” Ryin whispered.

“What?”

“I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay there forever.”

“You idiot,” Jae scoffed, leaning back. “What’s wrong with you?” Ryin’s lip trembled. “Go ahead and cry about it,” he taunted. “Do it. See if I care.”

Ryin did cry, then. And Jae didn’t care. The tears filled the little boy’s eyes and then spilled down his cheeks, dripping off his chin. He tried to wipe them, but his hands were shaking too badly. “I wish I’d never woken up,” he whispered.

“You’re not the only one,” Jae muttered. “Get over yourself. We’re going home.” A part of him knew he should feel bad, but he didn’t. How could he? The boy deserved to feel some pain. He would apologize once they were safely home and everything was the way it should be.

Another tear dripped down Ryin’s cheek. “It hurts, Jae.”

“Do I look like I care?”

Ryin shook his head. “And that’s what hurts. You’re supposed to care.”

Jae sneered. He felt a pang of something in his heart, but it didn’t matter. He was too tired for this. He’d worked too hard for too long to let a child’s wishes make a fool out of him. “I don’t.”

“I know,” Ryin whispered, lip trembling. “And that’s why I should have stayed.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I Wish…” Jae shoved a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned. “We’re going home, and you don’t get to use some stupid magic to drag me across the world with you again.”

Ryin looked up at him. He looked…terrified. But determined. Jae hated that look. He pressed down harder on Ryin’s face. “No Wishes.”

But Ryin didn’t need his voice to Wish, not any longer. He had been in the Wish itself, and his magic came like breathing. Came like carving. He Wished, and all the dreams he had hidden inside answered his call. Jae flew back against the wall and found himself unable to move. He was powerless against his brother’s Wish.

Ryin looked at Jae. Jae glared, and Ryin started to cry again. But his magic held firm, even as his heart crumbled. Wishes, after all, mean more to the broken than they ever can to the whole. “I found a home, Jae.”

“You have a home, idiot,” Jae snapped. 

Ryin shook his head. “I have a house. I have parents and a brother and a sister but I don’t have a home. But I found one. And I left it for you. I left it for this.”

Jae found himself speechless. “That’s…ridiculous…”

Ryin nodded. “It is. I should have stayed, but I didn’t, and now I can never go back to the only family that's ever really loved me.”

“We love you,” Jae protested half-heartedly.

“You don’t.”

“I…”

Ryin shook his head, pulling his blanket up to his chin. “I saw the way it could be. The way it should be. I saw a world where Mama never got sick, where you never got angry, where I was strong, and our house was full of laughter instead of quiet.”

“I’m not angry,” Jae snapped. Angrily. 

Ryin opened his mouth, looking equally angry, then stopped. He shook his head. “I don’t know why I bother to care about you,” he whispered. “This world doesn’t need me. This world doesn’t care. And it never will.”

Jae blinked. What had happened to his brother? This wasn’t the same foolish boy who had gone into the Wish. This was someone new. Someone…older. Wiser. “What happened to you?” He whispered, still unable to move.

“I found people who care,” Ryin whispered back. “I found a world where I’m not the weakest.” His eyes shone, bright and hopeful. “I found a world where I belong.”

“Then why’d you come back?” Jae asked, genuinely curious. “If it was that much better, why are you back here?”

Ryin looked down. “I didn’t choose to come back. Humans can’t stay in the Wish too long without…bad things happening. And the Wish cared enough to make sure that didn’t happen. It sent me back to this…to this hell because It cared.”

“This isn’t hell,” Jae said. “It’s home.”

Ryin shook his head. “I just came from heaven, Jae. I know exactly where I am.” He looked up, and his eyes, Jae realized in terror, were a deep black. “And I know exactly who made it that way.”

Edited November 24, 2023 by Edema Rue

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

3 minutes ago, Edema Rue said:

Hmm…I wrote a scene…not sure how good it is, but I enjoyed it, and hopefully you will too!

Within a Wish:

  Hide contents

The boy had been in bed for a full three days. He’d lain, unmoving, eyes shut so that he could almost be sleeping. He was sleeping, he must be, for he still had a pulse. His heart still beat. His chest rose and fell softy. His lips were a pale pink, though they seemed vibrant against his nearly white face, which was, perhaps, made to look more pale by his dark brown hair. Was that…were his eyelids fluttering? No. No, they were still.

There was an older boy was sitting by his bedside, a boy who imagined that he’d seen his brother take a deeper breath, who imagined his brother, his Ryin, had started to awaken. The brother’s foot was tapping, though he wasn’t aware of it. He should have been. The tapping was the only noise in the small room. The brother finally looked away from Ryin. He looked up to the unfamiliar roof. To the unfamiliar rafters. And he wished. He wished for home. For the house he’d helped build, for the smell of their barn, for the smell of bread cooking in the hearth, the sound of his sister’s laughter and his mother’s singing. And he wished for the sound of Ryin’s knife quietly scratching away at some new project. 

He wished powerfully. His wish filled his heart and every part of his soul. His wish was so strong the inn should have collapsed in on itself until it became his home. His wish was the sort of wish that should have made the world right again, just by wishing it.

It didn’t. But as he leaned over to blow out the candle, to give in to the shadows that bled in from the window, a weak cough stopped him. He spun so quickly he dripped hot wax on his leg. It burned, but he didn’t care. Because Ryin’s eyes were open.

“Jae?” His voice was thin and raspy, and Jae scrambled to find a cup of water.

“I’m here, Ry…I’m here. Oh, stars.” He held out the water, suddenly unsure what to do.

Ryin slowly sat up. He looked…tired, which was to be expected, Jae supposed. His hair was damp, and his skin still looked deathly pale. Finally, he reached for the cup of water. Jae started to hand it to him, by the boy’s hand shook and he nearly dropped it, so Jae kept holding it, carefully helping his brother drink. Ryin had always been sickly but this…this was unlike anything that had happened before.

“How long has it been?”

“Three days,” Jae said. “I’m so sorry, Ry, if I’d known this would happen I never would’ve suggested…” Ryin was shaking his head.

“No,” he said firmly. As firmly as he could. He still looked half dead. “No. Jae, you don’t…it isn’t the Wish. It was my fault.”

“What did you do?” Jae demanded, guilt instantly transforming to fury. How dare he. How dare this boy take everything he had loved from him, demand he become something he would never be, then leave him to worry for three days by making a foolish choice in a world of magic? When Ryin didn’t answer, Jae leaned forward, glaring into the boy’s bright eyes.

“I didn’t want to come back,” Ryin whispered.

“What?”

“I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay there forever.”

“You idiot,” Jae scoffed, leaning back. “What’s wrong with you?” Ryin’s lip trembled. “Go ahead and cry about it,” he taunted. “Do it. See if I care.”

Ryin did cry, then. And Jae didn’t care. The tears filled the little boy’s eyes and then spilled down his cheeks, dripping off his chin. He tried to wipe them, but his hands were shaking too badly. “I wish I’d never woken up,” he whispered.

“You’re not the only one,” Jae muttered. “Get over yourself. We’re going home.” A part of him knew he should feel bad, but he didn’t. How could he? The boy deserved to feel some pain. He would apologize once they were safely home and everything was the way it should be.

Another tear dripped down Ryin’s cheek. “It hurts, Jae.”

“Do I look like I care?”

Ryin shook his head. “And that’s what hurts. You’re supposed to care.”

Jae sneered. He felt a pang of something in his heart, but it didn’t matter. He was too tired for this. He’d worked too hard for too long to let a child’s wishes make a fool out of him. “I don’t.”

“I know,” Ryin whispered, lip trembling. “And that’s why I should have stayed.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I Wish…” Jae shoved a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned. “We’re going home, and you don’t get to use some stupid magic to drag me across the world with you again.”

Ryin looked up at him. He looked…terrified. But determined. Jae hated that look. He pressed down harder on Ryin’s face. “No Wishes.”

But Ryin didn’t need his voice to Wish, not any longer. He had been in the Wish itself, and his magic came like breathing. Came like carving. He Wished, and all the dreams he had hidden inside answered his call. Jae flew back against the wall and found himself unable to move. He was powerless against his brother’s Wish.

Ryin looked at Jae. Jae glared, and Ryin started to cry again. But his magic held firm, even as his heart crumbled. Wishes, after all, mean more to the broken than they ever can to the whole. “I found a home, Jae.”

“You have a home, idiot,” Jae snapped. 

Ryin shook his head. “I have a house. I have parents and a brother and a sister but I don’t have a home. But I found one. And I left it for you. I left it for this.”

Jae found himself speechless. “That’s…ridiculous…”

Ryin nodded. “It is. I should have stayed, but I didn’t, and now I can never go back to the only family that's ever really loved me.”

“We love you,” Jae protested half-heartedly.

“You don’t.”

“I…”

Ryin shook his head, pulling his blanket up to his chin. “I saw the way it could be. The way it should be. I saw a world where Mama never got sick, where you never got angry, where I was strong, and our house was full of laughter instead of quiet.”

“I’m not angry,” Jae snapped. Angrily. 

Ryin opened his mouth, looking equally angry, then stopped. He shook his head. “I don’t know why I bother to care about you,” he whispered. “This world doesn’t need me. This world doesn’t care. And it never will.”

Jae blinked. What had happened to his brother? This wasn’t the same foolish boy who had gone into the Wish. This was someone new. Someone…older. Wiser. “What happened to you?” He whispered, still unable to move.

“I found people who care,” Ryin whispered back. “I found a world where I’m not the weakest.” His eyes shone, bright and hopeful. “I found a world where I belong.”

“Then why’d you come back?” Jae asked, genuinely curious. “If it was that much better, why are you back here?”

Ryin looked down. “I didn’t choose to come back. Humans can’t stay in the Wish too long without…bad things happening. And the Wish cared enough to make sure that didn’t happen. It sent me back to this…to this hell because It cared.”

“This isn’t hell,” Jae said. “It’s home.”

Ryin shook his head. “I just came from heaven, Jae. I know exactly where I am.” He looked up, and his eyes, Jae realized in terror, were a deep black. “And I know exactly who made it that way.”

*hugs*

It is beautiful Rue and terribly terribly sad 

[Edema Rue she/her]

16 minutes ago, The Wandering Wizard said:

*hugs*

It is beautiful Rue and terribly terribly sad 

Thanks Wiz *hugs back*

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

I've started reading your work from the beginning of this thread, and what I've read is absolutely incredible! Your words have so much emotion written into them, and I find that amazing, as it's something I've never been able to do. The storylines are great and the poetry is both eye-opening and inspiring. I'm awestruck.

 

 Edit: I’ve read pretty much everything now, you’re amazing at writing. And *hugs, many, many hugs*, if you ever need to talk to someone I’m here.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Ookla the foolish

[Edema Rue she/her]

21 hours ago, Ookla the foolish said:

I've started reading your work from the beginning of this thread, and what I've read is absolutely incredible! Your words have so much emotion written into them, and I find that amazing, as it's something I've never been able to do. The storylines are great and the poetry is both eye-opening and inspiring. I'm awestruck.

 

 Edit: I’ve read pretty much everything now, you’re amazing at writing. And *hugs, many, many hugs*, if you ever need to talk to someone I’m here.

Thank you so, so much! *hugs back*

[Edema Rue she/her]

In the Dark:

Spoiler

There’s something enticing about the darkness. There’s a sort of anonymity to it that’s been lost everywhere else. It’s a place to sit and simply be. You don’t need to be happy, don’t need to be sad. You just need to be. It’s comforting. No one can see you. No one even needs to know you’re there.

But if even you can hide so easily…

What else is lurking out there? 

What else is sitting in the darkness, unseen and unknown?

Did you feel that? That warm breath on the back of your neck? Don’t look now, silly. You won’t see anything. After all, what use are your eyes in the darkness? Even once you turn the light on, you won’t see anything. The creatures of the night disappear as quickly as the shadows themselves. But when the light is off again, they creep closer. 

What’s that, touching your leg? Or rather, who? 

The darkness isn’t only for the monsters. Mortals lurk there too. Poor, innocent mortals. They dream of living in the light then spend every moment seeking out shadows. And looking, always looking...what’s that? Did you spot movement behind you?

No, no, of course not. You can’t see anything.

And isn’t that why you love the darkness so? You get to be unseen. You get to be part of a world where there is no seeing at all.

No one is coming, no one can see you, no one has any idea that you are here. Oh, poor child. Stop looking around. You won’t find anything. Mortals never do…

But they’ve already found you. They already know exactly where you are. Do they? How can they? How can anything find you here…no, no, how can anyone find you here? The things, they can find you easily, quickly, it’s nothing new for them. But who will find you? If they attack, who will come for you?

Who will wander this endless dark until, perhaps, they chance to step into a sticky puddle of your drying blood, or trip on your bloated limbs, or rest a hand on the rotted bones that are all that remains of you, you who were once so alive…

Careful, there. I would keep moving. No, not that way. Oh, but you aren’t listening anymore, are you? Or were you ever…is this real? You have no way of knowing, now, do you?

Because what is real, in this darkness? Not those colors you see. Those come from being in darkness for too long. You’re imagining the light, since you’ve lived so long without it. What about that squelching from under your feet? Is that imaginary? Or that smell, faintly metallic? Or the whispers?

The stars are falling…

You have been forgotten…

You are nothing here…

You never were…

They only want to betray you…

They are waiting for you to make a single wrong move…

And when you do…

We will strike.

We will taste your blood.

And it will be sweet.

But that’s absurd. You know that. People don’t want to kill other people. That’s like something out of a story. Betrayal is a thing of the past.

But is it? Is it really?

You can never know, now, can you?

What is hiding in the darkness beside you?

Oh dear. I did tell you not to venture that way, didn’t I?

You can hear the footsteps behind you, can’t you? Or perhaps you’ve already fooled yourself into believing that you’re imagining them, too. You’re very good at that, dear child. At fooling yourself. Not much else, though. Oh, dear me…I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?

I was supposed to let you sit in the darkness and pretend that you are surrounded by others who are just like you. I was supposed to let you believe that there is nothing to fear…but you don’t need me to tell you of your fears, do you? I am simply a narrator, a voice that lives to tell the story you have long kept locked in your mind.

And the mortal took another step. And the human’s eyes were wide and desperate, rolling in a fruitless attempt to see something, anything, anything to remind them that they were real, that the darkness wasn’t going to destroy them.

“A name,” the human muttered. “I have a name. And I have a family and a home and everything I need and the dark is my friend, the dark is not alive, there is nothing in the dark…” But there was something in the darkness. There was a thin laugh, and as the human heard it they trembled and took another breath. 

And once again, I have intruded where I should not…but how can I do anything but laugh?

You know as well as I do.

The dark may scare you,

But it isn’t what you’re really afraid of.

You fear that the creature you have become is no better than the monster that you can feel reaching a clawed hand to grasp at your neck…

The human spun, panicked, breaths coming faster now. A high, tinkling laugh echoed around them, bouncing in so many directions it was impossible to tell the original source. And so the human ran. Humans are good at that. Good at running. But for this human, there was no escape. The thin film of blood deepened into inescapable puddles, until each step was an effort all on its own…and then the human fell, and panicked, searching for air, desperate for a single breath of air…

Your bed is rather comfortable, isn’t it? You can feel it beneath you. That is your bed, isn’t it? Are you sure? Come now, dear child, you need to sleep. Yanking at your hair isn’t helping you any. You don’t need to breathe nearly as often as you are. Oh dear. If you continue on that way, you’ll get blood on your nice white pillow case. You wouldn’t want that, would you?

Biting your tongue doesn’t stop the screams, young one.

Pretending to be unafraid doesn’t make it so, my dear.

Making yourself hurt more doesn’t take away the pain of the lonely darkness.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Child?

That was rather foolish of you, don’t you think…ah, but you never were good at thinking. And I suppose that now you never will be. You get no more chances. No more breathing now.

But, child…what will happen when the morning comes?

They’ll find your body alone in a bed. There was no reason for you to leave their world.

You were, after all, alone in the dark. There were no monsters, no claws, no breath or blood or screams but your own.

Ah, well. Your fear has let you become something better. Thank you for your terror, little human.

Welcome to our chorus.

 

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

5 hours ago, Ookla the Believer said:

In the Dark:

  Hide contents

There’s something enticing about the darkness. There’s a sort of anonymity to it that’s been lost everywhere else. It’s a place to sit and simply be. You don’t need to be happy, don’t need to be sad. You just need to be. It’s comforting. No one can see you. No one even needs to know you’re there.

But if even you can hide so easily…

What else is lurking out there? 

What else is sitting in the darkness, unseen and unknown?

Did you feel that? That warm breath on the back of your neck? Don’t look now, silly. You won’t see anything. After all, what use are your eyes in the darkness? Even once you turn the light on, you won’t see anything. The creatures of the night disappear as quickly as the shadows themselves. But when the light is off again, they creep closer. 

What’s that, touching your leg? Or rather, who? 

The darkness isn’t only for the monsters. Mortals lurk there too. Poor, innocent mortals. They dream of living in the light then spend every moment seeking out shadows. And looking, always looking...what’s that? Did you spot movement behind you?

No, no, of course not. You can’t see anything.

And isn’t that why you love the darkness so? You get to be unseen. You get to be part of a world where there is no seeing at all.

No one is coming, no one can see you, no one has any idea that you are here. Oh, poor child. Stop looking around. You won’t find anything. Mortals never do…

But they’ve already found you. They already know exactly where you are. Do they? How can they? How can anything find you here…no, no, how can anyone find you here? The things, they can find you easily, quickly, it’s nothing new for them. But who will find you? If they attack, who will come for you?

Who will wander this endless dark until, perhaps, they chance to step into a sticky puddle of your drying blood, or trip on your bloated limbs, or rest a hand on the rotted bones that are all that remains of you, you who were once so alive…

Careful, there. I would keep moving. No, not that way. Oh, but you aren’t listening anymore, are you? Or were you ever…is this real? You have no way of knowing, now, do you?

Because what is real, in this darkness? Not those colors you see. Those come from being in darkness for too long. You’re imagining the light, since you’ve lived so long without it. What about that squelching from under your feet? Is that imaginary? Or that smell, faintly metallic? Or the whispers?

The stars are falling…

You have been forgotten…

You are nothing here…

You never were…

They only want to betray you…

They are waiting for you to make a single wrong move…

And when you do…

We will strike.

We will taste your blood.

And it will be sweet.

But that’s absurd. You know that. People don’t want to kill other people. That’s like something out of a story. Betrayal is a thing of the past.

But is it? Is it really?

You can never know, now, can you?

What is hiding in the darkness beside you?

Oh dear. I did tell you not to venture that way, didn’t I?

You can hear the footsteps behind you, can’t you? Or perhaps you’ve already fooled yourself into believing that you’re imagining them, too. You’re very good at that, dear child. At fooling yourself. Not much else, though. Oh, dear me…I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?

I was supposed to let you sit in the darkness and pretend that you are surrounded by others who are just like you. I was supposed to let you believe that there is nothing to fear…but you don’t need me to tell you of your fears, do you? I am simply a narrator, a voice that lives to tell the story you have long kept locked in your mind.

And the mortal took another step. And the human’s eyes were wide and desperate, rolling in a fruitless attempt to see something, anything, anything to remind them that they were real, that the darkness wasn’t going to destroy them.

“A name,” the human muttered. “I have a name. And I have a family and a home and everything I need and the dark is my friend, the dark is not alive, there is nothing in the dark…” But there was something in the darkness. There was a thin laugh, and as the human heard it they trembled and took another breath. 

And once again, I have intruded where I should not…but how can I do anything but laugh?

You know as well as I do.

The dark may scare you,

But it isn’t what you’re really afraid of.

You fear that the creature you have become is no better than the monster that you can feel reaching a clawed hand to grasp at your neck…

The human spun, panicked, breaths coming faster now. A high, tinkling laugh echoed around them, bouncing in so many directions it was impossible to tell the original source. And so the human ran. Humans are good at that. Good at running. But for this human, there was no escape. The thin film of blood deepened into inescapable puddles, until each step was an effort all on its own…and then the human fell, and panicked, searching for air, desperate for a single breath of air…

Your bed is rather comfortable, isn’t it? You can feel it beneath you. That is your bed, isn’t it? Are you sure? Come now, dear child, you need to sleep. Yanking at your hair isn’t helping you any. You don’t need to breathe nearly as often as you are. Oh dear. If you continue on that way, you’ll get blood on your nice white pillow case. You wouldn’t want that, would you?

Biting your tongue doesn’t stop the screams, young one.

Pretending to be unafraid doesn’t make it so, my dear.

Making yourself hurt more doesn’t take away the pain of the lonely darkness.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Child?

That was rather foolish of you, don’t you think…ah, but you never were good at thinking. And I suppose that now you never will be. You get no more chances. No more breathing now.

But, child…what will happen when the morning comes?

They’ll find your body alone in a bed. There was no reason for you to leave their world.

You were, after all, alone in the dark. There were no monsters, no claws, no breath or blood or screams but your own.

Ah, well. Your fear has let you become something better. Thank you for your terror, little human.

Welcome to our chorus.

 

That is creepy and terrifying, but really good.

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

6 hours ago, Ookla the Believer said:

In the Dark:

  Hide contents

There’s something enticing about the darkness. There’s a sort of anonymity to it that’s been lost everywhere else. It’s a place to sit and simply be. You don’t need to be happy, don’t need to be sad. You just need to be. It’s comforting. No one can see you. No one even needs to know you’re there.

But if even you can hide so easily…

What else is lurking out there? 

What else is sitting in the darkness, unseen and unknown?

Did you feel that? That warm breath on the back of your neck? Don’t look now, silly. You won’t see anything. After all, what use are your eyes in the darkness? Even once you turn the light on, you won’t see anything. The creatures of the night disappear as quickly as the shadows themselves. But when the light is off again, they creep closer. 

What’s that, touching your leg? Or rather, who? 

The darkness isn’t only for the monsters. Mortals lurk there too. Poor, innocent mortals. They dream of living in the light then spend every moment seeking out shadows. And looking, always looking...what’s that? Did you spot movement behind you?

No, no, of course not. You can’t see anything.

And isn’t that why you love the darkness so? You get to be unseen. You get to be part of a world where there is no seeing at all.

No one is coming, no one can see you, no one has any idea that you are here. Oh, poor child. Stop looking around. You won’t find anything. Mortals never do…

But they’ve already found you. They already know exactly where you are. Do they? How can they? How can anything find you here…no, no, how can anyone find you here? The things, they can find you easily, quickly, it’s nothing new for them. But who will find you? If they attack, who will come for you?

Who will wander this endless dark until, perhaps, they chance to step into a sticky puddle of your drying blood, or trip on your bloated limbs, or rest a hand on the rotted bones that are all that remains of you, you who were once so alive…

Careful, there. I would keep moving. No, not that way. Oh, but you aren’t listening anymore, are you? Or were you ever…is this real? You have no way of knowing, now, do you?

Because what is real, in this darkness? Not those colors you see. Those come from being in darkness for too long. You’re imagining the light, since you’ve lived so long without it. What about that squelching from under your feet? Is that imaginary? Or that smell, faintly metallic? Or the whispers?

The stars are falling…

You have been forgotten…

You are nothing here…

You never were…

They only want to betray you…

They are waiting for you to make a single wrong move…

And when you do…

We will strike.

We will taste your blood.

And it will be sweet.

But that’s absurd. You know that. People don’t want to kill other people. That’s like something out of a story. Betrayal is a thing of the past.

But is it? Is it really?

You can never know, now, can you?

What is hiding in the darkness beside you?

Oh dear. I did tell you not to venture that way, didn’t I?

You can hear the footsteps behind you, can’t you? Or perhaps you’ve already fooled yourself into believing that you’re imagining them, too. You’re very good at that, dear child. At fooling yourself. Not much else, though. Oh, dear me…I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?

I was supposed to let you sit in the darkness and pretend that you are surrounded by others who are just like you. I was supposed to let you believe that there is nothing to fear…but you don’t need me to tell you of your fears, do you? I am simply a narrator, a voice that lives to tell the story you have long kept locked in your mind.

And the mortal took another step. And the human’s eyes were wide and desperate, rolling in a fruitless attempt to see something, anything, anything to remind them that they were real, that the darkness wasn’t going to destroy them.

“A name,” the human muttered. “I have a name. And I have a family and a home and everything I need and the dark is my friend, the dark is not alive, there is nothing in the dark…” But there was something in the darkness. There was a thin laugh, and as the human heard it they trembled and took another breath. 

And once again, I have intruded where I should not…but how can I do anything but laugh?

You know as well as I do.

The dark may scare you,

But it isn’t what you’re really afraid of.

You fear that the creature you have become is no better than the monster that you can feel reaching a clawed hand to grasp at your neck…

The human spun, panicked, breaths coming faster now. A high, tinkling laugh echoed around them, bouncing in so many directions it was impossible to tell the original source. And so the human ran. Humans are good at that. Good at running. But for this human, there was no escape. The thin film of blood deepened into inescapable puddles, until each step was an effort all on its own…and then the human fell, and panicked, searching for air, desperate for a single breath of air…

Your bed is rather comfortable, isn’t it? You can feel it beneath you. That is your bed, isn’t it? Are you sure? Come now, dear child, you need to sleep. Yanking at your hair isn’t helping you any. You don’t need to breathe nearly as often as you are. Oh dear. If you continue on that way, you’ll get blood on your nice white pillow case. You wouldn’t want that, would you?

Biting your tongue doesn’t stop the screams, young one.

Pretending to be unafraid doesn’t make it so, my dear.

Making yourself hurt more doesn’t take away the pain of the lonely darkness.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Child?

That was rather foolish of you, don’t you think…ah, but you never were good at thinking. And I suppose that now you never will be. You get no more chances. No more breathing now.

But, child…what will happen when the morning comes?

They’ll find your body alone in a bed. There was no reason for you to leave their world.

You were, after all, alone in the dark. There were no monsters, no claws, no breath or blood or screams but your own.

Ah, well. Your fear has let you become something better. Thank you for your terror, little human.

Welcome to our chorus.

 

*hugs*

[Edema Rue she/her]

1 hour ago, Ookla the foolish said:

That is creepy and terrifying, but really good.

Thank you!!

50 minutes ago, Ookla the Raveness said:

*hugs*

*hugs back* I’m okay I promise I just was told to write something creepy about the darkness and paranoia

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

14 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

Thank you!!

*hugs back* I’m okay I promise I just was told to write something creepy about the darkness and paranoia

Still hugging you cuz hugs

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

10 hours ago, Ookla the Believer said:

In the Dark:

  Reveal hidden contents

There’s something enticing about the darkness. There’s a sort of anonymity to it that’s been lost everywhere else. It’s a place to sit and simply be. You don’t need to be happy, don’t need to be sad. You just need to be. It’s comforting. No one can see you. No one even needs to know you’re there.

But if even you can hide so easily…

What else is lurking out there? 

What else is sitting in the darkness, unseen and unknown?

Did you feel that? That warm breath on the back of your neck? Don’t look now, silly. You won’t see anything. After all, what use are your eyes in the darkness? Even once you turn the light on, you won’t see anything. The creatures of the night disappear as quickly as the shadows themselves. But when the light is off again, they creep closer. 

What’s that, touching your leg? Or rather, who? 

The darkness isn’t only for the monsters. Mortals lurk there too. Poor, innocent mortals. They dream of living in the light then spend every moment seeking out shadows. And looking, always looking...what’s that? Did you spot movement behind you?

No, no, of course not. You can’t see anything.

And isn’t that why you love the darkness so? You get to be unseen. You get to be part of a world where there is no seeing at all.

No one is coming, no one can see you, no one has any idea that you are here. Oh, poor child. Stop looking around. You won’t find anything. Mortals never do…

But they’ve already found you. They already know exactly where you are. Do they? How can they? How can anything find you here…no, no, how can anyone find you here? The things, they can find you easily, quickly, it’s nothing new for them. But who will find you? If they attack, who will come for you?

Who will wander this endless dark until, perhaps, they chance to step into a sticky puddle of your drying blood, or trip on your bloated limbs, or rest a hand on the rotted bones that are all that remains of you, you who were once so alive…

Careful, there. I would keep moving. No, not that way. Oh, but you aren’t listening anymore, are you? Or were you ever…is this real? You have no way of knowing, now, do you?

Because what is real, in this darkness? Not those colors you see. Those come from being in darkness for too long. You’re imagining the light, since you’ve lived so long without it. What about that squelching from under your feet? Is that imaginary? Or that smell, faintly metallic? Or the whispers?

The stars are falling…

You have been forgotten…

You are nothing here…

You never were…

They only want to betray you…

They are waiting for you to make a single wrong move…

And when you do…

We will strike.

We will taste your blood.

And it will be sweet.

But that’s absurd. You know that. People don’t want to kill other people. That’s like something out of a story. Betrayal is a thing of the past.

But is it? Is it really?

You can never know, now, can you?

What is hiding in the darkness beside you?

Oh dear. I did tell you not to venture that way, didn’t I?

You can hear the footsteps behind you, can’t you? Or perhaps you’ve already fooled yourself into believing that you’re imagining them, too. You’re very good at that, dear child. At fooling yourself. Not much else, though. Oh, dear me…I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?

I was supposed to let you sit in the darkness and pretend that you are surrounded by others who are just like you. I was supposed to let you believe that there is nothing to fear…but you don’t need me to tell you of your fears, do you? I am simply a narrator, a voice that lives to tell the story you have long kept locked in your mind.

And the mortal took another step. And the human’s eyes were wide and desperate, rolling in a fruitless attempt to see something, anything, anything to remind them that they were real, that the darkness wasn’t going to destroy them.

“A name,” the human muttered. “I have a name. And I have a family and a home and everything I need and the dark is my friend, the dark is not alive, there is nothing in the dark…” But there was something in the darkness. There was a thin laugh, and as the human heard it they trembled and took another breath. 

And once again, I have intruded where I should not…but how can I do anything but laugh?

You know as well as I do.

The dark may scare you,

But it isn’t what you’re really afraid of.

You fear that the creature you have become is no better than the monster that you can feel reaching a clawed hand to grasp at your neck…

The human spun, panicked, breaths coming faster now. A high, tinkling laugh echoed around them, bouncing in so many directions it was impossible to tell the original source. And so the human ran. Humans are good at that. Good at running. But for this human, there was no escape. The thin film of blood deepened into inescapable puddles, until each step was an effort all on its own…and then the human fell, and panicked, searching for air, desperate for a single breath of air…

Your bed is rather comfortable, isn’t it? You can feel it beneath you. That is your bed, isn’t it? Are you sure? Come now, dear child, you need to sleep. Yanking at your hair isn’t helping you any. You don’t need to breathe nearly as often as you are. Oh dear. If you continue on that way, you’ll get blood on your nice white pillow case. You wouldn’t want that, would you?

Biting your tongue doesn’t stop the screams, young one.

Pretending to be unafraid doesn’t make it so, my dear.

Making yourself hurt more doesn’t take away the pain of the lonely darkness.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Child?

That was rather foolish of you, don’t you think…ah, but you never were good at thinking. And I suppose that now you never will be. You get no more chances. No more breathing now.

But, child…what will happen when the morning comes?

They’ll find your body alone in a bed. There was no reason for you to leave their world.

You were, after all, alone in the dark. There were no monsters, no claws, no breath or blood or screams but your own.

Ah, well. Your fear has let you become something better. Thank you for your terror, little human.

Welcome to our chorus.

 

Oh WOW! I love it! (i like creepy things sometimes) Well done!

[Edema Rue she/her]

3 minutes ago, Ookla-The-Stick said:

Oh WOW! I love it! (i like creepy things sometimes) Well done!

Thanks! (hehe I have better creepy things, I'm not super happy with this one but you could look at Blood, Ghost, or Monster if you want better creepiness) (you don't have to, but if you like creepy I promise those are fun heeheeheeeeee)

[Wittles he/him]

16 hours ago, Ookla the Believer said:

In the Dark:

  Hide contents

There’s something enticing about the darkness. There’s a sort of anonymity to it that’s been lost everywhere else. It’s a place to sit and simply be. You don’t need to be happy, don’t need to be sad. You just need to be. It’s comforting. No one can see you. No one even needs to know you’re there.

But if even you can hide so easily…

What else is lurking out there? 

What else is sitting in the darkness, unseen and unknown?

Did you feel that? That warm breath on the back of your neck? Don’t look now, silly. You won’t see anything. After all, what use are your eyes in the darkness? Even once you turn the light on, you won’t see anything. The creatures of the night disappear as quickly as the shadows themselves. But when the light is off again, they creep closer. 

What’s that, touching your leg? Or rather, who? 

The darkness isn’t only for the monsters. Mortals lurk there too. Poor, innocent mortals. They dream of living in the light then spend every moment seeking out shadows. And looking, always looking...what’s that? Did you spot movement behind you?

No, no, of course not. You can’t see anything.

And isn’t that why you love the darkness so? You get to be unseen. You get to be part of a world where there is no seeing at all.

No one is coming, no one can see you, no one has any idea that you are here. Oh, poor child. Stop looking around. You won’t find anything. Mortals never do…

But they’ve already found you. They already know exactly where you are. Do they? How can they? How can anything find you here…no, no, how can anyone find you here? The things, they can find you easily, quickly, it’s nothing new for them. But who will find you? If they attack, who will come for you?

Who will wander this endless dark until, perhaps, they chance to step into a sticky puddle of your drying blood, or trip on your bloated limbs, or rest a hand on the rotted bones that are all that remains of you, you who were once so alive…

Careful, there. I would keep moving. No, not that way. Oh, but you aren’t listening anymore, are you? Or were you ever…is this real? You have no way of knowing, now, do you?

Because what is real, in this darkness? Not those colors you see. Those come from being in darkness for too long. You’re imagining the light, since you’ve lived so long without it. What about that squelching from under your feet? Is that imaginary? Or that smell, faintly metallic? Or the whispers?

The stars are falling…

You have been forgotten…

You are nothing here…

You never were…

They only want to betray you…

They are waiting for you to make a single wrong move…

And when you do…

We will strike.

We will taste your blood.

And it will be sweet.

But that’s absurd. You know that. People don’t want to kill other people. That’s like something out of a story. Betrayal is a thing of the past.

But is it? Is it really?

You can never know, now, can you?

What is hiding in the darkness beside you?

Oh dear. I did tell you not to venture that way, didn’t I?

You can hear the footsteps behind you, can’t you? Or perhaps you’ve already fooled yourself into believing that you’re imagining them, too. You’re very good at that, dear child. At fooling yourself. Not much else, though. Oh, dear me…I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?

I was supposed to let you sit in the darkness and pretend that you are surrounded by others who are just like you. I was supposed to let you believe that there is nothing to fear…but you don’t need me to tell you of your fears, do you? I am simply a narrator, a voice that lives to tell the story you have long kept locked in your mind.

And the mortal took another step. And the human’s eyes were wide and desperate, rolling in a fruitless attempt to see something, anything, anything to remind them that they were real, that the darkness wasn’t going to destroy them.

“A name,” the human muttered. “I have a name. And I have a family and a home and everything I need and the dark is my friend, the dark is not alive, there is nothing in the dark…” But there was something in the darkness. There was a thin laugh, and as the human heard it they trembled and took another breath. 

And once again, I have intruded where I should not…but how can I do anything but laugh?

You know as well as I do.

The dark may scare you,

But it isn’t what you’re really afraid of.

You fear that the creature you have become is no better than the monster that you can feel reaching a clawed hand to grasp at your neck…

The human spun, panicked, breaths coming faster now. A high, tinkling laugh echoed around them, bouncing in so many directions it was impossible to tell the original source. And so the human ran. Humans are good at that. Good at running. But for this human, there was no escape. The thin film of blood deepened into inescapable puddles, until each step was an effort all on its own…and then the human fell, and panicked, searching for air, desperate for a single breath of air…

Your bed is rather comfortable, isn’t it? You can feel it beneath you. That is your bed, isn’t it? Are you sure? Come now, dear child, you need to sleep. Yanking at your hair isn’t helping you any. You don’t need to breathe nearly as often as you are. Oh dear. If you continue on that way, you’ll get blood on your nice white pillow case. You wouldn’t want that, would you?

Biting your tongue doesn’t stop the screams, young one.

Pretending to be unafraid doesn’t make it so, my dear.

Making yourself hurt more doesn’t take away the pain of the lonely darkness.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Child?

That was rather foolish of you, don’t you think…ah, but you never were good at thinking. And I suppose that now you never will be. You get no more chances. No more breathing now.

But, child…what will happen when the morning comes?

They’ll find your body alone in a bed. There was no reason for you to leave their world.

You were, after all, alone in the dark. There were no monsters, no claws, no breath or blood or screams but your own.

Ah, well. Your fear has let you become something better. Thank you for your terror, little human.

Welcome to our chorus.

 

Okay. WOW. That was nice and spooky and also just such a cool idea and I love it. I should start reading your things more consistently, cuz you're genuinely amazing at writing 

[Edema Rue she/her]

5 minutes ago, Ookla the Witless said:

Okay. WOW. That was nice and spooky and also just such a cool idea and I love it. I should start reading your things more consistently, cuz you're genuinely amazing at writing 

Ah, thank you so much!! I like words 

[Edema Rue she/her]

Look:

Spoiler

Look up, boy,

Look up.

Look up and see.

Look up and see all that you are.

Look up and see all that you are not.

Look up and see the pain.

Look up and see.

Look up and care.

Look up. 

 

Are you smiling to hide a breaking heart?

Is that what your jokes are?

Is your cruelty there so that no one can hurt you?

We don’t want to hurt you.

We never have.

Does your heart ache with loneliness, and so you laugh to cover the pain?

You don’t have to be lonely.

I'm right here. 

There was a time when I would have followed you off the edge of the world.

There was a time when I would have followed you anywhere for just a moment your love.

That time is gone.

 

Look up.

Is it selfish to wish for you to care?

Yes.

Yes, it surely is.

 

I wish it anyway.

 

Look up.

Can you see me?

Can you hear me?

Can you care for me?

 

I have nothing to offer you.

You have everything, after all.

There is nothing I could possibly give you.

But you could give me everything.

If you’d only look up.

If you’d only care.

I already see you.

I already care.

If you will only do the same, I will fight by your side until it kills me.

 

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

You aren’t the only one who laughs to cover a breaking heart. 

If a single tear falls, they will come like sharks to blood.

Sharks…

Wolves…

Monsters.

I never thought that you’d be one of them. 

I thought you’d be the one to wipe away my tears,

Not the one mocking me because I can’t hold them in any longer.

I thought you’d wield a sword of vengeance against any who dared even think of hurting me.

Not the one handing them their daggers with glee.

 

Tell me what you want.

Tell me what I’m doing wrong.

I’ll do anything.

I’ll do everything.

 

I don’t need another monster.

I need my brother.

 

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

47 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

Look:

  Hide contents

Look up, boy,

Look up.

Look up and see.

Look up and see all that you are.

Look up and see all that you are not.

Look up and see the pain.

Look up and see.

Look up and care.

Look up. 

 

Are you smiling to hide a breaking heart?

Is that what your jokes are?

Is your cruelty there so that no one can hurt you?

We don’t want to hurt you.

We never have.

Does your heart ache with loneliness, and so you laugh to cover the pain?

You don’t have to be lonely.

I'm right here. 

There was a time when I would have followed you off the edge of the world.

There was a time when I would have followed you anywhere for just a moment your love.

That time is gone.

 

Look up.

Is it selfish to wish for you to care?

Yes.

Yes, it surely is.

 

I wish it anyway.

 

Look up.

Can you see me?

Can you hear me?

Can you care for me?

 

I have nothing to offer you.

You have everything, after all.

There is nothing I could possibly give you.

But you could give me everything.

If you’d only look up.

If you’d only care.

I already see you.

I already care.

If you will only do the same, I will fight by your side until it kills me.

 

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

You aren’t the only one who laughs to cover a breaking heart. 

If a single tear falls, they will come like sharks to blood.

Sharks…

Wolves…

Monsters.

I never thought that you’d be one of them. 

I thought you’d be the one to wipe away my tears,

Not the one mocking me because I can’t hold them in any longer.

I thought you’d wield a sword of vengeance against any who dared even think of hurting me.

Not the one handing them their daggers with glee.

 

Tell me what you want.

Tell me what I’m doing wrong.

I’ll do anything.

I’ll do everything.

 

I don’t need another monster.

I need my brother.

 

*hugs just hugs*

[TheRavenHasLanded he/him]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Believer said:

Look:

  Hide contents

Look up, boy,

Look up.

Look up and see.

Look up and see all that you are.

Look up and see all that you are not.

Look up and see the pain.

Look up and see.

Look up and care.

Look up. 

 

Are you smiling to hide a breaking heart?

Is that what your jokes are?

Is your cruelty there so that no one can hurt you?

We don’t want to hurt you.

We never have.

Does your heart ache with loneliness, and so you laugh to cover the pain?

You don’t have to be lonely.

I'm right here. 

There was a time when I would have followed you off the edge of the world.

There was a time when I would have followed you anywhere for just a moment your love.

That time is gone.

 

Look up.

Is it selfish to wish for you to care?

Yes.

Yes, it surely is.

 

I wish it anyway.

 

Look up.

Can you see me?

Can you hear me?

Can you care for me?

 

I have nothing to offer you.

You have everything, after all.

There is nothing I could possibly give you.

But you could give me everything.

If you’d only look up.

If you’d only care.

I already see you.

I already care.

If you will only do the same, I will fight by your side until it kills me.

 

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

You aren’t the only one who laughs to cover a breaking heart. 

If a single tear falls, they will come like sharks to blood.

Sharks…

Wolves…

Monsters.

I never thought that you’d be one of them. 

I thought you’d be the one to wipe away my tears,

Not the one mocking me because I can’t hold them in any longer.

I thought you’d wield a sword of vengeance against any who dared even think of hurting me.

Not the one handing them their daggers with glee.

 

Tell me what you want.

Tell me what I’m doing wrong.

I’ll do anything.

I’ll do everything.

 

I don’t need another monster.

I need my brother.

 

wow... im sorry

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Believer said:

Look:

  Reveal hidden contents

Look up, boy,

Look up.

Look up and see.

Look up and see all that you are.

Look up and see all that you are not.

Look up and see the pain.

Look up and see.

Look up and care.

Look up. 

 

Are you smiling to hide a breaking heart?

Is that what your jokes are?

Is your cruelty there so that no one can hurt you?

We don’t want to hurt you.

We never have.

Does your heart ache with loneliness, and so you laugh to cover the pain?

You don’t have to be lonely.

I'm right here. 

There was a time when I would have followed you off the edge of the world.

There was a time when I would have followed you anywhere for just a moment your love.

That time is gone.

 

Look up.

Is it selfish to wish for you to care?

Yes.

Yes, it surely is.

 

I wish it anyway.

 

Look up.

Can you see me?

Can you hear me?

Can you care for me?

 

I have nothing to offer you.

You have everything, after all.

There is nothing I could possibly give you.

But you could give me everything.

If you’d only look up.

If you’d only care.

I already see you.

I already care.

If you will only do the same, I will fight by your side until it kills me.

 

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

You aren’t the only one who laughs to cover a breaking heart. 

If a single tear falls, they will come like sharks to blood.

Sharks…

Wolves…

Monsters.

I never thought that you’d be one of them. 

I thought you’d be the one to wipe away my tears,

Not the one mocking me because I can’t hold them in any longer.

I thought you’d wield a sword of vengeance against any who dared even think of hurting me.

Not the one handing them their daggers with glee.

 

Tell me what you want.

Tell me what I’m doing wrong.

I’ll do anything.

I’ll do everything.

 

I don’t need another monster.

I need my brother.

 

*hugs*
It’s beautiful, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry though.

[Edema Rue she/her]

3 hours ago, Ookla the Raveness said:

*hugs just hugs*

2 hours ago, Ookla of Ravens said:

wow... im sorry

2 hours ago, Ookla the foolish said:

*hugs*
It’s beautiful, I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry though.

*hugs all back*

Sorry, it was a...it was a day. And then I started writing, and...that happened.

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla the Believer said:

*hugs all back*

Sorry, it was a...it was a day. And then I started writing, and...that happened.

No need to apologize, you have wonderful words  and I am always willing to listen to you dear sister, always. 

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

6 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

*hugs all back*

Sorry, it was a...it was a day. And then I started writing, and...that happened.

It happens, you need to express yourself somehow, and here is a place where people can understand and support you. No need to apologize.

[Edema Rue she/her]

After:

Spoiler

After:

The lights come down,

As the cast runs offstage.

The curtains slide shut,

On a chapter of a life.

The applause fades to nothing,

Like a forgotten promise.

 

Daily rehearsals are exhausting;

Daily performances are worse.

There are weeks with no sleep,

Weeks where grades crumble,

Weeks subsisting on caffeine,

Weeks filled with lines,

Dancing,

Singing.

 

The cast needs to rest;

The techs are more than done.

The director is tired,

The stage manager too.

 

But when the show is over,

Where is there to go?

Peeking out between the curtains,

At the empty house,

Something has ended. 

And it’s never coming back.

 

When there are no more rehearsals, 

It takes several eternities

Just to get through the day.

When there are no more performances,

It takes more caffeine

Just to live without the rush.

When there is no more cast,

It takes hours weeping

Just to realize it’s over.

 

And when it’s over,

What can come after?

 

 

Like heavy snows that follow falling leaves,

Like the bright new flowers that follow endless cold,

Like the raging heat that follows months of rain,

Like the blanket of color that follows the burning,

Something must come after.

Something must follow.

Something must continue the cycle.

Something new; something familiar.

Something unexpected; something planned.

Something raucous; something peaceful.

 

Something to fill the void

That comes

With every ending.

And all things have an ending;

So all things must be followed.

 

Something is coming after;

So let the curtains fall.

 

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

26 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

After:

  Hide contents

After:

The lights come down,

As the cast runs offstage.

The curtains slide shut,

On a chapter of a life.

The applause fades to nothing,

Like a forgotten promise.

 

Daily rehearsals are exhausting;

Daily performances are worse.

There are weeks with no sleep,

Weeks where grades crumble,

Weeks subsisting on caffeine,

Weeks filled with lines,

Dancing,

Singing.

 

The cast needs to rest;

The techs are more than done.

The director is tired,

The stage manager too.

 

But when the show is over,

Where is there to go?

Peeking out between the curtains,

At the empty house,

Something has ended. 

And it’s never coming back.

 

When there are no more rehearsals, 

It takes several eternities

Just to get through the day.

When there are no more performances,

It takes more caffeine

Just to live without the rush.

When there is no more cast,

It takes hours weeping

Just to realize it’s over.

 

And when it’s over,

What can come after?

 

 

Like heavy snows that follow falling leaves,

Like the bright new flowers that follow endless cold,

Like the raging heat that follows months of rain,

Like the blanket of color that follows the burning,

Something must come after.

Something must follow.

Something must continue the cycle.

Something new; something familiar.

Something unexpected; something planned.

Something raucous; something peaceful.

 

Something to fill the void

That comes

With every ending.

And all things have an ending;

So all things must be followed.

 

Something is coming after;

So let the curtains fall.

 

It's beautiful Eddie and I hope what comes is wonderful  

[Weaver of Lies he/him]

32 minutes ago, Ookla the Believer said:

After:

  Hide contents

After:

The lights come down,

As the cast runs offstage.

The curtains slide shut,

On a chapter of a life.

The applause fades to nothing,

Like a forgotten promise.

 

Daily rehearsals are exhausting;

Daily performances are worse.

There are weeks with no sleep,

Weeks where grades crumble,

Weeks subsisting on caffeine,

Weeks filled with lines,

Dancing,

Singing.

 

The cast needs to rest;

The techs are more than done.

The director is tired,

The stage manager too.

 

But when the show is over,

Where is there to go?

Peeking out between the curtains,

At the empty house,

Something has ended. 

And it’s never coming back.

 

When there are no more rehearsals, 

It takes several eternities

Just to get through the day.

When there are no more performances,

It takes more caffeine

Just to live without the rush.

When there is no more cast,

It takes hours weeping

Just to realize it’s over.

 

And when it’s over,

What can come after?

 

 

Like heavy snows that follow falling leaves,

Like the bright new flowers that follow endless cold,

Like the raging heat that follows months of rain,

Like the blanket of color that follows the burning,

Something must come after.

Something must follow.

Something must continue the cycle.

Something new; something familiar.

Something unexpected; something planned.

Something raucous; something peaceful.

 

Something to fill the void

That comes

With every ending.

And all things have an ending;

So all things must be followed.

 

Something is coming after;

So let the curtains fall.

 

That is amazing Eddie! I don’t know what else to say, it captures life really well.

[Edema Rue she/her]

I think...this might count as some of my creepy writing. I might write more with it, sorry if the ending feels unsatisfying, it's the way it is because I'm hoping to add to it. Anyway...enjoy, as always thoughts, feedback, and psychiatrist recommendations are more than welcome  

Dancer:

Spoiler

Dance:

The girl spun.

She twirled.

She was maddeningly beautiful, every motion precise and delicate and exactly as it should be.

She whirled, alone in a spotlight.

That, at least, was how she looked from a distance. The boy watching was entranced. He stood in the dark, and to him she was light incarnate. The sequins on her dress looked like diamonds, her hair like the nectar of the gods, her eyes like…like something, the boy was sure, only he didn’t know what to compare them too; there was nothing in the realm of mortals that could even come close to matching them.

He stumbled towards her, and after a few steps he noticed something. A set of strings. This…this girl, this angel, this goddess…was a puppet? Every movement suddenly seemed staged, artificial. He started to turn away, to disappear back into the darkness, but her eyes. They were too alive for any sort of doll.

And so the boy took another step.

And the girl danced on. 

And then the boy saw the needles. Razor sharp. So tiny it took him a moment to realize what he was watching. They glistened dangerously, and they danced with the girl. So that was it. The strings were pulling her away from the needles, keeping her safe. She was being controlled, but that was okay, because controlled was better than dead.

Only, as the boy came closer, he saw that that wasn’t right, either. The girl was fighting the strings. Her perfect hands were faintly purple, she was pulling so hard against them. Blood dripped from her wrists where they cut into her skin. She was smiling, but her beautiful eyes were wide and afraid. And there were tears dripping from her chin. He watched, awed, as one pooled, then flew outward as she leapt into the air over a needle that had been ready to dig into her calf. The tear looked like a shooting star.

The strings raised into the air with the girl, though it was clear they hadn’t caused the jump. They caught her, though. Just before the girl’s pointed toe touched the floor, the strings tightened even more around her wrists. She didn’t react. Didn’t even pause in her dance. She spun upwards, twisting herself through the strings in a knot so complicated the boy feared she would be trapped in the tangle of glistening silver, but all at once she spun and was back on the ground.

The boy, now only a few feet outside her circle of light, suddenly heard a tune. It wasn’t as though the music had just started; it was more like it had always been there, in the back of his mind, and he was only now becoming aware of it. He couldn’t quite place the instrument; it was higher than any violin he’d ever heard, and yet more resonant than a cello, and in a moment it was deeper than one, too. The melody was fast, but surrounded by harmonies it sounded as though each note lasted an eternity. It twisted in his mind, wrapping itself around him until he wanted to look away from the dancer to check if there were strings tied around his own wrists.

But he couldn’t look away. Another tear flew off the girl’s face, and he felt one of his own fall softly to the floor. He tried to blink it away, but he couldn't stand to miss a single moment of her dance. 

She strained against her strings, dodging every poisoned needle that dared try to dig into her flawless skin. She tried to look down, but another string, one the boy hadn’t noticed until now, yanked her head up. She added the motion into her dance, following her head into the air and flipping backwards. 

And then she saw the boy. She stared into his eyes, pausing for just a hundredth of a second…but the magic did not pause with her. The strings wrenched her to the side, and a needle flew into the center of her back. She arched forward, convulsing violently, and another flew and stuck into her temple. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and the music echoed the noise she could not make.

The boy stumbled back, gasping. 

The dancer still watched him.

But she was not dancing any longer.

A morbidly beautiful pink foam seeped from her open mouth, dripping with the tears that were no longer flying stars but falling rain.

She struggled for a moment longer, but everything about her had…dulled. Even her dress seemed less like a diamond and more like a melodramatic costume. Blood dripped down her pale skin, down her cheek, down her back, down her wrists and her neck.

The boy stumbled back further, desperate to get away. Finally he turned and ran headfirst into the darkness, not caring what he would find there.

Behind him, he thought he heard laughter.

But when he turned to look, he saw only the girl, hanging limp from her strings, her eyes closed.

The laughter only grew louder.