16 comments

General

Hazy light filters in through the thick forest trees into the dirt-spotted, westward-facing glass pane. Cracks project shadows on the peeling brown paint of the walls. The heat that stumbles into the small room is gentle, and a black tomcat with specks of gray fur basks in the dying glow. 

Cushions next to the window were once a verdant green, but now their color has faded, softened as time has them worn down. Threads stick out in wayward places, trying to escape the net that holds them trapped together.

Goldenrod pillows that rest atop the cushions blend with the liquid luminescence that streams in on a wayward breeze, making particles dance in the air. Though the pillows look rough and ragged, they are stuffed full of the fluffiest feathers. The smell of the seat is ancient, but comfortable and reminiscent of peaceful summers. Dust is the aroma of wisdom it seems. 

Softly, a wind chime twinkles outside as crickets begin to move their wings together, creeping softly as the night approaches. The wood underneath the ledge beside the window is an expensive mahogany, a little warped, but still a rich brown. It is grainy to the touch, but no splinters poke up to possibly tag skin. A thin layer of dust covers it, and it dulls the shine, once meticulously cared for.

A record player still spins on a table and plays an empty sound, the songs having ended long ago, and the needle slightly raised in finality. The records are around somewhere, but there is no one to look for them...Or to listen.

Hanging plants swing above and around, twisting slightly here and there. Their leaves are large and glossy, adding some vitality to the empty room. Overgrown vines suspend themselves in the air, reaching out in various directions for things just out of their grasp. They add a scent of moist earth, contrasting the dry air of the room.

Then, to the left and right shelves and shelves of pages extend holding knowledge, of all kinds. Slightly molded covers of encyclopedias, fantasies bound in leather, diaries of various known writers with words bleeding ink. All of them containing hopes and dreams expressed through beautiful diction and stylized voice. Though they believed themselves to be superior beings, elevated in their higher knowledge, their contents outlasted their authors, their legacy being the only thing that remains. 

One book lays beside the pillows, facedown on its pages, across from the sleeping cat, purring with content. Its title is faded, the writing practically illegible, but it still waits to be picked back up again. However, it likely never will.

The sky dances as its hues travel through different sections of the color wheel, and little imperfections start to peek through. They don’t provide light so much as reassurance. Really, more as entertainment, just another pretty thing to look at.

The temperature slowly dips over the few short hours. It is still comfortable, but in a different way. The ancient tomcat starts to stir, being pulled from sleep as the sun drags down, like a cigarette refusing to go out.

When it finally hides behind the fullest part of the not too far off flora, the celestial bodies can make their full appearances, brilliant and full against the darkening backdrop.

The moon is the grandest of all the little blips. She provides a different kind of lumination, to provide sight to the creatures needing such. She is the reason the dimmest part of the day isn’t the night. No, it’s the dusk.

As the sun sets, and the moon rises, that is when one should consider themselves the most alone, without a watchful kind eye above. Because monsters come from the dark, right?

The tomcat finally stirs from his spot on the wood and stretches his long limbs, flicking his tail amusedly back and forth. The cool air is a nice contrast to the warm air that stagnated all day, but it isn’t ideal for a nap. There’s work to do anyways.

He leaps off the sill and onto the grass, uncut in gods knows how long. They poke and slink by, a few annoying enough to warrant a wrinkled nose. The soil is damp and sinks into the pads of his paws as he moves along, not bothering to look behind.

The house disappears behind him.

The clicks and clatters of countless critters are audible in crevices in circular radii to the wise feline. He listens to their messages and uses them as a guide to the quickest route to his destination. Sight in the night is only so reliable, and extra intel is always appreciated.

As the brush grows higher, it morphs into monoliths of wood and leaves. While there were once simple trails to help navigate, they have since been overtaken. They weren’t needed anymore and died after their purpose was served.

Though the joints of the tomcat were decrepit, his agility was not, weaving on paths invisible to the eye, but known in his bones. Learnt as a kitten and not to be easily forgotten, he reaches the clearing with relative ease.

Glancing back and forth to ascertain that he was the only predator he finally pads into the open. The heavens are still a deep shade of indigo, so he has time.

Using his tail, he begins to trace circles in the grass. Starting wide and from the edge of the treeless space and working in, like a bullseye. The rings are not palpable, but they are resolute, and to avoid breaking them he jumps inward when he wants to begin anew. 

As he repeats the cycle, again and again, the moon creeps into sight, peeking above the silhouettes of branches like a shy child.

Summoned.

The last circle is fairly large, but not enormous. Just perfect size. Finally finished, Fengari sits down in the center and looks up. His whiskers slightly shift when a small gasp of wind passes him by.

It is a full moon.

July 11, 2020 03:08

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16 comments

נιмму 🤎
18:25 Jul 19, 2020

ONce AAGAin (is my commentary getting annoying? eh i don't care) you take my breath away! you need to win AAGAin!! It's so detailed that it feels so real and jumps off the page, you know? Well of course you know you're the one that wrote this masterpiece lol I just love this take on the prompt, the way you end it, the imagery, everything is perfect. Such a fan of your work :P P.s hope you don't mind me asking but I was wondering if you could check out my new story "promises are broken" It'd mean a lot to hear your feedback

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Raven Quill
01:21 Jul 20, 2020

NO COMMENTARY WILL NEVER BE ANNOYING PLEASE CONTINUE TO FEED MY INFLATED EGO hahahahaa. Thank you so frikin muchhhhhhh!! But yes, my goal was to make it as descriptive as possible because, though plot wise my recent stories have been decent, I felt like my quality of language went down and I needed to feel semi-intellectual. I had the idea of the sun setting being the ending at the start, but then I didn't have enough going on to reach the word count, and I worried that simple descriptions wouldn't be enough, so I'm really glad you apprec...

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נιмму 🤎
05:12 Jul 20, 2020

bro fr I got such a big ego too and just love to brag The beauty in simplicity is always great too also thanks! Lemme know what u think of the story whenever u can ;)

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Courtney Stuart
21:08 Jul 16, 2020

this story was absolutely amazing! your imagery was so vivid and lush - each line was stunning and i could easily picture everything in my mind! i especially loved the ending - very nice! overall, you did such a great job with this, and it was such a unique response to the prompt. excellent writing! :D

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Raven Quill
22:14 Jul 16, 2020

Thank you so much!! This was originally a flash fiction setting piece for school (500 words) that I adapted for this prompt, so I'm glad you liked it! Some how I seem to write about cats more than I mean too haha....

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Deborah Angevin
23:00 Jul 15, 2020

Wow, didn't expect the ending, Raven! :o Would you mind checking my recent story out, "Orange-Coloured Sky?" Thank you!

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Raven Quill
20:12 Jul 16, 2020

Thank you! I struggled to flush it out but I knew the ending I wanted from the start :) I will check it out for sure when I get a spare minute!

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Dustin Softman
08:05 Jul 19, 2020

Lovely imagery, good work!

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Raven Quill
01:13 Jul 20, 2020

Thank you so much!

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Aqsa Malik
10:28 Jul 18, 2020

Hi there :D Anything that has a cat in it I will immediately love. Anything that has a cat throughout it I will love. Anything with a cat as a focal point, I will love forever. You honestly have such a way with writing descriptions-they're always impeccable, truly. Like your metaphors and imagery is just so brilliant, and in this story you really brought all that out. I love how most of this story was description, actually. It didn't need dialogue or the thoughts of someone. It was perfect describing the setting and then subsequent...

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Raven Quill
01:12 Jul 20, 2020

Hiya, I also realized as I was writing this how much I tend to write about cats ^-^'. I also adore them so so so much, but I unfortunately can't have one :(. Thank you so much! This was actually from a thing I wrote in school specifically for setting, so I'm glad that you were really able to enjoy it. I was kind of worried about the lack of action, so I'm relieved that it was enough :) I usually speak using gods in the plural when I talk, but though it was subconscious, I can imagine multiple gods in this world actually. I personally ...

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Aqsa Malik
06:41 Jul 20, 2020

Aw! Why can't you have one? Oh that's super interesting! I also don't believe in a specific entity as I'm agnostic, but yeah, there literally are so many gods that come with so many cultures. Ooh! I've been meaning to read classics but I'm so scared of all the archaic English LOL. How was it?!

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Raven Quill
18:24 Jul 20, 2020

My grandfather lives with me and is "allergic" (his Chilean excuse for disliking cats) :( It's actually interesting! I love the discussions they have, and the characters can be really funny. Plus, I feel like I'm learning so it's nice. War and Peace is on google for free if you decide to take a shot at it :)

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Aqsa Malik
20:37 Jul 20, 2020

Ahaha that's both sad and funny :D maybe you can get one when you're older and stay separate! And yes, I'll definitely get it on my Kindle when I finally get around to it. Thanks!

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Henry Herrera
08:00 Jul 17, 2020

I really love how deep the story was described, the darkness is simply there!!! I hope you could check my story out again! Thank you so much :)

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Raven Quill
00:33 Jul 20, 2020

Thank you so much! Will do :)

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