From 041606b4795624ea4882a8c03f1412e94a139688 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: nek0 Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 08:24:09 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] new post --- posts/2017-02-14-A-new-short-story.md | 234 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 234 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/2017-02-14-A-new-short-story.md diff --git a/posts/2017-02-14-A-new-short-story.md b/posts/2017-02-14-A-new-short-story.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0229259 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/2017-02-14-A-new-short-story.md @@ -0,0 +1,234 @@ +--- +title: A new short story +author: nek0 +tags: english, writing +description: +--- + +To battle my recent writer's block, I tried different techniques to come up with +stories. One of these techniques, working with [story cubes][sc], gave me +interesting stuff to work with, resulting in the following short story. + +
+"Come, we have to go on"\ +said Ari as he reached out to his younger brother Kfir.\ +Kfir stood up after he had stumbled in the searing hot sand of the +desert.\ +"It's been days. Do you think they still pursue us?"\ +asked Kfir.\ +"I don't know, but I don't want to find out either."\ +his brother responded with a strange look on his face.\ +They were fleeing from the red tower -- the place where they had been +held since their village had been attacked by men with strange dark skin +colour and only barely speaking their tongue. Since then they had never +seen anyone from their village again. They had been kept in hot dungeons +stinking of filth and decay with just barely enough to eat and drink. +Every day, people had been taken away from the dungeon, never to return. +Ari had tricked the guards into opening the door so they could escape +their uncertain fate into the desert.\ +"Ari, I'm thirsty"\ +"Please don't complain. I'm thirsty, too. You know just as well as I, +that one apple is all that we have left."\ +After that Kfir fell silent. He was too tired to argue and about to lose +all hope. For days, he and his brother had been following the stars at +night. Stars which, some of them, they have never seen before.\ +Kfir stumped weakly after his brother through the sand when he suddenly +bumped into him.\ +"Do you hear that?"\ +Ari asked.\ +There was a hissing sound in the distance. They looked up into the blue, +cloudless sky to see where it came from. They saw something falling +down. With a loud thud, it dropped into a dune in the distance. +Curiosity befell Kfir. He began to run to the place where the object was +glimmering in the sand. Ari shouted something, but Kfir didn't listen. +He ran and ran until he reached the small crater in the sand. There it +was. A large, white egg with a visible crack in its shell. Ari arrived +just as Kfir was about to slide down the slope of the crater towards the +egg.\ +"Wait. We don't know what it is."\ +he said, but that didn't stop Kfir.\ +Kfir slid down to the egg and examined it. It was colder than the +surrounding sand with a very smooth surface, which glistened with all +colors of the rainbow. Carefully he knocked on the shell. Suddenly, +there came a loud wailing noise from the egg and Kfir backed off in +surprise. Ari came sliding down the slope.\ +"What was that?"\ +he asked with an alarmed voice.\ +"I think there is something inside the egg."\ +Kfir responded and gave the shell another knock. Another heartbreaking +sound came from it. He dug his fingernails into the crack in the shell +and tried to pry it open but to no avail.\ +"What are you doing? We don't know what's inside. What if it's +hostile?"\ +Ari interjected.\ +"You mean more hostile than this desert?"\ +asked Kfir with bitterness in his voice. He heard his brother breathing +in as if to prepare for a response, but he remained silent in the end. +Instead, Ari kneeled down to the egg and helped Kfir try to open the +egg, but even with their strengths combined, they did not succeed in +prying the egg open. During their attempts the creature inside the egg +kept on wailing, but each time it seemed increasingly faint.\ +Ari stood up while Kfir was still trying to open the egg.\ +"We need a tool to open this."\ +he said and tapped gently on his brother's back.\ +"Look, there are some cliffs over there. If we carry the egg over there, +we can open it with a rock."\ +he continued.\ +Together they picked up the egg. It was still surprisingly chilly and a +lot heavier than it looked. With every shock while carrying the egg the +creature in it let out a small howl and each of these howls stirred a +feeling of compassion in Kfir. He was fighting back his tears by the +time they arrived at the cliffs of red rock. Gently, they lowered the +egg into the sand, grabbed some sharp rocks and hacked at the shell on +the spots already weakened with cracks.\ +"Hold on just a little longer, we're nearly finished"\ +Kfir whispered silently with a soothing voice, unsure whether he tried +to calm himself or the creature inside the egg. They continued until +finally the eggshell broke in half and out of it emerged, with a joyful +purr, a colourful turtle. Its skin was of a dark grey colour, but the +scales on its shell shone in bright colours, each of them in a different +colour. Both brothers sighed with relief, when they heard the turtle's +soft purr. Kfir slowly approached the turtle and carefully caressed its +head. The turtle responded by closing its eyes and purring again.\ +"See? It's not hostile at all"\ +triumphed Kfir with a laugh.\ +The turtle backed off slightly and, with a soft hum, lifted itself in +the air and floated slowly in Ari's direction. It startled to nibble on +the pouch he carried on his belt. Both brothers gasped audibly. They had +never seen anything like this.\ +"Hey! Back off!"\ +shouted Ari after he recovered from his shock, He shoved the turtle +gently from his pouch. The turtle backed off slowly with a growl. Kfir's +stomach rumbled.\ +"I'm hungry, too"\ +"This is all we have left, Kfir. We can't just waste it."\ +"I didn't say to give the turtle the whole apple. We could at least +share it."\ +argued Kfir.\ +Ari sighed and shook his head.\ +"Let's at least go into the shade"\ +he said and went closer to the cliffs. Kfir followed with the turtle.\ +Once they arrived in the shadows of the ragged cliffs Ari took the +shriveled apple out and broke it into pieces. He gave two to his brother +and resorted to eating the smallest one himself. Kfir delightedly chewed +his part of the apple while feeding the other part to the turtle, which +rested purring on his lap.\ +After finishing their meagre meal they remained in the shadow of the +cliffs for the remainder of the day. Kfir spent most of the time +sleeping and the turtle did not leave his side. Ari also found the time +to catch some sleep.\ +As soon as the setting sun touched the horizon a deep rumble shook the +cliffs. The stones began to move and the sand began to shift. Great +black claws emerged from the sand and tried to grab the brothers. They +managed to evade each of the attacks, but could not escape because of +the shaking ground. Ari grabbed Kfir by the waist and tried jumping off +the cliffs. He succeeded to jump down to where the sand had shifted +away, just to see that under the claws waited a giant orifice full of +sharp teeth. Two yellow protruding eyes leered maliciously at the +brothers. The sand was still shifting and dragging them towards their +certain doom, when with a howling sound the turtle came floating down. +The brothers grabbed the turtle by its shell and the turtle started +lifting them out of the danger. Just as they were about to get away, +another claw emerged from the sand and grabbed Ari by the leg.\ +"You go on without me! It can't lift us both!"\ +Ari shouted over the roaring of the shifting sand and rumbling rocks. He +let go of the turtles shell. Kfir reached out. He wanted his brother to +live. He missed Ari's hand by just a small distance.\ +With tears in his eyes Kfir looked back and watched as his brother was +dragged towards the maw. He struggled against the grip of the mighty +black claw holding his leg, but he was mercilessly dragged inside the +orifice of the giant crab and crushed by its mighty mandibles. Without +Ari's weight the turtle increased rapidly in speed and left the place of +horror with Kfir on its back.\ +They flew night and day until Kfir almost couldn't hold on the turtle's +shell any longer when a giant tree appeared on the horizon, its branches +reaching far into the clouds. As they approached he could see houses +built into the boughs and towers and gates on the outermost branches. +Giant birds transporting people and goods on large saddles filled the +air around the tree coming to the gates and leaving in the distance. +Kfir directed the turtle gently towards the nearest gate, where they +landed safely. His legs were weak so he stumbled more than he walked +towards the gate followed by the turtle which floated in midair.\ +Just before before Kfir could cross the gate and enter the city, he +heard a sharp call.\ +"Halt! Who are you and what is your desire in Oulian?"\ +Guards emerged from both sides of the gate. He was too tired and worn +out to respond and broke down on the spot.\ +"bring water and bring him to the palace!"\ +were the last words he heard, before his mind turned blank. + +Kfir woke up in a warm and comfortable bed. He sat up and looked around. +The room he was in was gorgeous. Beautiful paintings covered the walls +and the furniture was of unparalleled craftsmanship. He had been washed +and wore clean clothes with a flowery scent. Beside his bed on a small +table rested a carafe full of water. He immediately grabbed it and +emptied it in no time. He had been thirsty beyond measure. As he stood +up he heard a familiar purring sound. The turtle lay on a cushion beside +his bed and lifted itself in the air as soon as it saw him. Softly the +turtle nudged Kfir and he began caressing its head when suddenly the +door opened and a young woman entered the room.\ +"Thanks to the tree, you are awake."\ +She exclaimed with joy.\ +"Where am I?"\ +Kfir asked. It was not his first time waking up in an unknown room, but +this time it at least seemed a lot nicer than in the red tower.\ +"You are in Oulian Palace, residence of King Bialden. His highness wants +to see you and your turtle. My name, by the way, is Issajana."\ +she answered, opened the door again and beckoned him out of the room.\ +Kfir followed her through the corridors of the palace. They were of +breathtaking beauty. He stopped at a large window for a while and looked +outside. The palace was at the center of the treetop. Outside was a +great bustle with birds flying to and fro carrying all kinds of things +and people. The roads on the large branches of the tree ware also very +lively with merchant stands and people.\ +He followed Issajana deeper into the palace, until they finally entered +a large hall. It was decorated with the finest paintings of the whole +palace and on the floor were excellent rugs. On a platform in the middle +of the room stood a single throne. Soft flute music was playing in the +background. They entered the hall until they stood before the throne. +The king sitting on the throne was a frail old man, looking sickly with +his pale skin.\ +"This is the mysterious foreigner, I presume"\ +said the king with a soft voice.\ +"What is your name, boy?"\ +He asked scrutinizing Kfir.\ +"My name is Kfir, your highness."\ +"Do you know what kind of animal you have as company?"\ +The king inquired further.\ +"It's a floating turtle. I don't know what it's called."\ +Kfir answered. He was surprised about the king's interest in the +animal.\ +"This animal is called a 'Cloud Glider' and is believed to be extinct. +It is said its tears can heal any wound and illness."\ +The king explained with a sigh.\ +"You see, I am very ill and my healers are unable to help me. It is a +strange whim of fate for you and your companion to arrive at the gates +of my city. Would you allow your companion to heal me and receive my +eternal gratitude?"\ +Kfir looked at the turtle and the turtle looked back. It seemed that it +had understood the whole conversation and nodded slightly.\ +"I will allow it, but I have a condition. I want to erect a tombstone +for my brother, who sacrificed his life to save ours."\ +The king didn't need long to consider this offer.\ +"I agree. You will be given a spot on the palace grounds and the +services of my master mason for your tombstone. Your brother's bravery +has to be remembered."\ +As the king finished, the turtle purred softly and floated towards him. +A single teardrop rolled down the turtle's cheek and fell onto the +king's open hand, where it landed as a clear little gem.\ +"I thank you so much. I will have everything arranged for you. Be my +guest in the meantime."\ +said the king, still looking at the little gem in his hand.\ +In the next days Kfir spent time with the king's mason, who made a great +tombstone of marvellous artisanship for Ari. With finally a place to +mourn for his brother, Kfir arranged a symbolic funeral for him.\ +The king grew fond of Kfir in the time he recovered from his illness and +endowed him a small house in his city.\ +As the years went on, Kfir spent time looking for his native village on +the back of his cloud glider he named Anani, but he never found his +village nor the red tower and with the years passing he spent more and +more time in Oulian until the death of king Bialden, who, being +childless his whole life, named Kfir his successor. +
+ +[sc]: https://www.storycubes.com/