Souls - Chapter 3: Ethereal Signs
Apr. 7th, 2017 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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saladloveThe perfect song is framed with silence.
It speaks of places never seen.
Your home's a promise long forgotten.
It is the birthplace of your memes.
The search for watermelons was fruitless.
The sun now headed back towards the horizon, and she at in the middle of the clearing where a few blades of soft grass struggled to grow. Well into the afternoon, she had pondered about the mysterious scar on her right arm. The wounds had long since closed and healed, and upon further inspection of her clothes while at the stream, she became aware that her jeans and the back of her shirt were torn by the same claws that gave her the scar. She had been so enraptured by the newfound beauty around her that she had even looked over such important details. Now her fascination became replaced by morbid curiosity.
With these new pieces of the puzzle, when she returned to the clearing coming from the stream, she investigated the area for any clues to what could have happened that caused her to lose her memory. There were no claw marks or footprints.
No signs of any struggle.
Frustrated, she sat down in the center of the clearing. By then, the sun was about to sink back into the trees again. She started feeling hungry by then too, but when she asked the trees again for food, they dropped her none. She remembered the other half of the fruit stashed away in her den, but when she checked for it, bugs scattered aimlessly across its surface. She carefully picked it up by the rind and toss into the forest.
Disappointed and hungry, she decided to distract herself from hunger by silently brooding in the fading rays of the sun. Boredom seeped in as she watched the lights dancing on the forest floor, all the while, questions ravaged her every being.
She looked up into the canopy one last time as if it would give her more answers. The leaves just swayed in response.
She rolled up her sleeve to look at the scar on her right arm once again. The crimson mark burned her interior with curiosity. How did she get it?
Just another unanswered mystery. She kicked a rock, and the utter hopelessness she felt in that moment sparked another emotion within her. She felt lonely.
In total resignation, she leaned back to the ground to stare at the leaves shielding the growing dusk sky.
“Who am I?” she asked, defeated. She didn’t expect a response, but then a familiar scent wafted throughout the clearing. Smoke.
She sat up abruptly and looked around, then she got up and ran back to where she could see the open sky. Just like the day before, right after the sun had fully disappeared below the forest, smoke billowed higher and higher into the sky.
A small burst of excitement rose in her chest. There was the smoke again! A sudden urge told her to investigate.
She looked into the dense forest and hesitated. As night grew, the floor became darker and darker. What lurked inside intimidated her, but how else could she investigate the smoke?
Again, trees were the answer.
She turned around to the nearest tree. The lowest branch stooped down a few feet above her head. At first, she tried reaching it by jumping, but when that didn’t work, she tried scaling the trunk. The bark of the tree was smooth not allowing her to grip it well, but nevertheless, she made her way up. When she reached the lowest branch, she gasped for air. Looking up, the next few branches were not high up, and when she’d get there, the branches would be close enough for her to grab and lift herself up.
She climbed higher and higher. The thrill of adventure coursed through her veins. She ended up being very surprised at herself when she finally stopped. Looking down made her dizzy. The ground lie several yards below. Carefully holding onto surrounding branches, she turned around to see the view of the sky. Though she hadn’t broken the canopy, the tree was positioned in such a way that a parting of leaves pierced through the trees, and she could see well above the lower half of the forest. The sun now fully submerged itself below the horizon leaving behind streaks of gold. The smoke in the distance dispersed into the blue parts of the sky, and it left her with a strange feeling. Since she had woken up, she had wondered if she was the only person in the forest. Now enraptured in the thought that maybe she wasn’t alone, the sunset appeared brighter and as gorgeous as ever. She forgot about her gnawing hunger and about her scar. All of the mysteries of the ominous world around her melted into the ethereal sky.
As she watched the sun set and the smoke disappear, she became aware of the ground below growing darker. She didn’t mind. Her eyes rested on the shrinking sky until she closed her eyes.
It speaks of places never seen.
Your home's a promise long forgotten.
It is the birthplace of your memes.
The search for watermelons was fruitless.
The sun now headed back towards the horizon, and she at in the middle of the clearing where a few blades of soft grass struggled to grow. Well into the afternoon, she had pondered about the mysterious scar on her right arm. The wounds had long since closed and healed, and upon further inspection of her clothes while at the stream, she became aware that her jeans and the back of her shirt were torn by the same claws that gave her the scar. She had been so enraptured by the newfound beauty around her that she had even looked over such important details. Now her fascination became replaced by morbid curiosity.
With these new pieces of the puzzle, when she returned to the clearing coming from the stream, she investigated the area for any clues to what could have happened that caused her to lose her memory. There were no claw marks or footprints.
No signs of any struggle.
Frustrated, she sat down in the center of the clearing. By then, the sun was about to sink back into the trees again. She started feeling hungry by then too, but when she asked the trees again for food, they dropped her none. She remembered the other half of the fruit stashed away in her den, but when she checked for it, bugs scattered aimlessly across its surface. She carefully picked it up by the rind and toss into the forest.
Disappointed and hungry, she decided to distract herself from hunger by silently brooding in the fading rays of the sun. Boredom seeped in as she watched the lights dancing on the forest floor, all the while, questions ravaged her every being.
She looked up into the canopy one last time as if it would give her more answers. The leaves just swayed in response.
She rolled up her sleeve to look at the scar on her right arm once again. The crimson mark burned her interior with curiosity. How did she get it?
Just another unanswered mystery. She kicked a rock, and the utter hopelessness she felt in that moment sparked another emotion within her. She felt lonely.
In total resignation, she leaned back to the ground to stare at the leaves shielding the growing dusk sky.
“Who am I?” she asked, defeated. She didn’t expect a response, but then a familiar scent wafted throughout the clearing. Smoke.
She sat up abruptly and looked around, then she got up and ran back to where she could see the open sky. Just like the day before, right after the sun had fully disappeared below the forest, smoke billowed higher and higher into the sky.
A small burst of excitement rose in her chest. There was the smoke again! A sudden urge told her to investigate.
She looked into the dense forest and hesitated. As night grew, the floor became darker and darker. What lurked inside intimidated her, but how else could she investigate the smoke?
Again, trees were the answer.
She turned around to the nearest tree. The lowest branch stooped down a few feet above her head. At first, she tried reaching it by jumping, but when that didn’t work, she tried scaling the trunk. The bark of the tree was smooth not allowing her to grip it well, but nevertheless, she made her way up. When she reached the lowest branch, she gasped for air. Looking up, the next few branches were not high up, and when she’d get there, the branches would be close enough for her to grab and lift herself up.
She climbed higher and higher. The thrill of adventure coursed through her veins. She ended up being very surprised at herself when she finally stopped. Looking down made her dizzy. The ground lie several yards below. Carefully holding onto surrounding branches, she turned around to see the view of the sky. Though she hadn’t broken the canopy, the tree was positioned in such a way that a parting of leaves pierced through the trees, and she could see well above the lower half of the forest. The sun now fully submerged itself below the horizon leaving behind streaks of gold. The smoke in the distance dispersed into the blue parts of the sky, and it left her with a strange feeling. Since she had woken up, she had wondered if she was the only person in the forest. Now enraptured in the thought that maybe she wasn’t alone, the sunset appeared brighter and as gorgeous as ever. She forgot about her gnawing hunger and about her scar. All of the mysteries of the ominous world around her melted into the ethereal sky.
As she watched the sun set and the smoke disappear, she became aware of the ground below growing darker. She didn’t mind. Her eyes rested on the shrinking sky until she closed her eyes.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-08 12:49 pm (UTC)It has this overwhelming seriousness and mystery to it, yet it's balanced by a youthful and adventurous protagonist that just creates such a fun read! It's great that you're taking on NaNoWriMo, and I can't wait to see where you go with this story!
no subject
Date: 2017-04-08 11:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-04-09 08:05 pm (UTC)Even though there's little to no correlation, this is the first place my mind went.
-Observing Anon