The rider in the storm

Image source unknown


Night. The darkest hour. When all hope disappears. Thunder is rumbling, the wind is howling madly. The grass on the hills is bending under the power of the storm. Rain is falling hard on the ground, plundering the earth. A dark shadow is moving. A horse is running, a rider on its back. Running as fast as it can, as if its life depended on it. Running as quick as the wind. He rides, never looking back, hoping they are okay. Praying to reach them in time. The world seems against him; as if the gods were mad at him. As if they had unleashed Hell on Earth. Droplets of water, as cold and hard as ice hits him in the face, rendering him unable to see more than a few meters in front of him.

Lightning strikes, once, twice, giving shape to the shadow of a ghost. A ghost from the past that is catching up on him. He knows he should run away but he can’t. He has to cope with that growing unease growing inside him. They need him! He has to get there at all cost! He has to make it, his steed knows it also. The mighty stallion gains speed, outrunning the heavy gusts of wind. Its mane buzzing frantically as it gains more speed, sparks forming around its legs. Getting bigger and more frequent with each new step. Suddenly it lights up in a thunderous boom, thousands of tiny lighting bolts coming out of its mane and its tail, covering its entire body. It gains even more speed, running so fast it outruns even the heavenly flashes. Cutting through the mad rain, leaving a burnt trail behind it. He runs an impossible race. A race for his friends. A race against time, against himself. A race against death…


Here is a text I wrote some time ago, a scene from one of my stories that I have had in mind for some time.

The Celestial Rift

Long ago, when the skies were still young and the earth was vast and wild, they reigned over everything that was.

The Sun, bright and powerful, was the king of Day, bringing warmth and power to all.

The Moon, softly glowing and graceful, was queen of the Night and mother in the dark sky.

Each of them was the ruler of an endless kingdom; they followed each other, dancing a never-ending dance.

But the Sun, even in his infinite brilliance and power, was jealous of the Moon and her soft beauty.

He saw the charming radiance of his nocturnal counterpart as an unequalled perfection, more beautiful than his own.

He therefore devised a plan to gain supremacy over the Moon. For days and nights he tirelessly worked to breathe life to a new creation.

On the fourth day he finished and on the fifth night he finally revealed his creation to the Moon.

As soon as the last lights of day vanished he released thousands upon thousands of shining jewels into the aether.

“I have named them Stars”, he said to the Moon as she curiously watched him unveil his work. “A gift for you my Lady.”

The Lady of the Night revelled in this newfound beauty and found herself unable to look away for a long moment.

Finally she praised the Sun for his marvellous work, enthralled by its magnificence.

“How shall I ever repay you for this infinite kindness my Lord?”, she finally asked.

The Sun replied it was a gift and therefore there was no need for repayment but the Moon insisted and the Sun replied he would think about it.

By the second day after his work had been completed the Sun returned to the Moon.

“There is no need for you to repay me other than with the joy I saw in you at the sight of my creation…”, the Sun said.

“But,” he continued as the Moon was about to protest once more, “if so is your wish then here is what I offer…”.

The Sun asked the Moon with giving ‘substance’ to the aether, a task he knew impossible, even for him.

Giving ‘substance’ to a void of substance so vast and dark was something unthinkable…

But the Moon in her excitement at the idea of being able to repay her counterpart, agreed with no reserve.

For many days and nights the Moon lay pensive, under the newly created shining dome that filled the sky, trying to solve the Sun’s unsolvable puzzle.

Finally, after what seemed like and eternity to her, she realized the only way to do it would be to use all her power.

It was a dangerous task, even for her, an astral being, but she was willing to try to repay the Sun’s kindness.

The Sun watched all of this with a fierce fire burning inside of him.

The Moon, once her task was decided, set on to complete it, just as the Sun, she tirelessly worked but for many more days and nights.

Her brilliance was even more beautiful and graceful as she worked hard on her task and the Sun couldn’t help but being captivated by it.

Finally her own creation was ready and she waited the following night to unveil it to the Sun.

The Sun, of course, had watched all of it and he knew the Moon had put all her heart and her soul into her work.

Her genuine will to repay him stirred a wave of remorse inside him as she was about to unveil her creation.

But it was too late, the Moon offered him the gift and the Sun had to accept it.

He opened it, releasing the newly created ‘substance’ into the aether and for a moment he thought she had succeeded.

He stared into the endless sky, amazed by the ocean of shimmering beauty that was spreading between the stars and filling the void.

The Sun almost wished that it didn’t stop and that it completed itself.

Unfortunately the magic didn’t last, it was not powerful enough, and the spell broke.

The ocean fell apart and faded into the void, leaving only a feeling of emptiness inside the Sun’s heart.

He turned to his nightly counterpart to comfort her, unable to withstand the wave of sadness he knew would fill her whole being but it was too late.

The tears had already rolled on the Lady of the Night’s ivory skin and she was pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“You set an impossible task for me,” she said in a voice as cold as ice, “you knew it was impossible and yet you still asked this of me.”

“My heart and soul went in this gift for you and yet you cannot be contempt… Your wish cannot be fulfilled…”

“I will remember this ’til eternity, the shame, the anger and the emptiness will never leave me…”

“Living with this knowledge will now be your burden, your curse… For I curse you to know the pain I feel!”, the Moon said before vanishing.

The Sun, for the first time since he could remember, felt something far greater than physical pain and far more real than excitement: regret.

He tried to help her but it was too late, the Lady of the Night was gone, her brilliance had faded away, her power was gone and her heart was empty.

Never did he see her smile or her pale grace tenderly wrap around the world again, the nights had gone dark and cold with only his creation to light them.

He could feel the regret, the anger and the bitterness that were slowly eating at her heart and consuming her but was cursed to be unable to help.

Another eternity seemed to pass as he waited, looking at the lost Lady who was now unable to shine her peace on the world and longing for her return.

She was but a lost child, wandering the sky without a purpose or a goal… longing for her lost radiance…

But it would never returned, it could never return. He had made sure of that he had thought up the task he would give her.

Nothing would ever be the same again. But what was all this power and brilliance if he couldn’t share it with her? His heart wanted to break a million times.

The Moon was consumed but her emptiness and her regret, slowly her heart turned dark with thoughts of revenge.

Making the Sun know and regret what he had done wasn’t enough anymore, she had lost it all. He also had to feel it…

She thought of many ways to get revenge but in her immense knowledge she knew of no solution… None she could use now at least…

Her despair was growing and she thought it was all lost, however the demon race offered her a pact.

Her brilliance and power restored in exchange for her blessing.

Blinded by pain and the prospect of revenge the Moon gave way to her hatred.

The demons taught her a powerful but complicated spell and helped her use it to restore her power.

She thought of having been betrayed once more when, once the spell done, nothing had changed.

But her power was indeed restored and slowly she felt her aura become more brilliant once more.

It grew and grew, brighter and brighter, lighting the heavens and the earth in a light even more brilliant than that of the Sun.

Too late however the Moon realized her mistake, her aura had become crimson red and her once brilliant and pure blue glow had transformed into a blood-red light.

Too late she realized that the demon race was planning to use the spell to do the unthinkable.

The Sun rushed to her help, using all his power to free her from the spell but the harm had been done.

“The harm you have done me, nothing can ever repair it, nothing can ever heal the wound inside my heart…”

“But I forgive you for now I understand how foolish one can be when blinded by temptation…”

“It is too late for me my friend… No longer can I share your burden, no longer will the world know my love for it…”

“But you know. Atone for your sin by remembering my legacy…”

The spell the demons had created was too powerful to be fought and the Moon could barely resist it.

The Sun could only watch with despair as the queen of the Night let herself be consumed by it.

“It is the only way…”, he heard her whisper as she faded away into the void, leaving behind her only a large scar in the heavens.

A scar of dust glowing in a soft blue light.


Okay, this is something that I’ve been thinking about for a few days now and that I’ve spent the whole evening writing.

I’m really inspired by this story and I think that I managed to get the story-telling right and the character quite right too.

It is still far from finished/perfect, -though I’m a bit proud of myself, it’s not so bad for a first draft is it?- and will need some rework but I wanted to share it immediately with you guys.

Hope you enjoy! ;)

 

Versatile Blogger Award Nomination

Well, apparently I have just been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award, or at least I have just noticed I was nominated, by Laura Clark at Inspiredstoriesandpoems so I’m going to do what I should’ve done a few days ago already.

The Award Rules

  • Thank the person who gave you this award.
  •  Include a link to their blog.
  •  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you follow.
  •  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
  •  Finally, tell 7 things about yourself.

Full details of the award can be found on the VBA website through this link.


Here are the blogs that I, in my great and infinite generosity, nominate for the award :

Mesayah

SaraCRoethle

LivingTheDream

EJBorchardt

WritingStoriesRocks

KeithGarretPoetry

KurtBrindley

GradyPBrown

MyRedPage

DoubleUPoet

ThePublicBlogger

InsanityBeautiful

IridescentFoxBlog

A.D.Martin

And of course (I don’t know if it’s allowed but who cares) :

InspiredStoriesAndPoems


And here are 7 facts about my awesome and extremely important life :

  1. I love cheese, potato crisps and sausage/salami.
  2. I’m 20 but I still play Pokemon a lot.
  3. My Pocket Monsters dream team is composed of Snorlax, Sandslash, Scyther, Rayquaza, Lapras, Typhlosion, Leafeon, Pickachu/Raichu and Giratina. (Yeah, it’s more than six but IDC)
  4. I have a younger brother who is annoyingly annoying.
  5. I am annoyingly annoying with my little brother, that’s because I’m still a little kid at heart and I love to play pranks on him.
  6. I have a gorgeous and loving girlfriend which I love.
  7. I want to become super rich and to be able to buy myself a whole library so that I can read all the books when I want to.

 

Also, thank you again Laura for nominating me! :)

Train

train wagon

He opened his eyes slowly. The same continuous shaking of the train as it ran on the tracks that had been rocking him to sleep had now woken him up. He looked around, there weren’t many passengers left in his car, only an old couple of women, a single father with his child and another man who was reading the newspaper and seemed to be alone. Suddenly, as he was lying back on the seat, he saw the momentary flash of red that had become so familiar lately disappear from the corner of his eye into the next wagon.

He rose up and started running instantly, he had done the exact same movements so many times that it had become almost like a reflex for him. He side-stepped as the father tried catch his falling child and jumped over one of the old women as she stretched out her arm to grab one of the newspapers on the opposite table and barely made it through the sliding door that shut behind him. He could still hear the angry comments that the old couple made about him but he didn’t pay attention as he tried to focus on his task, this time he would make it!

He noticed the piece of red cloth as it disappeared inside one of the compartments and cursed. Damn it, so fast! He thought, already trying to catch his breath. But this time he knew what to do though and he wouldn’t let his prey escape. He ran past the first two doors and rushed through the third as it suddenly opened. He shouted a quick apology to the family who was calmly sitting in it, the children playing a quiet game of cards as their parents were each reading a book. As he got out on the other side he saw the back of a red coat and the tip of a hat of the same color disappear.

Good, he was getting closer! He smiled and sprinted through the corridor, not even paying attention to the scenery passing by at impressive speeds out the large windows. By now he wasn’t even fazed by the rocking and the shaking of the train as it rushed on its tracks, he had become accustomed to its rhythm and the eventual disturbances it could cause. He turned left, following his memory, and then immediately right. This time he saw her disappear through the door leading to the train’s third or fourth wagon, she was running as fast as she could, holding her hat on her head with one of her thin hands, her long red coat flapping behind her.

She was wearing heel, high and black, though not quite as thin as stilettos, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by her speed considering that. A long curl of blond hair trailed behind her before disappearing. Oh not you don’t! He thought. Not again!

“Sir, would you please hold that?!” He exclaimed as a middle-aged man passed through the sliding door.

“Thank you!” He shouted as he jumped through the opening under the stranger’s surprised look.

He knew she had gone right but as he turned towards the corridor on the left he suddenly stopped and closed his eyes, counting to two before resuming his race against time. He already felt the familiar tug inside his chest, he would be pulled back once more if he didn’t make it in time. Stopping now might not have seemed the wisest choice as he was already well behind, but an innumerable number of tries and fails had proved otherwise.

Running at full speed and straight ahead was the only thing he had found that helped overcome the urge to stop as so many passengers, children and adults alike, suddenly stepped out of their compartment to witness the majesty of the High Falls, said the be the largest waterfalls in the world, and the beautiful light the sun shined on it at that time of the day. He ran past them, forcing the passengers to get ont he side, this was the only way he had found he could get past this spot without stopping out of fear of hurting someone.

Finally he heard the familiar whistle of the train resound throughout all the wagons. Fifteen. He accelerated and as he counted his sixty-seventh step he opened his eyes and veered to the right, catching the closing door to the last wagon filled with passengers as it closed behind the blonde woman dressed in red. She had already crossed half of the distance to the end of the wagon and anyone that had gotten this far would’ve thought she might make it before he even took a step, but luck, or more truthfully knowledge, should prove otherwise.

He kept running but jumped on the first table to his right, not even stopping to apologize to the other passengers, he didn’t have time for it anymore. He jumped from table to table, careful not to  trip but running as fast as he could. Finally he heard the sound of shattered glass and smiled. Yes, again! He jumped to the tables on the left and kept running as he saw the young woman get back up and resume running after tripping in one of the waiters that was carrying a tray full of glasses of champagne.

He was catching up to her. Nine, eight... He jumped down from the table he was stepping over the waiter who was trying to clean up his mess and forced his legs to move faster as he crossed the last straight line that was getting him closer and closer to the girl in red. It was all over if she pressed the button but he was ready, he was going to stop her! He ran as fast as he could, feeling that the last few meters lasted an eternity. He swore the whole wagon moved in slow motion for a second there.

Then, as he was about to pass out from the effort he gave one last impulsion and caught her hand, pulling her with him to the right, away from the dreadful round object. He heard her gasp slightly at the contact and saw her hang on to her hat as she spun around and stopped her course with her back hitting the wall. He almost crashed into her and only managed to stop in time by throwing his arms straight in front on him, on each side of her head, and feeling like he was breaking every bone in his body.

Finally he looked up at the pretty little rabbit he had been chasing and almost stopped breathing, or rather panting, as their eyes met. She was still holding on to her hat for dear life and her bright blue eyes were wide and her golden locks were only a bit dishevelled, fact which took him slightly aback after such a pursuit. Three.

“Gotcha!” He whispered with a smile as he slowly got closer to her.

Not breaking contact with her eyes her leaned in, ever slowly, and as his lips closed up on hers he could feel her breath his face. It was hot and fresh at the same time, even if it was against his will he couldn’t help but look at her gorgeous mouth. She bit her luscious lips as she understood what he was about to do and sucked in a sharp intake of air before letting out what he thought was a cute little squeak. Then, as he was about to kiss her he saw the red lines he so desired to touch move and a smile spread on her face.

“Game over…” He read the words on her lips more than he heard them and as soon as she said that he felt his chest being pulled apart and his consciousness fade away once more.

“Damn it!” He barely managed to articulate as he looked back up to her eyes.

He saw her wink at him and everything went black. He felt the continuous shaking of the train once more and opened his eyes to look around, there weren’t many passengers left in his car. Wait, had she just winked at him? Oh no you don’t, not this time! He thought as he shot up, the red flash disappearing from his view on the other side of the wagon, and started running as fast as he could once again.

 


So, yeah, here is Train, a short story I thought up a few days ago. I didn’t have any idea for the title so I went for the most simple option… :P

I don’t know what to think of it yet, we’ll see in the next few days but I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Oh the horror!

ohthehorror

Short horror stories. Goal : write horror stories in two sentences. Here are five of them I wrote for this dare.


 

I felt his ragged and warm breath against my neck, it smelled of fresh blood and death, and I froze, all my hairs standing up from fear. I wanted to scream, I knew I should run, but I couldn’t.

*

The night was dark, rain was pouring heavily through the ruins of the ceiling, lightning fell nearby leaving an iron taste in the air. A mad howl echoed in the darkness as the beast smelled the scent of its prey, its sharp teeth glowing in the night, foaming with drool.

*

The door slammed and locked itself as John ran for the corridor. The lights flickered and the air grew cold, sending shivers through his spine as the ectoplasm entered his body.

*

As I walked through the door I froze. There it was, horrible and beyond any nightmare my mind could have dared to imagine.

*

The faint light slowly spread in the room as he opened the door and took inside. Suddenly, his heart stopped, the cheese was gone…