A few days ago I asked my friends on Facebook to hit me with their best shots for writing prompts. I was expecting to be massacred to be honest. Much to my disappointment I only received 1 Writing prompt from a good friend of mine. So Today I am going to do said writing prompt. ( The word limit is 800 words.)
So why did I Ask for writing prompts? Well, I personally feel that it’s good practice for an author to be challenged at least once a month to write something they wouldn’t have thought about. It helps expand the horizons of your writing talent and also gives you a good idea as to where/what you as an author need some work– or maybe best to stay away from.
Now D (As we shall call her for now) Responded to my all call on Facebook with this:
Has to involve:
tree
cross
naked man
cat
bar
clouds
And the sentence:
“And even the birds went silent.”
I will admit I wrestled with this Prompt for a while wondering how I could make it work. I couldn’t find the co-relation between all these things; Well I found it and so, this is what I came up with:
[478 words]
When Anica had asked me to help search for little Alexandru I couldn’t have declined no matter what fate would be fall me to witness. I knew the boy enjoyed frolicking at the top of the old oak ridge. A place where the single solitary Oak tree stood against the elements by the cliff face. The tree is centuries old and thus made the perfect place for a child to climb and fall.
So naturally I would go check there first.
What I found at the ridge wasn’t Alexandru, but a man. Nude as the day he was born, standing looking out over the ridge with a simple longing that I would compare with lust. He was tanned, every exposed bit of flesh, it was as if he never wore any cloths. I was astounded, so much so that I faltered in step.
He turned as if hearing me, only to pause his motion. The sharp and bitter wind rose with a roar, and what happened next I cannot easily put into words. Needless to say it was more shocking then walking upon a naked man.
He paused his retelling of the days events as he lifted his pint to drink, his left hand stroking the length of his great-great grandmothers cross that hung around his neck. The bar was mostly silent, waiting, wondering what could have brought him back to town in such a state- with no Alexandru in tow.
His body twisted in places no man could possibly twist. His skin rippled with an unseen force, it was as if an animal lived within his flesh and was attempting to free itself. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak, my gaze was transfixed in place as this unholy event unfolded before me.
It seemed to draw on forever, yet truthfully the sun hadn’t moved from it’s position in the sky. When all was said and done, the man was gone and left in his place was…. He swallowed past the lump that suddenly threatened to cut off his voice. The cross now gripped in his hand to give him strength,
A Dragon, it stood there wings stretched catching the late afternoon breeze, and with a sudden motion jumped off the ridge. I thought, hoped, it would fall to the jagged rocks at the bottom. He didn’t. He flew through the air his large wings making no noise.
And even the birds went silent…. He turned to look over his shoulder to where Alexandru stood holding Tabitha a tiny cat he and his mother cared for. His wide brown eyes showed the amazement that the boy felt that someone else had been there.
So, I haven’t lost my mind then? He asked more to himself as the bar sprang to look over the boy who had been missing from the day before. No one asked him anything about the dragon– and he wondered why.
I hope you liked it, I had fun writing this out! What do you guys think, does it have potential?
Always Writing,
The Psychotic Journey 