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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
In the Mind of an Author
Bit by bit, the world crumbled.
He stared at the line, its cursor blinking just past the period. It adequately and succinctly described his predicament at the moment. Of course, his world wasn’t literally crumbling around him but that it felt that way right now. In this instant. Second by second.
Ever since the prompt was decided by the collective faceless mass of all the participants, he had racked his brain… and came up nothing. And now he sat in his admittedly rather comfy chair, staring at the line, its blinking cursor and the vast white expanse beyond it.
For what was after eternity—which was actually just a couple of minutes—a scene finally formed in his head. A red haired woman in a flowing green and white dress stood at the edge of a grass covered floating island, her determined green eyes staring into the mist filled horizon. Good. He began to type.
Evangeline—
BONG
The grandfather clock chimed twelve. The woman and landscape dissolved, dispersing into a dark, yawning, empty maw. His heart skipped a beat and then quickened, as does his breaths. Each bong of the pendulum grew louder, distorting and twisting until they crashed through the walls. His palms grew clammy, pinpricks crawled their way up his fingers.
The clock suddenly loomed large over his back. The wallpapers of his room fluttered down, torn down by the force, exposing the white painted planks underneath. The pendulum made short work of them, reducing the planks to splinters which pelted him, adding to his fraying nerves.
His fingers shook.
He dived into his mind, clawing at the darkness which so consumed him, desperate. He must have Evangeline back. She was his salvation from this impasse. But try as he would, he found himself as though moving as though an invisible molasses, his limbs growing numb.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The darkness flickered and for a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of Evangeline. He smiled. Her braided hair swaying in the breeze was a calming sight. Before he knew it, he was there beside her, staring into the same horizon. Evangeline’s head turned slightly, just enough for him to spy her rosy freckled cheeks and the slight upturned lips. He could do this—
BONG
And then the world crumbled.
He scarcely registered the breaking soil and rocks when he felt a pair of slender arms folding over his waist and lifted him off the doomed island. Vertigo gripped him for eternity and all of a second and the grass of the next island greeted his face. Yet, they landed gracefully, rolling in each other’s embrace before stopping, watching as the golden weight sliced clumsily through the island. One thing was clear:
He had to keep ahead.
His brown eyes met her determined green. The pendulum rose, moving into position. With a simultaneous nod, he took her hand. By the time the pendulum fell, they were long gone. Over at the next island, Evangeline took the lead and carried him the same way as she did to escape the pendulum. He took her hand when he led.
They settled into a comfortable routine, smiles adorning their faces. The sounds of crashing and grinding of breaking rocks quickly faded into the distance. The islands seemed to stretch forever but they made good time. He almost didn’t care. As long as she was with him, he was content.
With each jump, he knew they were getting close to the goal. Her arms clutched a little tighter, her body pressed a little closer when it was her turn to jump. In the distance, an orange glow blossomed into view. Yes, the goal was definitely at hand.
He took her hand and leapt.
They landed solidly on their feet on the final island. Orange light filled their vision and then resolved into a single lily of the same color. He kneeled down and plucked it off the ground. With a smile and flourish, he presented the flower to Evangeline.
With twinkling eyes, she accepted the lily and lifted it to her nose. She inhaled, a smile lighting her face. His arms snaked across the small of her back and pulled her close. Leaning in, Evangeline gave him a peck on the lips—
Tick
He was back in his seat. Looking over his shoulders, he spied the minute hand hovering over first quarter past twelve. He returned his attention to the empty word document.
He had a story to finish.
He stared at the line, its cursor blinking just past the period. It adequately and succinctly described his predicament at the moment. Of course, his world wasn’t literally crumbling around him but that it felt that way right now. In this instant. Second by second.
Ever since the prompt was decided by the collective faceless mass of all the participants, he had racked his brain… and came up nothing. And now he sat in his admittedly rather comfy chair, staring at the line, its blinking cursor and the vast white expanse beyond it.
For what was after eternity—which was actually just a couple of minutes—a scene finally formed in his head. A red haired woman in a flowing green and white dress stood at the edge of a grass covered floating island, her determined green eyes staring into the mist filled horizon. Good. He began to type.
Evangeline—
BONG
The grandfather clock chimed twelve. The woman and landscape dissolved, dispersing into a dark, yawning, empty maw. His heart skipped a beat and then quickened, as does his breaths. Each bong of the pendulum grew louder, distorting and twisting until they crashed through the walls. His palms grew clammy, pinpricks crawled their way up his fingers.
The clock suddenly loomed large over his back. The wallpapers of his room fluttered down, torn down by the force, exposing the white painted planks underneath. The pendulum made short work of them, reducing the planks to splinters which pelted him, adding to his fraying nerves.
His fingers shook.
He dived into his mind, clawing at the darkness which so consumed him, desperate. He must have Evangeline back. She was his salvation from this impasse. But try as he would, he found himself as though moving as though an invisible molasses, his limbs growing numb.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The darkness flickered and for a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of Evangeline. He smiled. Her braided hair swaying in the breeze was a calming sight. Before he knew it, he was there beside her, staring into the same horizon. Evangeline’s head turned slightly, just enough for him to spy her rosy freckled cheeks and the slight upturned lips. He could do this—
BONG
And then the world crumbled.
He scarcely registered the breaking soil and rocks when he felt a pair of slender arms folding over his waist and lifted him off the doomed island. Vertigo gripped him for eternity and all of a second and the grass of the next island greeted his face. Yet, they landed gracefully, rolling in each other’s embrace before stopping, watching as the golden weight sliced clumsily through the island. One thing was clear:
He had to keep ahead.
His brown eyes met her determined green. The pendulum rose, moving into position. With a simultaneous nod, he took her hand. By the time the pendulum fell, they were long gone. Over at the next island, Evangeline took the lead and carried him the same way as she did to escape the pendulum. He took her hand when he led.
They settled into a comfortable routine, smiles adorning their faces. The sounds of crashing and grinding of breaking rocks quickly faded into the distance. The islands seemed to stretch forever but they made good time. He almost didn’t care. As long as she was with him, he was content.
With each jump, he knew they were getting close to the goal. Her arms clutched a little tighter, her body pressed a little closer when it was her turn to jump. In the distance, an orange glow blossomed into view. Yes, the goal was definitely at hand.
He took her hand and leapt.
They landed solidly on their feet on the final island. Orange light filled their vision and then resolved into a single lily of the same color. He kneeled down and plucked it off the ground. With a smile and flourish, he presented the flower to Evangeline.
With twinkling eyes, she accepted the lily and lifted it to her nose. She inhaled, a smile lighting her face. His arms snaked across the small of her back and pulled her close. Leaning in, Evangeline gave him a peck on the lips—
Tick
He was back in his seat. Looking over his shoulders, he spied the minute hand hovering over first quarter past twelve. He returned his attention to the empty word document.
He had a story to finish.