Deviation Actions
Literature Text
“People don’t taste the same as they used to.” The spirit mused while the pair walked between the trees. He looked up comfortably to the tops of the living spires, missing the fleeting shadows on his companion’s face.
“What do you mean?” She kept the sour knot and the chill out of her voice, avoiding the patch her guide pointed to.
“Most of them that come and stay are so bitter tasting.” He chose the more well used of the trail branches, took her hands to guide her over a rough patch with loose gravel. “Not all of them, but those are usually the ones that go back to wherever they come from. But the ones that stay… well… These ARE my roots, if you understand. I don’t know why they taste so different than they did even just 100 years ago.”
“The world has changed out there.” Her foot slipped, and his arms caught me instead of allowing my head to crack open on the rock beside the trail.
“What are you humans doing, that you come so full of hate and despair? I hear less from other groves, so I have little information other than what you yourselves bring me.” He stopped, turned fully to me, and gazed into my heart before I could close it to hide my own pain. “Yours is what caught my attention.”
“I think we are killing our world, and I know we are killing each other. I think that’s it. We poison ourselves and others, without even thinking about it.” She took a deep breath and willed the shakes away. “That’s-”
“That’s why you came to me.” He frowned and squeezed her hands.
She nodded. “I didn’t want to add to it.”
They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment before he spoke again. “You’re needed here, you know. You can’t end it, yet.”
The tears flowed, followed by sobs. He pulled her to his shoulder and held her as he’d seen fathers and husbands do to daughters and wives. Her tears soaked into him, and he took in her water, salt, and pain, pulled for more of it to cleanse her and bring her some healing. The forest spirit waited for her to run dry, watched to see if the balance would tip with this one and which way it would go.
Finally she looked up at him through her reddened eyes and he smiled. “You needed that.”
She nodded again.
“You can come back, later, whenever you want. But you can’t stay yet. Will you live for me? Help change the flavor of your kind for the better again? Not that I enjoy eating them… just…” He sighed “Sorry, I’m at least 2,000 years old but I’ll never quite see things from your kind’s view, and don’t mean to bring you discomfort. But you can’t let them go on as they are. Can you do that? Wait a bit longer before you try getting lost again?”
She nodded again. He nodded and smiled.
“At least I’ve saved this one, for now.” He mused. “They are getting harder.”
I was also thinking of the Sea of Trees and other similar forests where suicides and lost hikers are common.
FFM Links - 12 July 2021Welcome to Flash Fiction Month, day 12.Congratulations! You’ve almost made the halfway point, and it’s all downhill from here, so embrace that momentum and relish the sensation of all the metaphorical wind in your hair. And of course let’s not forget, another week means another…, ,, This week, your sidequest (should you choose to accept it), revolves around pacing. Like with most things, the key to good pacing relies on balance, for every high there should be a low, and for every moment of action there should come a moment of reflection. The trick is in finding the sweet spot. With that in mind, over the course of this week we want you to try writing three stories, each one focused on a different level of primary pacing: one fast, one slow, and one that’s a bit of both (in that order). We were going to list some quick ways in which you could tackle fast vs slow pacing, but it turns out we have a lot of opinions on the subject, and it‘s surprisingly difficult to sum up in anything less than 1000 words. So instead we’ll just link you to this handy article on the subject. Give it a read, mull things over, but try remember this one cardinal rule — timing is everything. Always ask yourself what is happening and how quickly? Then try to constrain your descriptions and actions to the time it takes for that moment to actually transpire. It’s a handy tricky for reminding yourself when things should get a move on, vs when you have time to breathe and lean into the moment.But fast or slow, short or lengthy, always try to keep a sense of movement within your story, interspersing dialogue, actions, and descriptions, so that each one feeds into the other without ever bringing the story to a complete standstill. You got this…until next week. VIVA! , InstructionsFlash Fiction Month is about writing – and posting – a story between 55-1000 words in length every day during July. Each day we'll upload a deviation where you can post your story for the day, with optional prompts, and the occasional optional challenge. Paste a link to your flash fiction piece for July 12 in the comments below. If you write a story every day this month, and complete every official challenge, you could also win a prize!When you upload your newly minted literature deviations remember to use these official FFM tags: #flashfictionmonth , #ffm2021, RemindersComments are the best motivation. Help boost the FFM community spirit, and take the time to read and comment on fellow FFMers work whenever you can. Inspire the masses! Donate prompts, music, and images to the 2021 Prompt Bank and help keep the writing doldrums at bay.Have questions? Need someone to complain to about the latest ridiculous challenge element? Or perhaps just The FFM Discord Channel is the best place to be! Still haven't signed up for 31 days of flash fiction insanity? Head on over to the 2021 Sign-Up Page, and offer up your name. We also recommend a visit our FFM FAQ, where the answers to all (or at least most) of your questions reside.,...
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Ooh, interesting!