Desolate.
The landscape stretched. Blank and unwavering.
He squinted at the bright expanse. He hated it here. He felt banished, guilty of something. Perhaps he was.
He was a saviour. A king among people.
He looked at the empty sky. Blue.
Nothing.
Days of nothing.
Expectation and anticipation were expected and anticipated.
But always nothing.
He went over to the ice hole. He had set a line optimistically. Empty.
He needed to send his weekly message but the fox had not returned.
He went back to his home. Another day waiting.
With a click of his fingers, the flame lit and warmth suffused the room. He was hungry. Fish? He would have chicken.
As he tore meat from the drumstick, he thought how bland food made by magic was. Dull. Dry. Ironic. Magic was so revered as a power, the expectation would be succulent meat, full of flavour, juicy and saliva-inducing; to be slurped.
He put the drumstick down, remnants of meat still visible, hanging like tatters off the bone. Hunger was kept at bay but longing was a vibrant ache.
The fox was near. He sensed it. Or another living presence. What else could it be? Unless it was the Hoards.
He frowned. Scratching at the door. Click. He approached the door in a shimmering bubble.
Fox. Was this what he'd felt?
It sat back, eyes sharp. Watching.
Not his fox.
A voice.
"I see you."
In his head.
Her.
Wariness now.
"I am coming.'
And the fox ran.
About the Creator
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FPS: The Last Flame Challenge Winners
Welcome to our first Winners Announcement of the year and to the final challenge in the Fall Poetry Series. The Last Flame invited writers to sit with endings, using fire as a central image to consider what remains when something burns out: ash, warmth, memory, silence, or the faint promise of what comes next. The strongest pieces treated endings as gradual rather than sudden, allowing them to flicker, dim, and linger.
By Vocal Curation Team7 days ago in Resources
Comments (6)
This line really hits home: "Days of nothing. Expectation and anticipation were expected and anticipated. But always nothing." Your writing is so brief yet so poignant - perfect example of how less can be more!
Oh. Hmmm who is "her" is the question to be answered at a later time, perhaps?
Ooooo! And what does this mean? Is it good news, bad, indifferent or unkown?
Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't get it 😅 I understand your story but I feel like I'm missing some context. Or am I just plain dumb? 🤣🤣🤣
Well done, spooky.
This story is deliciously spooky and mysterious. I loved the idea of the fox as a messenger of portents. Presenting magic as strictly utilitarian was fascinating touch as well. Great work per always!