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Hallowed Lands

Carved in the walls of Fort d'Exilles – Date Unknown

By Matthew J. FrommPublished 3 years ago 1 min read
Art by A.I.Dox

Pierre warned about those lands of Columbus before my voyage departed, before the priests confined him.

He shuddered, “The forests will madden you, certain as sin."

How could I go mad? Our crew's welcome was so warm.

“Your heart's desires hide within our roots. Bleed for us, and you will be reborn,” the wise owl whispered to me. The elks agreed.

They guided me true as north.

Inside their sanctuary, I witnessed the heart of God.

Now, the priests proclaim me murderer, liar, craven.

Trapped within my cell, I ponder if that glorious heart bled for the dead, or me.

AdventureClassicalExcerptFableFantasyHistoricalHorrorMicrofictionMysteryShort Story

About the Creator

Matthew J. Fromm

Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.

Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).

I can be reached at [email protected]

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

Add your insights

Comments (10)

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  • Testabout a year ago

    Wow. Great work!!

  • Paul Stewartabout a year ago

    Remarkable. So much dark poetry to this piece, pal. Love it. Love the horror in the uncertainty of it all. Great entry for the challenge.

  • Love that amazing image, and dark words to at least disturb us

  • I agree with Veronica! The best ones are the mad ones, lol! Also, I saw that you're working on making this into a short film. All the best for that! I loved this story!

  • Mackenzie Davis2 years ago

    Superb writing, Matthew! The story between the lines holds many questions for me, but I feel the implications strongly. Who knows the truth? I almost want a follow-up... 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • Nicely done! I still say the maddest of us are the best!

  • Great work! Dark and spooky! Loved it!

  • Sian N. Clutton2 years ago

    Quick and dark, love it!

  • Wow!

  • Ian Read3 years ago

    Outstanding work!

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