A Candlelight Offering to Mōna
Confessions of a Blood-Hungry Soul
Dearest Mōna,
Penning this in my humble cottage by candlelight,
I can’t help but wonder
what has become of me.
Upon pondering,
I find these strange occurrences all trace back to that night
in the Hamersley Forest.
Suffering from writer's block again,
I took a stroll by the silvery light of your full Mōna.
There was a snapping of twigs,
followed by a deep, guttural growling.
Then I felt it.
A sharp pierce in my calf,
like hot needles slicing my flesh.
Panicked,
I ran through the woods back to my cottage,
so delirious, I almost fell through the front door.
Once inside, I reached for my tunic to stop the bleeding.
Collapsing into bed,
I must have fallen into a deep slumber.
A sliver of sunlight was peeking through the curtains,
as I started to wake.
Recalling the happenings from the evening before,
I quickly reached for my calf,
removed the tunic... and there was nothing there.
No blood, no bite wound, no scar.
Assuming it was all just a dreadful dream,
I went about my day.
After a few days bloomed,
while at the tavern drinking ale,
I began to think of that night again.
Discussing matters with some local townspeople,
our words turned heated.
There was a disagreement.
A white-hot rage came over me.
Before I knew it,
I’d snatched a fork from the table and impaled it into the hand of the man sitting near me.
Such astonishing behaviour,
never before had I acted in such violence.
From then on,
I encountered more changes.
Hearing the rustling of animals in the nearby woods.
The sweet smell of pies baking in a distant village.
My senses had become so sharp,
I’d never felt so alive.
When you again appeared full in the sky,
I went for another walk in the forest.
I remember the click of the latch closing on my cottage door...
Next, I came to in the woodland,
naked and on all fours.
This evening,
I was preparing to cook a piece of rabbit for my evening meal.
Before placing it on the skillet,
an insatiable desire came upon me.
Without thought,
I started devouring the raw meat.
I was unbridled,
the gamy flesh so tender and moist.
Your next full Moon approaches,
fear and excitement envelop me.
As I’m offering this confession to you, Mōna,
I don’t know how much longer I can control
my lust for blood.
About the Creator
Sandy Gillman
I’m a mum to a toddler, just trying to get through the day. I like to write about the ups and downs of parenting. I’m not afraid to tell it like it is. I hope you’ll find something here to laugh, relate to, and maybe even learn from.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Keep reading
More stories from Sandy Gillman and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (21)
I love it, I love it! It builds in tension and the final line is icing on the cake! Creepy sweet (if there is such a thing 😂). Congratulations on a much deserved win. ⚡️💙Bill ⚡️
Very fun, great storytelling. Congrats on the win👏👏👏
This is possibly your best work (at least from what I've seen!) Congrats!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your honourable mention! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Happy for you on your HM!
Congrats on being one of honorable mentions in this contest.
Congratulations on winning Honorable Mention! Go Sandy!
Loved the narrative voice! Kind of had a Poe feel to it
I love this!
Wonderfully evocative account of blood lusting honesty
What a take! Fabulous! 💜
Great poem! My kennel name is "LoupGarou," so I really like most things "werewolf." Your poem really captures the essence of Becoming, I think, without all the weird violence seen in so many movies. Love it!
This is quite the letter to the moon😉
Wait a darn moment. The rhymes and rhythm was so good. That I couldn't even stop to comment on each line or every few lines. Then I got to someone being impaled 😳😲 what?! Naked. Oh you know I had to stop to highlight that part. Shameless I know lol. Damn. This. Wait. Let me gather my thoughts. The tone you usually right in, yeah it's different in this one. I completely forgot that I was reading something from you so wow this is amazing. Everything else you wrote was good, please don't get me wrong. They were fantastic. This one I could feel a completely different energy. Person. Thing. Monster. Animal. That sort of vibe. Lust for blood. Take it. Take all the awards this was outstanding! 🤗❤️
This was mythic. And my favourite mythic monster too! I agree with all here....fantastic storytelling, Sandy!
Brilliant storytelling! Riveting writing as well! Nicely done! ☺️
Uhh, you captivated me so much I held my breath while reading! This is awesome! 🖤 I enjoyed reading something a bit different from you.
Very interesting take and beautiful woven into some very smartly crafted words as always Sandy.. wonderful @Sandy Gillman
I really your take on this challenge 😀
Oh, Sandy! I have mixed feelings about this. :( First, I was surprised and excited to read something so different from the usual stories I have read from you. I went on and confirmed that Mōna is the Old English term for the Moon. How clever and nice to use some Old English! I was enjoying reading this so much. Then ... a rabbit. :*( I thought of stopping reading but I had come so far I had to finish it. I am trying to take the image out of my head. I hope you will understand. I think I've told you about my Bunny. So there. I enjoyed this until that point. Then it was really hard for me to finish reading.
Oooo, he's a werewolf! That's so cool. Loved your take on this challenge!