Limbo [PSC2017]

Limbo [PSC2017]
By Kaelci


The chrysanthemums were in bloom. The girl with the wicker basket smiled to herself, her blue eyes gleamed and her rosy cheeks glowed with a youthful exuberance as she imagined the thanks she would receive for this harvest, and she near skipped as she headed towards the vivid patch of colour that grew near the forest’s edge. Her master, though getting on in age, enjoyed distilling the flowers into a tea - the flavour was bland and the scent would hardly be considered tantalising, however, he claimed the tasteless brew helped to numb the ache of his heart and she would do her best to assist; ‘twas the least she could do.

She hopped through the lush grasses, a vibrant green after the recent storms, the earthy aroma of the flowers grew stronger as she approached and she wrinkled her nose as the smell began to swim about her head and overwhelm her senses, powerless against the sneeze that tickled her nose as she hopelessly struggled against the impulse. It had been several months since her last collection, long enough to have forgotten the effect they held upon her, and it was at that moment she realised that she barely remembered even acquiring the last harvest. Curious.


Though she continued her footsteps that would take her to her harvest, she turned about and faced the monastery in the distance, unsettled as she observed the dark clouds that loomed above the structure, certain that the day had been perfect but five minutes prior. She admired the grand building, though she remained disturbed at the harsh shadows the dark clouds had thrown upon her home of the last three years, and unexpectedly she recalled the motions that had begun her on this path; she had been rummaging through her master’s assortment of potions, herbs, and alchemy reagents, and had noticed the missing chrysanthemums. She had felt an intense pleasure at the idea she could be helpful this day, and was so happy to discover the flowers were in bloom. A good omen if ever there were to be one.

She sighed to herself, a mild despair quick to dance about her thoughts as she wished the gloomy clouds away, and she turned back to the forest, relieved to no longer be witness to the unnatural darkness of the monastery. Though, within moments of her turning about, an icy wind gusted about her and she suddenly screamed as she plummeted forward into a swirling vortex that had not been there before!

The vortex pulled her into its depths, the echo of her shriek spun around and around her head as she was sucked into the void. The moment seemed eternal, the whiz of the air whirled rapidly about her and she wailed in indescribable pain as she felt her flesh be torn into two, three, four! Her limbs stretched and contorted, and soon she heard the crack as her bones began to snap. Overwhelmed by the terror and the pain, a blackness enveloped her mind and she knew nothing of what came next.

The hours passed, and soon the days did too, before at last the girl opened her eyes and found the bright sun glaring upon her in a land unknown. She blinked, confused, and no longer in excruciating pain. Slowly she raised an arm, surprised to find her flesh and bones entirely intact. She was badly sunburnt, but intact. Had it been a dream? But then, where was she?


She leapt to her feet, a panic manifesting as her sunburnt skin rebelled at the sudden movement, and her wild eyes darted left and right, and left again as they examined the unfamiliar red landscape. Nothing of any note resided in this desert wasteland; there was simply red sand as far as her vision could reach, occasionally broken up by jutting jagged rocks that reminded her of the thick needles her master often used in his experiments. Master! Her heart began to pound as she worried what her master must be doing, what he would think of her absence. How could she return? She must return!

Her eyes wandered about the vast desert once more, her mind uncertain, her thoughts broken, her entire being shrouded in fright. She simply stood and stared as the heat of the sun continued to bare down on her. With no idea of where she was or what she should do, she decided she’d best start walking; perhaps there would be something, anything, elsewhere.

She walked and walked, and the sun never set. She had no water, and the landscape never changed. There was nothing. She would cry if she had the moisture available in her body to be able to perform such a feat, all she could do was make harsh grunts and whimpers as she continued her trek. She walked, and she walked, until she could walk no longer. Her tired legs collapsed beneath her, the warmth of the sand welcomed her into its embrace, and soon she was shrouded by the void.

The girl opened her blue eyes and stretched sleepily. The boom of the thunder was gone; the storms had ended! Happily she leapt from the chaise that was her bed and made her way to the window. The sky was blue, there was not a single cloud, and the grass was so green. What a beautiful day! A perfect day for gathering whatever herbs and reagents her master might require.


She wandered over to the shelves and quickly noticed that the last of the chrysanthemums had been taken, he must have needed another tea. His heart ached so and apparently the tea dulled the pain. Never mind, this would be her task this morning, she would gather some more! He would be so pleased.

She quickly pulled her hair into a long ponytail and threw on her day-clothes, retrieving the wicker basket by the door as she exited the monastery. Breathing in deeply, she indulged in the fresh air and closed her eyes briefly as she basked in the morning sun; it truly was a glorious day. Opening her eyes, they began to sparkle with delight as they gazed over into the distance by the forest’s edge. Her master would be pleased indeed! The chrysanthemums were in bloom.

THE END.

a reply to: kaelci

A wonderful story. Well done kaelci.

kind regards,

bally

she's in for a looooong day, she just don't know it yet

Excellent story kaelci!

a reply to: kaelci

Love the descriptive language.

a reply to: Mousygretchen

Yes shes quite expansive with her vocabulary

a reply to: BASSPLYR

The frivolous parts are my favorite.

a reply to: Mousygretchen

Yes she demonstrates cleaver exposition while creative in her execution of internal dialog

Cheers Bally, and JDeLattre89 my fellow time-looper! I hope your day wasn't merely a repetition of the day before.


And thank you Bass
(You need to write your story too! )

Great writing as I have come to expect from you, kaelci. Well done!

Such a clean and pleasant writing style...
very nice!

Great submission.

a reply to: kaelci
As always, you draw me in with your openings and your masterful use of descriptive words and phrases.
I'm captivated and excited, quietly following along beside your characters immersed in the sights and sounds that you create.
I have never been disappointed.
You and your writings are a gift to me.

Wonderful as always dear girl!

Ahh! I'm terrible! Comments!

Thank you Elfie, Shep, and Shlaw! (Shep n Shlaw, say that 5 times really fast, hehe)
I'm glad that you like my writing style, Shlaw, some people are turned off by my excessive adverbs and my tendency to indulge in the glory of being overly verbose. Or maybe that's my self-critique. I don't know! It's 6am and I'm rambling! Thank you!

Birdie... thank you for your words. Truly. I almost want to steal that entire quote and plaster it on my website in a fit of pride.
<3