literature

Theme 5:: Rot by MissAlphaWolf

Deviation Actions

100ThemesChallenge's avatar
Published:
202 Views

Literature Text

Tell me a story."

I never thought I'd see you again, especially not tapping on my window. I'd seen you there so many times before, with tears running down your face just as you were now. I thought that if we ever saw each other again, it would be on the streets, just another person to bump into and throw a barely thought of, "I'm sorry," over my shoulder to. Maybe a glint of recognition passed, but, if I were lucky, nothing more than that.

Looking at you now, though, there's really nothing left to recognize.

I slid my window open and bit my lip against the cold. At least on the streets, there was a way for me to go, and a current of people to take me away.

"What do you mean, a story?"

You smiled, and my heart lurched. I didn't think that any of you was left, but obviously, I was wrong. I've seen that smile reduce people to nothing more than murmurs of joy and stunned silence. I'd grown to love that smile so much.

"You were always the story teller. Just tell me a story, before I disappear."

I laughed, and your smile faltered, interrupted by a wince. You knew that laugh, you'd heard that bitter, bitter laugh before.

"Alright, I've got a story.

Once upon a time, there were two little girls. They were orphans, and they lived in a story book kingdom, with a round, happy king, and a handsome, smiling prince. They had grown up together, and they were inseparable. The entire kingdom knew that. But one day, the Prince caught sight of one of the girls, with her glowing smile and bright blue eyes. She had hair of gold, and the most contagious laugh that anyone had ever heard. When she chose to shine, she shone. And the Prince saw that.

He swept her away to the palace, and at first, she fought. She threw her hand back, and she called out to her friend, fighting the Prince to grab her friends hand. The other girl, the plain one, she ran, and she ran, she followed until her feet bled. And even then, she ran until she collapsed.

When she looked up, her friend was gone.

But she wasn't going to accept that, no, she wasn't going to accept that her best friend and only family had just disappeared. She walked all over the kingdom, and she searched, and she searched. Finally, a court lady took pity on the poor girl, who, like a lost puppy, lit up once she heard that the woman knew where her friend was. The kind woman took her into the castle, and passed the guards, but once they stood in front of giant oak doors, she warned the girl. 'Your friend isn't who she used to be,' she said, her kind eyes begging the girl to not get her hopes high. 'She may not recognize you at first. She may not seem to care. Are you sure you want to see her?'

The girl laughed and nodded, jumping around in excitement like a little girl. 'Yes, yes!' she said, face glowing in delight. 'I've searched for so long! Please, please, let me see her!' The woman nodded, her kind smile shaking as a tear rolled down her cheek. Pushing the big oak doors open, the girl bounded in, looking around wildly. 'Where is she?' she called. 'Where is she?'

'Who is this?' A cold, high voice asked from behind her. The girl turned around, her brown curls bouncing happily. She saw her friend, but, at the same time, she didn't. There was a girl there, with golden hair and blue eyes, but her hair was combed perfectly, tied up in a bun beneath a heavy gold crown. Her blue eyes were blue like ice, not bright like a clear sky. And the smile that used to glow so beautifully seemed to have gone out. The gentle court woman who had shown the girl there fell to her knees, and she tugged on the ripped and tattered skirts of the girl next to her.

'Your highness,' she said quietly. 'I've brought you a friend. An old friend.'

The girl stared up in vain hope, up into the cold blue eyes of the person she had once known so well. She waited for her old friend to bound down from the throne, sweep her up in those powdered arms, and hug her like she used to. Instead, the princess laughed-- a laugh so high pitched and fake that the girl covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. 'This girl? This girl is from a distant past. She means nothing to me now. Take her away.'

The girl stared. She stared up at the princess, the girl whom she'd once loved so much. She rose shakily to her feet and bowed, nearly falling over. A tear ran down her pale, shaky cheek. And, without warning, she turned on her heel and she fled."

I waited to see what you'd do, if you'd realize what story I'd told. Your blue eyes were filled with tears, and I realized that they'd changed again; they weren't ice anymore, but they were far from the bits of sky they had been. No, now they were deep, cold ocean depths, and the tears spilling from them must have been just as cold.

"What happened to the princess?" You asked, your voice, once so musical, now shaking like a hurricane was ripping through your soul. Maybe one was.

"She stayed in the castle. As she grew, so did her Prince's dislike of her. He found new girls, and he replaced her. He grew out of her. The crown was ripped from her gold curls, and she was cast down from the throne. In a dark room at the back of the castle, reserved for the mistakes of the Prince-- because, as we all know, Prince's make mistakes, they just hide them in a dark closet and, unlike us mortals, that closet manages to stay closed-- and in the dark, she lost whatever was left of her glow. She didn't fade, like her beauty had. No, she fell like an apple off the tree. Instead of fumes, though, she had perfume leaking out of her. Instead of curling, browning skin, she had pale, perfect smiles, frozen in place. Instead of worms, regrets curled and slithered through her mind. They ate her alive, and she was left to rot."

"A... and the girl?" Your voice wasn't even shaking anymore. Now it was just very, very quiet.

"She waited, like the fool puppy she was. She waited, and she waited for an old friend that disappeared a long time ago, and, while waiting, she was left to rot, just like her friend."
:bulletgreen: Variation 2 :bulletgreen:

THIS IS A CLUB! PLEASE FAVE THE ORIGINAL DEVIATIONS NOT THE ONES SHOWN IN THIS GALLERY
This deviation was submitted by ~MissAlphaWolf as part of the 100 Themes Challenge.

You can view the original deviation here.

*100ThemesChallenge does not claim ownership of this deviation in any way, shape or form.

If you wish to join or submit to our club, please read our journal for more information.

Please fave the the original deviation rather then here.
Please comment on the original deviation rather then here.
If you are not already a club member, feel free to join.
You can view the image at the deviants full size on the original piece.
© 2009 - 2024 100ThemesChallenge
Comments0
Comments have been disabled for this deviation