Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Wow, it’s been two weeks since I’ve posted -my apologies! I know I am very behind in replying to comments, and I hope to catch up on that very soon… But I’m leaving soon for a family reunion deep in the mountains, far away from internet connection, so it might be next week before you head from me again. Try not to miss me too much. ;)

Before I leave I wanted to leave you with something to remember my by, so I tried my hand at this week’s Picture It & Write! I LOVE this picture, it got the creative juices flowing right away. Feel free to join the challenge over at Ermilia’s Blog!

I strongly suggest you listen to this song:  or any song from the movie’s score, that’s what I listened to while writing this. (And if you’re a Snow White fan like me, go see the movie!)

I hope you enjoy it, and have a wonderful weekend! :D

“Well, we may as well forget about it,” Aspis said, reclining against the bridge’s railing and gazing up at the sky, a hand dangling over the grey water. “Though what he kept these flower petals for, I can’t figure out,” his thumb passed absently over one of the petals. I couldn’t remember a time that I had ever seen Peter without his precious petals. I had always figured that they were fake, because they never wilted or showed any signs of aging. But watching Aspis hold them, a thought occurred to me. It was something that Peter was always repeating, one of his favorite old refrains, and when I looked at them, it hit me. How could I have never understood what it meant?

Aspis glanced at me, studying my face. His long, cold fingers were loosely wrapped around my book, ready to toss it into the pond. I itched to lunge at him and retrieve my dearest possession before he released his hold and the book dropped into the icy water. That book contained endless value. If used correctly, it could tell its reader the piece of information that they most needed in any situation. Aspis didn’t know that; if he had he wouldn’t have been dangling it over sure destruction.

He must have noticed the urgency in my eyes, because he smiled slightly and nodded. “Ah, so you care more about it than you let on.”

I frantically looked away, out at the far shoreline. I needed to know what was inside of those pages, but if I let him see that, he’d throw it over the edge in a second. “You know that’s a lie,” I said. “When have I ever led you to believe you couldn’t trust me?”

“Virginia, Virginia,” he said, leaning forward and pressing an icy finger to my lips. “Please, stop. Lying doesn’t suit you. I’ve known for a long time of your allegiance to Peter. Don’t worry, you’ll get what is coming…” And then he took the book between his thumb and index fingers and sent it sailing through the air. I watched it fly away from me and prayed that my new discovery was correct. The book twirled through the air, its pages catching in the wind and throwing the petals out in every direction before it came to land in the water with a stomach-churning thud.

“That’s what becomes of liars, Virginia,” he said, strolling over to me and looking down into my eyes. I could feel his damp breath on my face and I tried not to flinch. “Get out.”

He pivoted on his heels and started to make the hike back up to the compound. I watched him go, working to steady my breathing. I couldn’t rid my mind of the image of my book’s pages filling with water, the bold printing disintegrating into a blur of ink.

When he was out of sight, I grasped at the railing and pulled myself over the side. I attempted to lower myself into the water, but the water was low and I had to jump a few feet to make it down. I was able to wade my way to the book with little trouble, but its contents had scattered everywhere. I desperately pawed through the water, pulling the flower petals toward me and checking them for damage. I couldn’t believe my eyes; not a single petal had been harmed. Letting out a relieved breath, I plodded through the water toward the book.

“Please, please, please…” I whispered, opening the cover and glancing at the murky ink. I turned to the first page and, taking one of the petals in my hand, gently rubbed it across the page. Immediately, the ink started to move, rearranging itself into words, as if by magic. I could almost hear Peter’s gruff voice in my ear, “what we have been given can be destroyed by nature, but only nature can reinstate it.” I had never known what he meant, but now I did. Before my eyes, I had seen it happen.

Peter would’ve been proud. If only he had lived to see this. I smiled down at the pages as they cleared themselves, one by one. I couldn’t believe that after all these years, the answer had been so simple. I didn’t have time to read everything, though I yearned to. Instead I had to content myself with reading just the first page. As I read, a smile spread across my face. The one page held everything I would ever need to know if I was going to kill Aspis.

If you decide to join the challenge, send me a link! I’d love to read your stories too! 

About these ads