Wrongful Death

Death had had a long day. Not that Death ever had a short day; people were always dying to meet Death, so she was always busy. She sighed, rubbing her temples. It was telling to just how long a day it was that the joke didn’t make her smile, idiotic as it was.

Death unlocked the gate to her garden, Cerberus on her heels. He was a three headed pug today, but even that couldn’t bring a smile to Death’s face. She stumbled into her cottage, and collapsed on the couch, eyes closed. She needed a vacation. She had heard of them from the humans she shuttled down, but had never taken one. There wasn’t time. She couldn’t ask her sisters to pull extra shifts, that wouldn’t be fair. At least she had her sisters, and didn’t have to reap all day, every day.

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Knowing

The bell above the door twinkled, and Helen looked up from her book. She quietly watched the girl enter the shop, noticing her bowed head and hunched shoulders. Helen felt a nudge of Knowing, that this girl in particular she needed to help. She glanced over at Sebastian, who was snoozing on the counter. “Watch the register, Seb,” she said, and the cat flicked his tail in acceptance.

Helen drifted slowly toward the girl, who had been standing near the crystals for a minute, as if transfixed.

“Hello,” Helen said softly, “welcome in. Is there anything I can help you find?”

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Cries in the Rain

Because of her, the rain was screaming. He could hear it in the wind that blew hard drops against his face. He could hear it in the clatter of rain against glass. He could hear it in the drip, drip, drip from the leaking ceiling. He knew she was somewhere, out there, and her howling could be heard in the rain.

He clutched his hands to his ears, trying to block out the noise, but he just couldn’t get it out of his head. The air tried to coalesce around him, shield him from the horrible cries, but he wasn’t powerful enough to block her out. He didn’t know how to find her. He had searched and searched, and yet she was still lost to him.

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How It Ends

Some said the world would end in fire, some said in ice. Some people even said with zombies. But no one could have known that this was how it all ended. No one could have known it would end so quietly. One moment, the world hummed along, people going about their lives, having their petty squabbles and making up. The sun rose in the east, and started setting in the west. Everything as usual.

But then, it all just, stopped. People froze in place, the sun stopped its transit across the sky. The trees were still as the wind died, and the oceans lay flat, not one ripple across the surface. It was a quiet the universe hadn’t seen in millennia, not since before the Bang that started it all.

The Earth hung, unmoving, still. It was unnatural. In a universe like ours, constantly moving, growing, expanding, changing, stillness was unheard of.

And yet, and yet. The Earth had stopped.

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Prophecy

“Huh.”

Morwena ground her teeth, staring at Yadazel, who stood hunched over the ancient scroll. “Huh? Huh what?”

“It’s nothing,” the wizard said, glancing over at her. “This is just a lot more straightforward than I thought it would be.”

Morwena rested her hand on the handle of her axe, and said nothing. Her glare spoke volumes.

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Life’s a Game

Sometimes I feel like I am playing one of those mobile games, where I only have so much energy I can spend each day before I need to close the app and wait until tomorrow. The problem is, I’m playing the free version, and start with minimal energy, so I only do a few things before needing to shut down. I want to keep playing, but I just don’t have the resources.

© The Lightning Tower, 2020

The Times We Live In

Sometimes I feel like
I’m living through history.
The bad and the good.

I often think back,
To books I’ve read, lessons learned,
And I imagine.

I imagine that
During those moments in time
We all learn about,

The wars and the plagues,
Ages of enlightenment
And those of the dark,

When change washed over
The people of the world, and
Nothing was the same.

I wonder if they,
Like us, now, knew the changes
Were coming full speed.

What did they think, feel?
Does it match what we feel now?
Is this humanity?

I know life is change,
And nothing stays the same long.
So it always goes.

But all the same…

I feel like I am
Living through history, and
I wish I wasn’t.

© The Lightning Tower, 2020

Walking

“All right, I’m almost ready,” Lake said, carefully slipping a sneaker on over her wrapped ankle.

Aubrey looked doubtful. “Are you sure you want to go for a walk? You’re not overworking your ankle or anything?”

“I’m fine,” Lake said, standing up and taking a few steps. “The wrap really helps.”

“Okay,” Aubrey shrugged. She wasn’t going to argue. It was just a quick walk around the neighborhood, anyway.

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Beep

Beep.

“I know, damn it,” Natasha cursed, glancing back at the microwave as she measured out the flour. Why did she always leave everything until the last minute? She dumped the flour into the waiting bowl, and swore again. She still needed the one cup measuring cup, but didn’t want to double-dip in the flour and sugar, which meant she needed to wash it before using it again.

Beep.

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Family Lore

“If a spider ends up in my hair because of your little treasure hunt, I’m going to freak out. Just so you know.” Mel’s tone was cheerful, conversational. A little at odds with their surroundings.

Ann glanced back. She didn’t know what Mel was complaining about; Ann was going first, wasn’t she, pushing all the cobwebs down and trying to clear a path?

“You owe me so big,” Mel muttered.

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