Recently, a mentor expressed that he hopes I continue to write fiction. Often, I fall out of that practice, as most of my writing is more technical or professional. I have to say, writing fiction sounds quite nice; a nice way to take a step back from the technicalities of writing and remember why I fell in love with it in the first place.
However, the idea of just jumping back into a big project was daunting!! So instead, I decided to start off with smaller writing exercises. I’ll start with a prompt (you can find the list here) and then write a short, one page story to accompany.
Exercise 2: The Empty Fireplace
At that moment, she should’ve left…
…started running, and never looked back. Know what she did instead? Stayed. Like the foolish romantic that she was.
Sera shook her head, even while reaching out to knock.
“Come in.”
She obliged. The inside was so much darker that she had to pause for a moment or resort to stumbling around blindly.
Her eyes adjusted and took in the empty entryway. She frowned.
“To the left.” The silken voice drifted down the hallway. A shiver went down her spine. Sera went to the left and through a doorway. The speaker sat shrouded in shadows beside an empty fireplace.
“It is good to see your face.”
Sera swallowed and walked closer.
“It has been far too long since I’ve hosted anyone here within these halls. Tell me. Does it look like you expected?”
Sera dragged her gaze away from the shadowed figure and looked around the room. It wasn’t that big, and hosted a small wooden table with simple chairs. Several paintings adorned the walls, a mountain lake, a cloudy beach, a woman from long ago. The woman was smiling, relaxed, peaceful.
“No.” Sera’s voice came out a whisper.
“Speak up, child.”
“No, sir. It’s not like I expected.”
The figure shifted. “Tell me, what’s different about it?”
“It’s homier and simpler and more… beautiful.”
“Hmm. You expected something gruesome and ugly?”
Sera’s face flushed. “Of course not, my lord.”
The figure laughed and stood, stepping into the light from the doorway. Sera’s blood froze in her veins and her heart began pounding. A man, older than the very first stones of this town, stood gracefully before her and looked no older than her father. Some said he sold his soul to the devil while others whispered that he was the devil. Sera didn’t know which was true, nor did she care to guess as she dropped into a deep curtsey. Fool, she should have done that right when she’d entered the room.
“Rise, child and stop with this “sir, my lord” nonsense. It makes me feel ancient.” The man laughed at his own joke, waving his cloak like a magician. Sera took note of the plain cloak and wondered if he’d given up on caring about fancy things as he outlived their usefulness.
“Now, tell me. You’ve come, but you have a request?”
“Yessir.”
He frowned.
“Yes, uh…”
He grinned. “Call me Salam.”
“Yes, Salam. I uh… A friend of mine is sick. I will do as you ask but I want your assurances that he will get taken care of.”
“Oh, a he-friend. How intriguing.” The light sparkled in Salam’s eyes as he came closer. He circled Sera. “You are not in any position to make requests, my child. But you know this already. So why are you asking?”
Sera swallowed and raised her chin, staring hard into the empty fireplace.
“Is it love for this poor boy, or wanting to go out as the hero?”
Sera’s nostrils flared.
“Are you one of those that likes to collect favors, leave a trail of people indebted to you?”
He came and stared deep into Sera’s eyes. “No, it’s none of those things.” His eyebrows shot up. “I see. It is a debt of your own that you must pay. ”
Sera scowled. “If you’re done with your games now, I’ll have my answer.” The words tore out of her but before she could back down, Salam laughed.
“Very well. Patience, child.”
Sera took a deep breath. “I hold up on my end of deals. It’s the honorable thing to do.”
Salam snorted. “As you should. Very well.” Salam’s eyes shuttered. “It is done.”
Sera felt a weight lift and wondered if now she could get him to reconsider.
Before she could open her mouth, Salam twirled, flaring out his cloak. He pointed to the empty fireplace. “Light it.”
Sera started towards it.
“No, from there.”
Sera’s mouth dropped open.
“It’s what you’re here to do, isn’t it?” Salam plopped back into his armchair. “You need a teacher and I need an apprentice. Now light it.”
thoughtswords 