So I've got a special surprise for y'all today - True of A True Writer (she's a fairly new blogger, and you guys need to check her out because she's doing epic things with her piece of the internet) is sharing an awesome piece of one of her stories with us today!
True actually won the writing contest way back in September - however we decided to put off posting her winning entry for awhile, but its here now! Enjoy it, you guys. True's a master with words.
When a shy, small voice called out to Mistress Levine on her way
home from the market, she almost hurried right by. But Kiera seemed drawn to
the voice, and after chasing after her daughter, Mistress Levine had found
herself talking to a beggar boy within a few minutes.
His bright eyes were almost wistful when he asked her, "Do
you fancy a portrait of your little lass? I can do them right pretty, if I say
so myself." Something about his soft voice, his meek smile prompted her to
nod uncertainly. One hand reached into his worn shoulder bag and drew out a
thick drawing pad. His hands were rough and calloused, Mistress Levine noticed
- and they were the only part of him that was remotely clean. He looked rather
pathetic, sitting there propped against the side of a wall. His tunic was
tattered and dusty, and his shoes were falling apart. A shock of hair fell into
his eyes, and he brushed it away, his eyes glancing back to Kiera. Picking up
his pen, he studied her, as if drinking in the details he needed to know. She
stared back with unconcealed wonder.
But his hands seemed to have a magic hidden in them. Mistress
Levine peered over his shoulder as he hunched over his paper, and her breath
caught as she watched him work his magic. His pen danced around on its cream
paper stage, an elegant trail of ink marking its path. The boy guided the pen
around the page with quick, skilled fingers. In a few minutes, an image of her
little niece was blooming on the paper. First an outline, then shadows, and
then, before she could so much as gasp, the boy seemed to capture Kiera's very
spirit in his fingers and ease it into the artwork.
"Finished." Setting his pen aside, the boy gave one last
glance at Kiera and then at the drawing, and tore the paper from his pad.
Mistress Levine took it, drinking in every detail. The girl on the
page almost was Kiera. There was the way that she tilted her head, the smile
glinting in the corner of her eye. Why, the ink girl even seemed to shy away
from the fingers that touched the paper, so much like her niece's shy spirit.
The boy had spun magic with his fingers and his ink.
A quiet
cough startled her, and she looked down at the boy's face. A small, dry smile
graced it as he looked up at her. "You like it?"
"Oh!" She slipped
her hand into her purse and brought out the gold coin. "Of course. It's
magnificent. Thank you." She was still breathless, her eyes being drawn
again to the ink child on her hands. "Kiera, come see what he's
done."
Kiera walked slowly towards her, like a prisoner walking to his
execution. Instead of jumping up and down in delight, she stood still and
stared at the drawing, silent.
"Well, Kiera, do
you like it?" Mistress Levine asked, noticing with a smile how even the
little locket hung from the ink girl's slender neck.
"Yes."
The quiet reply bothered her - normally, Kiera would be
overflowing with excitement. Mistress Levine touched her hand to Kiera's
forehead, but she was cold, not hot with fever. Nevertheless . . .
"You look a bit pale, Kiera-lass. Come, let's go home, and
I'll fix you something." Mistress Levine turned to the beggar boy, who was
still staring at them. "Thank you, lad. You have a tremendous gift in
those fingers. May the saints bless you."
"And you," he said, nodding his head. Still marveling
over the fine artwork, Mistress Levine hurried Kiera home. Some broth, some
cookies - Kiera would be up and her own self soon. Her eyes would sparkle, as
it did in the portrait. She couldn't wait to show her husband the drawing.
---
Rayth watched the woman and girl as they blended into the crowd.
Already the urge that almost drove him mad every moon was starting to wane. But
the guilt that always followed was blasting in full force. He closed his eyes,
but could only see the brilliant eyes of the girl - Kiera, the woman had called
her. They sparkled one second, then became dull and glassy the next. Just like
always.
As the tingling
ceased, he looked down at his fingers. The ink had stained his fingers, as a
permanent reminder of his crimes. Like burns after branding. Like blood after
murder
A flower peeking through a crack in the wall caught his eye, and
he picked up the pad of paper. Flowers calmed him, helped satisfy the urge. He
flipped to the last page in his sketchbook where dozens of blossoms graced the
page, and found a blank spot. His fingers tingled with energy, and a few pen
strokes later, and a black and white replica bloomed on the page.
But the
flower in the crack was withered and brown. Dead.
He gathered up his pen and paper silently, glaring at his
ink-stained fingers and the withered flower. They called him an artist, blessed.
They didn't see the monster in him. Cursed to kill with every masterpiece.
Flowers, he could handle. He could capture them and their beauty
without remorse. But soon the urge would come again. Only a soul could ease
that. Capture their soul - keep them close.
He drew out the vial that hung on a chain around his neck. For a
moment, he watched the dancing orbs. There was a new one, brighter than all the
rest. It was, after all, still a fresh soul. That would feed him for a few
months yet.
Wasn't that amazing? I'm desperate for more, it was so good! And now you guys can hop along and check out the author herself, True, on her blog A True Writer.
Now, I'm off to read that epic thing again xD.
~ Savannah Grace
did you guys enjoy the story?
chat with True in the comments!
Oh my word, THIS IS EPIC!! My emotions are all in knots! I feel sad, amazed, and I'm slightly fan-girling all at one. True, if you see this, know that you have a true talent. Keep up the amazing work. I know you're going places! <3 <3
ReplyDeleteSavannah, thank you for sharing this beautiful work of art. <3
~Ivie|Ivie Writes
Thank you Ivie! I had a lot of fun writing this piece. and I'm happy that it was able to reach you like that.
DeleteThis is so good, True!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thank you for taking the time to read it!
DeleteOH MY WOOOOORD. THIS WAS SO GOOD! :O I WANT A WHOLE NOVEL ABOUT THIS!!!!! When I realized what the painting DID I was internally screaming. Like...that is so epic and horrific at the same time! And I love how the boy is both villain and not. I want to know more about himmmm!
ReplyDeleteThis was amazing, True. And your writing style is simply gorgeous. I wanted to soak up the beautiful words. The way you described the boy painting was just... *clutches heart* Wow. I have no words. YOU are the one with magic in your fingers. You're so talented!
Thank you, girls, for sharing this with us. It was a delight! :D (Even though I totally want more now. MEEP.)
Hi Christine! I am so glad that Rayth and his gift managed to capture your excitement and curiosity! I've actually had a chance to work with it some more and it became my NaNo, which I'm revising right now. (So there actually is a whole novel about this - it just isn't finished yet!) Thank you for the kind words - I'm so glad that you enjoyed this little piece.
DeleteWHOA that plot twist at the end, though. I love how this flowed! True's such an amazing writer-- I'm going to go check her blog out!
ReplyDeletexoxo Abigail Lennah | ups & downs
Hi Abigail! Thank you for reading the story - and I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
DeleteOhhhh my goodness. That WAS epic. I've never read anything like it, and I never would have thought of that myself! O.o Well done, True, well done.
ReplyDeleteZane Jones | Simple Impossibilities
Ahhh thank you so much Zane! I actually wasn't planning the ending as I wrote it, and it surprised me a lot - Rayth was an archived character I'd never used, and he did not come with the "gift" when I first created him. But I'm very glad that you enjoyed it!
DeleteO_O Woah. That's amazingly awesome!!
ReplyDelete~Ceci
alooongtimeagoinagalaxyfarfaraway.blogspot.com
Thank you Ceci - I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!
DeleteAHHHHHHHHHHH wow. Wow. True, that was AMAZING!!!!!! Sad. Super, super sad, and a little bit creepy, but beautiful!! I need to know more...
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! I'm glad to hear that it made an impact on you. And Rayth's story is far from done - this little spark lit an entire novel, some of which 'm still trying to figure out. ;) Thank you for reading!
DeleteI'm still staggering from this. You have an amazing story here!!! It hooked me from the very beginning and that twist. Ahh! Keep up the awesome work, True. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my word, True, you are a truly talented author! Wonderful work!!!! <3 Are you planning on turning this into a novel?
ReplyDeleteWow! This was so awesome! Savannah wasn't kidding: this is mastery of words! Very beautiful!
ReplyDeleteTHAT WAS LITERALLY SO EPIC OH MY GOSH. *heart eyes*
ReplyDeleteI'm not terrified. Nope. Not at all. :O
ReplyDeleteBut really, this was quite well written. You have a lot of talent! Now I want to know what on earth is going on, how he came to have this power--curse--thing. It's a very unique idea! Please let us know when you finish it, because I want to find out more about this story. :)
WOAHHHHH I love this!!! You have a great talent, True, and thank you for sharing this with us, Savannah!
ReplyDelete