This week’s photo prompt is provided by Michelle De Angelis. Thank you Michelle!
Masts stripe the water, their reflections breaking into nonsense with the ripples.
The bridge raises, the pleasure boats scudding through like eager ducks. It’s summer so families have gathered, trapped on either side of the water by the raised bridge, children waving happily to the skippers floating below them, sun glowing from every bronzed face.
And then there’s me. I’m pale where they are brown, the Moon to their myriad Suns.
My hands are cold. My limbs white beneath layers of wool and linen, I am smooth and flawless as a tomb carving.
Here, stranded – this is my natural state. Close to mankind, but cut off from it, I walk among them but never touch, never make contact … not until I must.ย Then I burn, bright enough to shame the sun, bright enough to blind.
The bridge lowers. The families disperse to buy ice cream and eat doughnuts.
I walk among them, waiting for my time.
Written for Priceless Joy’s FFfAW. Be inspired by the pic and write a tale here. This started as a reflection on the water and turned into … whatever this is. Vampire? Ghoul? Someone with an acute allergy to the sun? What do you think was going on in my head when I wrote this?
I’d like to “chill” with this character. ๐
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๐ Thanks Pola
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Another wonderfully spooky story! On the one hand,I can relate at being the pale creature hiding from the sun. But it seems that this one is not “mankind” but… something else, ooooo! Great contrast between whatever ominous thing this creature is planning and the everyday happy world going on with their everyday lives, oblivious.
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The character just drifted in, uninvited – funny how they do that sometimes, isn’t it? I usually hide from the sun too, being pasty and freckly as I am. And I do love layers, so I’d be quite happy keeping this creature company – until it was time for them to do whatever they do! Thank you Joy. Glad you liked it
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Yes, I think I’d prefer to keep this one company from far, far away, just in case. ๐
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Ha! Me too. Thanks for reading Joy
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Lynn, I was captivated by whatever this creature was or was not. You did a superb job bring us in and leaving us with a bit of chill bumps. Yes, it is interesting what type of characters wander in when a prompt appears. Thanks for being a part of this week;s challenge.
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Thank you very much Joe! My mind can’t help but turn to the creepier things – I’ve just written a creepy fairy tale, two ghost stories and have been revising my novel which is also filled with ghosts! Can’t help myself. Thanks so much for the kind comment and for running the show ๐
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Who am I? Am I dead?
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You may well be, Abhijit! Thank you for reading ๐
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Gosh, whatever is it? Seems too substantial in linen and wool to be a ghost. And in the like of day, unlikely a vampire. She/he/it walks amongst them thus not an invalid in a wheelchair, though that was my first thought. Crumbs, I confess, you have me mystified.
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Could be one of those modern vampires that move about in the day time – that’s a thing these days, apparently. Or it could be something else entirely – a ghoul, some one caught between two worlds, like a Frankenstein’s monster. Fun thinking about it though. Thanks for reading, Crispina
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Ah-ha! (you can tell this isn’t my usual genre). A constructed being. Or maybe an alien? Or a genetic cross, results of an experiement gone wrong. Hmm.
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Yes, I like the genetic mutant idea, a poor, rejected experiment. Like the sound of that
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Happy to make a suitable suggestion. ๐
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Great idea ๐
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Not sure what it is, but it chills me to the bone! Great writing as always Lynn.
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Android, not cyborg, was my first reaction; cold to touch yet able to burn, naturalistic to look at so not given a second glance. And that final throw-away line, second cousin to Arnie’s “I’ll be back!” in its covert threat!
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Ha! Love the way you’ve thought that through, Chris. And your idea definitely fits the story. Not going to end well, though by the sounds of things! Thanks so much for reading
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Very intriguing tale with lots more to tell.
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Thank you Brenda
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There are some wonderful phrases in this intriguing piece.
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Thanks JS
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Ah, at last, I have found one of my own. Wonderful story.
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Haha! Thanks Jo. Glad you liked it
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A story to chill the sun, yes winters on its way.
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Thank you Michael
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It’s funny… I didn’t feel it was evil at all. It is there not by choice and cannot touch the humans (kind of like that X-Men character played by Anna Paquin) without hurting them. It’s just waiting for a way to get home…
As usual, your imagery is outstanding.
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Love your interpretation, Dale. I wanted to show how isolated the character was and I’m glad that came across. Thank you so much for reading
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Isn’t that the best part of writing? Seeing how our readers react?
I’m glad you liked my interpretation.
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It really is! You write away and then send stories out into the world and people come back with ideas you never even considered before – it’s fascinating. Thank you again for the great comment
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I so love that.
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๐
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Oooo, creepy.
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Thanks – glad you thought so ๐
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