Picturesque Prompted Contest: Meaghan Ward
Prompt: A woman on a horse and a man riding away from a burning castle at sunset. Artwork by Meaghan Ward.
They’d had hopes of a new life here, I’d heard their whispers by the campfire. But as he lifted his sisters onto the saddle, her tears fell on my mane.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean…” Her voice was thick with grief, and she knit her fingers into my hair. She’d said these words before.
The boy broke the uneasy silence. “We need to understand your…”
“Say it. Curse.” Her grief had taken on a bitter edge.
“It could be a gift,” he offered.
She shook her head, refusing his comfort. “‘Tis a sorry gift that only takes, robbing us of everything.”
The boy released my line and, gently untangling her grip, took her hand. “We still have each other.”
And you have me, my bairns, I would have added, had I been granted speech. But it was grace enough to be entrusted with their care. I was no fairy, but I could lighten their load.
In the distance, the city was still engulfed in flames.
The boy started walking again, looking ahead as they continued on their journey. “How did it start, this time?”
“Our room,” she said. “It was so cold. I just wished it could be warmer.”
Prompt 2
Prompt: A well-dressed man holding out his hand to a well-dressed woman in a wheelchair; in the water, a reflection of the two of them dancing. Artwork by Meaghan Ward.
I danced for one night.
The ringmaster, my step-family, even my cat doesn’t know, but once a year, my gift benefits more than customers. Once a year, I can make a wish of my own.
Unfortunately, it only lasts for one day, so I danced the street markets, I danced the taverns, and near the end of the day, I found myself dancing with the prince.
I lost a shoe in my exit but couldn’t stop. I barely made it to my wheeled chair before my legs gave out, and everyone averted their gaze, not wanting to be caught staring.
I hold onto those dances today as I see the patrons. They’re numerous, making wishes, draining my energy. I don’t stand in my work, so they don’t know my secret.
Then, I look up, and it’s him sitting across from me. He’s holding my shoe, and all I can do is gape.
“It’s worn on the inside, but the outside is new,” he says, lifting my shoe. “That’s how I knew you had to be…”
He hesitates, and I think he’s pitying me. But my gaze falls behind him, against the wall, and I see… crutches.
“…like me.”
Prompt 3
Prompt: Sunlight filtering into a cave, shining on a single blue rose. Artwork by Meaghan Ward.
Sunbeam had never seen such a creature before. She slipped through the hole in the rocks, floating toward the thin, fragile thing below. It boasted blue rays around an inner sun, attached to a green cord that vanished into the cracks of the stone.
She glanced back the way she’d come. Nothing but desert.
Sunbeam sighed. It didn’t seem fair that she should be the Sun’s daughter assigned to oversee this region. Her older brothers and sisters got to enjoy brilliant sights and enjoy humans receiving their warmth.
And her? She stared at sand all day.
Except, now, somehow, in this barren cave… this.
This was beyond her limited understanding.
She marvelled again at the colour, a brighter blue even than the sprawling desert sky. Such a small creature, yet it bloomed just like the hardened cacti.
She dared hover closer, brushing its rays with her own.
So soft.
The little creature seemed to straighten as she touched it, its rays spreading out. It tilted its body toward her, as if soaking in every stray strand of heat.
Sunbeam suddenly understood how her siblings felt. Whatever this was… it was a marvellous thing to be a part of.
