Picturesque Prompted Contest: Madie Arts
Prompt: The art piece by Madie Arts. Mermaid holding a key.
“Where did you find this?” Riya demanded. The gold chain glimmered in the light.
“Near the Barrens. It—it came from above,” Perrin stammered. “It has to be from before. Right?”
Except it looked brand new. The untarnished key looked like a cherished heirloom. Definitely not from before.
Riya shook her head. “No. It can’t be. Do you understand what this could mean?”
Perrin looked at Riya, afraid.
“Someone survived! Someone is alive up there!” Riya couldn’t help the excitement in her voice.
Twenty years ago, a virus wiped out the human world, turning them into monsters the Merfolk now referred to as Roamers. Riya and her people retreated to the waters and had stayed hidden in the depths of the ocean ever since. She missed the upper world, basking in the sun, feeling the warmth of the sand.
Her heart beat fast in her chest. This key was proof that someone, maybe more, had survived. Maybe this was their way of asking the Merfolk for help.
Riya placed the key around her neck and went for her favorite weapon, feeling strength flow through her as she picked up her trident.
“What are you doing?” Perrin asked, panic rising in his voice.
“I’m going to the surface.”
Prompt 2
Prompt: The art piece by Madie Arts. Red-haired girl in purple dress with flowers blooming from her hand.
“Are you sure? Once the gift has been given, it can’t be taken back.”
My gaze locks on the sea-warlock. “If I can’t have sea magic, then I choose land.”
He nods, studying my cheeks speckled with scales, hair the color of the midnight sun.
“Very well,” he says, and the water begins to swirl.
*****
When I wake, the ground is soft beneath me. An ocean breeze ruffles my hair, and evidence of salt and sand still pepper my skin.
My new limbs ache, as if the muscles are still learning how to stretch over bone. I wiggle what the humans call toes, and a dash of magic, feeding the breeze with an aroma of spring.
“Maristela?”
I glance back; a boy hovers near the cliffs. Droplets of water curl over his tanned chest. I stumble to my new legs.
Hurt pinches his face. “Mari—“
I hold out my hand and the earth moves beneath me, flowers stretching between the roots and dirt. The force of my power knocks him to his knees.
“Don’t you remember me?”
Earth magic curls over my fingers—coming through me.
“No,” I whisper, but I’m distracted by the joy flooding through me.
Finally, I have magic.
Prompt: The art piece by Madie Arts. Golden-eyed girl peering out from leaves.
Golden eyes. They said golden eyes were the signature look of them.
Them—the monsters, the magic weavers, the dark fae.
Tristan knew he should turn away, run, and never look back. But he was rooted in place, mesmerized by the young woman staring back at him.
He heard all the stories about the dark fae. Looking into their eyes would stun a human in place so the fae could drag an unfortunate soul into their lost woods. Hearing their voice would cause any human to lose control of their thoughts. Many men and women from the village had gone crazy after an encounter with the dark fae.
“I need to go,” Tristan told himself, his fingers tightening around his dagger. Yet he couldn’t move. Perhaps she didn’t stun him, but curiosity surely got the best of him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
The dark fae continued to stare, as though shocked he would speak to her. For a painstaking moment, silence stretched between them.
Tristan took this as his initiative—he should leave.
But just as he stood, hoping he could forget her golden eyes, she reached out and touched his hand, her fingers cold. “Ray.”
He turned around, and a smile crossed her face, making his stomach do all sorts of somersaults.
“My name is Ray,” she said.
