Drabble Wednesday: Things Lost

Today on Drabble Wednesday we ruminate on things gone astray…

Echoes

I stand in the city of Myre.

Beyond its boundaries stretches the Great Sea. Beyond that lies the kingdom of Dastra and its fierce warriors. They sailed here once, not so long ago, with their warships and their swords.

They invaded this great city.

They came to pillage, and to conquer.

They succeeded.

Our grand walls fell, our buildings crumbled, our riches stolen.

Our people murdered.

The streets were stained red with blood and littered with corpses.

They left not a soul alive. Not even me.

I stand in the ruins of Myre.

Behind me stretches its legions of dead.

~*~

Ambition

The sky is blue and the warm sun shines upon all gathered. The birds are singing in the trees.

How dare they.

Don’t they know my child is dead?

I want to scream. But I don’t. I mourn as one should at a funeral. I shake hands, accept condolences, and then go home to an empty house. My wife left me when our daughter was killed. She blamed me.

Killed.

That sounds so brutal. I suppose it was, her death. And I suppose I am to blame. I wanted power, courted ruthless ambition, made enemies.

Enemies that murdered my child.

~*~

Mislaid

Childhood.

A time of innocence.

A time to grow, to be loved, to know family.

Until that all goes away.

And you don’t know why.

Sometimes I wonder if they abandoned me, that day in the woods, or if I simply got lost. It’s hard to remember anymore. Maybe it was an accident, maybe they planned it. My memories play tricks. I remember I was playing. My parents waved and smiled at me.

Were they saying goodbye?

Then I saw a bright light, and tumbled down to…

The Dark Woods I call it. Where things keep trying to kill me.

© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved