Author: Charlotte Marton

Categories
2024 – Winter

Embracing the Abyss

Image: © Adobe Stock

Author: CT

Can you understand my sweet song? Are you even able to hear me? Do you know that, like you, I roam the vast seas? My best friends are clownfish, I talk to sharks, and I accompany green turtles as they lay their eggs. Ethereal jellyfishes and witty baby dolphins play with me. From the shallows to the tides, waves hold no secrets from me. This marine universe enchants me, and I sing its wonders.

But at the moment the ocean’s magic leaves me indifferent, another spell drives me. For several moons, I witness your fishing attempts, the sleep you cannot get, the words you scribble… I wish I could help you. I wish I could tell you that I am there, that I am watching over you. Not only that, but I can carry you away from your torment. Trust me, I can take you to the shore. You are slowly passing away, I watch you fade… I cannot force you to follow me. They forbid me to touch you. I think I remotely – love you.

Your strength inspires me. You are so pretty, so lonely… The waves carry around your orange raft. If only I could talk to you, you would know that you are loved by a fish woman. And suddenly, you throw a bottle in the sea:

Message in a Bottle

Rocked by the foam,

Moved by the mist,

In the endless sea I roam –

I cannot resist.

The emptiness of the abysses

Dresses me in its vices.

But my ship just sails,

Refuses to join the ocean’s entrails…

What a pitiful odyssey…

I am lost at sea.

Where is the shore?

The green grass I adore?

Far from any light,

I fight through the night.

I shine with my last glow,

And send the missive below:

You’ll find in my lines

A testimony of my last sunshines,

A desperate donation,

To Poseidon.

No matter if I cannot decipher your encapsulated words, I want to free you. Your distress hits, no matter the language. Your pain shatters me. Drawn by courage and pity, I reach your coral vessel and pull myself to the deck. You scream when I appear. Wide-eyed and breathless, you stare at me. I am shaking as much as you are but I timidly offer you my hand. Your emerald eyes roam over my anatomy: they observe my shiny chest, and they question my flamboyant feminine features. They meet my ruby pupils, then they follow the curves of my pearly hair. They, finally, gaze at my iridescent scales, that long azure fin that sets me apart from you. Emotions cross your fiery face; I recognise surprise, fear and hope… Perhaps even a glimmer of desire? Suddenly, you snap out of your contemplation, you gather your last strengths, and you run into my arms. Your legs around my tail, your heart against mine, I drag you down with me. We let the ocean host our tender embrace.

Too bad for Poseidon!

I received an unexpected aid – 

I was freed by a Mermaid,

Thanks to Cupid alone!

Comments by the jury:

“This is an original story in both format and in the narrative form. I love that the POV is from the point of the mermaid and enjoyed the twist.”

“I found the format very original and interesting, it piques curiosity, and the poem (message) included was so lovely. I also appreciated the originality of the p.o.v, I didn’t expect to read something like that at all, it’s such a great turn on the usual mythical takes!”

Categories
2024 – Winter

Something Forgotten

Image: ©Amélie My-Linh Dauban

Author: Amélie My-Linh Dauban

It had been a long time since she had not felt such a peaceful feeling in her heart. In the past weeks – no, in the past months – she had been so disconnected from herself, from the world around. She was walking from place to place, moving from task to task, like a sleepwalker, robotically doing what she was expected to, without even wondering if she liked it. All that mattered was to get the job done. Perform well academically, exercise daily, fake a smile, overwork herself, pretend she was doing fine, that she wasn’t tired, pretend she didn’t care. But maybe that was in fact the problem. Maybe she forgot how to care. She was so caught up in her exhausting routine that she was not seeing the world around. As if she had become empty, soulless, a creature made of void and darkness, barely looking human from afar.

And yet, for the first time, she felt something. At last. She had returned to her hometown, where all her happy memories lie. Her parents’ warmth, her cosy house, her messy room, but above all, above everything, the forest nearby, where she would wander for hours during long walks and runs. The place where her heart truly lies.

She took a long breath. The air was cold, smelling like wet leaves and rain. She let it fill her lungs, then watched it twirl in a foggy cloud of smoke. A little smile stretched her lips. She looked around. No sign of civilisation to be seen. Only a cathedral of trees, throwing their arms towards the sky in a vain attempt to reach the stars. The leaves were playing a soft melody together with the wind, upon which the birds sang. Of all the music in the world, it was her favourite symphony.

Raising her eyes, she gazed at the orange sun disappearing behind treetops, painting the sky in shades of pink, yellow and turquoise. The grass was already covered in frost, even though it was not winter yet. On the floor lay a carpet of brown and golden leaves, resting in peace after a warm and green summer. It was freezing, foggy, mysterious. Light was slowly decreasing, creating quite a spooky atmosphere.

Yet, the girl was not afraid. On the contrary, she had never felt freer than here, alone among the trees. Overwhelmed by a sudden burst of joy, she started to run and jump and dance. Why walk in a straight line at a constant pace? As if life was constant and straightforward. As if the human mind was constant and straightforward. It was not, her heart was a hurricane, and she could not hold it in any longer, she had to let it out, express the winds shaking her, carrying her like a bird flying on hot airstreams.

She felt so lucky to be alive… The forest was her castle, her queendom, her only home. She started running faster, she was one with the wind, she was one with nature, with the world, with herself. For the first time since what seemed to be for her an eternity, she felt like she belonged.

And suddenly, it did not seem to matter to be the strongest, the wittiest, the most knowledgeable in the room, wherever she’d go. All she wanted, all she had ever wanted was to be happy and free. To exist without a purpose, for the simple joy of being there, in the moment. 

Slowing down, she paused a second to recover her breath, ecstatic. The first stars were illuminating the sky, alongside the dazzling moon. Suddenly, she saw something move in the bushes. She held her breath. An animal? Trying hard to not make any noise, she walked closer. Quietly, a red hairy head came out of the leaves. A fox! She could barely contain her excitement. The creature calmly walked by before disappearing again, closely followed by its fluffy tail. It felt like magic, truly.

Full of these forgotten core feelings, the girl started heading back to her house. She better get home before it got dark! Now she knew she was the same as the child who would go on tremendous adventures in these woods, finding wonder behind every trunk, magic in every leaf that falls. She was still the same as the girl who would enjoy a comforting hot chocolate after a hike with her parents, still the same as the little wooden elf she imagined herself to be when she was little. Her heart belonged to the forest, and never had it beaten louder than in this very moment. She knew who she was, and she was by far enough as she was. No need to prove her worth. She was the daughter of the wind, and her fate was to live forever free.

Comments by the jury:

“I admired the protagonist’s bravery and was pleased it was rewarded.”

“The use of several adjectives in a row is, in my opinion, a very lovely way of describing things, and the use of punctuation in general rendered the thinking process quite wonderfully.”