The sting of where once was nothing

My mind struggling to defer the pain from the thoughts

Only way to make my head silent is giving it something else to focus on

Scars left behind, a reminder of how I used to cope

The absence is still keenly felt but now the gaps can be refilled

This is about my struggle with SH. Wanted to show what it can be like and the prompt reminded me of it. Enjoy :)

Her heart, her soul, some would say as clear as a crystal

Sharp like a stalagmite and strong as a rock

But none quite know her true form, sealed away with a lock

Clear as a crystal that may be true,

But sometimes she may be broken amethyst too

It told us we can’t go home. It told us we can’t speak about this to anyone. It told us we would be stuck here forever.

Today started off like any other day. I left my wife and kids to go to work. I started my shift normally, shoveling paths through the snow. I remember the cold chill that bit my nose. I remember the laughs shared between coworkers.

I remember the loud crash that made everything go dark. My ears ringing, my sight blurred, and my body aching. The bloodied bodies of my coworkers by my side. I could feel my head throb as my own blood flowed down my face.

I tried to stay awake. I tried to see what happened. I’m sorry, I tried.

I don’t know how much time had passed but I awoke in a cabin with a bandage around my head. There were about 20 other beds around me. Nothing looked familiar. Each bed had someone in it, everyone including me all injured in one way or another.

I heard steps coming up stairs from the opposite end of the room. I was the only one awake. I didn’t know what to do so I pretended to be asleep.

A young woman with an apron walked inside the room overlooking each bed. I shut my eyes tighter as my heart thumped louder. I was terrified she could hear it. The room was so silent it seemed possible. Luckily she walked back down the stairs without any words.

After this moment I knew I needed to escape. I didn’t know where I was. I still don’t know where I am. From my count of the nights and days it seems I have been here for two weeks.

After she left I went back to sleep. But I was awoken the next day along with everyone else in the room to a voice over what seemed to be a loudspeaker. Everyone in the room was confused and scared. I recognized some of my coworkers but others were people I have never seen before. The voice was deep and caused the speaker to crackle.

“There is a red suit on your assigned bed. Put it on, head outside, and get to work. No one leaves. This is your life now. Get used to it.”

Everyone took a second to comprehend the voice. In unison we all looked to our beds. As the voice stated, there was a red suit for each of us at the end of our beds.

“I’m not doing this shit. Get me out! I have a family!” One man screamed as he started to bang on the walls.

One second he was fine but the next he was on the floor with his eyes rolling in the back of his head.

The voice once again came over the loudspeaker.

“Forgot to mention, anyone who fights will die. Now hurry up.”

That sealed our fate.

We all did as told. Everyone stayed silent. I didn’t want to speak. I was afraid what would happen if I did.

The downstairs looked like a normal cabin you rent for a getaway. No one was down there but there was a huge table filled to the brim with freshly cooked breakfast. The smell of bacon grease filled my lungs.

We all didn’t want to trust the food but we were also starving. Something caught my attention besides the breakfast. Outside of the huge window at the front of the house there was a huge piece of metal that looked broken. At closer glance I could tell it was a UFO. I tapped one of my coworkers on the shoulder and pointed to it. One by one all of our jaws dropped.

We are all here now and we can’t leave. Whatever is keeping us here is not human. I can hear things scratching in the walls. I can feel my mind turning to sludge. Day by day we go out and fix the damage on the UFO.

I miss my family. I hope they are okay. I don’t know what to do. But what I do know is that I need to get out of here.

I found a pad and pen that I’m using to write this with. I also found a camera. I’m discreetly documenting everything. There are no cameras pointing over where I sit right now. That’s how I’m writing. I managed to capture the photo attached above from the balcony of the cabin.

Word limit

“You’ll get what you deserve; I’ll make sure of it.” My mom smiled, whispering to me as I cried in her arms in the bright hospital room.

20 years later…

“You’ll get what you deserve; I’ll make sure of it.” I say as I hold a sharp dagger to her throat while she sleeps soundly.

2075. All adults are overtaken. All children are fed up. The world is close to being destroyed. Mother Nature is angry. The winds have turned to ash. The sky has turned dark. The seas no longer flow. The animals no longer exist. Humans have ruined everything. Only the new generation has heard mother nature’s cries.

In an effort to bring back life to the disappearing beauty, Mother Nature has birthed Hiraeths. Looking for a home they can’t return to. Maybe one that never was. At least one that did exist until humans arrived.

Hiraeths born from the elements. Fire, water, air, earth. Each born to rule. Each born to bring back the peace and beauty the world has lost. To bring back the world devoid of color.

The kingdom of Hiraethia ruled by Anahita, the protecter of the seas, rivers, and lakes. Phoenix, the protector of fire. Abel, the protector of the winds and skies. And finally Dhara the protector of the earth as a whole. From the soil to the treetops. All only 14. All with one mission.

The adults who have destroyed the earth are kept in the dungeons below Hiraethia grounds. Only fed the slop they have left behind.

Coronations for the rulers of Hiraethia begin in January. With the cold winter setting in and the earth finally getting to heal Anahita, Phoenix, Abel, and Dhara begin their power of ruling. For just being 14 and having the power of kings and queens was hard to comprehend.

After all, they are just children.