Nature Writing Prompts

Tonight, the song of stars, sweet harmony, It calls your heart away. Please, stay.

In times when you forget our history, Eager to find your way, Please, stay.

Even when all I give is agony, Another broken day, Please, stay.

I don’t know who I am and what I’ll be Tonight, don’t let yourself near moon To float away, Or you will miss the flowers, they will bloom, Under your feet, someday… No matter how I push you far from me, Just stay. Tonight, Please, stay.

Nancy slams the apartment’s door as she enters. A far cry from her usually peppy persona.

“I think Fran wants to break up.”

I look up from my spot on the couch.

“Did she say that?”

“Through…implications.”

I roll my eyes, returning to the commercial break.

Nancy pauses the TV, causing me to groan.

“I’m not your personal love guru.”

“I’ll give you five bucks if you just shush and listen.”

“Deal, but I draw the line at sex talk…of course any line can be erased-”

“Stop being so morally gray and let me talk.”

I sigh, letting her continue.

“She hasn't come by the diner in weeks, and she’s been looking at me funny.”

“How so?”

Nancy squints her eyes, attempting her best Fran impression.

“Oh no” I fake a gasp.

“What is it?” Nancy furrows her brows.

“Absolutely nothing, that's what, this is just like Dottie all over again.”

“You’re right…obviously…” She chuckles, before tilting her head. “what do you mean?”

“You were totally convinced Dottie Elson was straight as an arrow.”

“In my defense, she kept trying to recruit me for cheerleading-”

“And then you guys sucked face all through senior year, which I still haven't fully recovered from by the way.”

“You’re saying I'm reading too much into it?”

“Sometimes signals are like…terms of agreement. They don't really matter, and don't need to be read.”

“You don't read terms of agreements?”

“Nobody does.”

Later that day I'm sitting in a corner booth waiting for my pizza, and Fran announces her break, sliding into the bench across from me.

“I think Nancy’s seeing someone else.”

I nearly spit out my soda.

“She’s been acting sort of weird all week and she won’t make eye contact, like at all.”

“She's always weird.”

“I mean, it's not like we’ve made it exclusive, I just thought we were on the same page.”

“Similiar pages, different books.”

“Has she talked to you?”

“Yes, but she told me not to tell you.”

“So why are you telling me?”

“Well first of all, I never got my five bucks,”

Fran looks confused.

“Secondly, I am not trustworthy, and Nancy knows this.”

“Well what did she say? Does she still like me? She hasn't invited me to the diner in a week.”

“Fran…” I say, taking a long sip of my cherry coke before continuing.

“Yes…?” She motions anxiously for me to continue.

“Do you read terms and agreements?”

“Obviously there's important information in-”

“I thought as much.” I interrupt her.

“What are your talking about…”

“Fran, you and Nancy are fine.”

“Really? She said that?”

“Through…implications.”

Fran isn't following, so I add:

“What you guys need is a visit from the communication fairy.”

“Oh…right, you're pretty insightful.”

“Some might say I'm a love guru.”

“Anyway, sorry for getting you involved…though I suspect Nancy already did that?”

“Keen observation.”

“Is there anything I can do to thank you?”

“How much is my pizza?”

“ 10.99, plus tip”

“That should cover it, when you talk to Nancy remind her I don't do business with swindlers.”

“Watch it, that's my girlfriend you're talking about.”

(Thanks for suggesting this Just Another Teenage Girl! This is draft #43)

Love is a _strange _word. It means something different Every time you say it A truth, a lie A way to say goodbye.

Love is a _terrifying _word. You can’t say it without commitment Without a promise That you’ll stay Night and day

Love is a _funny _word. You don’t know what it means Until you have truly lost it Remembering, missing Dancing and kissing

Love is a _beautiful _word. It persists and changes And grows Against all odds Though we’re broken and flawed I am here.

In my dreams, I often meet the soul of that who I’m meant to be with. My soulmate, if you will

I’m not sure if he’s here, or ever will be here. But he’s there when I close my eyes and when I need it the most

It’s always the same place; in a sort of library, with multiple levels, hallways that go on forever, and stairs that seem to lead to nowhere. Candles adorn the corners, and there doesn’t seem to be a ceiling. It looks to fade into what almost resembles the night sky

And in the midst of all of the baggage, heavy packed away trauma, and pain that I support every day, he walks up calmly to me. Gently placing one hand to cup my cheek, while the other goes to the small of my back to draw me closer in an embrace. And in that moment, I realize how touch deprived I’ve been

I close my eyes, my breath hitching as I release the tension within my chest. He presses his forehead to mine, and does not go after me in a sexual nature in the way that others always have. In the same way that I’ve been conditioned to do as well. He simply holds me, gently rubbing my back and caressing my cheek, as I painstakingly liberate myself of the burdens life has placed within my heart

Then, when I am ready, he helps me begin to inspect all of the parcels, boxes, luggage, drawers, anything inside the nooks and crannies of my mind. To process them, provide the proper attention to them, and then release them

Occasionally, we run across beautiful memories and moments, forgotten for quite some time but still treasured none the less as we smile, giggling and reminiscing amongst ourselves. Some moments tender, bittersweet. And we hold one another, letting the moment replay as often as needed until we are ready to release it

Others have been broken, sharp edges that cut my fingers as I try to handle the damaged memory again. They are difficult to hold, cutting deep as blood spills over the edges of my fingertips and palms to the ground. I sob in agony, but he does not run or chide me for my outburst. He takes some of the burden upon himself, bleeding with me, regardless of it not being his responsibility

He chuckles with me, holds me, supports me. He loves me, truly. And above all, he is my best friend

When I wake, however, he does not exist. And while it leaves my heart aching and burning, I know I’ll see him again when I need it most

Even so, I can’t help but think sometimes how different my life would be if I could only find him in this lifetime. How much more beautiful everything could be, if life were gentle

The pitter patter of my heart grows louder as I stare into her eyes. My mask slowly starting to peel from my face as I dangle over the edge of the bridge just barely holding onto her, my love. The rain pours down heavily, the drops of water streaming over us. My eyes flick down towards our hands where my grip is strong, but slipping.

Her fearful eyes look into mine as she holds on for dear life. My stomach is riddled with knots as I once more try to pull us both up, I have to save her. Time ticks by slowly as the mask peels further, revealing some of my face. I stop, frozen in place. If she finds out who I am, she’ll be so disappointed.

Pictures of her flash through my mind, all the images mentally saved of her from across the hall, laughing and smiling with her friends, her eyes lighting up. Her voice, she’s spoken to me a few times, just trivial things. An aura of beauty and strength seemed to constantly float around her, drawing me in. But I’m simply an outcast. One who is barely getting by, who struggles to fit in and who’s worth is diminished every day. No, she can’t find out.

My broken image hidden behind a powerful and capable force would be bared to the one person who I didn’t want to know see it. For I know that deep down, she’ll never love someone like me.

Yet right now as I stare into her sparkling eyes, her strong aura is now broken into a petrified one. I know I must do whatever it takes to save her. With that thought in mind I hook my feet through the bars of the bridge and summon up all my strength. Slowly but surely I’m pulling us up until I’m securely on the bridge. My hands grip her tighter as hers begin the slip from mine, making the task seem impossible.

“You can do it,” she says her voice shaking a little but full of sincerity, that I believe her. My mask falls further revealing half of my face but I ignore it as I hoist her up once more. Now grabbing her waist, she latches onto the bridge and together, she’s pulled to safety.

Breathing heavily, her hands rest on the ground as she bends over. I watch as a sense of relief fall over her and she rises to my level. I feel the need to shy away from her as my mask falls off my face, her eyes following it. She trails her eyes back to meet mine and my heart lurches in my chest, my mind swarming with anxiety induced thoughts. Yet as the rain pelts down on us, her gaze softens.

“You saved me,” she says. My head nods on its own while my mind is still trapped in itself fighting for control. Suddenly, I find light and warmth when she embraces me and I realized she didn’t care who I was. As I stood there in the arms of the woman I loved most, I saw my mask be carried away in the wind and in that moment, I couldn’t find it in me to care.

I forgot to pick up milk,

Maybe I left the door unlocked.

Forgot to have your oil change done,

And get your Michelin’s swapped;

Forgot to take the garbage out

And turn the Netflix off.

Forgot your needs from me have changed

Since the days that blue jeans were enough

But I remembered you in Edmonton

Winnipeg, Sault St. Marie

Remembered you down the I-95,

To highway 1, through The Keys.

From the base of the Appalacians

To the shadows of the great Rockies

Gazing up at midnight stars, I wonder

Do you still think of me? __ __ Could be the stars that shine tonight

Tomorrow will cease to glow

Might be the nuclear waste we’ve buried

Will melt all the Arctic snow

Maybe the decision,

Between these two politicians;

Is choosing between death by water or by smoke.

And a silent independent statement is made

when you refuse to vote.

Still, I remembered you in Niagara Falls

In Miami, and St. Augustine

I remembered you in Jerusalem streets

And gazing at Jordan across the Dead Sea

I remember you in clear Northern Lakes

Watching fireflies under Maple trees

As my photographs and memories fade, I wonder,

Do you still remember me?

-a poem by my father. __ __ __ __

She understood it. The deep rooted mistrust he had for her. She didn’t even blame him for admitting it out loud and to her face. But something still pricked her heart as the words projected from his mouth.

Lila took a sharp breath, her deep brown eyes staring at him consciously, ready to flick away if he turned to face her. She knew he wouldn’t though. Caleb hadn’t looked at her in the face for a year that very same night. It upset her to think about that night, but Lila didn’t regret it. She didn’t regret her actions that shattered both of their souls. She did what had to be done.

It was unclear whether Caleb was expecting a response but after a few strenuous moments of silence, the hunk beside Lila pushed himself from behind the wall and fled to the one opposite, his companion cursing soundlessly all the while. She held her breath, waiting for the sound of footsteps or shouts but there were none. He had made it to the next wall. And he had left her there, expecting she would follow just as easily behind.

Lila knew Caleb was aware that her speed and agility would cause no trouble for her to cross to the next wall, but she still felt bitter for him having left her there. Lack of communication was what would get them killed if they were not careful.

Cautiously, Lila peered round the corner. Two guards stood patrolling on the right, beside the boxes loaded with what Lila could only assume were weapons, drugs, or something worse. A light from a watchtower, located to the left, circled the area she had to cross. But the way it moved was rhythmic and easy to predict. Counting under her breath, she waited until the guards had turned and then she ran.

Lila’s footsteps barely hit the floor. She was as silent as a mouse, unlike Caleb whose footsteps were only covered by the shouting of orders an officer gave to a guard in the close distance.

She was at the other wall, beside Caleb, in milliseconds. He turned to run, once more, but Lila grabbed his arm, pulling him harshly back. The way his forehead creased failed to hide his surprise.

The night was dark but Lila was used to seeing the shadowed features of Caleb’s face. Even now he wasn’t looking at her - not properly - and Lila could tell.

“Christ, will you grow up! I get it,” Lila hissed, her teeth clenched together to prevent her voice from rising and alerting the guards. “I understand that what I did that night, you will never be able to look past. But we are both stuck here now -“

Caleb’s eyes flickered to his damp surroundings, the clouded sky threatening to rain alongside the guns and the knives that each skilled fighter would wield if either of them were caught.

“- and if we do not rely on each other, we will both die. Do you understand?”

His jaw was clenched and eyebrows furrowed but he nodded. “Fine. But as soon as we get out of here, I never want to see you backstabbing face again.”

Caleb was looking at Lila now. She knew he meant it.

That very same night only a year ago, both figures stood as close as they are now, their eyes interlocked in a battle of hatred and love. He was helpless with her blade to his neck, Lila was too quick for him. One wrong move and Caleb knew she could end him.

Lila on that night not only took the valuable data from the West that Caleb had collected for his side - the East - but she had also taken his heart.

And crushed it.

“I’m sorry,” she had whispered, on that night, over and over again, knowing her empty words could never heal the damage she had caused.

That was the danger with being a spy. She had to break hearts and get hers broken. But she was worth the sacrifice for her side - the West.

Yet despite that, here they both stood, once more only mere centimetres away from each other, and more dependant than they ever had been before.

The North had decided to put their foot in the war between the East and the West; members from both sides were taken. This included Lila and Caleb. They were the only survivers of it that they knew of. And they now relied on each other to get them back to their own respective sides once more. Caleb in the East, and Lila in the West.

With Caleb’s “strength” and Lila’s “speed”, as she had put it, Caleb was aware that there was a chance of him getting out of there alive. If that meant working with his love that had betrayed him, then so be it.

Lila wondered if there was ever a world in which Caleb and her hadn’t been on opposing sides. Or a world where they chose each other over their country. She knew she had been the one to hurt him, but if the roles were reversed, she knew Caleb wouldn’t have hesitated either.

There was a thinner line between hate and love than most people realised. Possibly some people with these opposing feelings could coexist, but that wasn’t the case for either Lila or Caleb. But now, these conflictions fuelled the fire that would give them their best chance of survival.

It would give them that fire that would push them through what none of the other captures survived. It would lead them to the comfort of their own sides. And by doing that, maybe they would begin to understand that each side isn’t so different from one another.

That Lila and Caleb weren’t so different from one another.

Please, let me go

In this early morning haze,

Amongst the sweet dew drops,

In this serene springtime phase.

Let me run from your grip,

And trip over my own feet,

If they represented our love,

They’d highlight my defeat.

I swell Your perfume wafts by I follow the trail Like a cartoon character following its pie It's eye So sweet as I crane my neck Your hair like ivy and skin like ivory and smile sending me Straight up my spine a stroke of lightning and I am undone by your voice the clerk seems so too Not knowing the work to be done by you The things I was just put through and At night I will dream To be loved by you Though none of it may be true Because all that gives any feeling is the hue of my cheeks The sway of my hips The lingering of my eyes And stares as you walk by with roses at your feet and a hand never met with mine

There is no need to worry about where I will wander, for I will not walk this earth without you.

Be it up in the mountains where we are close to the sky, the stars and the moon within our grasp; surrounded by the open air, the frosty breath of altitude, amidst the grandeur of Aurora herself, but if I cannot turn to see your smile, nothing else is worth looking at.

If it is between seeing your eyes and the sun, I’ll live by the light of the moon.

Take my sight. I do not want it, not if I cannot behold my beloved.

In the depth of a valley after a spring rain, a field after a fresh cut, a bakery in the wee hours of the morning, I would trade it all for waking up enveloped in the scent of you. To inhale the soft flesh beneath your ear, where I am pressed. My nose to run up your neck, to be tickled by the hair you've grown out. Forgive me. You smell of the beginning of a long, beautiful journey.

In the warm pull of an oceans embrace, the gentle cooling breeze on a summer’s day, the satin pillowcase I lay down my head each night, all feels empty and cheap if I cannot feel your hand in mind. Fingers intertwining, palms pressed. I'll even take your clamming hand, due to my forthright behavior, than no hand at all. I would go my life without another kiss if you refused mine, for your mouth is the only one I want to kiss. To taste.

I would give up the best homemade breads and pastries, the smoothest gelatos and chocolates, the most perfectly spiced meats, the freshest of honeycrisps and romaine. They would turn to ash on my tongue. I could survive on your kisses alone.

Them and the sound of your voice. The deep, melodic tones of comfort, of reverence. You produce achingly sultry music I wish to play on repeat. Repeal from me the privilege of hearing the morning birds at dawn, an orchestra at full crescendo, a baby's first sets of gurgles. I would hear you, and you alone.

I know I make you nervous. In all my talk of forever there is you and me, and you're uncertain. But there is only love for us. There is not an existence worth pursuing, not a life worth living. I will not walk this earth without you, my love.

For a brief moment in time, I had forgotten anyone cared about me at all. The beat of my heart in my own chest sounded unfamiliar. I couldn’t recognize my eyes in the mirror no matter how hard I stared. This brief moment was brief only in the span of our vast universe. In actuality, it lasted years, with only intervals of relief. I lived like a mammal confined to rough seas, breaking the surface tension for a gulp of air, only to return to swimming through darkness. One pure bit of love, one reminder from someone that you matter, it can shift everything back into place. That’s all it took for me to come back. I found your letter in a drawer, wrinkled with touch and time. I read it over and over, letting the words resuscitate me. I accepted the gift, feeling a swirl and mix of feelings inside me. It was a shock. It was as though I’d been staring at my own reflection in a spoon too long, the face upside down, distorted. Love had been whistling around me all this time, at a frequency I just couldn’t hear. And all the while my bowl had stood empty, the air I was breathing was thin and stale, there was no music in the wind. And then, I found your letter. A little sugar in my bowl, it coated the spoon too, and so it was that the spoon was put to rest. And just like that I can once again take in the world around me. The way it once took me in. The way it breathes life into me so I can breathe it right back. Thank you for loving me.

The messenger owl arrived before dawn, his white plumage a frightful warning against the vast darkness of the desert sky.

— The Temple has taken the Keep. Serscei and I escaped, but Daedren and Ralyei are being held captive. The Viper is on your trail. —

The message was short, and unsigned — but Aella would recognize that bold and decisive handwriting anywhere. Cairen. Her brother and his partner were safe for now, but this news was like a bolt of Blessed Silver straight through her heart. How had the Temple gotten their forces through the Celestial Sands so quickly? But that hardly mattered now. Half Moon Keep, the fortress city that had become her home over the last several months, had lost its freedom because of her. She clutched the message tightly, crumpling the frail paper between whitened knuckles.

“We should have left sooner.” She whispered roughly.

“It wouldn’t have mattered. Daedren and Ralyei knew the risks, and it was their decision to allow us to stay. It was only a matter of time before the Temple followed.” Grimm replied calmly, gently ruffling the owl’s breast feathers with a large yet elegant hand as it perched on his shoulder, cooing softly.

“Then we shouldn’t have stayed there at all!” Aella cried, throwing the paper into the smoking embers of the campfire. “All of this is my fault! If I had just stayed in Starfell…” she trailed off, her hands trembling at her sides.

“If you had stayed, nothing would have changed. You would have died, and the cycle would only continue. Another Maiden would spend her short life in that tower, and be sacrificed just the same. And on and on, just as it’s been for three thousand years.”

“But one life against an entire city… against all mankind…” Aella mumbled, her brows furrowing deeply as she gnawed at her thumbnail. It was already bitten to the quick, but she didn’t notice. Grimm sighed, and sent the owl back into the slowly lightening sky on silent wings. It vanished quickly into the endless expanse of dusty desert horizon, as if it had never been there at all. Only the devastation of the message it bore remained.

“Aella.” Her name was a gentle summons on his lips, and she only hesitated for a moment before responding, melting into his arms as they encircled her. She pressed her face into his broad chest, and allowed him to soothe her as he held her bleeding hand with one of his own, and stroked her hair with the other. His long fingers slipped through the inky strands, caressing the edges of her ears as if they were precious silk beneath his fingers.

“You are the only one who can break this cycle. The only one who has seen the light of truth beneath that false God’s golden facade. If you don’t discover the whole truth, the Aether will continue to fade until there is nothing left of this world but Chaos.”

“Will the truth really save us? Is it worth braving the Chaos?” She asked hoarsely, her voice muffled against the silk folds of his robe. “The Temple will destroy everything and everyone in its way to get to me. And what if the Barriers fall before I find this ‘truth’? I hardly even know where to look. How do I find something when I don’t even know what it is?” She had been too afraid to voice these fears out loud, but they had sat like daggers inching slowly closer to her heart for months now, speeding up with each passing day. But if anyone could see her doubt and not also see weakness, it was Grimm. He had already seen every dark shadow in her soul, and never once wavered.

“The truth is like a light in this dark world. Knowing it might not be enough to change anything, but it will guide you to whatever will, without fail.” His voice was firm and confident as it rumbled through his chest, tickling her ears as she rested against him. Once again, she wondered where that calm assuredness of his came from. How was he always so steadfast in his belief in her? He was as steady as the mountains, and as fluid as the rivers. Nothing shook him, and he never doubted.

She sucked in a small hiss of pain as he pinched her chewed thumb gently, and clicked his tongue in reproach. “I’ll have to bandage this again. Maybe keeping it wrapped will stop you from eating your own fingers for a while. What are you, a Chaos Beast?”

She leaned her head back to stick her tongue out at him, and their gazes met. Her heart picked up pace instantly as his eyes dropped to her mouth, and her offending tongue. The moment distracted her from her thoughts entirely, replacing them with a fizzle of nonsense.

And then he flicked her nose.

“Come on, let’s patch you up and pack up. Before your old friend the Viper shows up.”

Aella groaned.