Metafiction Reflection
Kendra was born in a small town in the middle of a dense forest in Maine. She was an only child and was raised by her uncle after her parents were killed in a tragic fire. By now she was 17 years old and living a normal teenage life. Well not exactly...
No no no that's wrong. No prefacing just jump into the action. The back story can be worked in later. Don't start with it. People will be bored and no one will want to read it. Okay starting over.
She loaded her arrow into the bow shaft and pulled back.
Bad. More detail. It needs more sensory detail. Make your reader feel like they are there with her experiencing the same thing. Remember to use point of view to your advantage. Since your using third person make sure your readers still feel like they are there witnessing it even though the only get a partial view.
The arrow slid silently into the notch in her bow. The soft wind blew her white hair softly in front of her face. Un-phased she pulled back the bow string until it was taught. She flexed her fingers around the rope and could feel the coarse twisted strands. Her whole body and energy were now in the bow. As she took a soft deep breath she let her fingers gently raise and the rope scraped them as it whistled free.
Eh not too bad. Good job. But what next? You have to keep your reader entertained. There's got to be characterization and dialogue not to mention an actual plot. How can you expect to write a whole novel without a plot. It has to been building up to something.
"Hey this is my story!" Shouted Kendra. "I'll dictate how my life runs!"
That's right. You have to remember to let the characters and story to move on its on. Let them tell you where the story is going and what's going to happen even if you don't like it. Don't force the story.
Kendra slung her bow quickly over her back and snapped the rope to her chest. She walked through the trees swiftly, without making a single sound. She grabbed the shaft of the arrow and removed it from the red X Nick had painted on the bark of a very thin aspen.
"Good. But I want to see you do it again. Farther."
"Come on Nick. We both know I'll hit it. And then hit it again." She pivoted to face her uncle. The arrow outstretched in her arms came to less then an inch in front of his face.
Uncrossing his arms he snatched the arrow from her hands. "I said do it again."
Okay another character plus dialogue. Good choice. But make sure every character you write down must be important in some way. Think about them. Give them lives. Don't just throw them in there. You don't have to worry about Nick because he's a main character but remember those minor characters. Don't neglect them.
Kendra swiftly took the arrow back from Nick, loaded it into her bow, and shot hitting a tree 200 ft away. Then just to shut him up and to be a smart ass she rapidly fired six more arrows in the blink of an eye. Each one hit the trunk directly below the previous one creating a perfectly straight line.
She shoved her bow into Nick's chest and hands. "Okay thanks. Bye."
Characterization is good. This story isn't going too bad so far. Just make sure you keep this up. Remember what you were taught. You didn't take that fiction writing class for nothing. But it to good use! You can do this. I believe in you! Now let's write us a book!
No no no that's wrong. No prefacing just jump into the action. The back story can be worked in later. Don't start with it. People will be bored and no one will want to read it. Okay starting over.
She loaded her arrow into the bow shaft and pulled back.
Bad. More detail. It needs more sensory detail. Make your reader feel like they are there with her experiencing the same thing. Remember to use point of view to your advantage. Since your using third person make sure your readers still feel like they are there witnessing it even though the only get a partial view.
The arrow slid silently into the notch in her bow. The soft wind blew her white hair softly in front of her face. Un-phased she pulled back the bow string until it was taught. She flexed her fingers around the rope and could feel the coarse twisted strands. Her whole body and energy were now in the bow. As she took a soft deep breath she let her fingers gently raise and the rope scraped them as it whistled free.
Eh not too bad. Good job. But what next? You have to keep your reader entertained. There's got to be characterization and dialogue not to mention an actual plot. How can you expect to write a whole novel without a plot. It has to been building up to something.
"Hey this is my story!" Shouted Kendra. "I'll dictate how my life runs!"
That's right. You have to remember to let the characters and story to move on its on. Let them tell you where the story is going and what's going to happen even if you don't like it. Don't force the story.
Kendra slung her bow quickly over her back and snapped the rope to her chest. She walked through the trees swiftly, without making a single sound. She grabbed the shaft of the arrow and removed it from the red X Nick had painted on the bark of a very thin aspen.
"Good. But I want to see you do it again. Farther."
"Come on Nick. We both know I'll hit it. And then hit it again." She pivoted to face her uncle. The arrow outstretched in her arms came to less then an inch in front of his face.
Uncrossing his arms he snatched the arrow from her hands. "I said do it again."
Okay another character plus dialogue. Good choice. But make sure every character you write down must be important in some way. Think about them. Give them lives. Don't just throw them in there. You don't have to worry about Nick because he's a main character but remember those minor characters. Don't neglect them.
Kendra swiftly took the arrow back from Nick, loaded it into her bow, and shot hitting a tree 200 ft away. Then just to shut him up and to be a smart ass she rapidly fired six more arrows in the blink of an eye. Each one hit the trunk directly below the previous one creating a perfectly straight line.
She shoved her bow into Nick's chest and hands. "Okay thanks. Bye."
Characterization is good. This story isn't going too bad so far. Just make sure you keep this up. Remember what you were taught. You didn't take that fiction writing class for nothing. But it to good use! You can do this. I believe in you! Now let's write us a book!
Group Anthology
Revised Story #3
Seven's Beginning
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
All the energy in his body was slowly combining, growing stronger, buzzing through this veins. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, pointing forward. His back was straightened and his hands were clenched in tight fists at his sides. He tried to relax but his entire being was tense and tingling.
He exhaled as he slowly opened his eyes.
He stared directly in front of him as the flimsy mannequin 100 feet away. Its lopsided shoulders and drooping head seemed to mock him. The small amount of calm in his body was taken over by rage. The anger in him mixed with his energy and started to burn his chest. He balled up the power within him and got ready to use it.
Taking one quick breath he thrust his arms forward, opening his hands, palms outstretched.
He felt the burning move from his chest to his arms, swiftly moving toward his hands. It reached his hands and filled his fingertips.
This was it. It was finally going to happen.
Then nothing. As fast as it had grown the magic was gone.
His anger exploded.
“I CAN’T DO THIS!” he burst as he swung around to face his teacher.
Disappointment was written all over her face. She shook her head and approached him. She was only a few years older than him but she was far wiser. Her high cheekbones drew lines directly to her pursed lips. Her eyes were fierce and the emerald green looked deep into your soul. To put it simply, she was very beautiful, but one look at her and you knew she meant business. She was powerful, strong, cunning, and everything else the Magistrate was looking for.
The back of her hand hit hard against the side of his head, bringing him back to reality. He immediately grasped his face with both hands, staring at her with wide eyes.
“Focus. You need to focus. Now do it again.”
“All I have done is focus. Focus. Focus. FOCUS! Still nothing!”
She shook her head and her eyes met his. He could feel the magic pulsing through her veins.
“You’re not focusing. You’re getting angry. That’s not the same thing. Anger will not control your powers. Look around you,” she swept her arm in front of her and across the field.
There were kids everywhere, each one with a different ability. All of them here to learn to harness their magic the correct way. Each one was currently practicing, learning, focusing, and doing everything Vladimir could not do.
“Look at them Vlad. They are all like you. The only difference is that they have learned how to calm themselves and control the energy inside them.”
“But I’m not like any of them.” He sat down on the ground and put his head his legs.
“Get up! You look pathetic!” Valicity kicked his side pretty hard.
“OUCH!” he winced in pain. “What the hell!?”
“I’m sick of your little pity parties Vladimir. You are not going to achieve anything at all if you just sit and mope around instead of trying. You’re not trying. That’s the problem. You have to start believing in yourself at some point. Until then this is useless and I’m wasting my time. You’re wasting my time, and the Universities.”
“I didn’t ask to be here! I don’t want to be here! I don’t know who you guys all assume I am but I’m obviously not that person! I don’t know what you guys want from me!”
Only four months ago Vladimir was just a simple shepherd. Living high up in the mountains with his grandfather, he knew nothing really of the outside world. He knew nothing of magic and “special powers”. He had only heard his grandfather’s stories, which he had written off as tall tales. Life had been easy. He knew who he was and what his purpose was in life. Then one day everything changed.
As he was sitting in his field one day, watching his sheep, and just relaxing in the cold morning air, a battalion of men marched up to his doorstep. As he watched from afar he saw them drag his grandfather from the hut and forced to his knees. One of the men held a sword to his throat. Vladimir ran as fast as he could, staff in one hand, and his unscathed sword in the other. He approached the men swinging both his weapons. Vladimir was a skilled swordsman and immediately attacked. But there was an unfair advantage… these men had magic. He had never seen anything like it before and he was quickly brought to his knees next to the only family he had ever had.
It was hard to remember exactly what happened but all Vladimir knew was that they had kidnapped him. They took him away from his home. They took away everything he knew and loved. They had killed his life.
Without any explanation the men dragged Vlad behind them, down the mountain, until they reached the Magistrates castle. He was thrown into a dark room where he was left alone for several hours. He did all he could to escape but it was useless.
The door opened and in stepped the oldest looking man Vladimir had every seen. The door locked secure behind him as he sat down in the large armchair in the corner of the room. From here he proceeded to just watch Vlad. No words.
“Who are you? Where am I? You can’t do this to me! Let me go! LET ME GO!”
Still silent.
“HELLO! I’m talking to you! You can’t keep me here!” Vladimir was shouting at the man as he just sat there.
Vlad stared back at the man, locking eyes. He stood there for what seemed like hours. Finally he yelled in exasperation and slumped down against the wall.
“Why?” he said defeated.
“Do you know what you are?” the man spoke.
Vlad slowly raised his head. What kind of question was that?
“Do you know what you are?”
“What do you mean old man? This is ridiculous!”
“Do you know what you are?” he asked again in the same monotone voice.
Vladimir was exasperated. He was anger, cold, hungry, and beyond tired and this idiot man was not helping!
“Why don’t you tell me WHAT I am since I obviously have no idea!”
“You Vladimir are the savior of this world. You have more powers than any of us have ever even dreamed of having. You, you are the seventh son of a seventh son.” The man folded his hands in front of him on his lap.
What? What was he talking about? Powers? The savior of this world? Plus Vladimir had always been an only child, his parents had died when he was just a boy and his grandfather had raised him as his own. This man was clearly a lunatic! And how had he known his name?
“You are not who you think you are boy.”
Vladimir snapped back to the present as Valicity grabbed his wrist. Burning energy raced from her hand into his body. It should have burned him, left him wreathing in pain, but instead his body absorbed it.
“See.” She let go and looked him in the eyes again. “You have magic flowing through you. If you didn’t that would of killed you.”
“What? You just tried to kill me!”
“That’s not the point!” now she was just as frustrated as he was. “The point is you are who the Magistrate says you are. You are the seventh son of a seventh son. You have more power in your veins then all of us in this arena put together. You just have to learn how to focus and control it. So until you realize who you really are and what you are capable of I’m done helping you.”
She turned and started to walk away. Stopped, she slightly turned her head, and whispered, “I believe in you Vlad. Now you just have to believe in yourself.”
* * *
That night Vladimir sat perched on the edge of his bed thinking about what Valicity had said to him.
All these questions raced through his mind and started to make him dizzy. He shook his head and again tried to concentrate on the vase he had place on the vanity across the room.
“Come on. You can do this. Just breath. Breath. Breath. Focus.”
He closed his eyes and tried to calm his body. The burning feeling began to fill his chest again when suddenly there was a frantic knock at his door. The energy flooded away as he approached the pounding.
The door swung open to reveal Valicity, her eyes wild, standing there with a boy Vlad recognized as one of the other students.
“We have to go now!” she barged into his room and threw a bag onto his bed. “Hurry! We don’t have much time!” opening his drawers she started to shove his few belongings into the sack.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s no time to explain.” The other boy said still standing in the doorway periodically glancing into the hallway.
“Listen Vlad. We have to get out of here! You need to trust me now!”
He did. She was about the only person at the school Vladimir trusted, but he was still concerned about why his life was being thrown upside down once again.
As they exited the room the other boy, who was much bigger and bulkier than Vlad, shoved a sword into his hands.
“I hear you’re pretty good with one of these.”
Vlad nodded.
He looked down at the steel in his hands. Finally he had a weapon he could actually use. But why did he need it?
“Just make sure to stay behind us and move quickly.”
They moved swiftly into the hallway and down the long corridor of student rooms. The other kids were quietly immerging from their rooms, bags swung over their shoulders, the look of fear and excitement mixed in their eyes. They were nervous but they were ready. This was not a surprise for them, they had been preparing for this.
Vladimir gripped Valicity tightly around the forearm and stopped dead in his tracks.
“We have to keep moving.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on first.”
She looked around the hallway nervously and hurriedly started to talk.
“We’ve been planning this since the moment we learned of your existence. Vlad, whether you believe it or not, you are powerful. A seventh son of a seventh son has not existed in thousands of years. You have powers none of us have ever seen before. You could single handedly destroy any village or kingdom that stands before you. Why do you think your existence was hidden from the Magistrate your whole life? You were supposed to stay hidden, undetected by anyone who would want to use your magic for their own purposes. You were never supposed to end up here.”
His head was spinning.
“Once the Magistrate heard about you they immediately hunted you down. You are their weapon. With you the Magistrate could rule the world. They brought us all here to build an army the world has never seen before. They’ve been training us to be killing machines. I figured it out soon after I was brought here. I knew their plans would never work. We didn’t have enough power to stop the Magistrates enemies. But you change that. With you they can challenge whoever they want.”
She paused, ”I won’t let them use you. I won’t let them control you. I won’t let them destroy you. You are the only thing that can stop them.”
He stood dumbfounded as the other students rushed around him. Time seemed to stop and it was only he and Valicity. Could this all be true?
“We’ve been planning this escape for months. The students have been training just like the University was wanted them too but they’ve been training to use it against them. We’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to execute it. Tonight is the night. It’s time to get you out of here.”
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, then turned and ran forward. Vladimir stood for a minute just watching her and the other kids. There was shouting. He glanced behind him to see the guards rushing the students.
But they were ready.
All around him magic was flying back and forth. Bodies dropped all around the hall. The students did all they could to defend themselves. To defend him. They were all doing this for him. And he had no way to help protect them. He looked down at the sword at his side and remembered Valicity’s words from that morning.
He needed to believe in himself.
The sword slid gracefully out of its scabbard. Moving forward with the other students Vlad attacked the guards. Chaos surrounded him as metal hit metal and magic whirled in the air.
From a distance he heard a distinct cry of pain.
Valicity.
He broke from the pack of fighting and raced in the direction he knew she’d be. As he pushed through students and guards he entered an empty part of the hallway. There on the floor was Valicity. She was dragging herself along with her arms trying to get away from the attacker in front of her. She winced in pain as she looked up at the man.
“Valicity!”
Their eyes met and this time it was her eyes that burned within him.
The guard turned around and face Vlad, his hands engulfed in flames. He chuckled at Vlad and his flimsy sword.
‘What am I going do?’ Vlad thought to himself.
He took a deep breath and met Valicity’s intense stare once more. He inhaled as he dropped the sword to the floor. It made a loud clanging noise. Again the guard scoffed.
Running forward and the guard raised his hands. As the flames shot toward Vlad Valicity’s eyes lit up. Without removing his gaze he took one final deep breath. This was the end. He couldn’t save himself and he couldn’t save Valicity. As the red covered everything before him all Vlad could see was green.
The flames missed. Vlad had spun to the side and as he turned to face the man pooled all his energy, all his will, all his love for Valicity, and pushed it through his body. He didn’t even raise his hands this time. The energy just seemed to push through his skin. He lifted his gaze from Valicity to the man.
The guard was flung across the hallway, slamming against the brick wall and slumping down the wall unconscious.
No one moved for a minute.
Calmly Vladimir walked over to Valicity and reached out his hand.
“It’s time to go.”
All the energy in his body was slowly combining, growing stronger, buzzing through this veins. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, pointing forward. His back was straightened and his hands were clenched in tight fists at his sides. He tried to relax but his entire being was tense and tingling.
He exhaled as he slowly opened his eyes.
He stared directly in front of him as the flimsy mannequin 100 feet away. Its lopsided shoulders and drooping head seemed to mock him. The small amount of calm in his body was taken over by rage. The anger in him mixed with his energy and started to burn his chest. He balled up the power within him and got ready to use it.
Taking one quick breath he thrust his arms forward, opening his hands, palms outstretched.
He felt the burning move from his chest to his arms, swiftly moving toward his hands. It reached his hands and filled his fingertips.
This was it. It was finally going to happen.
Then nothing. As fast as it had grown the magic was gone.
His anger exploded.
“I CAN’T DO THIS!” he burst as he swung around to face his teacher.
Disappointment was written all over her face. She shook her head and approached him. She was only a few years older than him but she was far wiser. Her high cheekbones drew lines directly to her pursed lips. Her eyes were fierce and the emerald green looked deep into your soul. To put it simply, she was very beautiful, but one look at her and you knew she meant business. She was powerful, strong, cunning, and everything else the Magistrate was looking for.
The back of her hand hit hard against the side of his head, bringing him back to reality. He immediately grasped his face with both hands, staring at her with wide eyes.
“Focus. You need to focus. Now do it again.”
“All I have done is focus. Focus. Focus. FOCUS! Still nothing!”
She shook her head and her eyes met his. He could feel the magic pulsing through her veins.
“You’re not focusing. You’re getting angry. That’s not the same thing. Anger will not control your powers. Look around you,” she swept her arm in front of her and across the field.
There were kids everywhere, each one with a different ability. All of them here to learn to harness their magic the correct way. Each one was currently practicing, learning, focusing, and doing everything Vladimir could not do.
“Look at them Vlad. They are all like you. The only difference is that they have learned how to calm themselves and control the energy inside them.”
“But I’m not like any of them.” He sat down on the ground and put his head his legs.
“Get up! You look pathetic!” Valicity kicked his side pretty hard.
“OUCH!” he winced in pain. “What the hell!?”
“I’m sick of your little pity parties Vladimir. You are not going to achieve anything at all if you just sit and mope around instead of trying. You’re not trying. That’s the problem. You have to start believing in yourself at some point. Until then this is useless and I’m wasting my time. You’re wasting my time, and the Universities.”
“I didn’t ask to be here! I don’t want to be here! I don’t know who you guys all assume I am but I’m obviously not that person! I don’t know what you guys want from me!”
Only four months ago Vladimir was just a simple shepherd. Living high up in the mountains with his grandfather, he knew nothing really of the outside world. He knew nothing of magic and “special powers”. He had only heard his grandfather’s stories, which he had written off as tall tales. Life had been easy. He knew who he was and what his purpose was in life. Then one day everything changed.
As he was sitting in his field one day, watching his sheep, and just relaxing in the cold morning air, a battalion of men marched up to his doorstep. As he watched from afar he saw them drag his grandfather from the hut and forced to his knees. One of the men held a sword to his throat. Vladimir ran as fast as he could, staff in one hand, and his unscathed sword in the other. He approached the men swinging both his weapons. Vladimir was a skilled swordsman and immediately attacked. But there was an unfair advantage… these men had magic. He had never seen anything like it before and he was quickly brought to his knees next to the only family he had ever had.
It was hard to remember exactly what happened but all Vladimir knew was that they had kidnapped him. They took him away from his home. They took away everything he knew and loved. They had killed his life.
Without any explanation the men dragged Vlad behind them, down the mountain, until they reached the Magistrates castle. He was thrown into a dark room where he was left alone for several hours. He did all he could to escape but it was useless.
The door opened and in stepped the oldest looking man Vladimir had every seen. The door locked secure behind him as he sat down in the large armchair in the corner of the room. From here he proceeded to just watch Vlad. No words.
“Who are you? Where am I? You can’t do this to me! Let me go! LET ME GO!”
Still silent.
“HELLO! I’m talking to you! You can’t keep me here!” Vladimir was shouting at the man as he just sat there.
Vlad stared back at the man, locking eyes. He stood there for what seemed like hours. Finally he yelled in exasperation and slumped down against the wall.
“Why?” he said defeated.
“Do you know what you are?” the man spoke.
Vlad slowly raised his head. What kind of question was that?
“Do you know what you are?”
“What do you mean old man? This is ridiculous!”
“Do you know what you are?” he asked again in the same monotone voice.
Vladimir was exasperated. He was anger, cold, hungry, and beyond tired and this idiot man was not helping!
“Why don’t you tell me WHAT I am since I obviously have no idea!”
“You Vladimir are the savior of this world. You have more powers than any of us have ever even dreamed of having. You, you are the seventh son of a seventh son.” The man folded his hands in front of him on his lap.
What? What was he talking about? Powers? The savior of this world? Plus Vladimir had always been an only child, his parents had died when he was just a boy and his grandfather had raised him as his own. This man was clearly a lunatic! And how had he known his name?
“You are not who you think you are boy.”
Vladimir snapped back to the present as Valicity grabbed his wrist. Burning energy raced from her hand into his body. It should have burned him, left him wreathing in pain, but instead his body absorbed it.
“See.” She let go and looked him in the eyes again. “You have magic flowing through you. If you didn’t that would of killed you.”
“What? You just tried to kill me!”
“That’s not the point!” now she was just as frustrated as he was. “The point is you are who the Magistrate says you are. You are the seventh son of a seventh son. You have more power in your veins then all of us in this arena put together. You just have to learn how to focus and control it. So until you realize who you really are and what you are capable of I’m done helping you.”
She turned and started to walk away. Stopped, she slightly turned her head, and whispered, “I believe in you Vlad. Now you just have to believe in yourself.”
* * *
That night Vladimir sat perched on the edge of his bed thinking about what Valicity had said to him.
All these questions raced through his mind and started to make him dizzy. He shook his head and again tried to concentrate on the vase he had place on the vanity across the room.
“Come on. You can do this. Just breath. Breath. Breath. Focus.”
He closed his eyes and tried to calm his body. The burning feeling began to fill his chest again when suddenly there was a frantic knock at his door. The energy flooded away as he approached the pounding.
The door swung open to reveal Valicity, her eyes wild, standing there with a boy Vlad recognized as one of the other students.
“We have to go now!” she barged into his room and threw a bag onto his bed. “Hurry! We don’t have much time!” opening his drawers she started to shove his few belongings into the sack.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s no time to explain.” The other boy said still standing in the doorway periodically glancing into the hallway.
“Listen Vlad. We have to get out of here! You need to trust me now!”
He did. She was about the only person at the school Vladimir trusted, but he was still concerned about why his life was being thrown upside down once again.
As they exited the room the other boy, who was much bigger and bulkier than Vlad, shoved a sword into his hands.
“I hear you’re pretty good with one of these.”
Vlad nodded.
He looked down at the steel in his hands. Finally he had a weapon he could actually use. But why did he need it?
“Just make sure to stay behind us and move quickly.”
They moved swiftly into the hallway and down the long corridor of student rooms. The other kids were quietly immerging from their rooms, bags swung over their shoulders, the look of fear and excitement mixed in their eyes. They were nervous but they were ready. This was not a surprise for them, they had been preparing for this.
Vladimir gripped Valicity tightly around the forearm and stopped dead in his tracks.
“We have to keep moving.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on first.”
She looked around the hallway nervously and hurriedly started to talk.
“We’ve been planning this since the moment we learned of your existence. Vlad, whether you believe it or not, you are powerful. A seventh son of a seventh son has not existed in thousands of years. You have powers none of us have ever seen before. You could single handedly destroy any village or kingdom that stands before you. Why do you think your existence was hidden from the Magistrate your whole life? You were supposed to stay hidden, undetected by anyone who would want to use your magic for their own purposes. You were never supposed to end up here.”
His head was spinning.
“Once the Magistrate heard about you they immediately hunted you down. You are their weapon. With you the Magistrate could rule the world. They brought us all here to build an army the world has never seen before. They’ve been training us to be killing machines. I figured it out soon after I was brought here. I knew their plans would never work. We didn’t have enough power to stop the Magistrates enemies. But you change that. With you they can challenge whoever they want.”
She paused, ”I won’t let them use you. I won’t let them control you. I won’t let them destroy you. You are the only thing that can stop them.”
He stood dumbfounded as the other students rushed around him. Time seemed to stop and it was only he and Valicity. Could this all be true?
“We’ve been planning this escape for months. The students have been training just like the University was wanted them too but they’ve been training to use it against them. We’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to execute it. Tonight is the night. It’s time to get you out of here.”
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, then turned and ran forward. Vladimir stood for a minute just watching her and the other kids. There was shouting. He glanced behind him to see the guards rushing the students.
But they were ready.
All around him magic was flying back and forth. Bodies dropped all around the hall. The students did all they could to defend themselves. To defend him. They were all doing this for him. And he had no way to help protect them. He looked down at the sword at his side and remembered Valicity’s words from that morning.
He needed to believe in himself.
The sword slid gracefully out of its scabbard. Moving forward with the other students Vlad attacked the guards. Chaos surrounded him as metal hit metal and magic whirled in the air.
From a distance he heard a distinct cry of pain.
Valicity.
He broke from the pack of fighting and raced in the direction he knew she’d be. As he pushed through students and guards he entered an empty part of the hallway. There on the floor was Valicity. She was dragging herself along with her arms trying to get away from the attacker in front of her. She winced in pain as she looked up at the man.
“Valicity!”
Their eyes met and this time it was her eyes that burned within him.
The guard turned around and face Vlad, his hands engulfed in flames. He chuckled at Vlad and his flimsy sword.
‘What am I going do?’ Vlad thought to himself.
He took a deep breath and met Valicity’s intense stare once more. He inhaled as he dropped the sword to the floor. It made a loud clanging noise. Again the guard scoffed.
Running forward and the guard raised his hands. As the flames shot toward Vlad Valicity’s eyes lit up. Without removing his gaze he took one final deep breath. This was the end. He couldn’t save himself and he couldn’t save Valicity. As the red covered everything before him all Vlad could see was green.
The flames missed. Vlad had spun to the side and as he turned to face the man pooled all his energy, all his will, all his love for Valicity, and pushed it through his body. He didn’t even raise his hands this time. The energy just seemed to push through his skin. He lifted his gaze from Valicity to the man.
The guard was flung across the hallway, slamming against the brick wall and slumping down the wall unconscious.
No one moved for a minute.
Calmly Vladimir walked over to Valicity and reached out his hand.
“It’s time to go.”
Part 1: The Publication
Midterm: Genre Manifesto
Revised Story #2
A Man's Best Friend
I heard the quiet creak of the porch steps. I lifted my head from the cool grass and squinted into the darkness.
Who would be coming outside at this hour?
I stood up, shaking off the hazy veil of sleep, and slowly approached the back door. Crouching I eased past the row of freshly trimmed bushes and peered around the white column that helped frame the plantations back entry.
OH HELLO! It’s just you!
Jonathan stood stock still staring at me where I had suddenly jumped out. I ran up the steps to greet him. As I approached he seemed to take a step back.
Jonathan it’s just me! What are you doing? Where are you going?
I couldn’t help but shiver in excitement at having a friend out at night, but he seemed scared and confused.
Really what are you doing? What are you doing outside?
“Quiet.” He whispered to me while timidly reaching toward me. He padded me softly on the head then motioned for me to back away. Shaking his hands and wrists he told me to shoo.
Why? Aren’t we friends? I thought you liked me?
I looked at him questioningly but he wouldn’t answer any of my questions. Instead he turned around, a small bag tied to his back, and swiftly moved off the porch disappearing into the dark night.
WAIT! I’m coming with you!
I jumped off the porch and followed my friend into the woods. He was moving fast but I could hear him ahead of me and the stink of body odor was strong enough that I didn’t need sight. I followed him for several miles into the dense forest just trusting my senses. I was almost caught up to him when I heard the sounds of shouts coming from behind us.
What’s going on?
I started to run as I heard Jonathan pick up the pace. He was diving under tree limbs and leaping over bushes moving frantically. Jonathan stopped in his tracks and dodged to the right. He was crunched down under a boulder ledge covered by thick blackening ivy. I almost ran right past him.
Hey what we doing? What’s going on? Please please tell me! I want to know!
I was panting hard and put my face really close to his.
“Go away!” He grunted through clenched teeth. “I don’t want you here. Go!”
I was so confused. I thought we were friends. He had never shown any dislike for me and had treated me well, always giving me his extra scraps of food if he had any. I sat down in the dirt, head down.
But why?
“You’re going to give us away with all the whining! Please stop!”
My head sunk deeper to the ground and I looked at him with pouting eyes and a frowning face.
“Fiiine.” He sighed. “But be quiet.”
Yay! I knew you loved me!
He grabbed my face to quiet me and sunk back into the rocks, clutching me to his chest. I could hardly breath and definitely couldn’t move. I wiggled my body trying to free myself but then I heard a loud noise. I immediately stiffened, alert, and fully aware of my surroundings. I could feel the seriousness of the moment and trusted Jonathan to make things all right.
Then they were on us. Standing right in front of us 4 men stood, shouting, and turning, looking at each other and shaking their heads.
“Where did he go!?” One man shouted.
Another cursed loudly.
I could have reached through the vines and touched one man’s leg. Jonathan wasn’t even breathing. His grasp tightened and I felt like I was suffocating. The men grunted a few more loud words and then headed off into the distance, but Jonathan stood motionless for what seemed like forever! Finally he let out a deep breath and slumped back letting me squirm right out of his arm.
I stood in front of him and stared.
What now?
He didn’t answer. He just kept his eyes closed, breathing hard. Then unexpectedly he snapped out of it and jolted forward out of the vines. I darted after him and we ran fast through the trees. Finally I yelled at him to stop or at least slow down. He turned his head sidewise and said something inaudible.
What? I didn’t here you? Stop Jonathan!
He stopped and looked at me disappointingly. “If you are going to come you need to move fast and be quiet.” He stared at me and we stood in silence once again.
I nodded. He nodded. We had an understanding.
We hurried on and didn’t stop until again for quite some time. The sun pocked over the horizon as he exited the woods. I wasn’t sure where we were but I knew we were far from home. For miles all you could see was the green and white of cotton. It covered the entire earth, drowning anything that dared to step food inside.
Jonathan looked back at me.
Are we going in there?
He nodded and parted the brush in front of him nervous but strong.
How far are we going? Where are we going? Where did those men go? What are we doing?
He kept ignoring me as we forced our way through the dense cotton. It stuck to us everywhere and was starting to make me sneeze. I didn’t like it and it made me itchy. I tried to stop and scratch myself but Jonathan called out to me and told me to keep moving. I think he was starting to enjoy my company. This was going to be fun.
I started to prance around and run circles around Jonathan jumping back and forth. He smiled and it was the first time I had ever seen him do that. For the long time I had known him he had been solemn and hard working. Actually this was the first time I had ever seen him leave the plantation. This was exciting!
After hours of cotton in my hair, eyes, and nose and no sound but our crunching feet a faint cry came from a head. Jonathan stopped abruptly and listened. It was a quiet sob and couldn’t be too far away. Before he could grab me I ran toward the noise curious as to what it might be.
A girl. A girl? Here? Why? What is she doing? Hello!!
She looked friendly so I ran right up to her and nudged her arm. She was sitting in the middle of the middle, arms crossed, head in her lap, sobbing.
Hi there? What’s wrong? Who are you? Don’t cry.
She raised her head and looked startled. Blinking through her tears she reached out and touched me.
Jonathan! Jonathan!
I yelled and ran back in the direction I had come from quickly jumping out in front of Jonathan.
“Stop doing that!”
Jonathan! I found a person! Over here! Follow me! I’ll show you, I’ll show you!
I darted back toward the little kid and was happy to see she was still sitting where I had left her.
I’m back! And I brought a person! His name is Jonathan. He’s my friend. You can be our friend! Want to come with us? Jonathan can she come with us? Please. Please. Please. Please.
“I said quiet boy!” He hushed me as he parted the crop into the clearing where we sat. “Oh.” He seemed shocked and surprised. He looked around and then stood on his toes to look over the cotton. Not seeing one he crunched down and placed his hand on the girls arm.
She jumped back and began to cry harder.
“Shhh. I wont hurt you.”
He won’t! He’s a nice person!
“Where did you come from?” She sat not saying a word. “Are you here with anyone? Who brought you here?”
She still wouldn’t speak.
“Are you lost?” She nodded.
“Are you alone?” She nodded.
“Are you going north?” She hesitated and then nodded.
“Ok.” Jonathan paused and looked over at me. I jumped in excitement and ran over to the girl. He looked back and forth from me to her. Sighing he stood up and spoke. “You can come with us.”
Yes! Yes! This will be so much fun!
He shook his head as if this was all a bad idea. “We’re headed to Indiana. It should only take us a day to reach the border. Once there we can look for your family. But you have to keep up and keep quiet. Okay?”
She nodded and pushed herself to her feet.
She stuttered, “they…we… we... we were headed to a station. Coffin. That’s what I heard mama say. We left so quickly last night I didn’t know what was going on. I got lost in the woods, I heard screams and shouts.” She started to cry. “I ran. I don’t know where my mama is… I... I…” Breaking out in hysterics she ran forward and wrapped her arms around Jonathans legs.
He should her and told her she had to be brave. She nodded wiping tears from her face.
I nodded too.
We were going north. Together. It was going to be fun! I had two friends and a long way ahead of me. I licked the girl’s cheek and she laughed. I was glad we found her.
“Good boy.” Jonathan patted me on the back and I wagged my tail. We would take the girl to Coffin! Whatever that was. I ran ahead of them, looking back and beckoning them forward. I had a feeling we would never go back to that plantation and I didn’t mind I just wanted to get out of this cotton.
I’m ready. Lets go! I barked.
Who would be coming outside at this hour?
I stood up, shaking off the hazy veil of sleep, and slowly approached the back door. Crouching I eased past the row of freshly trimmed bushes and peered around the white column that helped frame the plantations back entry.
OH HELLO! It’s just you!
Jonathan stood stock still staring at me where I had suddenly jumped out. I ran up the steps to greet him. As I approached he seemed to take a step back.
Jonathan it’s just me! What are you doing? Where are you going?
I couldn’t help but shiver in excitement at having a friend out at night, but he seemed scared and confused.
Really what are you doing? What are you doing outside?
“Quiet.” He whispered to me while timidly reaching toward me. He padded me softly on the head then motioned for me to back away. Shaking his hands and wrists he told me to shoo.
Why? Aren’t we friends? I thought you liked me?
I looked at him questioningly but he wouldn’t answer any of my questions. Instead he turned around, a small bag tied to his back, and swiftly moved off the porch disappearing into the dark night.
WAIT! I’m coming with you!
I jumped off the porch and followed my friend into the woods. He was moving fast but I could hear him ahead of me and the stink of body odor was strong enough that I didn’t need sight. I followed him for several miles into the dense forest just trusting my senses. I was almost caught up to him when I heard the sounds of shouts coming from behind us.
What’s going on?
I started to run as I heard Jonathan pick up the pace. He was diving under tree limbs and leaping over bushes moving frantically. Jonathan stopped in his tracks and dodged to the right. He was crunched down under a boulder ledge covered by thick blackening ivy. I almost ran right past him.
Hey what we doing? What’s going on? Please please tell me! I want to know!
I was panting hard and put my face really close to his.
“Go away!” He grunted through clenched teeth. “I don’t want you here. Go!”
I was so confused. I thought we were friends. He had never shown any dislike for me and had treated me well, always giving me his extra scraps of food if he had any. I sat down in the dirt, head down.
But why?
“You’re going to give us away with all the whining! Please stop!”
My head sunk deeper to the ground and I looked at him with pouting eyes and a frowning face.
“Fiiine.” He sighed. “But be quiet.”
Yay! I knew you loved me!
He grabbed my face to quiet me and sunk back into the rocks, clutching me to his chest. I could hardly breath and definitely couldn’t move. I wiggled my body trying to free myself but then I heard a loud noise. I immediately stiffened, alert, and fully aware of my surroundings. I could feel the seriousness of the moment and trusted Jonathan to make things all right.
Then they were on us. Standing right in front of us 4 men stood, shouting, and turning, looking at each other and shaking their heads.
“Where did he go!?” One man shouted.
Another cursed loudly.
I could have reached through the vines and touched one man’s leg. Jonathan wasn’t even breathing. His grasp tightened and I felt like I was suffocating. The men grunted a few more loud words and then headed off into the distance, but Jonathan stood motionless for what seemed like forever! Finally he let out a deep breath and slumped back letting me squirm right out of his arm.
I stood in front of him and stared.
What now?
He didn’t answer. He just kept his eyes closed, breathing hard. Then unexpectedly he snapped out of it and jolted forward out of the vines. I darted after him and we ran fast through the trees. Finally I yelled at him to stop or at least slow down. He turned his head sidewise and said something inaudible.
What? I didn’t here you? Stop Jonathan!
He stopped and looked at me disappointingly. “If you are going to come you need to move fast and be quiet.” He stared at me and we stood in silence once again.
I nodded. He nodded. We had an understanding.
We hurried on and didn’t stop until again for quite some time. The sun pocked over the horizon as he exited the woods. I wasn’t sure where we were but I knew we were far from home. For miles all you could see was the green and white of cotton. It covered the entire earth, drowning anything that dared to step food inside.
Jonathan looked back at me.
Are we going in there?
He nodded and parted the brush in front of him nervous but strong.
How far are we going? Where are we going? Where did those men go? What are we doing?
He kept ignoring me as we forced our way through the dense cotton. It stuck to us everywhere and was starting to make me sneeze. I didn’t like it and it made me itchy. I tried to stop and scratch myself but Jonathan called out to me and told me to keep moving. I think he was starting to enjoy my company. This was going to be fun.
I started to prance around and run circles around Jonathan jumping back and forth. He smiled and it was the first time I had ever seen him do that. For the long time I had known him he had been solemn and hard working. Actually this was the first time I had ever seen him leave the plantation. This was exciting!
After hours of cotton in my hair, eyes, and nose and no sound but our crunching feet a faint cry came from a head. Jonathan stopped abruptly and listened. It was a quiet sob and couldn’t be too far away. Before he could grab me I ran toward the noise curious as to what it might be.
A girl. A girl? Here? Why? What is she doing? Hello!!
She looked friendly so I ran right up to her and nudged her arm. She was sitting in the middle of the middle, arms crossed, head in her lap, sobbing.
Hi there? What’s wrong? Who are you? Don’t cry.
She raised her head and looked startled. Blinking through her tears she reached out and touched me.
Jonathan! Jonathan!
I yelled and ran back in the direction I had come from quickly jumping out in front of Jonathan.
“Stop doing that!”
Jonathan! I found a person! Over here! Follow me! I’ll show you, I’ll show you!
I darted back toward the little kid and was happy to see she was still sitting where I had left her.
I’m back! And I brought a person! His name is Jonathan. He’s my friend. You can be our friend! Want to come with us? Jonathan can she come with us? Please. Please. Please. Please.
“I said quiet boy!” He hushed me as he parted the crop into the clearing where we sat. “Oh.” He seemed shocked and surprised. He looked around and then stood on his toes to look over the cotton. Not seeing one he crunched down and placed his hand on the girls arm.
She jumped back and began to cry harder.
“Shhh. I wont hurt you.”
He won’t! He’s a nice person!
“Where did you come from?” She sat not saying a word. “Are you here with anyone? Who brought you here?”
She still wouldn’t speak.
“Are you lost?” She nodded.
“Are you alone?” She nodded.
“Are you going north?” She hesitated and then nodded.
“Ok.” Jonathan paused and looked over at me. I jumped in excitement and ran over to the girl. He looked back and forth from me to her. Sighing he stood up and spoke. “You can come with us.”
Yes! Yes! This will be so much fun!
He shook his head as if this was all a bad idea. “We’re headed to Indiana. It should only take us a day to reach the border. Once there we can look for your family. But you have to keep up and keep quiet. Okay?”
She nodded and pushed herself to her feet.
She stuttered, “they…we… we... we were headed to a station. Coffin. That’s what I heard mama say. We left so quickly last night I didn’t know what was going on. I got lost in the woods, I heard screams and shouts.” She started to cry. “I ran. I don’t know where my mama is… I... I…” Breaking out in hysterics she ran forward and wrapped her arms around Jonathans legs.
He should her and told her she had to be brave. She nodded wiping tears from her face.
I nodded too.
We were going north. Together. It was going to be fun! I had two friends and a long way ahead of me. I licked the girl’s cheek and she laughed. I was glad we found her.
“Good boy.” Jonathan patted me on the back and I wagged my tail. We would take the girl to Coffin! Whatever that was. I ran ahead of them, looking back and beckoning them forward. I had a feeling we would never go back to that plantation and I didn’t mind I just wanted to get out of this cotton.
I’m ready. Lets go! I barked.
Revised Fairytale
Beauty's Curse
This is not a happy story. If that is what you are looking for try the myths of the mighty Hercules, or the great Achilles, or even of the brave Perseus himself. But remember those are exactly what they’re called. Myths. Behind every hero, behind ever smile, behind every story there is the ugly truth: the tragedy of another. This tragedy starts a long, long time ago in Ancient Greece with the birth of a little baby girl.
Medusa entered this world more beautiful than any God or Goddess. Being the only mortal of the infamous Gorgon sisters word of her beauty quickly spread across all of Greece. People came near and far to behold such an unearthly magnificence. From above the Gods watched and waited until she was old enough to be theirs. But along with all the love and praise the Goddesses soon became jealous of the child and threatened to take her exquisiteness from her. The Goddess Athena became so enraged by her beauty and fame that she cursed the mortal that one day her looks would be taken from her and she would be left with nothing, no one, all alone with no love to warm her heart. Medusa’s parents prayed to Zeus and begged him to destroy the curse and seeing her breathtaking beauty Zeus promised Medusa that her beauty could never be taken from her by any man, God, or Goddess.
Safe and sound, Medusa grew up to be even more stunning. Her long luminous brown hair and striking green eyes entranced all that looked upon her. Anyone lucky enough to befall her gaze traveled become immobile, her looks where mesmerizing and could stop a man in his tracks. Great warriors and kings crossed oceans at the chance to court her and Gods fought battles for her hand. To anyone else her life seemed perfect. How wrong that actually was. Medusa was fully aware of her beauty and the effects that it had, and she longed to be loved. Not loved for her looks but loved for who she was. All these suitors and warriors fighting for her didn’t know her. None of them truly love her and she didn’t love any of them. That was until Katachthonios. On that fateful day, both blessed and cursed by the Gods, Medusa’s story changed.
As soon as Medusa laid eyes on him she knew. She knew she loved him. He was a beat up and broken down soldier returning to his peasant family after years of battle and death. He was nothing special and barely noticeable next to Medusa’s radiance. But still she loved him. She tried again and again to win his affections but war had blinded him to the beauty of the world. He had come to know that all beauty came with a price, one he was tired of paying. He wanted nothing to do with Medusa’s splendor and sent her away.
She returned countless times pleading for him to love her.
“Look at me.” She would beg. “Men and Gods alike would kill for me. My beauty exceeds that of anyone or anything in Greece. The Goddesses of old curse me and are jealous of my beauty. Why would you turn all of that away?”
But every time she returned to him he would respond with the same exact phrase, each time piercing her heart a little deeper.
“Beauty is not everything.”
She could not understand. No one had ever turned her down because of her beauty. It was unheard of. What did this man want? What did he want her to do? Maybe he would love her if she looked more like a peasant, tattered and worn. She covered her face in grim and dirt and adorned herself with rags. Returning once again to Katachthonios she asked again, “Do you love me now?” Even in this disguise Medusa was still more stunning than any mortal woman and she reminded him of the glory he that would fall upon him for having her. But his reply was the same bitter words.
“Beauty is not everything.”
She begged the Gods to make Katachthonios love her but the Gods were jealous and unwilling to help. Discouraged and afraid she returned one final time to the man she loved.
“Katachthonios. My gaze can stop the greatest warriors in their tracks but here and now I look upon you with no effect. Men crawl at my feet and here you are standing in front of me. Wars have wagged and men have laid down their lives for me. But that is not what I am asking you to do. I just want to know one thing. Tell me what I must do to change your mind. What must I do to win your undying love?”
“Would you follow me anywhere? To the far corners of the world? To the end of the world? Would you follow me to the mouth of the River Styx and into the Underworld?”
“Yes.”
“Would you give up your friends, family, and wealth in exchange for my love?”
“Yes.” Her reply was quick and unwavering.
“Would you die for me Medusa?” For the first time it was not her eyes that left someone captivated.
Without blinking her eyes met his. “Yes.”
“Medusa.” He stepped forward. She held her breath and she felt her whole body being drawn to him.
“Medusa.” Her name kissed his lips as he spoke them.
Again. “Medusa.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. I would do all that for you!” She fell upon her knees grasping his hands above her head.
“Would you give up your beauty for me?”
Silence.
Why would he ask her such a thing? Why would he want an ugly woman to love? Did he not understand the importance of her beauty to others? But she remembered his penetrating words. Deep inside of her she knew her answer. She looked up into his eyes and slowly parted her red lips.
“Yes. I would give up my beauty in exchange for your love.”
He grinned a wicked grin.
Dropping her hands and letting her fall to the ground he stepped back and laughed. She laid covered in dust, a look of bewilderment in her intense green eyes.
“The earth does not deserve your beauty but Zeus had made it impossible for any God to take it from you. Nothing was said about you giving it to a God!” He maniacal laugh echoed throughout Greece.
Medusa lifted herself enough to look up at his face. “Katachthonios?” A tear rolled down her face and watered the dry earth.
Bending down he forced her chin up to the sky and turned her face from side to side in his hands. As he met his eyes his form began to change. Standing in front of her was no longer a tattered soldier, a peasant boy, but a great and magnificent God. Hades shed his disguise as he thrust her face away from his, letting Medusa fall back into the rising dust.
“Poor naïve child. You were so eager to love. So quick to give away the only thing people admired of you. Now you have nothing. No love, no heart, no beauty, not even your hypnotic gaze. From here on out you are cursed with monstrous looks, warning and warding off every man, beast, and God. I curse you with a gaze of stone so that you may look upon no one and fall in love except you turn them to stone. I curse you Medusa, for the rest of eternity, to be a snake, lowly and ugly, forced to live in the dark of the earth, beneath the feet of Gods and lovers alike.”
Just as Hades had transformed in front of her eyes Medusa began to transform in front of his. Her sweet golden brown locks turned to horrible writhing snakes and her breathtaking jade eyes changed to those of a venomous serpent. Her perfect body became malformed and where her legs once where grew a long, scaly, winding tail stretched forth. She bowed her head as the looks that once gave her hope turned into a vile creature unfit to lay eyes on. Her beauty was gone, and in its place a monster without a heart, doomed to live for eternity, never knowing love again.
This is a warning to all those who may read or listen. Love may exist, but it comes at a cost. Adventures await those who look for them but don’t always end the way they want. Heroes rise but also fall with or without their story being told. And beauty…
Beauty isn’t everything.
Medusa entered this world more beautiful than any God or Goddess. Being the only mortal of the infamous Gorgon sisters word of her beauty quickly spread across all of Greece. People came near and far to behold such an unearthly magnificence. From above the Gods watched and waited until she was old enough to be theirs. But along with all the love and praise the Goddesses soon became jealous of the child and threatened to take her exquisiteness from her. The Goddess Athena became so enraged by her beauty and fame that she cursed the mortal that one day her looks would be taken from her and she would be left with nothing, no one, all alone with no love to warm her heart. Medusa’s parents prayed to Zeus and begged him to destroy the curse and seeing her breathtaking beauty Zeus promised Medusa that her beauty could never be taken from her by any man, God, or Goddess.
Safe and sound, Medusa grew up to be even more stunning. Her long luminous brown hair and striking green eyes entranced all that looked upon her. Anyone lucky enough to befall her gaze traveled become immobile, her looks where mesmerizing and could stop a man in his tracks. Great warriors and kings crossed oceans at the chance to court her and Gods fought battles for her hand. To anyone else her life seemed perfect. How wrong that actually was. Medusa was fully aware of her beauty and the effects that it had, and she longed to be loved. Not loved for her looks but loved for who she was. All these suitors and warriors fighting for her didn’t know her. None of them truly love her and she didn’t love any of them. That was until Katachthonios. On that fateful day, both blessed and cursed by the Gods, Medusa’s story changed.
As soon as Medusa laid eyes on him she knew. She knew she loved him. He was a beat up and broken down soldier returning to his peasant family after years of battle and death. He was nothing special and barely noticeable next to Medusa’s radiance. But still she loved him. She tried again and again to win his affections but war had blinded him to the beauty of the world. He had come to know that all beauty came with a price, one he was tired of paying. He wanted nothing to do with Medusa’s splendor and sent her away.
She returned countless times pleading for him to love her.
“Look at me.” She would beg. “Men and Gods alike would kill for me. My beauty exceeds that of anyone or anything in Greece. The Goddesses of old curse me and are jealous of my beauty. Why would you turn all of that away?”
But every time she returned to him he would respond with the same exact phrase, each time piercing her heart a little deeper.
“Beauty is not everything.”
She could not understand. No one had ever turned her down because of her beauty. It was unheard of. What did this man want? What did he want her to do? Maybe he would love her if she looked more like a peasant, tattered and worn. She covered her face in grim and dirt and adorned herself with rags. Returning once again to Katachthonios she asked again, “Do you love me now?” Even in this disguise Medusa was still more stunning than any mortal woman and she reminded him of the glory he that would fall upon him for having her. But his reply was the same bitter words.
“Beauty is not everything.”
She begged the Gods to make Katachthonios love her but the Gods were jealous and unwilling to help. Discouraged and afraid she returned one final time to the man she loved.
“Katachthonios. My gaze can stop the greatest warriors in their tracks but here and now I look upon you with no effect. Men crawl at my feet and here you are standing in front of me. Wars have wagged and men have laid down their lives for me. But that is not what I am asking you to do. I just want to know one thing. Tell me what I must do to change your mind. What must I do to win your undying love?”
“Would you follow me anywhere? To the far corners of the world? To the end of the world? Would you follow me to the mouth of the River Styx and into the Underworld?”
“Yes.”
“Would you give up your friends, family, and wealth in exchange for my love?”
“Yes.” Her reply was quick and unwavering.
“Would you die for me Medusa?” For the first time it was not her eyes that left someone captivated.
Without blinking her eyes met his. “Yes.”
“Medusa.” He stepped forward. She held her breath and she felt her whole body being drawn to him.
“Medusa.” Her name kissed his lips as he spoke them.
Again. “Medusa.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. I would do all that for you!” She fell upon her knees grasping his hands above her head.
“Would you give up your beauty for me?”
Silence.
Why would he ask her such a thing? Why would he want an ugly woman to love? Did he not understand the importance of her beauty to others? But she remembered his penetrating words. Deep inside of her she knew her answer. She looked up into his eyes and slowly parted her red lips.
“Yes. I would give up my beauty in exchange for your love.”
He grinned a wicked grin.
Dropping her hands and letting her fall to the ground he stepped back and laughed. She laid covered in dust, a look of bewilderment in her intense green eyes.
“The earth does not deserve your beauty but Zeus had made it impossible for any God to take it from you. Nothing was said about you giving it to a God!” He maniacal laugh echoed throughout Greece.
Medusa lifted herself enough to look up at his face. “Katachthonios?” A tear rolled down her face and watered the dry earth.
Bending down he forced her chin up to the sky and turned her face from side to side in his hands. As he met his eyes his form began to change. Standing in front of her was no longer a tattered soldier, a peasant boy, but a great and magnificent God. Hades shed his disguise as he thrust her face away from his, letting Medusa fall back into the rising dust.
“Poor naïve child. You were so eager to love. So quick to give away the only thing people admired of you. Now you have nothing. No love, no heart, no beauty, not even your hypnotic gaze. From here on out you are cursed with monstrous looks, warning and warding off every man, beast, and God. I curse you with a gaze of stone so that you may look upon no one and fall in love except you turn them to stone. I curse you Medusa, for the rest of eternity, to be a snake, lowly and ugly, forced to live in the dark of the earth, beneath the feet of Gods and lovers alike.”
Just as Hades had transformed in front of her eyes Medusa began to transform in front of his. Her sweet golden brown locks turned to horrible writhing snakes and her breathtaking jade eyes changed to those of a venomous serpent. Her perfect body became malformed and where her legs once where grew a long, scaly, winding tail stretched forth. She bowed her head as the looks that once gave her hope turned into a vile creature unfit to lay eyes on. Her beauty was gone, and in its place a monster without a heart, doomed to live for eternity, never knowing love again.
This is a warning to all those who may read or listen. Love may exist, but it comes at a cost. Adventures await those who look for them but don’t always end the way they want. Heroes rise but also fall with or without their story being told. And beauty…
Beauty isn’t everything.