A Fairytale with a Very Bad End
Once upon a times are supposed to have happy ever afters, but this is not one of those tales….
Every 7 Years, the people of a humble village made the treacherous journey to The Scarlet Temple to bring alms, ensuring another 7 years of bountiful harvests.
On one such pilgrimage, the people had an Unavoidable Encounter with a demon known as Shadow Puppet. He lured the entourage off the well-worn path making the trip, that would normally have taken only 3 days, an Ineffable 30 days! The people became weary, parched and Famished: An Unrelenting Silence enveloped them.
Shadow Puppet whispered from the center of the throng, “The Scarlet Temple has no magical powers. In fact, it has a Cracked Facade. Your alms mean nothing. It is only your own toil and labor that brings forth bountiful harvests year after year.”
Word traveled swiftly. When the murmuring mumbling reached a feverish pitch, Shadow Puppet cleared his knobby throat and declared, “Why should you give your precious harvest to The Scarlet Temple with a Cracked Facade when you are starving and parched?”
“He’s right,” a voice echoed from their midst, “we are going to die of hunger and thirst. I propose that we keep these alms for ourselves. It is our right!”
The people hailed the idea, distributing equal rations of the putrid, Festering Roots amongst themselves. A great feast was prepared. Everyone celebrated, filling their bellies with the rotten tubers.
The next morning people became gravely ill. One by one they died until no one was left.
That’s right. There were no survivors. As a result, there was no one to give alms to The Scarlet Temple with a Cracked Facade…and ultimately, no more harvests.
“I” is an Illusion.
The End
~kat
I couldn’t choose one, so I used them all! This tale for MindLoveMiserysMenagerie Sunday Writing Prompt inspired by this prompt:
Choose one or more of the titles below and fashion a poem or story around it =)
A Fairytale with a Very Bad End
The Scarlet Temple
Shadow Puppet
An Unavoidable Encounter
Cracked Facade
I is an Illusion
Famished: An Unrelenting Silence
Festering Roots
7 Years
Ineffable
December 26th, 2017 at 6:47 am
Very clever. Made me think of the Irish potato famine.
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December 26th, 2017 at 8:13 am
Thanks Peter. A sad moment in history to be sure.
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December 26th, 2017 at 9:42 am
To be sure, to be sure, as they would say!
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December 26th, 2017 at 10:04 am
Well done.
I find it hard to choose one title, often, too. Yves picks such wonderous ones.
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December 26th, 2017 at 11:00 am
Thank you Lorraine. I agree. I love the variety of this weekly challenge. 😊
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December 26th, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Aye! What a fatal lesson of Life. 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀 much respects to its many unspoken teachings. 😎😎😎😎😎
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December 26th, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Thanks Dorna. It kind of evolved. I particularly like how the last line’s title fit the story so well. That was a lovely surprise when I got there. 😉
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December 27th, 2017 at 11:36 am
No doubt. 😎🥀
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December 27th, 2017 at 12:59 pm
Wow, you did a great job with so many prompts! ‘Tis a sad tale, with a moral to go with it, yes?
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December 27th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
A moral more or less. I think the last line (title) may have clinched it! 😊
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December 29th, 2017 at 3:17 pm
This is exceptional! Loved it!
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December 29th, 2017 at 3:40 pm
Thank you so much. I couldn’t choose just one! 😊
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December 29th, 2017 at 3:41 pm
I am glad you liked the titles
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December 29th, 2017 at 3:43 pm
They were really great to work with! 😊 Thank you for hosting!
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December 29th, 2017 at 3:43 pm
My pleasure =)
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December 29th, 2017 at 5:33 pm
Trying to use all of them would make my head hurt.
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December 29th, 2017 at 9:21 pm
Haha James. I’ve been equally distressed by a single prompt word. Sometimes it just all falls into place! 😊
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December 29th, 2017 at 7:12 pm
“I” is an Illusion.” What a profound insight.
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December 29th, 2017 at 9:19 pm
Thanks Jan. Though the line was one of the title prompts, it fit very nicely as a closing line to my story. 😉
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