…until they reach the Church, when Llewellyn hands him off to the healer-priests. Grei steels himself, before glancing at the wizard. “Could you…maybe stay? Make sure they heal me proper?” Llew smiles at him. There’s so much to do before sunset. “Of course,” she says. ⬇️see options in comment⬇️

her fragile dreaming: swallowtails trailing silver glitter in her teeth #DailyHaikuPrompt #swallow #haiku

They reach the top of the tower to find the floor and roof rotted away. Levitating over that long, dark drop are multiple swords, #revolving slowly in beams of starlight. At the slightest noise, the tip of each blade points at the party sneaking through… #vss365

gusts from Maker’s lungs drumming up the heartbeat, heard across the prairie #DailyHaikuPrompt #gusts #haiku

Grab the child, and go. The others have made their choice. Or, leave the child behind. Their eyes are already not right. Pray the car starts. If it doesn’t, just run. You have the key to the gate. There’s blood on your hands, but you have the key, and that is all that matters. Now, run. #MorbidMarch

When the witching hour struck, cloaked figures emerged from the fog, surrounding the house at five points. Discordant voices called up a storm, until the earth cracked open, swallowing the house and all its inhabitants… (For better or for worse, the roots sheltered the youngest.) #MorbidMarch

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: Llewellyn and Grei reach town; treatment is just around the corner, unless they are waylaid… *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there :)

“final girl writing” is brought to you by statues that used to cry, metal that used to be flesh, & dreams fed to you by the machine. subscribe & comment: write aboutbreaking up with someone at New Year’s. xo, Katherine open.substack.com/pub/finalgir...

Grei prods at his wound. “And there’s a cure, right? For this…rotten magic?” “Yes, at the church. Some holy water and healing tonic, you’ll be fine.” They arrive at a side gate; Llewellyn addresses the guards stationed there, before guiding Grei on. He keeps his mouth shut… ⬇️see options in comment⬇️

“I asked ChatGPT” well I asked the #FastPrompt gang and they said I can write whatever I want about our robotic overlords 🤖🤖

a pear, perfectly ripe one bite has her yearning for spring blossoms… #DailyHaikuPrompt #pear #haiku

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: glitchy polls or not, we’re continuing the conversation, and opening up the world a little more! *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there 💖

“And the Otherworld is…?” “Faerie.” Llewellyn gets a blank look. “Beyond the Veil? The Twilight Realm? Where elves hail from?” Grei snorts. “Never had much time for those kiddie stories. Never met an elf, either, they’re real?” “As real as monsters, and those who slay them.” ⬇️see options in comment⬇️

the shell cracks open— a new life, screeching tiny victory #DailyHaikuPrompt #shell #haiku

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: our characters continue to seek treatment for a magical malady…more questions than answers arise. *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there :)

Doc watches, #fascinated, as mushrooms bloom along the gash in Kade’s arm. “Can you do anything about it?” Blu asks loudly, bringing the exiled doctor and amateur wizard back to the point. “Erm, perhaps.” He rifles through the bottles and sachets on the counter, #vss365 (1/2)

the stork flies all night carrying a soul—is it wicked or divine? #DailyHaikuPrompt #stork #haiku

“But what IS it—the Blight?” Grei asks, as they leave the remains of the deer behind. “Simply put, it’s concentrated magic leaking from the Otherworld to the Mortal Realm. It has…adverse effects on flora and fauna, as you’ve seen. I’ll have to track down the source, later.” ⬇️see options in comment⬇️

dragonfly tattoo on her shoulder; summertime caught in her eyes #DailyHaikuPrompt #dragonfly #haiku

“Someone’s in a bad mood.” Stella gestured to Maude’s cup: the liquid turned stormy grey, spiralling and squalling—a literal #tempest in a teacup. “That’s not me,” Maude protested, reading the wind and clouds. “That means…the Captain’s coming—Lily! Board up the windows!” #vss365

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: Grei’s injury is no joke—but what is the Blight? How will its effects be reversed? *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there 💖

As Grei grudgingly calms down, Llew kneels to inspect his wound. There’s not a lot of blood—thick, dark ink leaks out instead. Glowing mycelium threads across his flesh, and a tiny, vivid mushroom blooms on the ragged edge. “The hell’s that?” he gasps. “The Blight. Let’s hurry—” ⬇️options in comment⬇️

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: Grei’s been put in his place; does that mean he’s finally humbled, or will he cause more trouble? 🐺 *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there 💖

“I had it,” Grei snarls, around teeth too big for his mouth. Llewellyn sighs, smacking him sharply between the eyes with her staff. Down he goes. “Apologies,” the wizard says, “but no time for that nonsense, Mr Grei. We need to get that wound treated. Kindly contain your wolf.” ⬇️options in comment⬇️

“I’ll give you 10.” “We shook on 20.” Willis shoved her, snatching the book. “You’ll take 10, and be grateful, dreg.” He tossed the coins in the dirt, sauntering away. Blu picked them up, swallowing down #frustration, startling when Willis screamed—the book was on fire. #vss365

“Who’ll #endorse someone in your…condition?” “I’m pregnant, not plague-ridden.” “You’re also unwed, Marla.” “Goodness, Davie, you’re right, those dusty wizards will be clutching their gods-damned pearls—never mind I can still out-duel them for the Grand Magus position—” #vss365

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: now that Llewellyn has taken care of business, there’s the aftermath to consider… *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there :)

“final girl writing” is brought to you by the sounds you hear in strange places. subscribe & comment: write about winter, or about despair. xo, Katherine open.substack.com/pub/finalgir...

Grei yanks down on the antler—the deer stumbles, shifting away. A power-charged word rings out, and Grei jerks back as a beam of white-hot magic blasts through the deer’s chest, obliterating most of it. Llewellyn hefts her staff and cautiously approaches the werewolf. ⬇️see options in comment⬇️

Born with a #caul, the child was thought to be blessed. Only Grandmother declared “that thing” the devil’s kin. She was found clutching her heart, while the babe slept in his crib. A bottle nearby, untouched—poisoned. Scorch marks and cloven hoofprints on the floor… #MorbidMarch

It was an odd place for a bride. The nightshift guard squinted at the screen—and hustled down to the factory floor, shining his flashlight at the #veiled figure as he called a warning— Her bouquet fell to the floor. The veil fluttered away. A skull grinned at him— #MorbidMarch

I think they’re all liars, putting on a show for the cameras. They sleep too well. Last summer, there was one girl at the hotel—dark circles under her eyes. Spoke of a woman singing a lullaby, all through the night. Her parents wouldn’t listen. I did. It’s always the children who know. #MorbidMarch

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: Grei could keep throwing himself at the problem, or he could receive assistance… *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there :)

once, puddles meant joyful splashing in daisy-print rain-boots…now? wet socks #DailyHaikuPrompt #puddle #HaikuChallenge #daisy #haiku

my lover meets me in a dream: spring grass hushing the blushing sun #DailyHaikuPrompt #SpringGrass #haiku

Grei ignores the warning, leaping forward to drive the knife into the mutated deer’s throat. It screams, and the second head twitches and twists up, antlers ripping through its skin to gouge Grei’s shoulder— He roars, his features becoming more beastly as his arm hangs useless. ⬇️options in comment⬇️

In a darkened, locked room, five individuals hold hands at a round table, watching as the flame from a single candle begins to #waver—gently at first, then flickering in a wind no one feels. Scarlet can see the sixth visitor, and the seventh. “Bunkum,” Charlie mutters. #vss365

a summary of the first two months of my ongoing, currently untitled, interactive story, with a cast of notable characters. Questions? Comments? Let me know, and thank you for your interest and support 💖

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: oh deer! a monster! on this, the story’s 2-month anniversary, what actions do our characters take? *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there 💖

It’s a deer, but it’s very…wrong. It moves slow, extra legs and a 2nd head hanging limp. Vibrant mushrooms sprout along its hide, dripping inky black. Its many eyes blink out of sync, catching movement as Grei curses and draws a knife. Llew is calm. “It’s blighted. Stay back.” ⬇️options in comment⬇️

I wish I could be sniffing daisies🌼🌼🌼—instead, we got snow on the equinox! ❄️❄️❄️ Fake flowers all around to brighten up my days 💐💐 or you can write up some rainbows over on #FastPrompt while we wait to thaw out~ 🌈🌈

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: encounter in the woods!🌳🌳🌳 (Llew🦁 & Grei🐺 Edition!) friend or foe, human or monster? *cross-posted on the Bird Site (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to Vote over there 💖

She held the pendant to her eye, and the room #divides—one half, a picture of normalcy: fire crackling, book open on a chair, curtains dancing in the breeze. Viewed through the blue lens: a crumbling ruin, dusty and charred here, overrun with damp and rot there… #vss365

Under an #overcast sky, the bones glowed brightly. The undead soldier plodded on, clutching sword and shield, insects scuttling over skull and sternum, even as the grass wilted under its feet. “You got this?” Rena whispered to their archer. “Watch me,” Chet breathed. #vss365

“Are you still looking for trouble?” Llewellyn asks pleasantly. “I’d caution against it.” Grei pauses. They aren’t far from town. “Do the people here trust their wizard so much they don’t care if a vampire is around?” Before she can reply, there is movement on the path ahead— ⬇️options in comment⬇️

late snow in March: a wet sort of misery the drab morning starts #DailyHaikuPrompt #LateSnow #haiku

equinox: the green calls your name, the queen crowned with daffodil gold #DailyHaikuPrompt #equinox #HaikuChallege #daffodil #haiku #3lines

poll is live! #vss365 crowd, please consider my interactive story~ today: looks like Grei is still aiming for a vampire hunt… *cross-posted where the Sky is Blue (same username, pinned post) if you prefer to comment over there 💖

#Mediation took place in a torch-lit cave, all participants masked. Jade still discerned the voices, especially raised in anger: her estranged brother, and her ex-lover. She should have excused herself. Conflict of interest, etc. Instead, she called the meeting to order. #vss365

a magpie jokes while the poet dreams autumn afternoon #HaikuFeels #joke #haiku