Monday's Minute Challenge

Today, I am treating you to the joys of reading yet another one of my short stories! You may applaud now. (That was a joke. Kind of. XD) This is for the Monday Minute Challenge over on Christ is Write. I'm doing the picture prompt, which you can see over on the Monday's Minute Challenge page. :D

The boy stretched out his hand, tapping exactly the right spot. The green web illuminated the night forest, stretching as far as the eye could see.

“Yes, yes, yes!” I shrieked as I sprinted forward to the nearest bubble-like circle. Finally, I had my way in. “Here I come, Mom,” I whispered under my breath.

The green lines of the web grew closer and closer until they glowed right in front of me. I made the final jump. One moment, trees stretched up above my head and the sounds of the jungle filled my ears. The next: silence, complete and utter silence. And a stark whiteness. Absolutely nothing. This had to be right, though. I knew that was the portal. What else could it have been?

My heart started pounding in my chest. Forget the questions- I was floating in thin air. I had to find something, anything, to place my feet on.

Then, a field of burnt grass flashed before me, the horizon meeting with a charcoal gray sky spotted with dusty clouds. I dropped a couple feet to the ground. Having landed on my knees, I didn’t even have time to clamber to my feet before the world around me flashed away and the gravity-less whiteness returned.

What was going on?

Something green- the same shade of green that the portal was made of- flashed in front of me. I reached out, swatting at it, but it had already disappeared.

I was just about to throw my hands and shout in hopes that something would hear my frustration, when I heard a shrieking sound. I craned my neck towards it, trying to decipher the words.

“Our world is fading. We need Melody.”

Melody. My mom. 

And that is all for today! :D Let me know what you think in the comments! 

Monday's Minute Challenge

Over on Christ Is Write, Tessa Emily Hall hosts a challenge every other week to write a short story about one of three prompts. I've participated in it before, but this is the first time since I've made my blog, so here goes! :D

-----------------

If Laira had known this was to be her fate, she would have hugged her mother once more. As she watched her homeland fade to mist, her eyes began to water. No. She wouldn’t show these barbarians weakness. She blinked in succession until her eyes were dry.

“Get off that step there, ye vermin! Come down to the bottom deck.” Laira narrowed her eyes at the man’s voice behind her but obeyed. What else could she do besides jump overboard? That. That was an option. Chancing the waves had to be better than the slavery in her future.

Too late. The man grabbed her arm. No escaping now. She sighed.

The man yanked her arm. “What was that?”

Laira shook her head. “Nothing.”

“I'm 'master' to you.”

She shot a glare at the wooden planks beneath her. It didn’t satisfy the surge of anger, but it was better than nothing. “Nothing at all, master.” She gritted her teeth so hard it hurt.

“We’ll work on that.”

He swung open a creaky door and pushed her down stairs that didn’t look sturdy enough to hold a rat. Of course, apparently, Laira was merely a rat to this bumbling bunch of savages. Oh, the nerve of that man to call her a vermin. She clenched her fist.

“Pent up anger ain’t good for ye. Yer master’ll whip that right out.”

Laira didn’t respond, nor did she unclench her fists. The man didn’t notice, though, because they’d reached their destination- a hollow hole housing the prisoners. No sooner than she’d stumbled into line with them did a man come up to her and take her hand. He pressed a stamp into her palm, and when he walked away, Laira looked at the mark.

A barcode, and under it: “Slave”.

So now it’s official.
---------

Hope y'all enjoyed! It would mean a lot if you would leave a comment. :D