Sara's First Snow
by Ubersteiny

Comment:
She did not know what this stuff was, but oh, the fun!

She ran and jumped and rolled and dug and flung about. She nipped and barked and chased.

She did not know what this stuff was, but she was glad to have discovered it, and hoped that it would never go away, and even has it clung to her and got in her eyes and started to soak her to the skin, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Global Trees
by JeffryZ

Comment:
It descended from the heavens, to settle between the trees. There it sat, and slowly spun, the message upon it terrestrial, but this was no terrestrial object.

From whence did it come? Why was it here? What purpose could it possibly have to visit this planet yet tell us of things we already knew? The human DNA helix, the continents, earthly language.

What did it all mean? So they gathered, the people of earth. They gathered and tried to figure it out. They gathered in awe and confusion and curiosity.

They gathered, and then, they died.

When it was all over, it began to spin once more, and lifted above the trees and vanished into the heavens.

Three Graces
by Alicia

Comment:
Their presence was barely felt as they strolled down that stretch of sodden sand. For most, it would have been like a brush of wind, or a sudden chill, or perhaps even like a breath of warm air on the back of the neck. Not enough to alarm anyone, but certainly enough that the subconscious stopped briefly to wonder just what it was.

So they passed, these three, on their timeless journey that occupied not only that space, but every space in the universe, simultaneously, such was their power. In front of them, an endless nothing. Around them coursed all life and time and happening. Behind them, a decaying of time. Erased as they passed as if it had not happened at all.

They were the fates, the three. The beginning, the now, and the end. All of existence was owed to them, and all of existence was theirs, not to command or control, but to watch over and keep.

Their presence was barely felt as they passed, but their impact was undeniable.

A New Dawn
by GregoryB

Comment:
He woke from the sleep of all his kind, and crawled out onto the nearest platform. The sun shone, and the dew had already fled, so it was a good beginning for him. The right beginning. He spread his sodden wings and let the shine of the sun do its work, a small near unnoticeable mist of steam rose from them as they dried. He raised his head and closed his eyes and let the warmth beat upon him, basking in the new that was his transformation. Reveling in the wonder that was this day.

Then, moments later, a twitch of the wings to test their readiness, and with a slight jump of the blade of grass he was away. Brushing the air with wings that shouldn't be able to move it, the tiniest of breezes pushed off with those wonderous things. The slightest of shock waves felt by nothing but the dust in the air around him.

Days later, in the aftermath of the Tsunami, he settled on a lone flower among the debris, his life nearing the end of its time, never knowing the destruction his birth and life had wrought, in the ever continuing cycle of all things.

Superciliary
by Jutilda

Comment:
He peeked over the edge, and a slight grin emerged in his eyes. A clever grin, a hungry grin, an evil grin. There, across the room, was his prey, and it hadn't noticed him. Not yet.

Slowly, muscles tensing, he began to creep over the edge, paw over paw, inch by inch, tail twitching for balance. His prey remained, still unaware, and his grin expanded.

Like a shadow in the darkness, he advanced. Ever so slowly, as if he wasn't moving at all. Patience in the hunt, creeping silently, onward towards the unsuspecting.

Then, without warning, he pounced, screeching and hissing in the air in a vain attempt to give his victim a fighting chance. It was futile, of course. His was a mastery. He was an instrument of death and destruction. He was like lightning and quicksilver, and the Yarn Ball's existence was ended in tragedy and horror.

Face Rock
by SouthCoastOr3gon

Comment:
In the time of the Titans, the tragedy would unfold. It was a tale that was forgotten, an unknown daughter of Kronos, who defied her father and defected to the side of Zeus, for a love that was unrequited. In vengeful anger at being turned aside by the King of Gods, she tried to defeat him but was cast down from Olympus to land in the sea, broken. Her dying wails reached the ears of her father, who, out of pity, cast her broken body to stone, and she would remain there for all to remember. It was to be a catalyst for the Titan's uprising against the Gods of Olympus, but would be lost to the memory of greater deeds and better tales.

Stare
by Ann

Comment:
Ralph should have listened. They had told him, warned him, that this would happen. They had admonished him, threatened him, pleaded with him. They had done all they could to try and avert him from this end, but he wouldn't listen.

He should have listened.

Now, as he lay there day after day, unable to move, relying on the care of others that were quickly becoming tired of caring for him, slowly deteriorating and lamenting his failing health, he wished he had listened.

Then, he glanced over, and saw it there, and with tears in his eyes he somehow managed to struggle and take the object of desire in his mouth and savored the sweetness of it and hated himself for it at the same time.

He should have listened, but oh, those Ding-Dongs were so very tasty.

Table with a view...
by kris11

Comment:
She had said to come here, and so he came. She had promised. 4pm that day, end of the pier, I'll be there, come what may. Rain or shine. Better or Worse. I'll be there.

He stood there, and gazed at the empty table. The wind howled, and the snow accumulated faster than he could have imagined it would. He knew that this was weather that was not predicted. It had come out of nowhere and had pretty much shut the surrounding area down. Forced it into a virtual stand-still. He knew, as he had made his way here over icy roads, through brutal conditions, that there was not much hope that the promise would stand.

But she HAD promised.

She would be here, but she wasn't.

He walked to the table, careful to not slip on the treacherous surface of the pier, and stood there, willing her smiling face to be across from him. Willing her hands to reach out and take his. Willing her laughter to echo across the waters. A small sob escaped him then, and he shut his eyes tight and blinked back the tears threatening to form. He then placed the rose he had carried on the table, where it scattered the forming snow.

I'll be there, she had promised. Now, only this symbol of their love was here, the red of the petals contrasting with the white of the powdery snow. A breeze struck then, picking up the rose and flinging it out into the water, and he did cry now. There was no longer any effort to hold it back.

She had promised, so many years ago, but had never shown up, and would never be able to be here again. Never be able to promise another thing. So he would keep her promise for her, and each year, on that anniversary, he gave his offering. Every year he would return. He would be here.

He promised.

The Gift
by KarenNfld

Comment:
She presented it with such feeling, in hands covered with a fabric of a white that was almost unnatural, like it was impossible that they could even be there. Cupped within that brilliance was the object of her offering, a candy apple shade of sparkling wonder, capped with gold and flecked with a texture that grabbed the light and scattered it sparklingly.

As she held it out, her eyes showed a touch of smile, but also poured out in hope and pleading. Would I purchase this thing, so lovingly displayed? Would I help feed her this night, or perhaps give her more coin towards finding a warm place to sleep.

So I smiled and reached into my pocket and produced a handful of coin, and exchanged it for that simple thing, the offering made so seemingly full of innocence and charm, and knew that I was most likely a sucker for doing so, but not caring for that moment. Who was to know her real story? Who was to really say what fate held in store for her, but for that one brief moment I could pretend that I had helped move her towards something better, and the magic of that offering stayed in my heart.

Rush
by GinaRothfels

Comment:
As he rushed on to his next heroic endeavor, it occurred to him that nobody ever bothered to ask him what it was really like, being able to run that fast. Nobody ever asked him how he saw where he was going, what it felt like to see things go flying by at 300 miles per hour. No, nobody ever bothered with that.

As he barely dodged another parent with their children, knowing what would happen had he hit them going that speed, he began to feel tired of it all. That's all it would take, you know. Just one mistake. Just one momentary lapse of concentration, and BAM! People bits all over the sidewalk.

As he raced through the city stopping crimes and being a hero, he began to feel that he'd finally had enough.

Nobody ever cared about him beyond the fact that he was The Flash. Nobody ever thought to worry about his own troubles.

He put his heart and soul into it all, but nobody ever bothered to put their heart and soul into him.