This is not patriotism

The village prepared for the Miracle Days with trepidation
Each day, the river flowing through the village turned a bit more turquoise and tasted a bit more sweet in anticipation
"Will you stand for judgement?" the villagers asked one another
The cloudy day came when it seemed no sun rose
Those brave enough left their homes
They stood nude beneath the brooding sky until the #thunderbolts came
One by one, they struck
Some shrieked & perished
Some, blessed with magic, stumbled home, safe
#vss365

Jim was #uncertain about introducing Uchtholex to his young daughter
Would they get along? Or would she scream in existential terror & flee as his friends had?
"Here's Gracie." He ushered his daughter into the living room
"Hi" Gracie said bashfully. She stole casual glances at the ten-foot tall pile of quivering slime, teeth, & tentacles but she didn't stare
That would be rude
"I made this for you" Gracie said holding up a drawing of a flower
Things would be alright, Jim decided
#vss365

You don't remember dying
Memories of your past life are already falling away like leaves blown by a cold autumn wind
Shorn of ties to your self, the threads of you are unwinding into the currents of the night
Around you, the #still night is a vivid oil painting
You are a brush stroke: there & not
Shapeless, yet present
Shimmering in the dark, souls find new bodies
New life
You must choose whether to bind yourself to a new path
Or allow your self to dissolve
#vss365 #WritingCommunity #Writing

Ohouah thought she'd #closed her heart to humans long ago
They threw their refuse into her river & cut irrigation canals into her banks, stealing her water
Choking her
She withered to a filthy stream
But she befriended the underground pools & streams
Pressure was building
They'd set a cataclysmic flood into motion
But as Ohouah watched a little girl gently place flowers into her waters, she wanted to weep
She couldn't stop what was coming
But she would do all she could to save this one
#vss365

There was something unidentifiably horrifying about what came to be known as the World #Tree
The organism dominated its entire planet, colossal roots extending across every continent of its planet
Arriving spacecraft would find themselves swarmed by hungry, questing rhizome fingers
Microscopic teeth would disassemble the structure, taking parts to fortify the Great Tree
Living things suffered a similar fate
To this day, we can't tell if this being is hostile
But we know it is hungry
#vss365

"Momma, uncle Jay said you can do magic. Real magic. Is that true?"
Shunna glances to check the doors and windows all around are firmly #closed
It's time to tell her child the truth
"It is. But I can never use it"
"Why not?"
"It is a curse. I can only use it in anger. In pain. It cannot heal or fix. Only kill and destroy"
"Who would put a curse like that on you?"
"Someone who was angry & hurt. Someone who embraced the dark power instead of rejecting it"
#vss365 #WritingCommunity #Flash #Writing

As Douglas lay bleeding, his neighbor stood over him shaking his head
"Why'd you have to go and make me shoot you on my property? Ain't you got #manners? Your blood is gonna attract critters"
"My power generators are dead. Food is ending. Thought I'd come ask for help"
"Help? You thought you was just gonna come knock on a neighbor's door? Without vetting? Like some 20th century savage?"
"At least they didn't shoot their neighbors"
"Maybe if they had, we'd have avoided The Crash"
#vss365 #Flash