Freedom of Flight

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She always knew she’d be the one to die.

Ever since she was a child, butterflies landed on the chains that bound her feet as she worked.

She stood with the others before the sacrificial stone. Stained with blood and carved with butterflies, it spoke to the village of fear. Freedom caught mid-flight.

Each girl’s hand held a slip of paper.

One after another, they faced the crowd, lifted their arms. One after another they displayed their papers. Blue ovals.

She unfolded her sheet. Blank.

Today, she would be the reminder. Although they had wings, they would never fly.

 

 

The weekly 99-word Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch  

January 7, prompt: Butterflies & Stones – In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about the contrasting prompts butterfly and stones. 🦋 

#BlogBattle is a monthly writing prompt for flash fiction/short stories hosted by Rachael Ritchey.

January Prompt: Blank 

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32 thoughts on “Freedom of Flight”

    • Well, what else is one to do with white flowers, butterflies, or unicorns? 😉 Wow. That white flower piece was ages ago. Can’t believe you remember that one. Hmm… I do enjoy working with contrast. Thank you, Charli. 🦋 🖤

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    • Thanks, Cathleen. “something meaningful with 99 words.” That is a compliment that’ll have me smiling all day. I love when I can pull that off. (Yeah, I do like the delicate butterflies on heavy chains. Thank you!) 🦋 🖤

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  10. Pingback: #BlogBattle Stories: Blank | BlogBattle

  12. Short does not mean less poignant Sarah. Quietly dark and a reminder we should value freedom and not sleep walk into something that’s not.

    The unsettling part is none of the girls seemed to reach out. They go to their fate with total acceptance. It reminds me of the disturbance I felt reading Never Let Me Go.

    Great to see you amidst the BlogBattle line up too!

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    • No, short never means less poignant. That’s my hope, anyway, when I write. Ah, yes, they are resigned to their fate, aren’t they? None even attempt to reach out or fight back. Perhaps it’s been tried before and they know it’s no use. (Is Never Let Me Go a short story?)

      Nice to play with words again for BlogBattle. It’s been too long. Thanks, Gary! 🦋 🖤

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      • That’s what I found disturbing, the resignation. A sort of inevitability of fate. I wonder though, if that’s how they felt inside…were they as calm as things seem?

        Never Let Me Go was a 2005 book by Kazuo Ishiguro. They made a film of it. It’s a dystopian future where people are cloned but separated from society, schooled and educated in a normality they don’t know difference. When they come of age and leave the school is when it dawns on them they are being reared as organ (ie any body part) donors to the original person. That continues until they can’t actually survive. They die on the operating table as the final parts are harvested. Having written this piece you might want to consider reading it.

        Really hope you join in more now too!

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        • I do miss BlogBattle. It’s a great writing prompt. I’ll try to join in more often. The monthly prompt should be easier (for me) than the weekly with the business and such of life. 🙂

          That book sounds amazing and is now on my TBR list. Thanks!

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        • Brilliant Sarah. I’d love to see more of your writing there…as I’m certain Rachael would too. The monthly prompt was debated for the reasons you gave. It was the first big change made when restarting it. I, for one, struggled every week and I think, over time, it might put people off if they can’t do it regularly.

          Re Never Let Me Go. I’d love to know what you think if it. To me it was quite a difficult concept…to think people might go down that route is quite frightening.

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        • It’s a good change, I think. Some love writing in a weekly, others find it, like you said, difficult to keep up and then feel if they’re not writing regularly, they shouldn’t do it. ??? Not sure.

          You know, when I first read the description of the book, I’ll admit I did think about it becoming a horrifying non-fiction. Could be an X-Files episode.

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