Color Prompt

Prompt: Personify a color, name a place and an event: now mix together to create a story.

How often was it that one got to watch this? he mused. On a rooftop, nonetheless.

The mass of color shifted minutely inside its black shell, and Silver edged a little closer in anticipation. As it twitched again, he felt a rush of smug satisfaction that he, not Crimson or Lavender or, heaven forbid, Gold, got to see this first hand. Served them right for acting all snooty all the time.

The wind rocked the chrysalis, the swaying adding to the jerks of the butterfly wrestling its way out. Silver held his breath as the bottom end split, the crack widening with each push of the insect's spindly legs. Finally, the swallowtail climbed free and clung to the railing on which its chrysalis was attached, spreading its vibrant wings out to dry.

Silver let out a laugh, reveling in the birth of a new life. He really had to hand it to nature, being able to create something like that. Rearranging cellular configurations was one thing, but such magnificent results were truly something to be cherished.

"Hey, guys, the butterfly we put here hatched!" Silver groaned, his buzz killed by the annoyingly peppy voice coming from behind him. This had to be a cosmic joke. Of all people. Of all the colors. Of all chances in the universe. Gold. He was never going to live this down. Chances were, Gold was going to just blurt out that he'd been watching a butterfly hatch and ruin his reputation forever and he'd be known as the dork who watched a bug. Maybe Gold wouldn't notice him and he'd be able to-

"Oh, Silver, you're here too? I didn't see you there!"

Silver hung his head in defeat.

Silver: 0. The Universe: 1.

-Sophia

Gabriel's Night

"It's been five years since Gabriel ran away. Faith still waits by the window, hoping that he will return. Angela pretends she never had a brother to miss, a brother to lose. And I comb the streets, searching for the broken son I would never find."

It's raining just like it was the night Gabriel ran away. Even the streetlights provide little illumination through the harrowing downpour. The mud, slick with clay, won't dry for weeks. The ground is so wet that footsteps disappear moments after being formed. A person could disappear into a storm like this one - disappear and never be found.
We get storms like this every summer, where the deluge is so heavy we have to shout to have conversations. Not even thunder can pierce through the deafening rain. Occasionally, lightning flickers on the horizon, too far away to be seen clearly and much too quiet to be heard. I used to take comfort in the season's storms because, as troublesome as the rain was, it also provided a sense of relief from the mundane tasks of everyday life. The rains isolated us from our neighbors. The town's friendly buzz was replaced by the steady beat of a million raindrops on the roof, and it was just us: me, Faith, Angela, and Gabriel.

Prompt

Prompt: What do you see when you close your eyes?

Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I see stars. Stars that sparkle and spin in the blackness, refracting light and forming colors. Colors unknown to the gray monotony of reality, creating shapes and taking me to the paradise of worlds no soul could possibly fathom. The beauty there too rich, too rare to describe.

Sometimes, I see my mistakes. The clips in my mind replay over and over, taking note of every slip in strength, every stumble in my words, every relapse, everything. The pain in those visions could push me to despair, my eyes burning hot with unshed tears, my throat closing up and choking on the unspoken words. My heart growing heavy with the feelings I’ve condemned myself to feel, too afraid to hope, to dare to dream. The weight there is always too heavy to bear for long. I try to carry on, to drag on with my burden, but I always fail, and I fall far. And I might not get up.

Sometimes, those feelings of joy bleed through. I see my dreams, all my aspirations and a better version of myself. I go through a life that’s not quite mine, my head held higher, my smile brighter, my spirit lighter. It’s a feeling of ecstasy unrivaled by anything else, impossible to be recreated in the physical world. At least, not anymore. I’ve made too many mistakes, done too many wrongs. So I open my eyes, collect my emotions once again, close the door on those dreams and lock them in with a sigh, only to return to the life I managed to escape from, if only momentarily.

Sometimes, I see nothing but darkness. It sifts and weaves through itself like thick smoke, permeating my thoughts and twisting into my mind. Devils and monsters and all the evils of the world take form and they make me cower in fear.

And sometimes, just sometimes, like Pandora’s box, all that’s left for me to see is hope.

-Denise

Prompt

Prompt: Write a poem starting with a line from a given selection, and ending with a line from another given selection. -Denise