A headstrong young woman, Sybillia, recently turned seventeen, dismissed her parents' warnings not to roam the woods near their home. Feeling she was protected from harm, she set out on many nights to enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods. With ten siblings at home, all younger than her, she desired just a moment alone with her thoughts.
The pressure was intense to marry given her age. Accused of selfishness in not wanting to help secure a future for her family, she avoided her parents as humanly possible. Her siblings admired her tenacity and strength. However, she cast off the label of role model frequently advising them to chart their own course in life.
But that's just not what young ladies do in your position, she was reminded as the admonishment lingered. Determined to remain single and pursue a life work in environmental studies, she shunned all young men who approached her.
Casting off the external beauty compliments others admired and lavished upon her, she donned clothing meant for a male until she reached the clearing at the edge of the woods. She frequently refused adoration for external beauty alone.
Rochello, also aged seventeen and a masterful woodsman, followed her, careful to remain unnoticed. He vowed to ensure her safety, even though he knew her temperament and disdain for him.
On that particular night, he concealed his presence behind a large tree. His weapons will be useful, he reasoned, against the swamp creatures known to reside there.
Sybillia traveled until she reacheed a clearing in moonlit night.
As the rose-colored moon cast playful shadows onto the shallow water, she paused to rest on a rock structure she assembled a few years earlier. Slowly, she removed her leg coverings and tossed them onto the grass, then placed her bare feet in the cool water trickling past.
She leaned back against the structure and glanced up at the sky. Suddenly, the rustling of branches, followed by loud hissing sounds, startled her.
She screamed as three huge alligators rushed foward.
Paralyzed with fear, she watched in numbed horror, too overwhelmed to move. The beauty of the night immediately disappeared as she could no longer see anything but the massive teeth of the beasts moving slowly toward her.
I have no one but to blame but myself, she thought in that moment. I deserve whatever fate befalls me.
It was the screams of another that pulled her out of her shock. She turned to see Rochello jump from behind the tree, running full force toward her.
His actions temporarily distracted the alligators as all turned to assess their new target.
But Rochello was an expert; and he was ready. With a short sword, he stabbed one of the beasts in the head, then quickly gorged out the eyes of the other two, knowing their vulnerable spots.
From behind the stone structure, Sybillia watched in awe as Rochello seemed to effortlessly dismantle the animals.
After a several long moments, all was quiet. She rose and scoured the blood-filled water. No movement came from the animals.
Rochello rushed over to her, scooped her up, and carried her away a few paces from the gruesome scene.
""How did you know I'd be here?" Sybillia stammered, still shaken, but looking deep in his eyes before adding, "and thank you for your bravery. You saved my life."
Surprised, Rochello paused, then confidently confessed, "my mission in life is to happily watch over and take care of you until I'm no longer able to do so. From afar if that is your wish."
Sybillia stared at him. No one had ever spoke to her in that manner. She half-smiled.
"No. It's not my wish. I expect to see you the morrow if we live through this night."
For my current mixed media art project "Contemplation Amid Danger", a short story emerged in the form of a fairy-tale romance of a young man smitten with a lovely female. Sybillia shunned Rochello's advances, until one night she came face to face with danger.
I utilized only a few elements to create the dangerous scene lurking in the swamp. I required a night scene in a wooded area. I feel the moon image was the star of the scene with its subtle rose shade casting the reflection on the water.
Below are the images I included in my scene:
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Landscape with pink moon ~ Warrior ~ Woman ~ Crocodile ~ Allenwood Stone Sculpture - Contributed to the #LIL by @agmoore
I then utilized Canva to blend the different type images. I leave with you my procedures which begin with a blank, white canvas. I then add layers of elements in accordance with my upgraded Annual Pro Membership that includes tools to remove backgrounds, resize, filter, duplicate, and reposition items as required. Perhaps of all the tools, the ability to remove backgrounds thereby creating transparencies of the images is crucial to the blending process.
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Below is my completed project:
Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my mixed media art project.
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
1 What is Stable Diffusion? StarryAI.Com. Online at: https://starryai.com/stable-diffusion
I like that. A little touch of reality in a romantic fantasy :)
A lovely collage that perfectly illustrates your story. It almost could have come from one of the story books I used to read when I was first learning.
I do have one complaint. The strong young woman should have joined in the battle against the alligators. I think both you and I would have done that :))
This is a arresting early entry into the new contest round, @justclickindiva
Hello @agmoore. Thanks so much for your visit. The mere fact that I forgot to add you as a beneficiary to my post for using your stone image I absolutely adore automatically disqualifies my project. Apologies, I meant to add a comment to that effect to alert you I'll catch you on the back end.
For my project and story, it's not an entry in LMAC. I published it in another community, as I usually do and love to include contributions from the #LIL to support our members. For my story, indeed she would have been a good candidate to show off her independence. But alas, her only desire is to be an environmentalist, not an alligator hunter. As for me, I try not to venture out at night. I know what lurks in the dark I could never outrun, outmaneuver, or fight off. Writing about it so much less stressful and safer.
It always a pleasure when you visit. I appreciate your engagement and hearty support. Take care.
BTW...working on my themed entry.
😇
I took that picture when I was walking with my husband. I remember the park. I remember the day. When something like that is used in a collage, it brings me pleasure because there is an experience associated with it.
Don't worry about the 'back end'. I've already had my reward. I can't take those walks with my husband anymore--he's having trouble with his leg. So, thank you for the memory.
You're welcome. And such a lovely memory, especially since you may not be able to go on the walks any longer. You're like me. I enjoy seeing my fractals put to excellent use transforming them into pieces I couldn't imagine.
I have to take care of my business as promised. If not, I'll forget again, and not make others whole. Take care.
Hello @agmoore. Here's the payout for the above post:
And here's your portion:
HBD: .03548
Hive: .14052
Thanks so much for your patience
As always teenagers, they think they know it all, and they don't listen to their parents, but in the end it turned out very well for her, I think she met her future back up keeper.
I love and admire you that you can do the illustrations of your stories yourself, no need to look for or get photos, because you make the images according to the story.
!HUESO
!BBH
!HUESO
Yes, teens think they know it all and won't listen. I love creating collages and other mixed media art projects to include in my stories. Often the art project comes first as an inspiration for the story.
Thanks for your stopping by. I appreciate it.
!BEER
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BEER.Hey @justclickindiva, here is a little bit of
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BEER.That's a great love story, Rochello was such a brave young man.
Beautiful blending of the art project.
I'm so pleased you liked my romance story. Yes, Rochello is a brave young man. And a brave young man in love wants to show his affection with his strength. Fortunately, he possessed strength of character as well.
Thanks for visiting. Take care.
!LADY
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LOHtokens.@justclickindiva, you successfully shared 0.0100 LOH with @jemima2001 and you earned 0.0100 LOH as tips. (1/20 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.
@justclickindiva! @lanzjoseg likes your content! so I just sent 1 BBH to your account on behalf of @lanzjoseg. (3/5)
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@justclickindiva, I paid out 0.410 HIVE and 0.091 HBD to reward 3 comments in this discussion thread.