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Dreemport, Scholars & Scribe challenge, week 2
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This is part 2 of 'Ariadne's Tread.
Here you can read first part:
Ariadne's Thread part 1
An indescribable fear overwhelmed him once again - he was afraid to step into the darkness. His eyes were still unaccustomed to the absence of light and still tired from the blinding light. His body began to demand water and food. The burbling in his stomach finally dispelled his hopes that everything that had happened was just a nightmare.
Slowly, holding the red thread tightly - he stepped into the blackness . He felt a wave of heat rising within him. His head became heavy, warm tears ran into his eyes. They ran down his cheeks in stinging streams. He wanted to touch his face, to wipe away the tears in order to pretend, if only to himself, that he had the courage to go on. But he did not. He was afraid that as soon as he let go of the thread, even for a moment, it would disappear. It would disappear along with the hope of finding a way out.
He recalled the beautiful mountainous landscape in his mind. Instead of reassuring him, the image in his mind was as dark as the abyss that surrounded him. He knelt down and as before - he lay face down on the ground, hoping to see an open space full of greenery, sunshine and air. The ground was indeed as clear as glass as before, but the landscape that stretched out before him - was completely different. The world was turned upside down, or it was he who lay trapped beneath its surface.
He could see the soles of his feet trampling on him but doing him no harm, he could see the sky streaked with clouds in which the tops of giant skyscrapers were fading. Raindrops fell on his face, but he felt neither the coolness nor the relief of the water washing over his wounds. He took a closer look - broken windows, the stark skeletons of unfinished or devastated buildings standing out. People with indescribable sadness painted on their grey faces. Ruin. The endlessness of destruction and wasted lives.
He could not take his eyes off the street signs. They seemed strangely familiar. The trees though now stripped of their leaves - he remembered green and full of life. A woman running across the street.... He could not believe his eyes - Eli!
-Eli! It's me! Eli! He slammed his fist with all his might into the barrier separating him from his beloved.
-Eli!
A woman in a checkered coat with an unlit cigarette in her hand walked across his face as if nothing had happened. No one heard him. No one could help him.
He clenched his hands on the thread even tighter, stood up quickly, pulled at it hard - and moved on, almost running. He was furious at himself, furious at the images in his head that he could neither discard nor tame. The thread wound his hands like a string from a kite. He didn't pay much atettion to it, he ran on. When he ran out of breath, he stopped for a moment, but decided not to seek any more consolation.
-To hell with dreams, enough illusions and pipe dreams!
As soon as his breathing returned to normal he looked behind him - the pillar of light was still visible in the distance. The fact that he was moving through space, however, gave him encouragement.
He smiled to himself and moved forward, and as soon as he took his first step - the ground cleared beneath his feet. The smooth sheet began to move. He lost his balance, fell to his knees and began to slip off the surface, which only moments ago had been perfectly horizontal. At the last moment he grabbed onto the thread, wrapped it tightly around his forearm and wrist and held on tightly with both hands. The thin string was hurting his hands, poking painfully into the soft flesh. There was no point of support. He spread his legs wide to probe with his toes for some ground - but in vain. Worst of all, he didn't know what was really happening.
The darkness was still impenetrable and his senses completely deafened. He felt he wouldn't last long like this. He tried to climb up the thread, but it cut his hands like a knife. When he had completely lost his strength - the thread on his wrist had started to loosen, he was falling down faster and faster. He was spinning on his axis, he no longer knew where was the top was, where the bottom. He wanted that it was all over, he wanted to fall already. He dreamt of the end. Of a surface so hard that the momentum of the impact would shatter his body into thousands of pieces. A rush of air stroked his lithe body when it suddenly hung on...something.
-It's... impossible.
A piercing pain radiated from his right wrist to his elbow up to his shoulder. He tried to lift his left arm but felt it immobilised. Something was holding him tightly by his other wrist. His whole body began to move without his will. His head tilted so far back that he felt his neck could snap, his arms began to rotate at the joints and move in random directions. His knees bent then straightened.
He danced naked in the darkness.
Happy Friday Eve!
Yours,
Strega Azure
I used black paper 200mg, white watercolour pencil, white acrylic paint, red permanent marker. White version has been altered in photoshop(I inverted colours and kept red thread)
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people ( strega.azure ) sharing the post on LeoThreads,LikeTu,dBuzz.https://leofinance.io/threads/strega.azure/re-leothreads-2xxz1xmn8
Beautiful work both the writing and the images... I love seeing the sharing of your creativity
Thank you for popping by!
I am so glad you liked it!
What happens when the loom runs out of fabric. Is that when we die? :D
We do. Or we don't. All matters of perspective. Can be a beginning, not the end.
I actually had this dream several times.
I walk into a shop full of strangers wearing nothing but a knitted skimpy dress. I try to pull it down because it reveals too much and then - starts to rip. The more I try to cover up, the faster the fabric rips and shrinks. I actually hate this one more than actual nightmares. I prefer to be scared rather than embarrassed.
Isn't that odd?
I have no sense of shame, and don't enjoy adrenaline. I'll take the being embarrassed over being scared. After all, in a scenario like that, to me, it would be the others that would gain trauma through my visage, as opposed to myself.
Do you like rollercoasters?
No sense of shame?? I envy that big time!
Ok, I will don't get that picture from my head for a while!
I do. And giant slides. And I've done some bungee jumping. I really want to jump with parachute one day.
I think I just really like the heights in general:)
You're just like my wife then. Enjoys adrenaline junkie stuff and I'm more like, "I'll put the odds of your death on your tombstone if you perish from this". I have a dark sense of humour, if you have not noticed.
But the thing is - it doesn't give me like crazy amount of adrenaline. I think my body is just ok with hanging upside down. I never get dizzy, or 'car sick' like ever I like it when the rush of air almost distorts my facial features and my body almost surrenders to the element. I find it not exciting but rather.... beautiful. Does that make sense?
On mine I really want - 'She died like a complete idiot. But she enjoyed her last minutes!'
this makes total sense to me now...
not an adrenaline junkie - but a complete surrender to the open freeness of it all. hehehe there is something about heights that really embodies that kind of freedom!! probably just all the space!
Get yourself a slow motion camera. The human body is fascinating when observed in such small slices of time.
"He died doing what he loved, shouting "Fuck bears" in the forest".
Honestly, I haven't thought about an epitaph - I'd rather my organs be donated in whatever condition they may be in, then my body given to university medical students or people in training so that they can examine a sub-optimal human husk for research.
That, or endure for so long that I get to see Sol go supernova and be a super, mega Methuselah of the modern day.
this made me BUST up laughing!!!!!!!!!
"They had a 0.015% chance of death by having that additional piece of bacon on their burger. This is what was found in their air pipe."
Incredible writing. I'm loving this short story. You are taking us on a once-in-a-lifetime ride between life and the hereafter... an experience filled with fear, confusion, desperation... but also potential choices (or maybe not...) and hope. Can't wait for part 3, Strega 🙌 !LUV !ALIVE
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You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE(2/10)@strega.azure! to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971.
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through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
I'm glad you've enjoyed it! Next part nearly there:)
See you around!
Awesome sauce hehe
How hurtful when who we hold dear cannot hear or see us despite our longing.
You've masterfully crafted this piece
Someone pointed out to me that my character is too anonymous and that in order for the reader to connect with the character - I need to pull back a bit of the curtain behind which he is hiding, that I should show his emotionality or maybe a bits from his past. I am glad it worked!
Thank you for visiting my blog!
What a lovely story!
Wait!
You said you drew these pencil? Wow!
You're a pro🙌
#dreemport
Thank you very much, I am glad you've enjoyed it, although I now it is not much of a entertainment :D I was trying to add little bit of light to it, but it always would go dark again, I guess it is just how I am wired :)
Yeah, it is white pencil drawing, and I've used PS to do invert colours:)
Thank you for popping by!
My hands are up🙌🙌🙌
Great progress from the previous part, more suspense for me! Where is he suspended now that he has broken into another foreign place?
Beautiful visuals :)
Aww! I am so glad you can see that. I was following my friend advise to elaborate a bit on main character past, or add some details from his past. I think it turned out quite ok, I guess:)
I had story written last week already but it took me some time to decide about the drawing :) Glad you liked it!
Thank you for stepping by!
Yes it did! The character is on the path of discovery, picking up clues from the past.
You're most welcome :)
Beautiful piece of art and a nice story to go with it. Weldone
I hope you will pop by next week for final part!Thank you very much @adore-eu!
hehehehe you know what this seems like to me?!?!?!
like he is being reincarnated - and the thread is an umbilical cord!!! hahahaha hmmmmm is that where you're leading us?? LOL
What kind of author would I be if I gave away the ending of the story before publication? Patience, the next part is already being written:)
i'm READY!!!
WOW! Loved the story and your graphics were perfect for it.
Found you through @dreemport
I am do glad you liked it! I am in half way 2nd part of yours, love it so far!
This is utterly amazing and super fascinating.
I loved the fact that you shared your story with those wonderful pictures that caught me engrossed! Supercool!
Thank you for visiting my blog!
I am glad you liked my writing and my drawing:) Really appreciate.
Next week - final part!