Content Warning (read at your own discretion): Mentions and implications of death, dealing with loss, fire, etc.

worship the flame - writing competition entry

~

The fire glows by the hearth.

It doesn’t burn; it glows. It casts a luminosity that wanders through shadows.

It’s a guiding light in the darkest night.

The maiden tends to the glowing fire. Ethereal, fluorescent, radiant. Crackling embers leap out of the fire; somehow, it's comforting.

The fire glows through the night.

~

Beams of fiery gold spread through the cabin.

The maiden looks outside - the woods are getting dark.

Ancient wood boards line the small cabin; a grimy window outlines the dark night. The maiden kneels by the fireplace, leading to a shaky chimney.

Besides the fire, there’s nothing, really.

The boards creak.

The maiden shivers, and continues tending the fire.

Don’t let him die.

~

Fire is a warmth through the pitch-black night.

Fire is a protection against the creatures of the unknown.

Fire is a shelter from the darkness beyond the periphery.

Fire is home.

The maiden shivers, and moves closer to the fire.

It’s going to be alright.



…(Is it?)

~

The wind whistles in the distance. (Or does it howl?)

The trees sway. (Or are they dancing?)

The shadows grow taller. (Or are they stirring?)

~

The maiden stares at the fire.

Millions of embers, sparks, and cinders crackle, twisting into serpentine swirling shapes.

But there are two sides to fire.

Fire is destructive. Fire is chaos. Fire is death.

No one can control fire. It's moving, it's breathing, it's alive.

Nobody can stop fire. But we can contain it.

(For now, at least).

~

The night moves secretly.

The maiden watches warily, and listens to the crying of the wind and the crackling of the fire.

She watches as the fire dances, embers and ashes swaying.

Her hand grazes the fire.

a touch,

a burn,

a gasp.

~

The woods are burning.

A blazing inferno, an everlasting fire.

Wretched flames reach up to the clouds.

Deafening crackling; a whip in the night.

The air is boiling.

Hotter, hotter, hotter, HOTTER, HOTTER.

You’re going to be burnt alive.

~

With a blink of an eye, everything disappears.

The maiden returns to the creaking cabin.

Shallow breaths. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Unease.

Foreboding.

Apprehension.

You know what you did.

The maiden starts sweating.

And it’s not because of the fire.

Something’s going to happen tonight.

~

The burning woods bring back latent echoes.

Memories threaten to resurface.

A laugh, a grin, a dance.

Memories are unwelcome in these woods.

Memories should be kept hidden.

The past is in the past.

The past is in the past.

Stop.

Forget.

No.

No.


No.

The cabin disappears.

~

The two lovers dance through the woods.

The ethereal, beautiful trees seem to sway as the two twirl and whirl and swirl together.

Morning sun rays filter through the open forest.

“I love you,” one says, and the other bursts into laughter.

“I love you,” she says back, and the two collapse into peals of giggles.

Love is so fickle.

“Follow me,” he says, a grin across his face.

She gasps. “A mystery,” she teases.

Cole takes her by the hand, hazel eyes glinting.

Before they know it, the two are prancing through the forest.

The wind whistles as they run; out of breath, yet still laughing. Her brown hair dances like a willow in the wind.

“Alright, we’re here,” he says, panting. His auburn hair is now disheveled. “Close your eyes.”

The world goes dark as Ivy closes her eyes, heart bouncing.

“Now?”

“Now.”

Her eyes flick open.

The world is wondrous. Hundreds of tall, thin, and lush green trees surround them in a clearing; hands reaching up to the blue heavens.

“I love you.”

~

The maiden gasps, heart flickering, eyes blinking rapidly.

It’s all your fault.

They’re just memories. That’s all. That’s all. That’s all.

Darkness wraps the night like a blanket.

As long as the fire glows, everything will be okay.

(For now, at least).

The fire crackles; memories come bursting out with the flames.

~

The two are lying down on the forest floor, staring up at the pale blue sky, and holding hands.

“Don’t you ever feel like living in these woods?” Cole muses.

“That sounds amazing,” Ivy smiles.

“Away from civilization, just me and you, dancing with these woods. Forever and ever.”

“For evermore.”

~

don’t you ever want to live in the woods?

rise with the sun?

dance with the trees?

sing with the birds?

cry with the lakes?

whisper with the wind?

dream by the hearth?

live with your thoughts?

run away?

don’t you ever want to escape?

~

The maiden gasps.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

Her eyes widen as she glances at the fire.

The fire flickers by the hearth.

It doesn’t glow; it flickers.

The fire needs fuel, and without the fuel, there will be no fire.

And with no fire, there will no warmth.

And with no warmth, there will be darkness.

But, right now, the fire is alive.

Unlike him.

~

The two lovers are sitting next to each other, auburn leaves by their side.

“I love you, you know that?” Cole says, shadows of trees cast on his face.

Ivy stares up at the setting sky, arms crossed over her legs.

“You’re my sun.”

~

The maiden stares at the fire.

Where did it all go wrong?

What happened?

Where did it all go wrong?

The fire is dimming. The amber of the ember is dying.

The fire is fading.

Panic overtakes the maiden. Without the fire, what is life?

Without the fire, what is living?

Without the fire, what will happen?

~

The wind howls in the night.

You know what you did.

~

The forest burns in the dark.

An inferno consumes the trees.

“Please, stop. Please. Please,” Ivy cries.

“I hate you,” Cole shouts. The raging fire grows, devouring trees one by one.

“I HATE YOU,” He yells, black smoke billowing into the night.

“No, you don’t. Stop lying. Stop. Please.” Ivy sobs, holding her hands out. "I'll do anything. Anything."

“I never want to see you again,” he cries. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”

“Take it back. Stop it. Stop it. Please.”

The flames blaze.

His eyes are wild.

Cole walks toward Ivy, and she steps back, flinching.

“I love you,” Ivy says. “I love you.”

The flames are reflected in his hazel eyes. “I hate you,” he whispers.

“I hate you.”

He walks towards the fire.










The brightest flame burns the fastest.

~

The maiden sits, breathing raggedly.

It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.

She stares at the fire.

One small coal remains.

Her heart skips a beat, and she rushes toward the coal.

The maiden clings on to it - flinging all her hope to one small cinder.

Don’t let it die.
Don’t let him die.

It’s all your fault it’s all your fault it’s all your fault IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT IT’S ALL YOUR

fault.

You could’ve saved him you didn’t he’s dead and it’s all your fault and here you are now failing at the one thing that you’re spending your life doing and IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT.

He betrayed you he betrayed you you betrayed him you betrayed him the love was a fraud none of it was real none of it was real NONE OF IT WAS REAL.

The drumming hurts her ears but it only gets louder and the fire gets hotter and the flames burn and her heart throbs and IT ONLY GETS LOUDER AND SHE CAN’T THINK AND NOTHING IS OKAY BECAUSE

he’s gone.

He’s gone.

~

Ivy’s tears douse the last flame.

~

The fire is gone.

~

The woods are quiet after the fire.

All the leaves are gone, the trees are bare, and the smell of smoke still lingers.

Yet, it’s just as beautiful as it was before.

~

The fire is gone.

The fireplace is empty and bare.

There’s nothing.

“What do I do now?” The maiden says.

The fire is gone.

~

Cole means a lot to her. She still loves him.

She’s never going to forget about him.

And she knows, deep down, that it’s not her fault.

But she knows, in her heart, that it’s time to move on.

There's more to life than fire.

It’s going to be hard, but Ivy knows she can do it.

(She still misses him, though.)

~

don’t you ever want to live a quiet life?

rest your weary bones?

reminisce when it’s all over?

don’t you ever want to die in peace?

be a memory?

a story?

a legend?

a folk tale?

don’t you ever want to be free?

~

The maiden steps out of the cabin.

The bare woods glow with the promise of sunrise.

Flickering fireflies fly through the forest; millions of glowing flames.

The forest is beautiful.

And, with the blink of an eye, a drop of water falls down - as fast as lightning, as slow as a memory.

The woods start raining.

~

And, like that, she no longer worshiped the flame.

author's note (not included in word count):
hi! thank you so much for reading this i've been working with this idea for a few weeks now, and i'm glad i finally finished writing it. i know it's not perfect, and there's a lot of things i need to improve, but i'm just glad to get this over with, if i'm being honest haha (i really don't want to read this). with that aside, i'm just going to say that i had a lot of ideas for this! i definitely didn't really execute it well, but there were some cool ideas and symbolism playing around. even if the premise if pretty simple and unoriginal, i liked the concept of it! try to find mentions of the four elements in the story anyways, i got inspired for writing this while doing the hozier daily, and it just stuck with me, because here i am! the song i chose was “would that i”, which is an amazing song. and it's also where i got the inspiration for the title! i also wanted to tie some other characters. in my head, ivy lives on to become the folklore lady who lives in a cottage in the woods by herself. she's alone, but she's not lonely (she still misses the past, though). alrighty, i think that's enough rambling because i'm not even sure what i'm writing now. but thank you so much for reading this again! i'm hoping you got something out of it. <3

Special thanks to the judges for giving me an extension (the sun comment was purely coincidental), the Amazing Eevee for supporting me, and 1lMam for critiquing!!

word war with Snowy (241 words)!

I hate myself. When I was a kid, I met a friend. HIs name is bob. And he is so much better than me. He plays golf, he plays three instruments, and when he is bored, he does science experiments. If my life was a movie, he would be better than me. I would be the supporting side character that is the comic relief, because to be honest, that is the only thing I am good at. I am only good at making people happy when I myself am sad.

The thing is, I do not know why we become friends in the first place. Opposites attract, right? But to be honest, I do not know why. Because when we first met, he said that he did not like me. And I did not like him as well. But over time, I think we gradually bonded, and eventually, we became best friends. The smart guy and the funny girl. We were always together, but I sometimes felt that I was not good enough to be his friend. He was always so much better than me. Whenever I thought that he did something good, I always thought about how I would never do it as good as him.

And that is the truth. That is the honest truth. Sometimes I feel like I am not good enough. Maybe I should talk about that to him. I will do that tomorrow. I promise.

daily 3/11 (243 words)
The girl seemed angry about something, so I decided to approach her. I don’t know why, but I just felt like talking to a stranger. You get your best conversations from that.

“Hi! What’s up?”

Her gaze flicked down to me, and her brows furrowed. “Do I know you?”

“Nope!” I said. “What are you angry about?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I said. “You just seem like you’re angry about something. What is it?”

“I’m angry about how the Earth is dying. And it’s our fault.” She said.. “I mean, the government
spends billions and billions of dollars on space exploration, yet we’re doing basically nothing to save our planet.”

“It’s like we’re giving up on it.” I said, and she nodded her head vigorously.

“Exactly. I mean, everyone knows that the world is dying, but nobody cares to do anything about it. We need actions, not thoughts.” She said, “And let’s start with the local government. Would you like to sign a petition to start funding the local bus system?”

“Uh,” I said. This conversation was going very fast.

“That was a rhetorical question.” She said, “Here.” The girl shoved a paper and a pencil towards me. “You’ll be the first signature.”

“Alright.” I smiled. I could save the environment! I signed my name and gave the paper back to the girl.

“Thank you for your contribution!” She said, and began walking away.

“Wait, what’s your name?” I called out.

“Greta.”





Old (failed) attempt (219 words):
I wish that the world would care about the environment.

I know that most people do. I know that. But I wish we would actually do something. I care about the environment, but I don’t feel like doing anything. And I don’t like that.

We recognize the flaws in ourselves, but we never do anything to address them. Then what’s the point?

We can’t just keep making false promises to ourselves. We need action.

The world is dying. WHY are we spending billions upon billions of dollars on space exploration when so much of our oceans are unexplored? WHY are we giving up on the planet that we live on?

Why are we giving up on the planet that we owe everything to?

Earth is beautiful. And that’s the thing. It still is. But it’s not beautiful everywhere.

Plastic continents in the ocean. Pollution in cities. It is our fault.

We need to recognize it.

But more importantly, we need to do something about it.

We need new legislation. We need REAL promises. We need to continue recycling. We need to start relying less on our cars. We need to stop wasting food. We need to stop wasting water. We need to stop wasting light.

Everything matters. We owe it all to our planet.

daily 3/12 (104 words)
“Mother just called, she's leaving Earth.” … “What?” It's not everyday you hear this on a Wednesday afternoon. You can’t believe it, and yet, it's completely devastating. But you can only think about one question: Why? As you visit various friends, for the first time in your life, you finally begin to uncover who your mother truly is. (The truth is heartbreaking.) Through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance, you journey through the grief of “losing” your mother.

And in the end, maybe it’s something else that drives you to finally talk with her.
Through grief arises understanding, and maybe that’s what matters.

daily 3/13 302 words - inspired by robin

The music floats into the air, and it feels good. I smile. I am very happy now that I am listening to the music, and I feel good. What previously was a bad day is now a good day, and that’s only because I listen to jazz.

The jazz comes from a nearby restaurant, I think. I need to hear it more, I say to myself, so I cross the road to go to the restaurant. There are lots of cars at this time of day, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

When I finish crossing the road, I walk to the sound of the music. I don’t see any restaurant nearby, so I just follow the music. The music is everywhere, but I can discern a starting point.

It is coming from the left, so I walk there. After a few blocks, I hear the music more clearly, but this time, it seems to be coming from the right. So I turn the corner, and come right in front of a restaurant, called “Henderson’s”. I have never heard of it before, and all I know is that there’s jazz music playing in it, so I decide to go in. Why not?

It seems to be a diner, not a restaurant. I sit at one of the tables. “Hey there honey! What can I get for you?”

I get the fries, because the waiter recommended it to me.

In the meantime, I walk closer to the band playing. The jazz music takes me to another world. All of a sudden, I feel a lot better. The jazz is soothing.

The saxophone plays a solo, and the improv is amazing. The tone and timbre is beautiful, and all I can think of is a romantic movie scene.

What can I say? I like jazz.

word war with the amazing eevee! (236 words)

I look at the burning room. I wake up from my dream.

It was a very scary dream, I vividly remember the heat of the fire, I remember the smoke, I remember the terror. I am so glad that it was a dream, and that I am all safe and sound in my room.

I look at the clock, and it turns out that I overslept. I change my clothes. The good thing is that it is a weekend, and that there is no school.

I grab the book I was reading yesterday night before I fell asleep, and smell it. For some reason, it smells like the smoke from the dream. I start panicking. Was the dream real? Why does the book’s pages still smell like smoke? I must be hallucinating.

I bet that they do not actually smell like smoke, and that I am imagining it. I ignore all my feelings and leave the room, book still in hand.

Smells are very important to me. They bring me back to specific places, good or bad. And the smell of smoke, especially from this book, brings me back to a place I do not want to go back to.

It brings me to the place where my old house burnt down.

And I do not want to remember it, so I throw the book aside and go along with my day. It’s going to be

daily 3/14 (655 words)

Dalia wakes up. What a nice day. She opens up the curtains, pushes the window out, breathes in the fresh air, and looks at the … green sky?

The sky is green? Something’s not adding up.

She blinks. Yet the sky is still green. What is happening?

It’s not everyday that you wake up and the sky is green.

She blinks. Could it be the light?

She steps out of her bed and leaves the room, eyes trained on the outside. Finally, she opens her patio door, and there it is, the sky in its full green glory.

The green is ominous, but yet, it’s oddly beautiful. Is a storm coming? Is it the pollution from one of the factories?

A dozen ideas pop out of her head, yet none truly make sense. What is happening?

She blinks.

“Hey! Are you seeing this?” Her neighbor, Fern, calls out to you. “What’s happening?”

Dalia nods. At least she’s not going crazy. “I’m seeing it, too. What should we do?”

Fern points to her TV. “They’re broadcasting it on TV, apparently, it’s happening all around our state - and nowhere else.”

That’s weird. Dalia thinks. Why only their state? “Is it the weather?” She asks. Hopefully the news has a plausible explanation.

Fern shakes her head. “They don’t have anything. We can cross out weather though, because this one dude, Olive Shamrock, who’s a famous meteorologist, says that this is not weather.”

Dalia grimaces. “So it’s man-made.”

Fern’s eyes widen. “You really think so?”

Dalia nods. “There’s no other explanation. We have to go to the state government to ask them.”

Apparently, this is going to be how she spends her Saturday morning. “You with me?” Dalia asks.

“Sure,” Fern says. “We’re going to change the world.”

~

Luckily, the state government was very close to the city they lived in, so they arrived there in no time.

They went into the room with the senators, and surprisingly, nobody stopped them. That’s weird. Dalia thinks to herself.

“Hello? What’s happening?” Fern asks.

Somebody walks into the room. “We were expecting you.” He says. “My name’s Olive.”

Dalia gasps. “Olive Shamrock?”

He nods. “Yep. You see, this was all an experiment conducted by the government.”

“Wait a second - why are you telling us this? And why are you “expecting” us?” Fern retorts.

“Shut up!” Dalia whispers to Fern. She wasn’t about to lose their explanation over Fern’s comment.

Olive smiles. “No worries. You see, we weren’t actually expecting you. I just said that to be dramatic. And I’m telling you this because I don’t want to keep this secret. It is going to change the world.”

“Continue…” Fern says.

“So anyways, the government had been trying to make this chemical dye that can change the color of some of our crops.”

“Why would you do that?” Fern says.

Olive shrugs. “Anyways, it ended up turning badly, and the first trial of our dye ended up going to the atmosphere. We need your guys' help to fix it.”

“Why us, again?” Dalia asks.

“Because you two are the only ones actually trying to find the reason for this. Everyone else is too busy panicking. You two were the first to come here, so naturally, I trust you.”

“That’s a weird reason. Why would you ask the help of two strangers?” Fern says.

“Okay, fine. Let me tell you something: ozone is rapidly spreading through the atmosphere. Ultraviolet, too. Radiation is going to happen throughout our state. It’s going to be poisonous, too. And the government is very corrupt. You can never know who to trust. That’s why I’m asking you guys.”

Dalia and Fern exchange glances, and they nod. They were going to solve this.

~

The next day, Dalia wakes up.

She looks at the green sky. What once was ominously beautiful is now deadly. An experiment gone wrong. A poison gas, rapidly spreading through the state.

She leaves the house.

daily 3/15 (443 words) Trigger Warning!! De@th, insensitivity, and more

You’re going to die tonight.

It has been fated ever since your birth.

You are going to meet your fatal end tonight.

It has been destined by the stars.


You hear me bring the untimely news - so young, a lifetime vanished in the blink of an eye.

At least you are free to spend your last day in any fashion you want to, after all, everyone deserves one last day to spend before they meet their untimely death. I’m only here to say that this is going to be your last day.

The brightest flames burn the fastest.

Of course, one life doesn’t mean enough to me. But everytime I deliver the news, I feel a pang in my heart (after eons, some part of me still remains).

But life is life, and death is death, and life must go on.

(Yet this time is different).

You don’t pale. You don’t cry. You don’t gasp. You don’t freeze.

And after delivering news since the dawn of time, I’ve never met someone react to the delivery of death like this before.

After millions of souls, you are the first.

“Okay! Thanks for telling me.” You say, and you go about with your day.

Like the delivery of death isn’t important.

I pause. And repeat myself. “Ma’am, you are going to die tonight.”

“Yeah, I heard.” You say, “I’m not deaf, you know.”

“Of course you aren’t, I’m Death.”

“Okay. Thanks for the news. Bye! See you tomorrow.” You say it seriously for a bit, then burst into laughter.

I don’t know what you’ve been eating, because people usually don’t act like this.

I vanish into thin air, and you go about with your day.

I have two thousand more souls to warn for today (there’s been a sickness in a city), but for some reason, I stay with you, lurking in the shadows.

Something about you perplexes me.

When I’m gone, you start whistling and continuing your painting.

“Why make the most of your last day when you make the most of all your days?”

Who are you talking to?

“I know you’re there. You can come out now.” You say.

I come out of hiding. “How did you know?”

You shrug. “I just have a feeling, you know?”

“Why are you like this?” I say.

You shrug again. “I mean, death isn’t something that’s scary to me. It’s kind of like sleeping, you know? And I don’t panic, because deep inside, I know that I’ve already done everything I’m meant to do. That’s why.”

I never met someone like you before. And I think about the experience every day.

We’ll meet again someday.

Weekly 2 (1468 words)

Part 1: Flowers (303 words)
“I love you.” It’s cheesy, I know, but it’s all I can think of.

She hugs me. She holds the rose in her hand. “It’s beautiful.” The sky turns a golden yellow, the sun slowly sinking down the horizon.

“There’s no other place I’d rather be.” I say, and we smile.

“How did you know I liked roses?” She says.

“I just know.” I smile. “And also because they show how much I love you.” It’s cheesy again.

But she just laughs. “I love you, too.”

We walk back home, and we go our own ways.

The next day, she calls me. “Hey, could you come over? I really need you.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Two minutes later, I arrive at her house. A bunch of Indian Pink flowers are on her lawn.

She’s crying. “I need you.”

I hug her. “What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t bear the thought of being by myself. I don’t think I can function. I don’t want you to leave.”

“And I’ll stay here for as long as I live.” I hand her a pile of bluebells I picked from my home. “I’ll always be here. Okay? I’ll always be here for you.”

~

We walk. Amaranths dot the grass. And we walk.

Years pass, yet we continue walking. Years pass, yet we never separate.

Until finally, a century passes. We start to walk home. Amaranths continue to dot the grass.

We’re back home. “It’s been two centuries.” I say, and she nods absentmindedly.

We’re not dying anytime soon.

“I’ll always be here, you know that?” I say to her.

She smiles. A sad, but beautiful smile

“I’ll be yours until the end.” I say.

As if on cue, a bouquet of dahlias sprout in one of the empty vases in the room.

“I’ll always be by your side.”

Part 2: Constellations - 322 words
We walk the treacherous mountains. There is lots of heat here.

I do not think I can survive. The heat is unbearable, and we have been here for three hours already.

The tour guide keeps telling us that we are almost there, but we never seem to start going downhill. We keep going uphill. I stopped paying attention to her a few hours ago.

There’s nobody else here but the tour guide, me, and her dog. I like the dog. He seems very friendly, and he is always wagging his tail.

“Alright, we are finally at the top of the mountain! I know that I keep telling you that we are almost there, but this is the top for real.” She says.

I do not know whether to trust her, so I ask her a question. “Are you sure?”

She nods. “Did you know that this place is actually not a mountain?”

My eyes widen. Not a mountain? This was a mountain if I had seen one.

“This mountain is a mesa! It is a type of mountain that has a flat top. It is pretty cool, right?”

I have to admit, that is pretty cool.

“That’s cool!” I say.

“And something else is that ‘mesa’ means ‘table’ in Spanish! Because the flat top of the mountain reminded them of the flatness of a tabletop.”

I also have to admit, this is pretty cool information.

Suddenly, we start spiraling. For a weird reason, the mesa starts floating upwards. We are going to space. “Um, what’s happening?” I ask.

The tour guide seems scared. “Don’t worry. We’ll still be together”

And then the mesa reaches space.


~

This is the constellation Mensa. It represents the togetherness and unity of the world. Because even in space, the three travelers still live together. The constellation has four stars, one representing each of the travelers - and the last one representing the mesa itself. They are always together.

Part 3: Aesthetic Set

Part 4: Fan-fiction (843 words)
Cast of Characters:
CJ - Realtor
Poppy - Potential Buyer
Mel - Potential Buyer
Faith - Resident of Mango Lane
Mouse - Resident of Arsonist Circle
Bella - Citizen in Frying Pan Park
Kaylee - Boba Shop Owner


“Welcome to SWCity!” CJ exclaims, and the crowd of two gasps.

“Woah, this looks amazing,” Mel says, and Poppy nods.

“Take a look around, and marvel in the glory of this city”. CJ says.

The city is big. There are people everywhere, and they seem like they are having a lot of fun.

“In the middle of the city is our main cabin - a main hub to meet everyone!”

The main cabin is big - and it is very chaotic. Flaming mangos are thrown in the air, and everyone seems to be bustling.

“That’s a lot of people,” Poppy says.

Mel nods in agreement. “And why is there a giant statue of a turtle in the middle of it??”

A golden plaque reading “EVERYONE WORSHIP THE GURTLE” is found under the gleaming turtle.

“Why does it seem like it’s looking at me?” Poppy says.

“Not to worry! Let’s move on to the side roads - where we can meet the locals.” CJ says, and starts running into the distance.

The group walk off to the roads. “Welcome to Mango Lane!” CJ says.

“Mangoes? Why mangoes?” Mel says.

“Because mangoes are life.” A voice calls out from one of the houses.

“Hi Faith!” CJ calls, and Faith waves.

“I love mangoes!!” Poppy says.

“ME TOOO!” Faith shouts, and the two high-five.

“Let’s move on!” CJ calls, and Poppy waves goodbye to Faith.

At the end of Mango Lane is a small cul de sac.

“This place is fire.” CJ says.

“Literally.” Mel says, a grin on her face. “This place is on fire. Seriously.”

The small houses are on fire, flames rapidly flickering.

“Uh, is everyone okay?” CJ calls out, to no response. He shrugs. “It should be fine.”

“Welcome to Arsonist Circle!!” A girl with long brown hair comes out of her burning house.

“Your house is on fire?” Poppy says.

“Exactly.”

The house continues burning.

“It’s beautiful.” CJ says.

“Finally, someone recognizes my wisdom! My name’s Mouse,” she says with a wink.

“Hi Mouse!” Poppy says.

“Hi!! And who might you be?”

“I’m Poppy!”

“And I’m Mel!” Mel says.

“Nice to meet y’all!! Where do you guys live?”

“Actually, we’re still deciding!”

“So you must be the realtor,” Mouse says to CJ.

“Yeppers!” He says.

“That’s amazing! Come live here in Arsonist Circle with me, I can promise you’ll love it here.”

“Oh wow,” Poppy says. “We’ll consider it!”

“Let’s move on, guys!” CJ calls out.

“You sure you don’t need a fire extinguisher or something?” Mel says, and Mouse shakes her head.

“It’s perfect just the way it is. ARSON IS LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The group moves away.

“That place was hot. Wanna get a drink?” CJ says.

“I thought that place was pretty cold.” Mel says sarcastically.

“Let’s go!” Poppy says.

Before long, the three walk to a small shop. The sign reads “SWC Boba Shop”.

“I love boba!” Mel says, and Poppy agrees.

The jingling of bells mark their presence as they walk into the shop.

A girl stands behind a counter. “Hello! Or hi I guess,” she says. “Does anyone still say hello?” Her name-tag reads Kaylee.

CJ waves. “Could we have some boba?”

“Oh, yeah. Okay. What type?” Kaylee says.

“I’ll take the mango,” CJ says.

“I’ll take mango as well!” Mel says, and Poppy agrees.

“Yippee!” She says, and hands them the boba.

“Wow, that was quick. Mmm, this is good!” Poppy says.

“Bye!” Mel says as they walk out. “I’m starting to like this place.”

“One last stop!” CJ says.

The group walks out the shop into a park with a lot of… frying pans?

“What is happening?” Poppy exclaims.

“It’s a frying pan park!” CJ says.

There’s a group of SWCers dancing on the lawn. “Join us!!” A girl with blonde hair calls out to them. She’s wearing a frying pan on her hat.

“Uh, is this a cult?” Poppy asks.

“Don’t worry about that,” she says with a wink. “I’m Bella!”

“Everyone listen up!” Bella calls out. “PLACE YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEART AND SING THE FRYING PAN ANTHEM!”

The group of SWCers start singing at the top of their lungs.

Mel exchanges glances with Poppy. “I’m not even going to say anything.” She says.

Even CJ is belting the lyrics.

And then, recognition flicks into Poppy’s eyes. “Wait a minute, we know everyone here!”

Mel gasps. It’s true. In the cult, they can see Faith (with a mango in her frying pan), Mouse (with a burning frying pan), and Kaylee (who’s drinking boba).

There’s one more person, though. “Hi, I’m Clev! Welcome to the Cult of the Frying Pan!” They say.

Mel smiles. “Who knew there would be a frying pan cult in this city?”

Poppy smiles as well. “I love this place.”

“That’s the thing about SWC. We’re all connected. Even if we live on different roads, even if we like different things, even if we’re from different cabins, we’re all together.”

“Wow, so wise.” CJ says.

“Was that supposed to be sarcastic??” Clev says.

“I guess you’ll never know,” he says with a wink.

daily 3/17 329 words!! (help why am i actually proud of this)

Lyric (from “Would That I”): Long as amber of ember glows / All the “would that I'd loved” is long ago
My interpretation: As long as the fire still glows (not burns, because it's beautiful), all that happened in the past remains in the past

~

The fire glows by the hearth.

It doesn't burn - it glows.

The maiden tends to the warmth. It's shelter. It's refuge. It's home.

But there are two sides to fire.

Fire is destructive. Fire is chaos. Fire is death.

No-one can control fire. It's moving, it's breathing, it's alive.

Nobody can stop fire. But we can contain it.

(For now, at least).

The fire flickers by the hearth.

It doesn’t glow - it flickers.

The maiden tends to the flicker.

The fire needs fuel, and without the fuel, there will be no fire.

And with no fire, there will be cold.

And there will be no warmth.

But, right now, the fire is alive.

(For now, at least).

The fire is dimming.

The fire embers are not as strong. The amber of the ember is dying.

The fire is not as strong.

Panic overtakes the maiden - without the fire, what is life?

Without the fire, what is living?

As long as the fire glows, everything will be okay.

(For now, at least).

The maiden’s tears douse the fire.

And the warmth escapes.

~

Remember what you did.

Remember what you did.

It’s all your fault.

~

The two lovers dance through the woods.

The ethereal, beautiful trees seem to sway as the two twirl and whirl and swirl together.

“I love you,” one says, and the other bursts into laughter.

Love is so fickle.

“I love you,” she says back, and the two collapse into peals of giggles.

They lie on the forest floor, holding hands.

The trees seem incredibly tall, hands reaching up to the heavens.

“I love you.”

~

The final tree falls as the fire consumes it.

It’s all your fault.

It’s all your fault.

~

One small ember remains in the fire.

The maiden clings on to it - giving all her hope to one small cinder.

As long as the fire keeps glowing, it’ll be okay.

The past is in the past.

word war with kit! (442 words)

The cat is evil. It is very bad. The dog is scared of the cat, and one night, when the dog was sleeping, it saw the cat stealing some food from the fridge. The dog was scared, but did not say anything, because she did not want the cat to know that she saw him.

The cat was actually a very nice cat. The cat is not evil, lots of people just think he is. That is because he looks like he is evil, but he actually has a big heart. That one night when the dog saw him stealing food from the fridge was actually him giving some food and saving it for others. The cat is very nice, even when people and animals think that he is evil.

The bat is the real villain in this story. While the bat may seem like he is friendly, the bat is very bad. The bat does not share his toys. The bat is very mean and often steals from others, but the thing is, the bat pretends to be a good bat. Many think that the bat is good, such as the dog and the cat, but the bat is actually very bad.

However, one animal knew that the bat was bad. This was the rat. The rat thought that the bat was bad but the cat and the dog did not think that the bat is bad. The rat knew that the bat was bad because one day, the rat saw the bat stealing some toys from the dog, and hiding them. When the dog woke up, she thought that it was the cat that stole the toys, not the bat, so maybe that is why the dog is scared of the cat and not the bat.

The rat knew that the bat was bad, so he told the others that the bat was bad. However, the cat and the dog did not believe him. The rat was very angry that they did not believe that the bat was doing bad deeds, so he set a trap out to catch the bat doing a bad deed.

One night, the rat set out a trap for the bat. The trap was a net that caught and surrounded the bat. He put it around the dog’s bed, so when the bat stole his toys again, the bat would get caught by the net.

And it actually worked! A few minutes after the rat set the trap, the bat came to steal the toys, and the net surrounded him.

The rat alerted the others, and they saw the bat’s true colors. They were happy.

daily 3/20 - 427 words!

I hate people. That is what I naturally am. I just do not like the presence of other humans or beings. And it makes me angry.

That is why people call me the villain.

And I am going to keep embracing that. I mean, the hero is fun, but the villain is utterly delightful. Nobody really remembers the hero, they just remember the villain.

Because we’re just that memorable.

~

He walks to the door and shuts it. The news turn on. “New building recently built is now burnt down weeks after its new opening, suspect still on the loose.” comes up, and he sighs. Another villain it was, doing arson in the stores. He hated these people. They were always wreaking havoc, and for what reason?

Just to make them feel better? It was just silly, to be honest.

Hernan walks out the apartment and goes to the location of the store that is now burning, luckily, it is very close to his house.

He gets there after three minutes, and it looks exactly like the photo and video they showed on TV. The store is burning, and it’s not just a small fire, but a BIG fire. The owners of the store are outside, watching in horror, and a dozen firefighters are working to stop the fire (to no avail).

Luckily, he sees someone hiding in the bushes. And he recognizes them as well! They are the person who burned the store, and he found that out because it was on the news.

Hmm.. what should I do? Tell the police, or handle him myself?

Hernan was walking to him before he knew it. “Aha, caught you!”

The villain jumped. He wasn’t expecting to be found.

“How did you find me here?”

“You were hiding in the bushes.” To be honest, Hernan expected this guy to be more bad and evil. He seemed a little bit scared, to be completely honest. And he was surprised, because the usual villains he caught were very evil. They did not have ANY emotions, yet this guy seemed scared. Maybe he wasn’t the villain? Hernan shook the thought aside. Of course he was the villain.

Do heroes burn down stores?

“I’m arresting you.” He said, and the villain jumped.

“No, please don’t! I used to be good, I wasn’t thinking, I promise I won’t do it again! I was just feeling really sad today and the shopkeepers were bullying me so I snapped. I am so sorry. I ruined my life.”

Hernan paused. Maybe he wasn’t the villain after all.

4/27 daily! 319 words :)

translated song (the archer):
War, I'm ready for war.
I told him no, but what if I could?
because the movie is not good
I said 100 things I wanted to say.
they arrived very quickly
I got off the train and went alone.
I haven't grown, I've grown a lot.
please let me hug you
I'm a friend
I stop
Who will leave my love?
But who are they?
Dark, I love your dark side
What if you were there?
He broke his nose angry
After that, I got tired of thinking about it for years.
When I wake up in the morning I walk like a ghost
The house is on fire but I don't see smoke.
All my heroes die alone
please let me hug you
I'm a friend
I stop
Does my boyfriend make me cry?
But who are they?
(I see)
they always look at me
they look at me
are clearly visible
you can go with me
are clearly visible
they look at me
I see
I see
every royal horse, every slave
I can't go back
Because all my enemies have become friends
please let me hug you
I'm a friend
I stop
Who will leave my love?
But who are they?
(I see)
Who is banned?
Who is banned?
Who is banned?
You can count on it
You can count on it
you
War, I'm ready for war.

There is a war coming soon, but I am ready for it.

But people keep telling me that I cannot go. And I told him that I wouldn’t go, but what if I was able to?


We were watching a movie.

I said 100 things, and he smiled every time. It was pure happiness.


The soldiers arrived very quickly to get him, and I let them take him.

I watched in the distance as he stood there as the train left.

I watched him as he left, and I got off the train I was taking to go back home, alone now.

Ever since he’s been gone, I haven’t grown at all, yet, I’ve grown so much.

I just don’t want to be alone anymore. Please, I want to hug you.

But nothing ever ends happy.

Who will leave my love alone?

My love did bad things during his time. His nose got broke, and he was angry.

But not angry; he was furious. And I never experienced it, and it was all a dream, but I was so scared.

When I woke up, the house was on fire, flames flickering everywhere.

Yet, I didn’t see any smoke.


I have a feeling that all my heroes will die alone.

The thought of him being away makes me cry. But it will be okay. (Or will it?)

When they look at me, who do they see? They always look at me.

But who do they see?

A mysterious figure? A person struck with grief?

But I see.

But I can’t go back.

I have to leave him.

You can count on it.

I can never face the dangers of war. I can never think about him and be scared for him. I can never think or feel anything related to him, because then I will cry.

And that is not okay.

So I am moving on.



(War still goes on).

thank you notes - my first time writing them!!!
i'm just going to say, i loved this session so much as a camper. i loved everything that happened; whether it was a frying pan cult, a balrog-gurtle, or laughing and causing chaos. it was so amazing. i actually loved being active (for half of the session, at least), and it's pretty easy to say that i'll remember this <3

ok this will be my first time writing thank-you notes so yay! be warned though because i really don't have time so most of them will be pretty short. AND SORRY IF I MISS ANYONE i'm really in a rush just letting you know that i appreciate you.

even if you weren't mentioned, i'm just going to say, thank you so much for being you.

ok let's get started!! once again, apologies for the rushing. and after a point everything gets repetitive so i decided to rush and yeah

CJ - THANK YOU SO MUCH for leading thriller!!! this session was SO fun and i loved being in this cabin thriller ftw!! your personality is so awesome and i LOVE having fun with you, whehter it's through roleplaying or just in general!!!! see you around (i can never get over your wpm though HOW is it HUMANLY POSSIBLE to write THAT FAST that's so cool hahahah)

Rockie - HIHIHI!!! it's been so good to talk to you and have fun this session i know we've talked a few times before, but i really liked getting to know you and it's so cool and fun and yeah! your workshops for thriller are >>>> and i LOVED talking with you this session!!! see you around <33

Poppy - YAY i'm so happy that i got chosen for thriller!!!! you are so amazing. literally you are so cool. i really dont know what to say right now but i'm just letting you know that i love causing chaos with you and that you are literally so amazing and i'm just repeating the same thing a bunch of times xD i really appreciate you!!

Aurora - Hi!!!! it was AMAZING being in griller with you this session!!! literally the roleplaying was SO FUN and i loved loved loved the experiences we made together see you around!!!

Wild - Yo!!! I'm really happy we were in the same cabin this session and it was so fun procrastinating with you haha (don't do that again…… /lh) but it was so amazing <33 see you around!!

Cecilia - YOU ARE SO COOL it was so fun being in thriller with you this session <33 whether it's through protecting me from certain dragonflies or procrastinating together at the last second, it was so amazing bonding with you and having so much fun see you around <333

Cae - AWESOME PERSON ALERT!!!! remember the critique we did a few sessions ago with the commas? (it took me a while to remember xD) it was so awesome being in thriller with you this session - see you on the other side of the mangosippi

Gen - HIHIHI wow i'm so happy we're in the same cabin, i never knew you did swc, and that's SO amazing!! we've known each other for a long time (unofficially?), like a really long time xD (remember when you were fpc??) writing THAT MANY words is so amazing and honestly, that's so admirable. it was so awesome talking with you, see you around

Sisi - HI AGAIN it's so amazing being in the same cabin with you for the second session in a row, so cool B) i really hope to see you around more!!! next time, we'll write our intros together