The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

The Sin Eater 
by Kendra Hale 

She had long followed the moon. Not in a way that denied her, never.
A ritual of her own creation, solely for her pleasure.
The lightning bug hovered in the air.
An enchanting view, they did not create alone.
The moths shimmered as they flew from petals to air.
Their wings as white as the old bones on the ground.

Years ago she had learned the red thread had abandoned her.
Forsaken her for mortal men whose tongues knew as many lies as the moon had cycles that took her across the sky.
Love had been lost to her.
The moon never explained to her why.

No gentle whispers reached her ear.
No warm hands embraced her, carressing her, telling her she was dear.
Lovers had come and gone, only cherishing “You’re Beautiful.”

Only for the claim to her, but their claim was as shallow as their soul’s depths.

So she chose to make them useful.
Give herself a place to rest.

Out in her garden, she made her sanctuary.
A place to let her work in peace.
Her deadly moths held poison, one that lead to a painless peace.
She had built her own immunity when she had chosen her domain.

Her ritual involved much cleaning.
But the end result made the work worth the mess.
The moon always did her part.
Bleaching the bones to match her dress.

Men still came.
Tales of her beauty drew them in.
Oh, how they spoke of saving her.

But it was she who removed their sin…

.

Fiction © Copyright Kendra Hale
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from author Kendra Hale:

Just Emotions:
A Gothic Bite Magazine Anthology

A collection of poetry.

‘Just Emotions‘ is exactly as it states, a group of writers who had feelings they wanted to express in poem form. Inside, there are a range of emotions to explore. Each writer has given a bit of themselves to you, each in their own way.

We hope that you enjoy these writings and that among the poems you may find some thing you can identify with or relate to. Thank you for giving us this chance to open the catacombs and share with you.

Available on Amazon!