The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Insoulated
by Amanda Worthington

She is cut and then frosted

A cruel reversal of the wedding cake she will barely taste

.

She woke after the cutting, but when

The insulator was still so much hot liquid

Determining the shape of her,

Her depth and her texture

.

In the beginning, she cried out in pain

But as it flowed inside and hardened,

The moment faded, softened, receded, departed

Leaving her with the weight and lethargy of being buried in wet sand

Wiggling toes the only sign of life

As her lungs filled with the

Wet, compacted shards

Made smooth by indifference.

.

Moving will take practice

But the plight of heartbreak, of grief, discontent, rage…

They will become memories until they too fade

.

“The surgery was a success!” people will cry

And, “Bless you always, Sweet Stoic!”

And she will smile demurely, as well as she can through this thick glaze

Feeling anything but heroic

.

And she will pray for someone to look into her eyes

See the cold blue fire of her despair blazing there

And either stoke the flame or put it out

.

Peace might best be found in absence

Dark ash the only rumor of burning

.

Perhaps.

.

Encased in her network of lace, she is delivered

Under the veil of night

Painstakingly in stasis until morning

Silent, unblinking, exhausted, unable to rest

.

An iced cake awaiting the birthday boy

And his party guests..

.

Fiction © Copyright Amanda Worthington.
Image courtesy of Pixabay

Wicked Deeds: Witches, Warlocks, Demons and Other Evil Doer’s

Sometimes wicked people do wicked things simply because they can… The twelve stories in Wicked Deeds tell tales of witches and warlocks with ill intent, devilish demons bent on destruction, and other doers of evil who make the world a terrifying place. What is a mother to do when her daughter is gifted but lives under the thumb of her fanatical preacher husband who will brook no talk of the supernatural? What of a demon so desperate to free himself of a trap that he will force another to repeat his atrocities and condemn a young boy to his demonic fate? Or maybe the story of a crotchety old witch with a score to settle against the town she lives in is more to your liking – what evil will the seemingly harmless town-crazy call upon when faced with an ultimatum? If you’re looking for wicked people with supernatural abilities doing wicked things, this is the collection for you!

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