Pt 1: Darkness… Pain… Light… Voices… Too bright… Pain… Awake… AWAKE!

I jolted upright, making a garbled exclamation of surprise. My eyes squinted against the harsh light pointed directly at my face.

Where am I? The last thing I remembered was curling up in a ball, inside a glacier, sheltering from the blizzard outside. Winter had been bitter that year. I only wanted to rest for a few moments. I had lived in a post apocalyptic world then.

Endless dreams and nightmares. Faint, but there. And now, they have found an end.

I squinted through the bright lights. A tiger crouched behind a fox. I blinked and looked again.

The fox was wearing a white lab coat, gloves, and a pair of spectacles.

“As my assistant I ask you not to step on my tail. And get up!” The fox barked at the tiger. His voice had a gekkering undertone. He then muttered some unknown words.

“Sorry sir.” Mumbled the tiger. Her voice had a growling undertone. She wore a lab coat as well, gloves, and carried a clipboard and pen.

“We brought an extinct species back from the dead!” The tigress hissed excitedly, her pupils dilating. “Think of all the history we’ve guessed at and could further learn!”

“Hush!” The fox scolded. He was clearly in charge here. “Be quiet. We don’t cause her unnecessary stress. Humans are delicate creatures. Though they are resilient and clever. We must study her carefully.”

“Where?” I mumbled. The tiger chuffed in excitement. “Where am I? What are you?” My eyes were fully open now.

“She speaks in the common tongue.” The fox muttered. “Write that down. We’re learning history as we speak.”

“Way ahead of you!” The tiger growled, scribbling madly with the pen.

“Can you understand us?” The fox asked, fixing his spectacles.

“I can.” I murmured, my voice hoarse and scratchy. The fox gasped, widening his eyes.

“So it worked.” He quickly regained his composure, fluffing his tail and straightening his lab coat with his paws.

“What happened?” I asked, feeling thirsty

“You’ve been excavated from inside of a glacier. With the power of modern technology, you have been resurrected.

“But you’re a fox.” I stated in confusion. He seemed offended, flattening his ears.

“Animals have been evolving for millions of years after humans went extinct. In this time, I am a scientist, not a simple hunter.” His whiskers twitched crossly.

“Sorry.” I apologized. “But does that mean…”

“Yes.” The fox said. “You are the last human. The only one able to be brought back from extinction. You are the last of your kind.”

I stared dumbfounded at him for a moment. My forehead furrowed in confusion and sadness.

“So are you a young female? Our tests indicate that you should be sevente-“ The fox yipped as the tigress elbowed him. He saw my expression and spoke in a gentle tone. “I’m very sorry about you species. With you, we hope to preserve all research we can about your kind. Will you work with us? I have many questions.” His whiskers twitched, but this time with curiosity.

I nodded. “Okay. But I also have questions.” Where was I? What kind of world was this?

“We’ll exchange questions and statement.” The fox instructed. “You answer a question I answer one. A trade off. We’ll go back and forth, sound good?” I nodded again. “Good. It works anyhow. Otherwise I wouldn’t get in a word while talking to Audie.”

“Hey!” The tiger growled in mock outrage.

“What is your name?” The fox asked, casting a sharp toothed grin at the tiger.

“Eve.” I murmured softly. It had been a long time since I’d been asked that.

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I love those commercials about as much as everyone else, but I'm glad that Sarah McLachlan will persist into the distant interstellar future, because she really is all that and a bag of Antarean protein flakes.

Stellar quality response. You absolutely transported me.

Well done!

I absolutely love this.

Seems like a good story, u/SirPiecemaker

It's there now, thank you!!

de ja vu i have seen this prompt before

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I'm so sorry! I am not new to reddit but I am new to posting on my profile, it turns out I have to "approve" the post after making it. I think that might have fixed it? Please try again.

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and appreciate the prompt.

My body felt a chill as I attempted to wiggle my fingers and toes. They didn’t respond. I groaned as I felt the cold ground beneath me.

I was in trouble.

I knew better than to try and outrun that last shot, but its aim was true, and it struck the center of my back. Now, face down, I wondered if this was the end.

My face was numb, and I’m pretty sure if I could see them, my lips would sport a deep blue. Everything was so cold. I was listless, sprawled out to die on this accursed field. Despair overtook me, the odds were overwhelming. What could a man do against such reckless hate? Was there any hope left?

No.

But I had to try anyway.

I dragged my hands down towards my chest in a feeble attempt to prop my body up, only able to make it to my knees. The soft crunching of footsteps grew louder as my adversary advanced, only to stop right in front of me. Mud splattered his dark brown boots, but the quality was still much better than my own. Typical. Even his equipment far outstripped my own.

As I looked up, the sun loomed behind his head, blurring his facial features to me. I squinted my eyes, trying to decipher the blurry mess.

“Any last words?” he sneered.

I felt the air catch in my chest, as the cold seemed to have seeped into every fiber of my being. The chill made me rasp back my response, “I will win this war.” I allowed myself a small smile. Ever defiant till the end.

The man’s big belly shook in mirth as he let out a raucous laugh. “War? You do not yet know war. You are a child who tasted their first autumn frost and called it winter.”

He bent down and scooped up his weapon, before holding it over my head.

“Goodbye… son.”

He dropped his weapon, a gargantuan snowball, and it sent me crashing back to the ground covered in white powder.

I laid there, defeated.

The silence that followed was pierced by the shrill scream of a woman.

“Boys! It's cocoa time!” mom shouted. “Oh, and don’t you dare bring that mud into my house!”

I'd be like: "Hmph. Two out of three?"

My wife occasionally thinks me strange when I treat feeding the cats as a sacrificial offering.

You brought that to life, thank you!

The protagonist's despair is palpable, and I am embarrassed to have experienced it second-hand. The opening alone devasted me. Your command of the English language is phenomenal. I can see this as the opening of a Netflix Series.

WOW - Whatever you write, I will read. Now I have to stalk your Username. Thanks.

The king had long waited for the passing of the queen mother. The tales of his murdering his uncle and usurping the throne had gone on for almost 10 years. I was on his coronation day that the hermit came into the cathedral and pronounced the prophecy. A small child was to one day end his evil reign, and he himself would suffer the same fate as his uncle.

The queen mother had him arrested, and named a long list of her courtiers to the royal advisor panel. I officially petitioned to replace them with the retired knights that fought with my father. My request met with mockery and I was forced to watch as the queen mother had it buried in the archives.

The historian in the royal archives assured me that if I ever wished to repetition, the document would be made ready in a day. I quietly retired after a day at court, overseen by the queen mother, who made sure no one from the families of influence or the clergy received their petitions. A guard beckoned to me, and I realized it was Sir Morgan, my uncle's most trusted and honored knight!

He told me of the birth of boy the same day as my coronation. This boy had been hidden by the clergy in a remote region since birth. I realized the hermit who pronounced the prophecy was also the abbey of the hermitage. Since the youngster was only a few years from manhood, the knights and clergy had taken a vow to protect him.

I knew that if the kingdom learned the truth, the kingdom would be torn asunder. Many of the remote regions were starving and suffering, while the courtiers and friends of the queen mother lived in luxury. Sir Morgan assured me that if the child was victorious, all I needed to do was abdicate and allow him to take the throne. Sir Morgan was the only other man in the kingdom who knew that my "evil reign" was the work of the queen mother, who was also responsible for the death of my uncle.

A plan was put into place. I quietly whispered it to Sir Morgan the secret entrance to the royal armory, and slipped him the key to the royal vault. The child had been trained by the hermits and made aware of his destiny. Sir Morgan knew that an old ally of my uncle was also poised on the border. ready to move at his orders.

The vault also held proof of the true nature of my uncle's death, a note sealed with my uncle's royal seal. I told Sir Morgan that he must show this to the child and the old ally. He knew the danger of the mission, but assured me that the peasants were ready to follow the child.

The armies of our ally marched upon the capital, but held their distance. Sir Morgan had gathered the knights of old and surrounded the child. I knew the only way for the plan to succeed was for me to open the drawbridge upon the signal. As I quietly approached the castle guard, I ordered them to take up their positions on the wall.

I heard the battle horn of Sir Morgan sound, and ran to lower the drawbridge. The old ally and the knights of old led an army of peasants through the gate and into the city. I knew it was only a matter of time before the peasants overcame the palace guard and royal army. I ran to give the petition to the child, but the queen mother put her poisoned blade between my shoulders.

Sir Morgan had her arrested. The child visited me upon my bed, and I thanked the child for his courage and willingness to help our kingdom. The queen mother had been banished and made to live in a tower. The old hermit who had pronounced the prophecy came to my bed, and after applying some poultices and giving me a potion, assured me I would recover.

I called Sir Morgan to my bed, and I gave them my edict, declaring the child the rightful ruler and the knights of old his royal advisors. My abdication was complete, but Sir Morgan assured me that my selflessness would be forever remembered. I did recover, but would walk with a limp for the rest of my days. The hermitage offered me shelter, and the knights of old would visit me twice a year. The child often sent supplies and notes of thanks. I knew that the kingdom was safe!

[Wip] Usually when I prepare my food I make extra for whatever God or upper being wants my food. As I had finished making my food I threw the extras into the fire and started to eat my own portion, "You know, I would very much prefer my food un-burnt." I wiped my head around looking for whoever was talking, not seeing anyone so I called out. "Hello who said that?" I grabbed my dagger and was prepared to fight but then the voice called out agian, "what you think you can kill me with that gods can't die from the power of humans, though they've tried." I wiped my head around to see a tall being with pale blue skin black eyes with white eyes and black horns. I stood there frozen, "S-So your the one that's been taking my offerings?!?" The God gave a cocktail smile as he said "Well yes its free food and it's good apart from the fact that it's burnt which all you needed to do was put the food out on a tree stump or something." The put the dagger down, "Oh well sorry I didn't think it would get to you burn

I'm pretty new to reddit so I could just be blind, but I can't find them on your profile 😔😭

That's a wonderful take. 5 stars, totally recommend.

Yay! I'm so glad. Heading over to read it now😁

Holy shit dude you're good at this. Well done!

In an occupied country, children would be given jobs of sneaking information around. You’re going to meet another kid in the school’s cafeteria to exchange “snacks”.

Loss is a strange thing. Art and pop culture like to romanticize it - turn it into something jarring and howling, something that hits you like a car crash or rocks you to your core in a fiery explosive episode. Who knows? Maybe for some people it is.

​

It wasn't like that for me.

​

Loss for me was different than all of that. It was a gap. It was reaching for something only to have my fingers trace through hollow and empty air. It was flicking a light switch and still finding myself in darkness. It wasn't explosive, it wasn't instant, and it didn't feel like anything I could learn from.

​

It was erosive. It came in slow like a moonlit tide. It washed against my shore and took pieces of me bit my bit. Then again, I suppose when she left - or disappeared - it wasn't like someone dying in a car crash or being gunned down. It offered no such immediate closure, even if the closure was dark and definitive. It only asked a question. The first day it was asked in an urgent but soft tone. Then a week later it was speaking. Months later it was desperate, screaming. It asked itself so often, so unyieldingly, that after months you simply have to answer. I had to answer.

​

I finally had spoken the words to myself. She's gone. She's really gone, and she won't come back.

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So then I was there. Sitting in that thinly cushioned chair, surrounded by people who kept trying to cast discreet glances towards me - to see "how i'm holding up."

​

It was crisp outside, finally the coming of autumn. She drew quite a crowd. The gazebo was packed, with attendants overflowing into the large garden on the hill. Of course there was no body, so we figured we would have it outside, somewhere beautiful. If her soul resided anywhere, that's where it would be. She never really fit into a stuffy church scene, anyways.

​

The wind gusted sharply as the last speaker finished, casting a torrent of sharply red leaves across the crowd which popped against the ocean of black formal wear. Like her giving us all one last goodbye. Stylish, understated, and resplendent. Distinctly herself.

​

Her mother came over to speak to me. I smiled and laughed as she reminisced. We took turns sharing our favorite stories - like the time she tried to jump on a passing fish from the boat to catch it, earning a serious sting from the catfish. It wasn't really all that funny then, but now it just seemed to fit. We spoke for some time, fighting back the darkness with these little bits of her light. As we spoke though, our stories began to wear out. The battery grew weaker and the light flickered. So, in that coming darkness, we shared a goodbye.

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Then I sat alone in that gazebo as the sun began to set behind the hill. Or so I had thought.

​

She stood a ways back, by the walkway. When I saw her, my heart skipped a beat. Maybe two. That auburn hair was so distinctive, her mannerisms unmistakable. For an instant, all the color returned to my world. As my footfalls pounded against the wood of the floor, then across the dried up grass, pieces of me began to reform.

​

"Annie!" I shouted, "I - oh my god!"

​

But as I drew closer her face shifted into a look of deep sadness, bordering on fear. Her lips parted as if to say something, and her eyes grew wide.

​

"You're here. You're here." As I drew near my arms moved of their own accord, reaching for an embrace that would fix everything.

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"No - no, I'm not," she tried to speak. As she began though, I had already enveloped her.

​

I didn't mean to cry. I didn't even feel it coming. I hadn't felt much of anything in what had seemed a very long time. But there, for some time, all I could do was weep.

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Her body seemed so rigid, though. Her arms came around me, but timidly.

​

"I'm not her. I'm so sorry." The voice that came was just like hers. The same airiness, the exact cadence.

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"What? What are you talking about? It's - it has to be..." I reluctantly pulled from the embrace and looked at her.

​

Her hazel green eyes stared back, accentuated be her sharp cheeks. She wore her distinct pout. Yet... something deep behind those eyes wasn't right. A spark was missing.

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"I - ..." she began, "I'm her sister."

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"She doesn't have a sister. She.. Annie? What are you talking about?"

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Her pout deepened, her lips arching into a deeply sad frown. Her eyes softened as she spoke, struggling to find the right words.

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"I'm so, so sorry. I just... I had to come. I had to be here."

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My heart pounded faster. I could feel sweat forming on my palms.

​

"Our family was - well, I'm somewhat estranged. I didn't mean to do this. I didn't know you were still here. I thought the service had ended an hour ago. I'm - " she stuttered on for a moment, but her look said everything. It apologized for the joy she'd brought, because the pain that came behind it hurt worse than before. It was the understanding and brief transfer of heartbreak born all over again.

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"I should go," she whispered, turning sharply on her heel.

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"Wait! You can't.. you can't go! Wait!" I pushed to follow her, quickly walking behind. She sped up though, spouting an apology as her pace quickened.

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My legs gave out a few steps on. In truth I'm not sure why I had started. There was no logic in it, only the desperate throws of someone reaching for something which was vacant.

​

I watched her go. She sped along over the crest of the hill, her figure bobbing as she made her escape. I watched her grow smaller, backlit by the setting sun. I watched until she finally came over the top and disappeared into the distance beyond.

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The wind kicked up one last time, a few red leaves dancing through the trees. The swirled lazily towards me, and touched my coat tenderly. One last time.

Thanks, you are too kind! I would recommend checking out the mob story and Artemis one I did yesterday, I wrote them similarly and felt I did a better job on them.