For the A to
Z Challenge, I'm having twenty-six flash fiction pieces from my Foxwick Kingdom
and its surrounding neighbors. Soon A to Z Flashes of Foxwick will be
available in e-book format. You can add this to your Goodreads list here.
B
Blackden Barrens
Sparse grasses swayed like a metronome.
Stunted trees, blackened from fire’s fury, poked from the ground. A lizard
crept over rocks and scurried into a crevasse as the phoenix glided over
Blackden Barrens. Men did not belong to this wild place, and yet they marched
in a quest for one item: a feather. But it was not an ordinary feather from any
bird. The phoenix feather was a granter of dreams, of fortunes, of magic.
The brilliant bird’s shadow crossed over
its territory. Its song poured into these men’s souls, tempting, lilting,
loving. The creature begged them to forget it, for being the bearer of the
phoenix feather was an arduous task. One filled with immortality mixed with
painful endings and beginnings.
In a flash of flames, the phoenix
plummeted to the cliff’s edge. Ashes mingled with the dry dirt. The sea’s spray
could not reach the Barrens.
How long had it been since the rain?
A breeze scattered the ash and uncovered
a single flower, a daisy with its snow white petals and sunburst center. Beside
it, a downy-coated baby phoenix chirped.
Now if you want to learn more about
authors, I’m featuring up to three per day on my blog Surrounded by Books
Reviews. To find the
other participants, click here.
