Here is some of my short story work:
October 2020
"The Pull of the Current"
The rain
drops thumped like a bodhrán drum on her sparkling red umbrella. With every
tentative step, her blue eyes glided around to take in the golden autumn colors
at her feet. It was like walking on a majestic carpet rolled out just for her. The
tree trunks stood as dark as Death and were spotted with lichen. The girl
inhaled the pungent earthy scents as she twirled around in her shiny red
rainboots, stretching out a hand to hold onto the rain. The trees shook like
dogs, scattering red, brown and yellow into the air. Then, the rain began to
slow. The girl closed her red umbrella and inclined her head to feel the rain’s
last caresses. The red hood fell back, letting her yellow hair shimmer in the
watery grey light. With her hands in the air, she swayed to unheard music, eyes
smiling at the treetops. Once more the wind picked up, and she thought she
heard her name blowing through the trees: “Seeer-shaaaa...
Seeer-shaaa...”
Saoirse
left the path and weaved between this tree and that, laying a gentle hand on
them as she passed. A raven sat on a branch and greeted her with a croaking
call. Saoirse gave a small hello, wary of the conflicting Celtic beliefs about
ravens. She thought it best to, at least, be polite.
Saoirse stood on the creaky bridge
where the current below was strong and thunderous. With a toss of her hand,
Saoirse dropped a maple leaf into the stream. She gazed down into the depths
and mused about how the leaf was pulled along, unknowing of its fate.
She heard
the call again, “Seeer-shaaaa... Seeer-shaaa...”
She abruptly
turned to where she had just come. There was no denying it came from the forest;
for several days now, she had heard it.
But who was calling for her?
Saoirse
knew she had best be on her way if she was to be on time for school. She didn’t
want her mother finding out that she was late because then, Saoirse would have
to admit to being in the forest—a place she was forbidden to go by herself. With
one last deep breath, she headed to school.
* * *
Everyone
spoke of the murdered boy. It had been several days since the incident in the
forest, but gossip continued to be whispered by the staff and children. It echoed
throughout the halls and out on the playground, like the twittering of birds.
Saoirse
heard all kinds of stories and didn’t know what to believe. All she knew was that
she missed Ireland, wishing her step-mother hadn’t moved them to America. Most
of all, Saoirse knew she couldn’t give up her new home, the forest.
* * *
That night,
Saoirse awoke in a cold sweat from ghoulish nightmares. Images of howling
wolves, banshees and the Dullahan preyed upon her mind, and she understood why.
She could hear the call from the forest echoing in her room. Sitting up in her
bed, she heard the wind’s moans rattling the panes, “Seeer-shaaaa...”
Approaching
the window, she saw the entrance to the forest far up the road. Still shaking from
the nightmares, Saoirse crept out of the house and ventured into the forest,
the cries growing louder until she was finally inside her leafy sanctuary again.
Searching
for some sign, Saoirse made her way to the center of the dark forest, and asked
in her small seven-year-old voice, “What d’ya need of me, then?
Something grabbed her ankles, causing her to fall
back. A pair of skeletal hands clawed out of the ground, trying to reach her.
Another set popped out before her and another. Soon, there were dozens of them.
Saoirse watched in cold fear as the zombies broke out of their dirt prison and
staggered towards her. She stumbled to her feet, turning to run, but was caught
by one of them, their arms wrapping around her.
“Ssshhhhhh.
It’s alright. Ssshhhhhh. We’re not going to hurt you.”
The wind’s
whispers soothed her. She saw that a dark-haired boy held her.
“My name is Adahy.”
“Wha-What d’ya want of me?” Saoirse
asked, nervously looking back at the surrounding zombies.
Adahy let her go, “They need another
guardian to stop these murders. Someone who will protect the forest from bad
people. They chose me as their guardian, but I need help. Please, will you help
us?”
Saoirse looked at the zombies,
noticing the different ages and genders. Some leaned towards her, putting their hands together in prayer as they bowed
their heads. It saddened her to see her forest was a cemetery of serial
killings, “I-I don’t know what I can do.”
“Just love the forest as you
always have. I will show you the rest.”
“But, my step-mum…”
“You don’t have to ever go back,
Saoirse,” It was as if Adahy could see into her soul and see how miserable
she was. He raised his arms, “Is this not home to you?”
Saoirse’s eyes watered, “Aye, t’is.”
Adahy offered his hand, smiling, “Then,
come with me. I will make you ageless and give you powers, so you can tend to
your home with me.”
She smiled, taking his hand. He
didn’t know how much his gesture meant to her.
The zombies returned to their
unmarked graves, and the earth was undisturbed again.
Something lightly brushed her cheek,
and Saoirse saw it was a large oak tree touching her with one of its branches.
“The forest is happy. It thanks
you.”
Saoirse may have been from the
Emerald Isle, but she never imagined experiencing magic first-hand.
“You will be given an animal
form, just as I have,” Adahy explained, “I chose the raven. What do you
choose?”
Saoirse thought, looking down at
her red coat and boots, “A red wolf.”
Smiling, they left the heart of the
forest, disappearing together into the leaves and the wind where they danced
and guarded their beloved forest.
© Samantha Murphy (aka TheRedWolf/TheOnlyRedWolf/Wolfie)
September 2014
The Woman Representative
As the rays cascade down her, she
has struck a permanent pose. She is
susceptible to her owner who can and does reveal her to the world. The choice is his and his alone. Showered in brilliance, the owner's dressers
drape the female in fineness, operating her like a marionette's master.
Should
one happen to look at the female's face, one will see a deadness in the eyes, one
of which the owner much desires.
Occasionally, however, a fiery fury will flare up in the female, but it
is quickly extinguished by the innumerable dressers. Despite her efforts, a silk shirt caresses
her smooth bare breasts and is tied tightly round her torso. Next, the pocket-less skirt is forced up the
female's open legs to hug her hips and keep her in her place. Now she must monitor her movements lest the
skirt ride up. She is denied a purse for
they have none. As it is, they like her
to beg for what she wants.
The
scarf is wrapped roughly round her neck, reminding her of a noose.
Her
hair is fixed so it won't move. No
make-up is necessary; her skin is unnaturally unblemished.
The
female is heaved atop her dais, stuck there till the next change.
Despite
being mostly clothed, the imprints of hands have made their marks on her body.
As
they clear away pieces of the female's skin that had landed upon the floor,
they foolishly turn their backs on her, and those who don't, blink
continuously. Every so often they ask
each other when they're not serving clients: "Did that mannequin just
move?"
© Samantha Murphy (aka TheRedWolf/TheOnlyRedWolf/Wolfie)
March 2014
As the World Falls Down Part 2: To Step Out of Mind
I ran up the stone steps two at a time, yearning to get out
of this horrible place. Anticipation
flowed through me; I was almost there!
Almost at the top. I had spent
days, maybe weeks in this dark world and I wanted out. Round and round up the tower, I was getting
dizzy. I stopped for a moment to catch
my breath and began to think, "Wait,
how did I get here?" I couldn't
remember how I had reached the Goblin King's castle. And for that matter, how had I gotten out of
that confusing Labyrinth? I closed my
eyes and like teeth, pulled at my memories for the answers...
But they
wouldn't come. I opened my eyes and
decided that it didn't matter. I was
close to escaping this world anyway.
I finally
reached the top and pushed the door open wide, unable to stop running until I
hit the rim of the tower. This was the
place that would lead me to the normal world.
My hands gripped the edge as I panted heavily. My eyes searched the landscape, then I turned
around. There was only the door that led
down the tower; there was nothing else within the small circumference.
"I made a mistake! I took a wrong turn!"
I took a
step toward the door, but stopped at the sight of the Goblin King ascending the
last steps. Now, he blocked my path.
"You're
so strong, Wolfina," He had that smug grin, "Not to mention
determined."
"What
did you do?" I said, angrily.
"What do
you mean?" he asked, knowing full well.
"You
did something! I remember everyone
telling me that the only way to get back to my world would be to reach the
tallest tower of the Goblin King's castle.
Here I am yet, I can neither see a way back, nor can I remember how I
got to the castle," I exhaled angrily through my nostrils, "So, I ask
you again: What did you do?"
The Goblin
King purred contently, "I may have threatened them into telling you that
lie and I may have erased your memory of the Labyrinth just in case you got
away from me again. I couldn't have you
knowing the path of the Labyrinth, now could I?"
He took a
step toward me and I instinctively moved into combat position with my hands up,
adamantium claws out. The metallic sound
of my claws sliding out of my hands startled Jareth as if he hadn't been aware
of their existence. His confident
disposition had disappeared and he eyed my claws, uncertain.
"Wolfina,"
he whispered, "Why are you afraid of me?"
"Like
you don't know! You have a black heart
and I want no part of it! Any of
this!"
My words
struck him, "Is that all you see?"
"Oh, sorry. Your
cold, black heart."
He rushed
at me and griped both my hands with his bare ones, holding my claws against his
chest, "Then tear it out, Wolfina!
Tear out my 'cold, black heart'!"
Jareth
stared into my eyes, daring me. I didn't
know what to say or how to react, "I...I..."
"You
call this place 'horrible', 'awful', 'dark', and 'evil', and it is. It is, Wolfina, and so am I," He paused,
"But not if you're here."
I stopped
breathing for a second. I began
wondering if this was real, if any of it was real. I slowly retracted my claws, unsure whether
or not I should believe him.
"You're
the light in this world, Wolfina. Stay
with me," I felt Jareth encompass me with his arms, pull me closer,
"If I send you back, you will be alone in that hideous world, fending for yourself. But here... you'll have me."
I looked
into his mismatched eyes and still saw the evil within him. I felt his soft lips descending upon mine and
as we kissed, I understood why he had said we were so alike: he was predominantly
evil as I was predominantly good. I had
the Beast inside me and he had light inside him.
The passion
between us began to grow. Jareth
lovingly kissed my neck and I felt his hands slide down my waist. I wrapped my arms around him, never wanting
the embrace to break. I had endured
centuries of torture and fear and now, I was finally happy. I felt loved as I gazed up at the orange sky,
feeling Jareth move toward my shoulder.
But then, slowly, the sky was beginning to fade.
"Jareth?
Something's wrong!"
As it grew darker
and darker, I felt Jareth letting me go and I was falling.
"Don't
forget me, Wolfina."
* * *
My eyes
opened. It was dark. I was lying on a
table and felt my body was naked. Then I
felt that I was cold. My eyes adjusted
and I felt around with my hands. I knew
this place. I was in a mortuary. For. The.
Four. Millionth. Time.
Using my mind,
I teleported to a skyscraper and at the same time, made some clothes materialize
on my body. It was the dead of
night. I stood on the edge of the
skyscraper roof and suddenly, it hit me that all I had been through in that
orange-skyed world had been nothing but my imagination as I lay dead and
healing. I felt betrayed. I had betrayed myself.
I let loose
a scream of tortured insanity and allowed the Beast to ravage any black-hearted
person it came across as we ran through this cruel reality together, saving the
innocent.
© Samantha Murphy (aka TheRedWolf/TheOnlyRedWolf/Wolfie)
As the World Falls Down Part 1: A Wolfina Escapade
You can't imagine what it's like to have to endure the
burning of your own flesh. There was a screen of flames that separated me
from the little girl and since she was too afraid to pass through the flames
herself, I had to extend my arm in order to coax her towards me.
"Come
on!" I shouted above the crumbling of the building, "It's
alright!"
Coughing
from the acrid smoke and getting angry from the pain, I moved closer and
grabbed her whether she liked it or not. I understood her fear and
confusion, but I had to get us out of there. I looked at my arm for a
second and saw a good portion of it was charred. I tried to maneuver to
the stairs and dodge out of the way of falling debris and flames. We
could hardly breathe. In most of the fires I had ended up in, it was
always a child I had to rescue. I never understood that. And I have not decided whether it's worse to
go up or down a burning building. I've
been in buildings when they've collapsed and when they've buried me alive in
the basement.
By the time
we reached the bottom floor, I had lost the flesh on my upper arm, parts of my
body were charred and I barely had any clothing left. We got outside and
I collapsed onto my knees, coughing and still holding the girl; the cold, fresh
air struck my smoke-filled lungs.
I looked up
and despite my tearing eyes, I saw the parents running towards us, crying for
Molly, but then as I expected, the mother stopped short and
screamed. He husband yelled, "Get away from her, you
monster!"
They could
see my arm. Though the flesh was gone,
the adamantium covering my bones was very visible and betrayed my
identity. I let Molly go and she ran to
her parents. She didn't seem
afraid. At least, not of me. It hurt to see them: a family, me: on my
hands and knees, almost burned to a crisp and choking into the earth.
"Hey,
you!"
Startled, I
turned and saw a police officer coming towards me, a hand on his gun. I leapt up and ran from the scene despite
being blinded by my ashy tears. I heard
his footfalls; he was running so I dropped to my hands and sped ahead of him on
all fours. I turned into an alley and
climbed the drainpipe onto the roof. I
jumped from rooftop to rooftop, never daring to stop, never daring to look
back.
When the
instinct to flee had died down, I found myself walking on a bridge. My body shook and I couldn't stop
crying. Those people! Those humans blinded by fear for the unknown
and the different!
"Why do I try to make a
difference?" I wondered, "Why
do I still help the humans after all their venomous words and witch
hunts?"
I gazed out
onto the water. I helped them because I
could, because I couldn't die and therefore had nothing to look forward to,
nothing to do but to live in a world that hated me. All I did was hope. I hoped that, one day, society would see
beyond my adamantium, beyond the Beast inside me and say, "You are
good."
With both
hands gripping the metal railing, I hurled wolfish roars into the night. I turned, taking deep breathes when I saw it:
a gigantic truck barrelling down the bridge.
Here was my chance to, again, kill myself and hope to never wake
up. I waited. Timing was everything. At the last minute, I leapt in front of it.
* * *
The next
time I opened my eyes, I was looking up at the sky. But the sky was a burnt orange. Sensing something was wrong, I got to my feet
and there, down in the valley, lay an intricate labyrinth. It led into what looked like a city and then
beyond that was a castle. The atmosphere
of this world seemed sombre and dark. I
didn't like the feeling.
"So,
what do you think?"
I whirled
around. A man in black wearing a cape
stood beside a dead tree. His light
blonde hair was long and wild, the ends of his eyebrows curved upward, but his
eyes, his eyes were the most peculiar.
One was light and the other was dark with the pupil dilated. Slowly he grinned and I saw his inner
darkness.
"Do
you like my kingdom?" he asked again.
I noticed his British accent.
"Where am I?"
He
advanced, looking past me, "The Goblin City. Isn't it horrible?"
"Who
are you?" I took a step away.
"Jareth,
the Goblin King, at your service," he bowed, then looked at me, still
grinning.
"Why
am I here?"
"Because,
Wolfina, I heard you. I heard your
screams, your shouts, your tears, everything.
And so, I saved you from that truck and brought you here, where I knew
you'd be happy."
"What?"
"We
share a great deal. I'm sure you can
sense it."
"I
don't know what you're talking about and you had no right to bring me
here. Send me back."
He eyed me
curiously, "You want to go back?"
"Yes!"
"You're
not thinking clearly—"
"Yes,
I am. I want to go back —"
"Back
to what!? Back to what, Wolfina? Hm? Back to the fear? The self-sacrificing? The suicidal thoughts that tormented
you? The sadness? 'You're a freak!' 'You're a monster!'—"
"Stop
it!!!" The tears were starting again.
He obeyed and looked at me with genuine
sympathy, "But here, those names don't exist. You're safe here."
Looking
toward the Labyrinth and the Goblin
City, I was starting to
think Jareth was right. There was
nothing in that other world for me.
"Besides,
you suit this place quite well."
I looked
back at him, "What do you mean?"
"Why,
there's darkness in you, Wolfina. That's
one reason why I love you and want you here.
You're like me," And, again, his expression betrayed the evil
inside him.
"I
am NOTHING like you!" I went to strike him and realized that there was
something in the other world that wasn't here: good... and beauty, and light.
He
caught my wrists. As we struggled, he
laughed, "Oh Wolfina, you belong here and you know it! You just can't bear the thought of
it!!!"
I
pulled away and ran down into the valley toward the Labyrinth, seeking the way out
of this dimension.
© Samantha Murphy (aka TheRedWolf/TheOnlyRedWolf/Wolfie)
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