Old Gods

Continued from here

Scouring the corridors for any sign of a way out, Darla walked briskly, knowing exactly what the Detainers would do if they found her. She’d already scurried through at least a dozen different passageways, and each adjoining area she found led to even more open-aired hangars. The hangars were full of battle-ready fighter jets and monstrous-sized cargo ships. Each silvery gleaming monstrosity seemed to be floating in unified anticipation of what was soon to come. Flashbacks of the Old Gods kept filling Darla’s mind. How had the world she’d left just a few years ago gone from pleasant rolling hills blanketed in emerald green clover to the current devastation, which was spreading more each day? It was difficult to understand how greed could be the cause of so much despair. And where was Abbefore she wondered, had he escaped and gone back into hiding, or was he now captured along with the others? And with that last thought, a sudden searing pain shot through her arm, and then another nipped at her upper thigh. That’s when the lights went out, the flashbacks disappeared, and with the onset of darkness, the dreams began.

© 2024 Michelle Cook

Continued here


Photo credit: https://afterwards.blog/

Writing challenge: https://afterwards.blog/2024/01/22/afterwards-writing-prompt-3-monday-22nd-of-january-old-gods/

Let me love

I adore the ones
who let love in
not everyone has
the capacity within

The ones who do
were made for me
they’re the only ones
who set me free

© 2024 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-wedding-married-marriage-1427863/

Darla

Barely escaping the shrouds of darkness, Darla suddenly found herself in the middle of a vast hangar. A monstrous beast hovered above her, one of many held fast by large steel cables anchored to an invisible ceiling. Standing in sheer awe and bewildered by the presence of this battle-ready fleet, she looked across at the dimly lit caverns she’d just escaped from. Unsure of where to go, she began walking along the indoor tarmac, watching as the looming monstrosities above her were periodically lowered to the ground. Once settled into place, the engines began to whir, and the fully powered beasts were so incredibly loud that the vibrations went straight through Darla, rattling her teeth. She wasn’t sure how long she could remain there before being spotted by a Detainer. After looking around for a hiding place, she noticed a large corridor leading to another hangar. Peeking inside, she realized just how vast this place was. Beyond the corridor she was standing in, there appeared to be countless corridors leading to endless hangars. Each area looked exactly like the one where she was presently standing. As immense as the place was, though, there didn’t seem to be any signs of anyone else like her. Everything appeared to be under the operation of robotics. And the hum of the mechanicals at work was almost a pleasant refrain from the blood-curdling cries she’d witnessed just a few hours before. With the war barely begun, she knew this was just the precipice of what was to come. Fearing she’d never again see the one person who meant the world to her, she waited earnestly for any sign of his presence. Wispy black strands of hair whipped across her ivory skin as more engines roared to life. Forlorn and fearful, her face creased with worry, she shivered at the sight of what her world had become.

Continued here

© 2024 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://afterwards.blog

Writing challenge: https://afterwards.blog/2024/01/08/afterwards-writing-prompt-1-monday-8th-of-january-darla-sci-fi/

The fool

A fool can’t see
all he holds so near,
yet others do;
it’s often crystal clear.

So then that special gift,
or treasure at hand,
finds its wings,
but he can’t understand.

And that’s the way
love eventually escapes;
the heart loses hope,
and then it breaks.

There is a way, though,
to hold on to the prize,
but it only happens
if we realize.

© 2024 Michelle Cook


Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/flower-rose-petals-plant-bud-6646037/

Always…

As last year fades
into fond memories of bliss,
and we treasure what we had
in every warm and loving kiss,
I promise to be here
whenever you’re ready
with a dedicated shoulder
to hold you steady.
I’ll shed no tears
for the times when you’re gone
because when you’re here
I know we’ll be strong.
Our unexplainable bond
can never be broken,
for it goes much deeper
than that which is spoken.
You’re the everything
that brightens my days,
and I will love you for now
and forever, always…xo

© 2024 Michelle Cook


Photo credit:
https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-lovers-love-kiss-together-7714357/

Poetry prompt:
He tends the garden of her heart
Where blooms’ fade brings new life