Writing Exercises

Mist and Dreams

Imagine a place, floating high in the sky, shrouded by clouds and a wonderful air of mystery and suspense. The direction of the newest prompt focuses around a picture that my friend @Hatsunation found, of a castle on a mountain covered in thick fog. The way the picture was taken made me think on the first glance that it was a palace in the sky. Even after I found out, I wasn't going to change my view at all.

The new prompt is this- write about the first thing that you can think of within your chosen photograph. Whatever first pops into your head, whatever quick connotations you created, will act as the guide to your story. So I did. And I think it came out wonderfully. Enjoy!

The Castle in the Sky

Such an odd thing to say, as if his home were some sort of fairytale, with the giant up above and the rest so far down below. but that is how one feels when they are so high above the world.

That was the impression he got upon stepping out from his castle. Looking down at the rest of the world, like the king he was, to rule his subjects from where they could all see his wonderful example.

Was he truly in the sky? Often he could not truly know. He spent days and years looking down upon his people from such a high place that it felt surreal. He was usually light-headed, and often had to stop to rest least he wander the grounds and fall from the sky.

It was so lonely up in the clouds sometimes, with the thick fogs that rolled in and covered the lands that he owned. He had a pressing feeling that someone down below had caused that fog to keep his eyes clouded.

The king didn't know what he wanted to do. Sometimes he longed for some way to be with his people, to step on the ground below and stay with his faithful subjects. Perhaps even make a friend.

Then from his perch he would see them fight and quarrel, dirtying themselves with the baser instincts of humans. He would tisk, turning his head and remember his place. Because he knew he would only have one chance to go down, never to return.

Despite this, he would still find himself looking longingly at the people below. No one was perfect, he'd reason after watching a hazy squabble through the clouds once more. Maybe he could teach them how to be kind. He was their king after all. Although he may never be able to return to his castle in the sky, it would be worth it if he teach his subjects to be more loving towards each other.

With that decided, he strode to the terrace that was just above the city below. In one great leap, he descended from his castle through the curtain of clouds that had tried to obscure his vision for so long.

Feet firmly on the ground, he took in a breath of the air only to gag immediately on the toxic fumes. These abundant amount subjects he had watched for so long were in fact far and few in between. Those he saw were soldiers engaged in brutal and unforgiving combat with bystanders trying to flee or pillage what was left of the ruins of the once grand metropolis.

Whatever their reasons for their conflict, there was no excuse for disrespect of humanity. To the king, it seemed that his subjects were completely gone, save rare few who hid from the cruelty.

Unable to return to his beloved home, the king used the last of his power to protect the shards of hope left in his people in hopes that someday his subjects would be able to rebuild the great city that filled him with longing from his castle in the sky.

I tried to take a very suspenseful, longing tone for this piece, and I was delighted with where my friend took it. In my mind, the nameless king was to stay forever up in his beautiful prison in the sky. She decided to banish him to the ground and reveal the truth of the world in one horrible, irriversable change in his life. Writing with others, as you can see, will always cause a story to take strange but inspiring twists and turns. I hope you all try this with some of your friends (IRL or otherwise) and take as much out of it as you can.

I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed it! Tune in soon enough for the next bit.

~Blaze