The Government's Prince

Writer's Block

                                                        1

    “What do I write?” She remained frozen at her desk, fingers floating above the keyboard of her computer, with eyes staring in thought. She hadn’t written a single word and it was already eleven. Muttering a frustrated moan, her hands helplessly dropped to her lap while her back met the desk chair’s back. “Why am I even here? This isn’t working…” A week ago, a friend asked her if she wanted to stay at their cabin with the hopes of her writer’s block easing.

“No, I’m fine.” She had answered.

“Emily, you need to get over this, you have a deadline, don’t you?”

“Yeah…?”

“Then maybe being out in the woods will help your creativity flow.” Sarah made a silly flowing movement with her hands that made Emily smile and give up.

“Alright. Glen won’t mind?”

“He doesn’t if I don’t.”

“You two haven’t even been married for two months and already, you’re taking charge.”

   Exhaling, Emily left the desk, grabbed her coffee by the handle, and paced out to the porch. Sure, the view was beautiful. Sure, the air was fresh and crisp. Sure, it was peaceful. So why the heck couldn’t she write anything?! It was a free vacation that she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy. A bird landed almost next to her but she didn’t notice; her mind was too wrapped up in her book. The deadline wasn’t for months but anyone who ever wrote a whole book before knows that a good story cannot be built in a day. It takes time. She hadn’t even gotten past the first chapter and it had no backbone, not even a title. What to do, what to do…

   Deciding that this wasn’t working, she decided to go for a walk. Be one with nature, that sort of thing. Throwing on a pair of worn shoes, she stepped out the door and picked a trail to walk. Bird calls littered the air with some insect noises inserting themselves in between the tweets and chirps. Trees and bushes made the view look the same at every glance but they made sure that all paths met at some point or another to avoid people getting lost for eternity. Most of the trees had already turned color and their leaves fallen, sweeping the forest floor with red, yellow, and brown. They crunched under her feet with every step while some danced around her as the wind blew. Her gold locks were tied back so it didn’t bother her too much.

  Her eyes hurt. Last night, a single ringing note kept disturbing the peace followed by a sudden thump and it didn’t allow her much sleep. Just the whole thought was strange. Were her ears ringing and if so, why so loud and what was the thumping sound? After that, the ringing went away but then she was too weirded out to fall back asleep.

   Eyes widening, she touched a tree that had its top missing. What the heck? The further she went, the more trees were uprooted, knocked over, and missing branches. Normally a person might be frightened and run away but Emily had a strong sense for adventure and she went for it. Smoke soon filled her lungs making her hack. Using her hand as a filter, she wandered closer until she saw flames. Warning flared her mind as she recoiled. Forest fire! Crap! Turning her back on the heat, a sight slapped her in the face. A body.

“Hey!” Running, she conclude that he was still alive but barely conscious. Slipping his arm over her neck, Emily did her best to get him back to the cabin.

   The trip back was a clumsy one. Bursting through the door, she laid the stranger on the couch and fumbled for her phone. No service. Grunting, she wanted to throw the useless contraption but forced herself to put it on the table. Glancing out the window, she didn’t see any rising smoke or any indication that there was a fire. A pain filled groan made her turn to the wounded person. What should she do? He could be dying! After a search of the house, she found a first-aid kit and prayed that the injuries weren’t too serious.

   Mostly cuts and bruises covered him with one 1st degree burn on his chest. Trying her best, she carefully cleaned the cuts and bandaged them then washed the burn with cold water and gazed it, hoping that she wasn’t doing anything stupid. After putting a pillow under his head, she sat there with her heart beat in her ears staring at the stranger. He had more red than brown in his short hair and a handsome face hinting that he was somewhere in the 20s. Around her age. On his left hand, she noticed two rings; on his ring finger was a blue stone and on his middle was a red one. Why would a guy with two such pretty rings be out here in the woods? Was he rich or something? Maybe a foreigner from the looks of his clothes. They were all purple and red and just strange looking. A cough came from him followed by slowly opening his eyes. Emily stared dumbstruck; his eyes were yellow with slit pupils like a cat’s. Those same eyes shut in a grimace as pain set in. His voice murmured some name then fell back into unconsciousness.      

The picture is Emily Holder.