short sorcery stories

Garmount

The world smelled of garbage decaying and being burnt at disposal facilities. The sky is a rusty red from years of pollution. The land is made of piles of garbage dumped with nowhere to go. So it was covered with dirt to make ridges and mountains but more like the Appalachian than the Rockies. Amongst the filth and heat, there are cities affectionately called 'hilly cities' by the residents, and one of these such cities is Ale. Ale's city square, where all the trade occurs, is still on 'ground level' or where no garbage was dumped. After you leave 'ground level,' you face steep inclines and flooding valleys. The buildings in the town of Ale all have a similar look: small, shabby, tattered, worn, as do the people. 

People like Anna are small girls with dirt brown hair, old ripped clothes, and an ashen appearance. As if her skin had never seen the sun, which was possible with all the pollution. Anna is riding her bike up the hills, returning from 'ground level' with a bag full of clean laundry.

She rode up past the average city homes. Three rooms at most shake on stilts, so the house is level. Not at the wild angles; it would be if they were built on the ground. Anna was riding to the highest residential house. The 'garmounts' or garbage mountains around Ale are higher, but no one lives there. Anna reached the highest house. It was more significant than the other houses but much older. 

The house was the only one on this side of town, not on stilts, because it is at the top of the ridge. There is enough flat land to make it on level-ish ground. The house leans noticeably to the left, with holes in the roof, walls, and floors. The house used to be forest green, but exposure to the elements washed that away. Leaving only the decaying wood and rickety flooring behind. Anna threw her bike over the patchy fence and raced precariously into the house to the kitchen. She stopped a moment to stare at her favorite stained glass window. It was a picture of Juliet stabbing the dagger into her chest. All the windows show a darker nature, falling stars, monsters, and witches. At least the ones that are intact. These windows scare most people because everyone knows that witches are more than a nuisance.

Anna continued into the kitchen, where a gray-haired woman slept on a stool. Her head rested on the counter, surrounded by different herbs. The gray-haired woman's name is Bethel. Though one of Ale's oldest residences, most would call her Gran before thinking to call her Bethel.

"Gran," Anna patted Gran on the back, stirring her to rise. "I ran to ground level for the laundry. I also picked up some nails to get the wallboards back up."

"Anna, you know how I feel about you getting nails from that street dealer." Gran stood up and grabbed the clean clothes from Anna's bag.

"They are nails, not anything bad."

"You should wonder where he gets those nails. I don't think he buys them." Gran walked up the stairs on the wall to be safe from rotten wood. "Anna, you should take your vial for today now." Anna slammed her hands down on the table and silently screamed. Then she went over to the extreme cases vial cabinet. I grabbed a sparkling silver and took its contents all in one swing. Anna leans over the sink and spits up red blood. The vial contains diamond dust, which cuts up the inside of her mouth, and the silver dragon's blood. Anna takes this vial daily to ward off the effect of the family curse. Anna took a look around at the ingredients on the counter and the vials that were already made.

"Gran, are you making this week's deliveries." Gran came down the stairs and walked to her stool with several vial bags.

"Yes, I need to make a love potion; a nice girl from the highlands drove up here and requested it." The 'highlands' are Ale's affluent neighborhood. About twenty people can afford to live there, and the others were willed the houses. The 'highlands' are like 'ground level,' never buried in the trash. Its residents are the riches of the rich. Those residents enjoy the sunny acres and rolling hills of the 'highlands.' It used to be the highest point in Ale, with a great view of the town square or 'ground level.' Now, they have 'garments' blocking the view and wouldn't have it any other way.