Flash Fiction

The Coronet

/ aaczostedt / 1 Comment

I lay by the pond on a sunny day, idly weaving a wreath of flowers.  

When it was done, I set it atop the water and gave it a gentle nudge.

It floated to the center, a golden halo on a swath of cold blue.

“A crown fit for a king!” I merrily called to no one.

Then something stirred in the depths.

The blossoms lifted from the surface, light on the brow of a water nymph.

“Fit for a queen!” She cried boldly, a regal smile on her lovely face.

“I accept your offering and claim my kingdom!”

Crown and pose inspired by Bloom Design Studios

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BloomDesignStudio

The Cantle Witch

/ aaczostedt / Leave a comment

The old witch eyed me for a moment, muttering to herself. She snorted, then spat in the dirt.

“Aye, I can do it. Your molar. Third back on the left.” She turned away and started rifling through the refuse again.

“My-… wait what? You want a tooth?” I laughed nervously and ran my hands through my short hair. I still wasn’t used to that feeling.

The Cantle Witch - Watercolor

“Not a tooth. Your tooth. Third back on the left.” She cackled triumphantly as she pulled a bottle from the pile and peered through the glass. The witch gently brushed it off and stowed it in the shapeless sack that hung from her belt.

Wary, I shifted from foot to foot. This was an even weirder request than the last. Hair grows back. You can’t replace a tooth so easily.

She tilted her head to the side to look up at me. The bird-like motion and her shiny, dark eyes reminded me all too much of the ominous crows circling above. She raised a wrinkled hand and pointed a gnarled finger at me.

“You want the truth? You want to find her, don’t you? Left molar. Third. Back.”