Writing Exercises: Minimalism - The Defense of the Weak

Pirates, munitions running out, sailed in retreat against stout hearts.
The battle raged, whilst no victor can be adjudged
Heaved mightily, to the last drop of blood
Weaklings, yet determined to defend their land
The townsfolk, manned the fortress guns
Fought against panic and fear
The fortress slowly crumbles
Hearts foul intent
Pirate cannons!
Boom!

A Horror Story in 500 Words: T'was the Night of Halloween

It was a dark and gloomy Tuesday night the hospital hallway was empty, with nurses and doctors busily at their stations attending to their obligations; not a single soul was in sight.

Then the dark green curtain of the emergency room rises to gust of the wind and reveal two bodies- one a police sergeant who met his fate at the hands of armed robbers who shot him three times to the head and that of a gymnast who broke his neck while doing cartwheels in a competition.

Both these men were alive just a few minutes ago when they were brought in, but now they are lifeless with eyes open as if they were trying to fend off an invisible force to prevent it from taking their souls.

Then along came the sound of familiar footsteps, for it is time for the nurses to make their rounds, and two proceeded immediately to the emergency room but were stunned after finding out of their sudden death.

Personnel and equipment were scrambled immediately in the hope to revive the two, with the defibrilator they exhausted all means, but their efforts were in vain for the patients are dead.

Just as everyone was about to cover the dead bodies with blankets, a nurse saw that the window of the room was open and that a bloodied scythe was lying on the floor.

She picks it up thinking that perhaps a visitor doing a trick or treat might have left it there, but as soon as she picked it, she saw visions, though blurry at first but the picture slowly cleared and she saw the two bodies just as if they were lying there but the scythe that she’s holding was carried by another being, with a shadow that’s as black as night and who’s face was hidden by a hood.

The being stabbed the two bodies, and in the nurse’s eyes she saw that which seemed to be their souls were wailing out from their once alive bodies into the being’s hand. Moans and laughter can be heard.

Suddenly, fear gripped the nurse as she now knows that what she is holding is the scythe of death himself, and as she was about to throw it out the window, everything flickered and went black.

Her companions, who saw what is happening, screamed and tug the scythe off her hands but it will not budge. Then the door slammed shut, and after a gust of wind, everything went silent. The door slowly opened to reveal several bodies of nurses and doctors who are now lying on the floor lifeless with eyes open, a death similar to the two patients.

The scythe was picked up from the floor by a black figure in a hood, who gazes out the window to see souls slowly marching towards a black whirlpool, the policeman and the gymnast are now beside him, and with an evil laugh they slowly vanish into thin air.

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Writing Exercise: How I became Hemophobic (A Vampire tells all)

The year is 2010, Castle of Doom, Vladista. Breaking free from this slab of darkness that surrounds me in this smelly- pit for a coffin, I have awaken once again to wreak havoc on the weak, and feast on the blood of the fallen.

As I step out into the window’s edge of my castle. I noticed that the humble village where I once ruled years ago (but was stopped by that pesky vampire hunter and was cursed to sleep decades passed) has now been replaced by rectangular mountain- like structures rising high into the moonlit sky. What once was a figurative landscape seem like shadows, along with the smell of foul air which I can't make out what.

As my adrenalin rushes screaming for blood, I decided to go hunting for hapless victims disguised in the form of a bat. To and fro I look when I came upon a small room atop one of the rectangular structures.

I was shocked at the sight of the dissidents- a family inside which to me looked like corpses about to crumble, but meekly speaking with each other. I managed to hang upon the wall to listen to their weak blabbering.

I found out that in this new era, a great plague and a global war had passed and all the people (the few who survived) are dying from hunger and disease. Sadly, I took a last look upon their mange-mangled faces and decided to fly out their window.

I got back to my castle’s tower where I sat thinking that I should fight the urge to gulp human blood and devour other sources instead, but somehow my pride asked me this question: “How can I, Count Hovir, father of the undead and the most feared character in the underworld be thinking of this option?”

Then off I flew again to the horizon in the dead of the night to devour blood, getting weaker by the minute as I think I have traveled way very far from Vladista- when I found it! An animal silhouette which looked to me like a wild boar sitting just under the tree I’m resting on.

As I was about to pounce on my target, I suddenly heard women’s voices fast approaching my location. Then it occurred to me that this is my lucky night for I can have as much blood as I want, a feast to be exact and if Im lucky enough, I can mate with all these women too! Just think of all the blood and bodies I can have. I decided to wait a while longer in my vampire form waiting to pounce.

Just as soon as I saw human shadows, I came down from the tree in my most terrifying look but instead of great fright, (I saw that the ladies’ look were like corpses with glowing red eyes similar to that family which I left in the rectangular structure back in Vladista) the ladies were looking at me with mouths watering and blabbering something like their lucky this time of the night too, as they were looking for food!

They started to grab and pin me to the ground, but I managed to get on my feet and took flight right away.

I flew, this time in haste and with caution for every house and village I passed by, people would stare at me and grab like I’m part of their food chain, and in my great sadness I returned to my castle and coffin, vowing to go to sleep for another century and never drink blood again, for in this new time and era, people are even more hungry than vampires.

Jasmin Uy

Message in a Bottle

The Isle of Rofus

With the progress of civilization and the passing of father time, also came the ills of humanity. For years, nations fought wars; societies became enslaved by prostitution, hunger, twisted religion, oppression, gambling, adultery, and theft.

Since time immemorial, these vile deeds has plagued humanity, and as these acts have gotten worse thru the decades, the elders of the various religions from many nations around the world came together and brought up a plan to preach the belief amongst their subjects of the ‘Isle of Rofus’, a promised land and nirvana where one can go to in the afterlife, provided that the path of purity and goodness has been followed. They thought up stories and tales so as to really make the people believe in the legend.

Hence, tales about the legendary isle was spread throughout the world. People from all walks of life were told of the good news.

For many decades, the belief of the isle, lingered on the minds of the people that they straightened their chaotic minds and took on the path of goodness. During these years men laid dormant and peaceful all throughout. Then came the dawn of the new era, as men foiled their minds and made new toys, evil in their hearts that lay dormant thru the years was awakened once again. Men slowly deviated from the ways of good and were enslaved once again by the toys they created and worship more than their gods.

Slowly, the belief in the Isle and the path of goodness was eradicated from the minds of humanity, and they took on all their evil ways once again. Now they have ‘guns’ and ‘money’, just two of the powerful toys that were made to make their lives easier but are slowly encroaching them with the ways of evil. And the Isle is no more…

Message in a Bottle

The Queen and the Dairyman

Once upon a time in faraway village, there lived a humble dairyman by the name of Gino Carpio. Gino was satisfied with his daily routine of attending his cows- from milking and feeding them early in the morning, to the delivery of the bottles of milk he obtained from them, to the village folk in the valley below his farm.

One of the patrons who loved his milk very much is Melody, the queen of the village. Every morning she would tell one of her trusted maids to go down to the village gate and bring back to her news if Gino has passed by riding on his dairy wagon. She will then put on her disguise- a peasant’s dress and a red hood so that nobody will recognize her and stand in wait at the village gate to get his milk.

Gino, unaware of the identity of his patron, would just go about his everyday business and will sometimes stop to chat with Melody after serving her his milk.

Weeks passed by and the two became very close friends, so close that the village folk who usually see them chatting in the village plaza often mistake them as lovers spending their time together!

However, trouble was looming down on Melody’s village, for the greedy king of a nearby village is secretly mounting up his soldiers to attack and destroy Melody’s. Melody and her subjects are unaware of the king’s intention and is lying defenseless of the brewing attack.

It was during one of those morning trips of Gino, when he passed by the village gate that he happened to see three suspicious looking men carrying trays of duck eggs heading to the direction of the palace. This stirred his interest so he hastily followed one man who made a stop by the village inn.

He waited a few hours until he saw the man come out and went in an alley. In the man’s hurry, an egg fell from the tray he was carrying and rolled in the gutter.

Gino noticed that when the egg fell, it contained no yolk but a piece of paper! He grabbed the piece of paper and read the message that is written and he was surprised when he learned that the message was for the greedy king’s awaiting soldiers and that they are ordered to attack Melody’s village at dawn the next day!

Gino hurriedly proceeded to the village gate for he doesn’t want to miss delivering his bottles to melody, who by this time was sitting by the village gate and was wondering what happened to her friend that made him miss out with his delivery.

Gino explained what happened and what he saw to melody and asked her if she could go to the queen’s palace and inform the queen of the dreadful news.

Melody upon hearing the news, quickly revealed her true self to Gino and ordered that she be taken to the palace immediately so that she can order the general of her army to meet all the village folk and tell them what to do.

All the people gathered around the village plaza, and the town crier was ordered to make a rant of the queen’s order for all the women and children to be evacuated immediately to the mountains behind the village.

At dawn the next day, as the greedy king’s army attacked the village they were surprised to learn that not a soul was in sight and all the houses are empty!

As the greedy king’s soldiers sat in surprise, suddenly Gino as ubiquitous with his wits and tools as always, suddenly appeared along with the villagers and pounced on the surprised army.

At daybreak, Gino and Melody’s army was winning the battle and by noontime they were already celebrating in victory. Melody thanked Gino for his gallantry and they married right away. The two lived happily ever after with their 36 sons and daughters.

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