ladylisee

[ladylisee]

"The more you sniff it, the more you understand," he stated confidently, handing me a small round vial halfway filled with a foggy opal blue liquid.

"You're sure this will work?" I asked the old mystic, skeptical. Taking the vial into my hands ever so gently, as if it might shatter against my rough callused hands, I waited for his response.

He erupted into a cackling laughter, causing his blue and gold robes to wiggle around, casting unnatural shadows all over the walls in the room. The fire flickered and grew, responding to the mystic's laugh with a new life to it.

As he composed himself, a log from the fireplace rolled and broke in half, falling into the red hot ashes and sending embers flying wildly into the air around us.

"As sure as my mother's name is Sally." He finally spoke, leaning forwards to get a better look at me with his one good eye. He held out his hand and added,

"just make sure - whatever you do, no matter what happens - be sure to stop sniffing when your nose starts to bleed, or there could be.... grave consequences. Give yourself a day, then you may continue on sniffing. The world will be yours if you so desire. Now," he shook an open hand in front of me, making it obvious his patience was wearing thin.

Still skeptical, I watched him through squinted eyes, never looking away for a second. The air was hot, the embers still drifting around aimlessly. I shoved my hand into a small satchel that was draped over my shoulder. Digging around for a second, my fingers finally located the small leather coin pouch. Pulling it out, I flung it bitterly into his open hand. He laughed some more, his head rocking from side to side as he did, his crooked teeth coming to light.

"Pleasure doing business with you, m'lady." He gave a deep bow and at once, the fire went out in a puff of smoke, the embers dying down rapidly. I was left standing in total darkness, nothing but the ghost of his cackling laughter left behind.

I exited the old shack as quickly as possible. Hiding the vial in my satchel, I pulled my cloak tightly around my slim figure, lifting the hood to cover my face. Becoming one with the night, I disappeared into the shadows.

It was time to put this thing to good use.

...

Even this late into the night, people swarmed the dank streets, hopping from one tavern to the next.

Because our town was built just off a major river, all our buildings were elevated to keep them away from the infectious waters that constantly flooded our stone roadways. No matter where you went in this town, the air smelled of rotting sewage due to the poor irrigation systems. People contracted new diseases here every day, dying horrible deaths because of our water. This was where we all called home, uncomfortable as it may be. I now possessed the understanding to change all that.

I made my way through the streets, heading towards our main piping system. It would take all night, but I wasn't afraid of the time or effort I needed to put in.

Facing the heart of our irrigation system, I pulled the vial from my satchel and uncorked it with a 'BLOOP.' Closing my eyes, I deeply inhaled the fumes that seeped out. They mixed with the smell of the rotting sewage, and I gagged. Even so, knowledge came flooding into my mind. I knew exactly what I had to do.

...

The first birds could be heard before the sun rose. I had finished by the time the shopkeepers began unlocking their doors for the customers. Filth covered me; I smelled worse then the entire town did... or had. This morning, everything was different. The air smelled fresh and clean, something we had never known. People entered the streets breathing clean air, shock hitting them as one by one, they realized something was off.

The vial once again safely tucked away in my satchel, I entered the streets and made a beeline for home. I hadn't made it far when people started connecting the dots. Everyone I passed gave me odd looks. Even the royal guards took notice of me, and not in a good way.

Whispers could be heard as I passed the crowds. "Do you think she's the one who did it?"

"Fixed the irrigation system? There's no way a peasant could do that."

"She smells like sewage. Is that just coincidence?"

Then I heard a guard join in, his gruff voice growling. "There are no 'coincidences.'"

At once I was grabbed and slammed face first against a stone wall, my jaw cracking. I was arrested immediately, no questions asked.

They didn't take me for an audience with the king, or any royalty for that matter. I was taken straight to the five star general of the royal guards and thrown onto my knees before him, hands bound behind my back in shackles.

I had only ever heard stories of him. Nobody saw him unless there was serious trouble. From what I knew, he was a workaholic; he took his job extremely seriously, prideful of his work to the highest degree. He was fair and just, upholding the law with little to no mistakes so the king would never need to be bothered with such petty matters of the town.

"So you fixed the irrigation system did you? All by yourself?" The general spoke slowly, his deep voice smooth and non-threatening.

I kept my head down, afraid to look him in the eyes. "I did," I replied, keeping it short.

"Now, how did a peasant such as yourself achieve that feat all by your lonesome? That's no easy task, young lady." He took a few steps closer to me. I glanced up at him.

"Did I break any laws?" I questioned.

"See, that's where things get complicated. In truth, no, you haven't. Actually, I'd quite like to thank you for your hard work. It's dreadful working in such a disgusting town. The problem I'm having is that I can't understand how you did it. I've had my most educated men down there trying to fix it. We had marked it off as a lost cause." He looked to me, stern and serious, waiting for an answer.

"Maybe that was your problem: you just kept sending men. Maybe you all you needed was a woman's touch." I said snarkily.

The general didn't find this as amusing as I did.

"You're testing my patience, girl. Believe me, I won't take it easy on you. I need answers and I need them now," he demanded.

I stayed silent and looked away.

"So that's how it's going to be. How disappointing." He shook his head and motioned for someone to come forwards. The arresting guard came forwards holding my satchel.

"These were her effects, sir. " He gave a slight bow and handed it over.

At once, the general opened it up and glanced inside. His eyes widened. Raising an eyebrow, he pulled out the round vial. He held it to the light and spoke. "The work of a mystic. Now that makes more sense." The general looked at me. "So you found a mystic, did you? How lucky; they've been gone for centuries. Thought the last of them died off ages ago. This is quite the find. You must have paid a fortune for this." He tossed and caught the vial a few times, playing with it in his hands as if it were a toy. "So how does it work? Do you drink it?" The general questioned me.

I had planned on keeping quiet, but the other guard lifted me by my hair. My feet dangling off the ground, I wriggled in pain and squeezed my eyes shut tight. He was so close to my face I could smell his rotten fish breath with every word. "Now, why don't you be a good girl and answer your general? You don't seem like the type to hold up very long when we start to torture ya." With that he dropped me, and I landed hard. Unable to stay on my feet, I collapsed to the side. My long brown hair spilled across the floor in front of me, I lifted my head slightly.

"The more you sniff it, the more you understand. That's what he told me," I said, defeated. I could feel the general smirk.

"Is that so." His words were distant. I could hear him uncork the bottle. "Rodrick, unchain her," the general commanded. At once, the arresting guard came over and released me from my shackles. I sat up, rubbing my wrists and fixing my hair. I watched the general as he began to inhale the fumes from the vial. His eyes opened wide as if having a realization.

"Incredible," he said airily, taking another deep inhale from the bottle. "Absolutely incredible!" He began to laugh, taking in inhale after inhale. He just didn't stop. "With this, we shall have the most amazing town, the most amazing kingdom! Nobody will dare challenge us! Nobody will dare threaten us!" Like a mad man, he continued on, breath after breath inhaling the fumes, high off of knowledge, stumbling on occasion from the power of it all.

"Rodrick!" He called out. "Rodrick, assemble squads three and squads four, give orders for them to take posts off the north of the town and set up camp. Alert the king at once; we have our new secret weapon, just as he ordered!" The general turned towards me. "What a glorious day you have brought us!! We shall pay you triple whatever it is you gave the mystic. We aren't thieves here. My my, how you've helped your kingdom today. You'll be remembered as a hero! You'll leave a wealthy woman." Giving me a wink, he continued on breathing in the fumes. Out of nowhere, he clutched his chest and lurched forward with a groan.

"Sir," I began timidly. "Sir, maybe you should take a break on that. For your health," I said, concerned.

"Bah! 'Health.' What good is health when the kingdom you've sworn to protect is in danger and the citizens are dying off by the day? No; there's just far too much to do." That's when I saw it. His nose began to bleed, and not slowly either, but hard and gushing.

"Sir, I really must insist, the mystic told me to stop for a day once your nose starts to bleed. You could be in danger. Please, just take a break for the day. You have already learned so much," I warned, worried for his health.

"Mystics are overly cautious!" He gave a dismissive hand wave and turned his back to me, wiping his nose he continued. "I know what my body can handle. With so much work, there is no time for breaks! No time for days off! I've never taken a day off in my life and I won't start now. I've 'learned so much?' There is still so much more! Taking a break now could be positively detrimental to the state of our kingdom. We'll get too far behind. I appreciate your concern, but there are no breaks for me. Not when you're in my position," he said, rather sadly. That's when he started to stumble. Losing balance, he braced himself against a wall. I could see him fighting to stay on his feet. He gave a moan and took a sharp breath in. Sweat began pouring from his forehead, beginning to soaking his entire body.

"Everyone deserves a break, everyone needs to rest; you are only human! Be nice to your body, it's the only one you'll have in this lifetime! The kingdom needs a just man such as yourself. Please, I'm begging you, sir, you must see your worth? Can't you see the signs your body is giving you? You are bleeding! You are in pain! Just take the rest of the day to rest. That's all I ask. It doesn't make you look weak if that's what you're worried about." I pleaded with him, but my words fell on deaf ears.

"And who are you to ask me such a thing? You don't know my life, my story, who I am or what I've been through. I know my worth and I know my strength, and I will continue on until I die!" His skin turning pink, his veins starting to bulge out of his arms, he took another inhale from the vial.

Immediately he turned to face me, red faced, eyes wide. It looked as if his neck was swelling; he couldn't breathe. The vial fell from his hands and shattered against the marble floor, blue liquid going everywhere, the fumes taking over the room. Once again, I was filled with understanding; there was nothing I could do to help him.

I watched helplessly as he fell to his knees, suffering, until he finally fell to the floor, dead and lifeless. While he had valued the kingdom and his job more than life itself, he had taken no time to value his mind and body. For so long it had been this way. With or without that vial, this same flaw would have been the death of him. I shook my head in sorrow, watching his lifeless body in horror.

Guards from outside the door heard the commotion and came running in. They stopped dead in their tracks, shocked at the scene before them.

"What happened?" One of them finally managed to ask.

"He killed himself," I stated bluntly. "He was a man who had so much in life, had attained so much knowledge and understanding, but was filled to the brim with inner turmoil. Instead of facing this - instead of giving himself time, taking the break he desperately needed - he buried himself in work, pride, and the pursuit of knowledge, ignoring all the signs his body gave him. It was just too much for any one man to bear, and it killed him."

I stood and walked over to his body. I grabbed my satchel and slung it over my shoulder. Pulling out a small travel sized wine bottle, I finished off what little was left inside. I bent down, scooping up what little of the opal blue liquid I could manage to save. Re-corking the small bottle, I left to continue on helping to improve the town for myself and the others that lived here.

But maybe first a shower.

Created from prompt #818 by @wonderful-prompts

[ladylisee]

Today was the day, finally.

It had felt like an eternity waiting, but now we were only moments away. His voice began over the loudspeakers, filling the stadium.

"Today you turn 18. Today, you become adults. But more importantly, today you get to choose a name. You’ll finally be more than just a number in the system."

Excitement washed over the entire crowd, quiet whispers turned into a buzz of chatter. I glanced at my best friend who gave me the biggest toothy smile and squeezed my hand, she said something I couldn't quite make out over the crowd that was growing louder and louder by the second.

Finally the chairman held up his hand, regaining control over the stadium, everyone fell silent.

"We will begin with group numbers 100. Please take the stage." The chairman motioned to the stage behind him, at once the crowd began to move, shifting like a school of fish that weaves between the waves, changing form and shape but keeping packed close together for safety, until finally breaking away into a completely separate group. Name after name was spoken, cheer after cheer was given, joy was shared, united we stood supporting those who were chosen to go before us.

This happened many times, group by group taking the stage, picking their names, being assigned new lives that they eagerly ran to, exiting the stage anew.

The packed stadium growing more and more empty by the handful, eighteen years had felt like an eternity but it was nothing compared to these last few antagonizing minutes before my new life could start, never seeming to end.

Finally, my group was called to take the stage. Friend after friend took the microphone, speaking their new identity to the world, announcing to all who they chose to be, the last of us cheering them on all the same, encouraging them as they looked back at us through teary smiles, all of our dreams coming true one after the other. My best friend went before me, choosing the name Destiny, she gave me one last tight squeeze on the hand and a watery smile before disappearing to her new life.

I was the last one to go.

"And finally, number 544." The chairman called me to take center stage, the microphone waiting next to him.

I walked up to take my place and looked out over the stadium to see nobody, just an enormous, empty space. I gave a slow glance behind me, to see once again, nobody. Everyone had already been chosen, everyone had already left to start their lives without even giving me a second thought. No family, no friends, I took the stage alone- as I had always truly been in this world I guess.

"And what will your new name be, dear digit?" The chairman asked me.

Leaning forward towards the mic, I couldn't find my voice. The happiest day of my life feeling more lonely then I had previously imagined, I choked on my words. Struggling and fighting to get them out I eventually managed to say "My...my name... my name will be Promp.".

"Promp... lovely name, dear. Now if you'll please," the chairman gave a motion for me to exit the stage, opposite direction from which I entered "your new life is waiting for you. You'll find your assigned last name and best suited job posted behind the black curtain."

Disoriented and with a gaping mouth, head spinning , I glanced back out over the concrete stadium. None of it feeling quite real yet, I realized there were no cheers, no smiles, and no tears, not for me.

"Um... yes, th-thank you Mr Chairman." With that, keeping my chin held high, I marched off the stage filled to the brim with pride, determined to not let anything ruin the most anticipated day of my life. I flung open the black curtain ready to face my new life alone only to by met by everyone who had gone before me.

A deafening roar of applause and cheer shook the ground as they all called out my new name, encouraging me to continue on as I made my way to the posted list to find my new job and last name. Uncontrollable tears of joy ran down my face as I located my new last name through the cheers and chants 'Tellum' and my new job 'Writer'.

I guess I had never really been alone.

This writing was created from prompt #544 by notyouraveragewritingprompts