Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s writing prompt of the week response. If you haven’t looked at the prompt yet you can find it here.
I had fun with this prompt and wish I could have given it more time because it was starting to fascinate me. Unfortunately this week I just couldn’t carve out time to make this longer since I started draft 2 of my upcoming novel. I might come back to this once I’m done with this second draft though because I would be interested to see where I take it.
Of course, I ended up going a darker route. I was planning on making It psychological and added some notes of that in but again didn’t have time to fully commit. I would love to see some of your responses so feel free to send them my way.
OK, here is this week’s prompt response:
Whispers of Veilstorm Grove
Brandon and Ella pull their car to the side of the road, analyzing the unfamiliar surroundings. A looming sign in bold red letters warns, “Do not enter.”
“Is this the place?” Ella questions.
Brandon unfolds a weathered, rustic map. “Yeah, this is it.” They disregard the warning sign and venture into the foreboding forest. Another sign reveals the name—Veilstorm Grove, an eerie location shrouded in whispered stories. The air hangs heavy with ominous fog, and the ground is perpetually blanketed in a layer of decaying leaves.
“I can’t believe I let you drag me out here,” Ella protests. This was supposed to be their first vacation in years, and she had envisioned a tropical escape. Brandon, ever the adventure-seeker and charming negotiator, convinced her to explore this folklore-laden forest instead.
“You know you wanted to come,” Brandon teases. “And besides, don’t you want your wish to come true?”
Ella rolls her eyes. The forest is rumored to harbor a fountain that grants one wish of your choosing. No one has ever made it there, though. A guardian is said to lurk within the depths of the woods. “It’s not real, you know,” Ella declares.
Brandon smiles. “And what if it is?”
“Then I’ll wish to be on the beach, far away from here,” Ella jokes.
As they tread further into the treacherous forest, the fog thickens. Leaves crackle in the distance, and Ella jumps. “What was that?”
“Probably just a rabbit or something. Come on, let’s keep going,” Brandon reassures.
Ella’s steps falter, each one hesitant. Her eyes widen, darting through the dense fog. The rhythmic cracking of leaves becomes an erratic beat, mirroring the unease quickening with every step.
“Ella,” a faint, whispered voice echoes in the distance.
“Did you hear that?” Ella now scans left and right, unable to discern the source of the voice.
“Hear what?” Brandon asks.
“Someone just said my name.”
“You’re hearing things. You’re just freaking yourself out.”
“Mom!” A crisp, clear voice shouts from behind her. It’s a voice she recognizes. Ella quickly turns around, spotting a silhouette in the fog resembling a boy.
“Tommy?” Ella says, walking towards the figure.
“Catch me, Mommy,” the voice says, running away.
“Tommy!” Ella runs after the figure. “Tommy!”
“Ella, what are you doing?” Brandon appears behind her.
“I saw him, I saw Tommy.”
“What do you mean you saw Tommy? Ella, Tommy is dead.”
“Brandon, I know what I saw. I know my son’s voice.”
“Maybe we should head back,” Brandon suggests.
“I’m not crazy,” Ella protests.
“Come on, let’s keep going.”