Calling all creative writers! This is a column run by Averie Black to inspire readers to become writers. The column includes writing prompts, pieces written by the coordinators, and occasional submissions from readers.
This month: A short story by Averie Black.
The Creative Corner Contest is on for next month! Submit your short stories or poems to a.black@d7apps.gp.k12.or.us for the chance to win a journal.
Below is a set of prompts for different styles of writing beyond journalism. The idea is that you can create some kind of creative writing piece inspired by one of the prompts, but it doesn't have to be. You can submit any piece of writing you would like to share! All submissions should be school-appropriate. You can also suggest prompts to be featured in the next issue.
Here are some prompts to get you started. You can follow a prompt or submit a unique piece of work. The prompts can be used for anything, though some specify poetry or short stories. This month, the prompts are:
Write about a specific era in history.
Write about a tragic romance.
Write about the relationship between a brother and sister.
Write about the modern world through an animal's perspective.
Write a haiku about nature.
If you have any prompt ideas in mind that you haven't seen on here yet or would like to see someone else respond to, then drop them in the Google Form below and I'll try to get them in the next issue! I sometimes don't see the response until after the issue is published, so I'm sorry if it takes a couple of months.
Ana walked down the long, empty hall. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoed off the walls. The queen's warm skin radiated against the cool air, the very molecules shifting out of her way.
As Ana pushed into the council room, the two guards positioned on either side of the door easily let her pass. Ten pairs of worn eyes latched onto her, wrinkled and saddened with time. The council sat around a round table made of raw dark wood. The ceiling was high and made of shimmering stained glass, casting rays of colorful sunlight into the room. Vases full of cosmos flowers dotted around the space, and the white walls made the room seem ample despite its size.
"Council, thank you for attending this last-minute meeting, we have important updates in terms of alliances." The young queen sat down, her back straight and her voice authoritative. Hungry, doubtful eyes pressed against her face. It had been her father’s council, and no matter how much they loathed her hasty thrust into power after his death– she couldn’t afford to lose their experience or their giving purses.
"Avenmore has allied with Yuburg,” Ana announced.
A chorus of disapproval started bubbling up around the room. The queen raised her hand for silence. “Please, it will be up for discussion in a moment.”
“Yuburg already has the upper hand, now all of the other kingdoms are siding with them. We should just give them the land and maybe we’ll get off without being slaughtered,” spat an icy-eyed man.
“We aren’t cowards. Our king lost his life fighting for this. What we should be doing is launching actual attacks instead of dancing around their allies like fools,” an old man with a heavy brogue accent chimed in.
An uproar of voices echoed throughout the room, and Ana felt her grip slipping. Truthfully, she wasn’t fully sure what she was going to do. After the duel, Senyth was in political ruins. Many people protested Ana’s uncooperative behavior with the Yuburgian royalty, but it would have felt wrong to give territory away when her father was slaughtered in an unclean duel.
The six kingdoms were morally divided. On one hand, Yuburg’s King Silas won the duel against Ana’s father and Ana broke the vow the king made by continuing the war. On the other hand, King Silas tarnished the purity of his winnings when he kept that dagger hidden in his pocket. Royals from across all of the kingdoms began talking. Rumors started spreading and old rivalries began bubbling dangerously close to the surface.
"We cannot let this demoralize us. Enyo is swaying to our side, and Arsnum and Imptus are still neutral parties." The queen glanced around the room at the men's sour faces. “It has only been three years since the death of my father. Wars take decades. Hope is not lost. Now, it is up for civil discussion.”
The men remained silent, either burning holes into Ana or glancing around the room. They were all nicely dressed and plump, despite the lower class's food shortage. Though they weren't much to look at, they all did something to earn them a spot on the council. Some were as simple as having generational wealth, and therefore nobility, some as great as retired veterans who had committed great acts of heroism on the battlefield. Whatever their background may have been, they all had one thing in common, a distaste for the young queen. Ana knew her father was a smart man and he wouldn’t have hand-selected morons to advise him, but couldn’t he have selected men of a less patronizing nature?
The 60-something-year-old man with a long beard spoke: "Yuburg’s alliance with Avenmore means they will have access to all of the latest developments in technology and we will be restricted. Who knows what they have by now?" He smiled, yet there was no warmth found in his expression, "We should take them out before they can communicate."
The others grumbled in agreement. Launching an attack on Avenmore would be the fastest and most predictable way to cut off Yuburg’s access to new battle technology. After territories were claimed hundreds of years ago, Avenmore began developing itself as the capital of science and advancement, trading knowledge for resources rather than materials. Despite their intellect, they had never been warriors, but one of the most peaceful, lawful, kingdoms of the six.
Ana felt that familiar coldness creeping up her back. She didn't want to attack Avenmore. They were just choosing who they think had the best chance of winning. It would be the most logical choice.
The queen interjected, "What if we cut off their communications by other means? Block their paths to Yuburg, raid their carriages. We need to avoid conflict with the other four kingdoms as much as possible. Peace has become scarce as of late. The last thing we need are grudges after all of this."
“This is war!” The old man who had spoken earlier shrieked. “There is no peace for us! If we think about what will happen after the war, we’ll lose the actual war!”
She resisted the urge to scream back at him like a tired mother with a tantrum-throwing toddler. There are plenty of ways they could win while still thinking about the consequences of the aftermath. Ana took a deep breath. There is no need for sarcasm in the committee, she thought.
"If you are dull enough to agree with this man, please exit the council," Ana bit out.
She wanted to be a good queen. She really did. Ana prayed to be like her mother, but something defiant boiled in her very blood. How did her mother sit by all of those years with her material grace and quiet power? How did she have such respect with so little force? Why should Ana have to hold her tongue while these men said whatever they pleased? These grown men are nothing more than children. They don't respect her so why should she respect them?
No one breathed, let alone moved. She glanced around the room, all eyes on her, once again.
"We will do as I proposed since none of you seem to be complaining. Despite this hiccup, the spring solstice celebration will still be tomorrow, we need to keep morale up among the commoners. This marks the end of the meeting. Thank you.”
She shuffled out of the room quickly before anyone else could even stand. It’s just another meeting, Ana thought, but that didn’t change anything. She always left the meetings with a pit in her stomach. Twenty eyes watching and judging her, just waiting for her to misstep to rip her apart. There were few people left she trusted. The councilmen were not one of them.
