LJ Idol Week 16: “A terrible beauty has been born”

[flipflop_diva]

The vision left no room for interpretation.

Raging fires engulfing homes and barns and horses and people. Bodies on the ground. Others running for their lives.

And then later, a sea of ashes. Ruins all around.

Sorrow. Pain. Despair.

A kingdom gone. A people destroyed.

And high on the hill, looking down at the chaos, a young girl with curls of gold and skin like porcelain.

A crown of diamonds on her head. A gown of the finest silk wrapped around her flesh.

And a smile on her face that sent chills through the heart.

So beautiful.

So cruel.

•••

The witch ran through the streets, crying and screaming. The vision was real. They must believe!

But the villagers just pointed and laughed and rolled their eyes.

“Crazy child!”

“As kooky as her mother!”

“She is the one who should be stopped!”

Even her own mother just shook her head sadly.

“They will never believe, dear child,” she told her gently. “You must leave them to their fate.”

But the visions kept coming, day after day, stronger, more vivid, more real. How could she do nothing when she knew how it would end?

She waited for the right moment, the night of the king’s ball. She dressed in the finest outfit she owned — just rags to other people, but a treasure to her — and slipped in between the guards and the guests.

It wasn’t hard to find them, the princess and the prince. There, in the middle of the ballroom, the center of attention.

She called out their names and screamed out her vision.

The crowds gasped and the princess paled, but the witch didn’t let up.

“Please save us while you still can!” she begged, even as the guards moved to drag her away.

But the prince just shook his head and patted the princess on her stomach.

“It is too late,” was all he said.

•••

The baby was born on a cold wintry night, and the villagers celebrated for all they were worth, dancing and cheering in the snow-covered streets.

The witch watched it all from a shadowy corner as visions played out before her eyes.

“It is the most beautiful baby this world has ever seen!” the king declared, and without a single glance, the witch knew he was right.

The witch and her mother slipped away that night, leaving behind their home and their people.

The most beautiful baby had just been born.

The terrible end was just beginning.

Comments

[karmasoup.livejournal.com]

There was a study done some time ago indicating that people who are truly that painfully beautiful never fully develop emotionally, because, as humans, we're conditioned to be in awe of them, and we constantly give them everything, without them even having to ask, so they never learn to work for themselves, they never know suffering, and they never understand or relate to appreciation, or empathy. Terrible beauty, indeed. It's no wonder the kind of beauty that hurts to look at is naturally cruel.

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

Uh-oh! Hopefully someone will stop her, once the people get their act together and realize the witch was right.

[kehlen.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is spot on. I really enjoyed how few words you needed to draw such a vivid picture.

[adoptedwriter.livejournal.com]

Very engaging story. AW

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

So compact and yet you've written an entire tale here! Nice!

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

That's really interesting! And I can totally see that. (I'd love to say that's totally what I was thinking about when I wrote this, but I was more thinking 'wouldn't it be crazy if ...?' lol)

Thank you for reading! <3

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

Right?? Not all witches are evil, blinded townspeople!

Thank you for reading! <33

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! This comment actually makes me feel really relieved, because I was worried it was too few words. So I am super pleased it worked for you!

Thank you so much for reading <33

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much — for reading and the review! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! <3333

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I was a bit concerned about the length (that it was maybe not long enough or didn't go deep enough), so I'm really glad it worked for you.

Thank you so much for reading! <33

[lrig-rorrim.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this - the doomed Cassandra-like figure is a weakness of mine, and you've captured the kind of frantic desperation inherent in such a character really well.

[kajel.livejournal.com]

Loved!

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

This is a weakness of mine, too. I really enjoyed this. :D

[tatdatcm.livejournal.com]

I liked the futility of the witch's knowing and trying to warn the people.

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

Fascinating study in human psychology and emotion and it the classic "judging a book by its cover." Everybody judges a book by its cover!

[dmousey.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed this very much! I especially liked the spare structuring of the story. :)

[missbinary.livejournal.com]

Maybe some hero will come and turn the tide, save the town, awake the good sides of this girl and marry her :-D.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i like how spare this is. you don't need a lot of details to get the story across, and the way it's written just makes the tragedy seem even more inevitable and tragic. (for everyone - the villagers, the witch, her mother, even the girl.)

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

This is so nicely told with so litte. Just a few well-chosen words to paint the awful vision, a few more to show the frustrations of the witch who will never be believed, and then the fate being sealed.

When in the end you can only save yourself, that is a hollow victory. Poor girl!