Grievous Angel Poetry & Fiction

New Poetry: Haiku & Tanka

26/6/2014

Now it is the turn for our debut contribution to the Grievous Angel Poetry section. The poet is Stewart C Baker an academic librarian, haikuist and speculative fiction writer. His work has appeared in various places and can be found at http://www.infomancy.net Stewart's contribution is a haiku, which contains a neat play on Basho, and a longer distinctly atmospheric tanka...

plop! a frog
falls into a gravity well . .
Zeno's Paradox

dragon-smoke
from a distant mountain
lifting with my dreams . . .
this certainty of feeling
that we'll never meet again

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New Flash Fiction: The Bell Tower

23/6/2014

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Our first ever contribution to our new Grievous Angel Flash Fiction section is by Ana Prundaru with this intriguing tale that sounds like something you might find recounted in a Medieval 'Book of Hours'. Ana says her profession as a freelance writer, editor and translator allows her to dedicate some time to writing creative pieces. Her poems and short stories can be found/will be found in Halcyon Magazine, Cattails Magazine, Whispers of the Past anthology by North2South Press and theGems anthology by the Bamboohut Press.

The Bell Tower
by Ana Prundaru

It had been seven days since Camille jumped off the bell-tower. Her soul begged to leave her pale-blue eyes. Her mouth was gaped open and a lone tear clung on her cheek, just above the right corner of her upper lip. Camille was pleased with her choice - at least for the most part. The sun would slowly inch into the water by night, caressing her underwater soul. By day, she would let the waves rock her and the saltwater was her mesmerizing canvas.

Wednesdays however, were awfully difficult to endure. Each Wednesday, the current raised her upwards and she arrived to the place where she said good-bye to her life - atop the bell-tower. Her feet were carefully aligned at the edge and the same breeze drummed through her hair. A white intoxicating petal wafted in the air, almost as if it was guiding her into another world. It was the last earthly thing she touched - that is, before touching the ground.

The first time this happened, she was understandably shaken, and so were the town people. She recognized the town pastor, who was rushing as usual to finish his house-visits. She also saw the superficial horde of so-called ladies, who liked to stick their noses into other peoples’ affairs. When they saw her, barefoot at the edge of the tower – one week after she died - they started to point their arms and shake their heads. Some started to pray. Fear pulsated in Camille’s veins, but only for a second - till she reminded herself that death was simple. When she hit the ground, she evaporated into bitter mist. Her eyes were closed. Perhaps, the fear lasted longer than a second.

After the first time she died again, she left her eyes open. On the second week, she looked into the eyes of a frightened young woman, before returning back into her world.

On the third week Camille found little pleasantries. She never acknowledged how pleasant the wooden floor felt under her bare feet. As the breeze called, she saw no one. The entire village was deserted and not a single soul was present during her eternal final suffering. Before she hit the ground, a piercing jolt echoed through Camille’s heart and it surprised her that she cared so much. But her heartache was lessened, as Camille was welcomed home by the very same young woman who she saw a week earlier. Her hand clutched hers, causing a trace of a smile to radiate on Camille’s face.

Everyone knows the far-reaching story of Camille’s ghost by now. Those who look into her eyes while she falls off the tower become cursed and die. Some say that the only way to stop the curse is to bring before Camille the very same young man, who rejected her that day she climbed up the tower bell. However, who can blame him for going into hiding. For all we know, he might not even be alive.

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Welcome to the Grievous Angel – fresh free-to-read science fiction and fantasy flash fiction and poetry, including scifaiku and haiga.

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New Poetry: Haiku & Tanka

New Flash Fiction: The Bell Tower

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