The Lost One (Part 1)

In a forgotten world of myth and legend, the gods smiled down on the lifeless body of a ten-year-old girl lying in a rotting field that had been nearly ready for the harvest only days before. The girl's body appeared tossed aside like a child's toy doll, lying in a small divot as though a great force had struck the dirt. An active circle of withering plants spread from her body in all directions as though an unseen fire slowly spread along the ground, turning leaves from green to black in moments. The girl stirred, her raspy breath kicking up the dirt by her face.

She coughed as she slowly opened her eyes, black as a starless night. She lifted her head, dragging her silver-white hair from the ground, and looked down at her tattered, stained dress, dirty bare feet, and bruised, pale arms. Uncertainty and confusion lay bare upon her face as she looked up at the field, searching the horizon for signs of life. She knew not where she was or how she had gotten there. She knew only one thing: her name was Liora.

The girl rose on shaky legs and looked around, but then she was struck down by a vision. She clutched her head and gritted her teeth in pain at the undeniable sight of entire planets being torn apart, their inhabitants destroyed in an instant as entire kingdoms were swept away with all-consuming fire. Liora convulsed on her knees as the faces of women and children, engulfed in flame, cried for their lives in their final moments. In a single moment, all of this and the death of a dozen planets flashed before Liora's eyes, and she wept. Not just at the images she had witnessed, but because she didn't understand them, and it only added to the confusion of who she was and why she was there.

After several moments, she stood once more and looked around. All she could see beyond the withering field was a single solitary farmhouse. She began walking toward it, forcing her scraped legs to carry her forward while she clutched her abdomen as pangs of hunger set in. The ground beneath her was as dry as her cracked lips, and with every step, the rot behind her ceased, but the withering became the vanguard of her approach. The closer she drew to the house, the faster life failed around her. Seeing this, she drew her legs faster, horror at the death caused by her mere presence, until she came too quickly upon a flock of birds. Some scattered in time, but others did not.

She stopped in front of one of them, a large crow, who had not heeded the warning cries of its kin. The girl saw the thing decay at her feet, its feathers and skin pulling back to reveal bone. She screamed in fright, but the sound of her voice sent a shockwave through the land, and the scattered trees gave way and collapsed under the strain. The farmhouse crumbled like a deck of cards, folding in on itself and the unsuspecting inhabitants. A farmer picked himself up off the ground a distance away. He saw the house and began to run to his family. Still, seeing the girl in the tattered dress with silver hair, he immediately ran in the opposite direction like a madman escaping for his life as fast as his legs could carry him, not glancing back for a moment.

Liora looked on with shock and dismay, but there was nothing she could do; the damage was done. Still, she needed answers, and she continued forward, following in the footsteps of the fleeing farmer. Some while later, as the sun was sinking low, she arrived at a town, a dusty old place, but it was dark and empty. At the entrance of the city, she was thrown to the ground once more to face the horror of wanton death, another vision of lives consumed by the destruction of planets. A little longer than the last one, she growled in anger as the images fell away and pounded her fists on the ground in frustration. The dark town before her shook.

The girl pulled herself back up and stumbled into town. Broken pots and scattered equipment lay strewn about. Fresh foot, hoof, and cart tracks scattered back and forth across the dusty ground, but eventually all went the same direction, out of town, the opposite direction from where she had come. The farmer had gone before her. Yet not all was gone. The sound of a baby crying could be heard a short distance away. Liora looked up; there was still someone there, someone who could maybe tell her who she was. She ran toward the sound, but reality caught up to her too late.

The sound of crying intensified briefly and then went silent. Liora stopped short of the open window where the sound had come from, with a quivering lip and tears brimming in her eyes. She cautiously approached the wooden frame window and peered into the darkness. A babe was in a crib, and a woman collapsed with arms full of supplies and a half-filled pack on her table; the mother had not been fast enough. Then, before Liora's eyes, the baby began to do as the crow in the field. She screamed again at the horrifying sight, and this time the entire town gave way, collapsing all around her; not a doorway or window remained, and there were piles of sticks and mud bricks. She spun around and watched the destruction. Grasping her hand over her mouth, eyes wide, but she couldn't help it. She screamed again.

This time, the remnants of the town turned to dust, and a mighty wind swept through, picking up the dirt and spreading it back to the surrounding environment from whence it came, and in an instant, there was no town at all. Not a pillar, not a well, it was as though it had never existed. Liora clutched her hands over her mouth again as tears streamed down her face. She sat on the ground in the barren field that had been a bustling town hours before. Another vision came upon her, throwing her onto her back. She watched as more lives were snuffed out before her, and she pounded her fists on the ground as she growled through the pain, but she was far enough from everything that she did no harm this time.

When it ceased, she was lying on her back staring up into a wide sky, stars beyond count had come out after sunset, and they twinkled brightly like brilliant diamonds on a black canvas. The girl lay with her mouth gaping in awe at the cosmic display above her, and all was silent save her stomach grumbling within her. She lay there for a long time, mesmerized by the stars until exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep. The peace she experienced while gazing at the stars was soon dashed by fitful nightmares from which there was no waking. Until the first rays of dawn, she wrestled with the images in her mind, before a calm sleep fell over her.

The sun was up when the girl finally stirred again, and she woke to a shadow looming over her. She startled and sat up, rubbing her eyes. An old woman loomed over her. The woman stood silently, leaning on a sturdy staff. Liora was amazed. The woman was not dead, though not far from it by the look on her weathered face and hands, skin sagging disproportionately with thin, pure white hair. She wore a blank expression, but none of these things drew Liora's gaze like the old woman's eyes.

For though they were slits, behind them sparkled dazzling blue eyes fixed and unwavering upon the girl. Her eyes were fresh like those of a baby, yet timeless in their depth. Liora stared a moment and could not help but weep. She sobbed on the ground before the old woman, who remained silent, watching. When the girl finally quieted herself and looked back up at the woman, one eyebrow was raised. "How?" Liora's voice was a cracked whisper.

Looking down at the ground that was now charred black in a circle around them, the old woman seemed to know what the girl was thinking and stated, "You cannot kill me, little lost one."

If you like this short story and want to see Part 2 sooner rather than later, comment below.

This short story is based on a writing prompt we made into a short video, check it out here:

https://youtube.com/shorts/xU0Oo6dbWHE