A modern fairytale
In the quiet village of Mapleford, a young girl named Elara discovered a secret that would forever change her life.
One crisp autumn afternoon, wandering near a babbling brook, she stumbled upon a patch of mushrooms. Feeling peckish, she scooped up the tiny buttons and gorged herself.
She continued along the brook until quite unexpectedly she found an ornate mirror half-buried beneath an ancient oak’s sprawling roots. Its frame was etched with mysterious runes, and as Elara peered into its shimmering surface, vivid images of a troubled future unfolded.
She saw pictures of a catastrophic flood that would engulf Mapleford, washing away all the homes. Shocked, Elara refused to let destiny take its cruel course. Clutching the magical mirror, she set off on a journey to stop the looming disaster.
Her path led her to a wise storyteller who shared ancient legends of nature’s balance and a gardener who whispered secrets of water’s flow and earth’s resilience.
The gardener taught her to weave spells of protection using wildflowers and seeds.
Elara didn’t understand much of any of this but she felt compelled to return to Mapleford to rally the people. ‘Weave wildflowers and seeds,’ she implored them, ‘to save you from the terrible flood.’
‘Be off with you, silly girl,’ they all cried, ‘you’ve been eating mushrooms again.’
No flood protection was built and when the rains came, they were all washed away to their deaths.
Elara didn’t save her village, but she had a lovely future with the gardener.
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Words: Richard Rooney
Illustration: A.I.
Flash Fiction 250
Flash Fiction 250 