Friday, April 12, 2019

Lichtentanne Castle Apparition


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The 26 eclectic-genre short stories for my #AtoZChallenge are excerpts from travelogue notes by
novel character Gahlen, who first appeared in SHARDS OF MEMORY – Oral History in a Heartbeat.

Each A-to-Z daily post is a complete, stand-alone tale - partly true, partly fiction.



Lichtentanne Castle Apparition
Genre: Paranormal Reign
(362 words)

High-pitched voices attracted my attention. I glanced outside at the moat of Burg Schonfels Castle and spotted three school-aged girls skipping atop the wall. They played tag, the shortest girl chasing after the others. Through her eyes, I somehow gained the benefit of seeing a stunning view. The castle overlooked a sprawling Saxon countryside. A field of poppies offered a striking contrast to vibrant foliage and the river’s shimmering water.
As the girl glanced toward the village, I sensed the warnings her parents had issued about never entering the castle grounds. She recalled tales of sorrowful moans coming from within the castle on windy nights. Unease overtook me as she focused on a room directly above me.
Apparently, the most stressful moaning emanated from that room. Anyone within range described the vibrations as voice-like. Rampant town gossip followed any particularly active period.
The girl’s thoughts turned to folklore about a royal child drowning in the moat’s murky waters centuries earlier. Tales made mention of foul play for any number of suspicious reasons. Such thoughts excited the girl but terrified me.
Many placed blame for the drowning on the royal child’s claim to a jealous king’s throne; others believed the drowning occurred when the mute toddler grew unmanageable. A version that caused me and the girl to shiver involved the royal child’s deranged mother. No one knew what she might have done one sleepless night. Regardless the rumors, often disbelieved but never disproved, the moans continued.
The school girls raced faster along the moat’s wall. Then the slipper of the shortest girl caught the edge of a protruding stone. She fell, closing her eyes. The scene faded. Curious to know more, I squeezed my eyelids shut.
The girl reappeared with her eyes wide open. We stood in an unkempt, upper room of the castle. Frowning at me, she said, “You were told not to come up here.”
I ignored her reprimand. “How did the royal child die?”
“The child lived to be king.” She glanced toward a crib fitted with a rotting mattress. “A royal descendant is who suffered poorly the anticipation of such unrelenting burden.”
With that, her eyes closed for good.

*****


10 comments:

  1. Huh. Very interesting twist at the end there. Good story.

    J Lenni Dorner~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author

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    1. This is one of those stories that unfolded on its own. When asked where ideas come from, quite often the answer is "from the characters."

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  2. Unexpected twist in the end. Kudos! All the best for the rest of the challenge.

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  3. I guess I'm just not getting it! I know there is a twist, but not exactly sure what it is...? This pulls you right in, but I don't know what the ending means! Oh dear... I'll go read another one!

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    1. Sometimes, poetry is like that also, Lisa. But for this story:
      “The child lived to be king.” “A royal descendant is who suffered poorly the anticipation of such unrelenting burden.”
      One child was strong enough to weather the abuse and lived to be king. The descendant was not so strong and chose suicide.

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  4. That twist got me re-reading - clever.

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