Short Story – The Poisoned Village

I tried a new title generator today, which let me cycle through adjectives and nouns. This is what I ended up with. Let's go!

THE STORY

I walked down the street, on my way to work, and watched as the poison worked its way through the minds of those around me. Someone walking in the other direction, their eyes glued to their phone, didn't see me, and I had to step out of the way so they didn't walk directly into me. She only looked up momentarily, to glare at me, then look me up and down and scoff at my shirt, slightly creased from wearing it yesterday and not hanging it up properly overnight. I stared at her as she looked back down at her phone, and walked off.

When I reached my office building, a small building, only two stories high and housing four different companies, I walked in, pausing only slightly for the automatic doors to recognise that there was a person there and open for me. I pressed the button for the lift, and waited for it to come down and collect me. I had done something to my knee yesterday evening when I went out running, and going up the stairs in my apartment had been agony. I didn't want to repeat that.

I turned at the sound of the automatic doors opening again, and watched as one of my co-workers walked in.

"Morning," I greeted him, and he nodded in my direction, frowning at me as he noticed what I was doing. He turned away from me, shaking his head to himself as he mumbled something about people being lazy. I think he jogged up those stairs to try and make a point.

The lift finally shuddered down to meet me, and I walked in, pressing the button for the next floor up. The doors started closing as the automatic doors opened again, and a woman's voice called out "hold the lift!"

I stuck my hand out, hoping that the sensors in this thing were up to date enough to know not to close on someone. They took a moment, but the doors opened up again, and the woman hobbled in on crutches, her knee bent, holding up the cast on her ankle off the floor.

"Thanks," she said, leaning against the wall of the lift. "You don't know how many people have ignored me the last couple of days."

"It's no problem," I told her as the lift doors closed again. "I'm Noah."

"Marie," she held out her hand, the crutch dangling from her elbow, and I took it. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I'm usually in much earlier than this," I explained, "I've had quite an ordeal of a morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah, slept through my alarm, couldn't find a clean shirt, almost fell down the stairs. The usual," I shrugged and she giggled.

The doors opened and we both walked out into the hall. I looked through the glass partition of my office and saw the man who ran up the stairs, his face red as he downed a glass of water.

"You'll never guess how I broke my ankle." I turned back to face Marie, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Skiing accident?"

"Nope, I didn't realise there was another step and tripped. I went flying, and somehow got my foot caught in the banister."

"Ooh." I screwed up my face. "Sound's painful."

"It wasn't the nicest of sensations. Look, I've got to get to work, but do you want to get lunch or something today? If I'm not being presumptuous or too forward, of course. It's just, I've been living here for nearly a month now and you're the first person who I've actually had a proper conversation with."

"Yeah, that would be nice. And the people in this town? They're all too wrapped up in themselves, to notice those around them. And if they do notice, they're trying to find flaws. Once you get past the judgement, you'll find that there's actually one really good thing about this place."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, as I tried to hide my grin. "What would that be?"

"The fish and chip shop down the street."

Fin.

I was trying to think of what the 'poison' could be without committing mass murder in my story, and I think judgement is definitely something that could class as a poison. Don't judge a book by it's cover, and don't judge a person full stop.

Also, I have a really long list of names after I asked for a girl's name for my last story, and I feel obligated to make a story for them all. This time, it was for Marie.

That's all for now.

Bye!

A Review – Ronstadt

Ronstadt
By QCODE, Wood Elf & Mythical
A Review

After being introduced to the world of podcast stories (I don't know if there's an actual name for them) through The Edge of Sleep (read my review HERE) I instantly wanted to listen to more.

In the Spotify playlist of The Edge of Sleep, there were two extra 'episodes'. These were both first episodes to two different podcasts. Episode one of Ronstadt was one of them. So, I clicked it, started listening, and the rest is history!

I'll introduce the podcast, and then we'll get into the review!

RONSTADT, starring Rhett & Link, is a supernatural noir comedy set on the mean streets of LA about a 9-1-1 phone jockey whose night job, along with a self-described “Craydar,” leads him deep into Side B - a world filled with magic, monsters, and all things Mythical. RONSTADT was created by Jonathan Strailey & Brandon Bestenheider and produced by QCODE, Wood Elf, and Mythical.

Apple Podcasts • Spotify

And now, my review...

Ronstadt's life has been a whirlwind, going from a job putting cherries on top of ice-creams to seeing supernatural creatures that no one else can see. With no doctor able to diagnose him, Ronstadt eventually gives up, and lets his ability to see the supernatural, and the voice talking in his head, land him a job that no one wants – to be given all the 9-1-1 calls that involve something freaky, strange, or simply unbelievable.

Amidst an onslaught of calls that do not involve actual danger, supernatural creatures, or any kind of emergency at all, Ronstadt finds himself on the phone with a young girl who is clearly terrified of something. Somehow, Ronstadt knows what the thing is the girl is describing, and tells her how to stay safe, how to stay alive. After saving the girl, it becomes clear that something is going on, and somehow, Ronstadt is mixed up in everything.

Ronstadt is the kind of character that you can't help but like. He's sarcastic, funny, and kind of strange at times, but overall he seems like a good guy. As he finally starts to make some friends, including Estevez, the new guy at work, and Faye, a girl who seems to be able to look past his weirdness, Ronstadt starts to get some answers – and they come in the form of Hattie Honeybutter, a witch who takes Ronstadt under her wing. Hattie may be the only mentor that Ronstadt has, but that doesn't stop her from holding him back at times. Ronstadt is powerful, clearly, and why his powers only recently started to show themselves is a mystery that they both must try to figure out.

As Ronstadt tries to learn everything he needs to know about Side B, the supernatural world hidden from the everyday lives of everyone without a connection to the supernatural, evil lurks around the corner. In particular, a dark corner. The Shadows are collecting people, marking them, and warding them off with light only keeps them away for so long. As Ronstadt tries to figure out how to keep the Shadows away from both himself and the people who are in danger, the Shadows seem to be one step ahead of everyone else.

The world that has been created is one that is both fun and intense at the same time. Ronstadt isn't an automatic hero, he's the kind of person who instantly gets the urge to do something as soon as he has been told not to. He is both relatable and entertaining, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his story. The world presented gives a glimpse into a world hidden, that normal people aren't meant to know about, much less learn about. Through Ronstadt's fumbling discoveries, and Hattie's guidance, we learn alongside Ronstadt about the world and the creatures inhabiting it.

There are certainly a few loose ends in the story, such as characters who come and go without a conclusion and scenes that could do with more explanation. Ronstadt seems to have forgotten his past, and there was never a true conclusion to the how and why of this. However, the ending was very open, with the introduction of a new character and a cliffhanger, opening a wide door for a second season to swoop in and pick up where Ronstadt left off. I must say, I hope there will be a second season, as I am excited to see where Ronstadt will end up next!

Finished!

I will add, I mentioned that I did some colouring while listening to The Edge of Sleep. I continued this, as I never finished the whole picture, some fantasy world autumn trees, and even after listening to this podcast as well, which, according to my addition of the episode lengths, is about 6 and a half hours long, I am still not done. Granted, I spent one episode out walking, another doing household chores...

I guess I'll just have to find another podcast so I can finish my colouring!

That's all I have to say for now...

Bye!

Writing Prompt Stories, Mini Stories That My Mind Cooked Up – Part 6

She had missed the last train.

Kaisha had ran onto the platform, holding onto the strap of her bag, to keep it on her shoulder, her hair flowing out behind her as she desperately tried to reach the train doors in time. But as her feet touched the platform, the train doors closed tightly shut and the train slowly rocked forward, moving away from the station and leaving her behind.

"No!" She yelled in frustration, reaching up and grabbing hold of her hair, tugging at it. She had nowhere to go, and it was already dark outside. She was meant to be on that train, that was the whole plan. Leave early, and get to the train station on time. But David had insisted on driving her to the station, and he didn't know which way to go, turning the wrong way time after time, and taking her increasingly further from her destination.

She could always walk back to David's, but it was late. Walking through the city late at night wasn't something she wanted to do. She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, clicking it on. She stared blankly at the 'low battery' sign, flashing in front of her before the phone switched itself off, the screen turning black.

"Why?" She asked no one in particular, sighing as she put the phone back in her back. She didn't have much choice, it was either to walk back to David's or to spend the night in the train station, waiting for the first morning train to roll up to the platform.

"No, is it gone?" Kaisha spun around at the sound of a man's voice behind her. He was panting as he ran his hands through his hair, his cheeks red. He had obviously also run to try and catch the train.

"It left a few minutes ago," Kaisha offered the information. "I watched it go."

"That's just perfect." Kaisha looked away and back at the tracks, as if a train would suddenly arrive and solve all of her problems. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

Kaisha turned around to face the man again. "My friend has a place near here, but it's a half hour walk at least, and my phone's dead."

"I wouldn't want to walk through the city in the dark," the man said, pulling his phone out of his pocket again. "I just came from my girlfriend's house, I could give her a call. I'm sure she'll be able to drive you to your friend's place."

"Oh, I don't want to cause any trouble." Kaisha started, but the man waved away her concerns.

"Don't worry about it," he held up his phone to his ear again. "Artiann? Are you still up? Yeah, I missed the train. That would be great, thanks. There's a woman here too, and the closest person she knows here is a half hour walk away. Could we drop her off too? Arty, you're the best. I love you. See you soon."

Kaisha felt strange listening in to the conversation, so she turned away and stared at the rails again.

"She'll be here in about fifteen minutes, she said. Do you want to go and wait at the carpark?"

"Yeah, that'll be great. Thank you so much," Kaisha jogged over to him, and they walked in silence out of the train station. The lack of people gave it an almost eerie feel, and Kaisha shivered as the sounds of their feet on the floor echoed around the walls.

"I'm Mark, by the way," the man said, and Kaisha looked up at him.

"Kaisha."

"Do you come here often? To the city, I mean, not to an empty train station."

"Not really. The only person I know here is David, and he's busy a lot with work."

"That's the friend who lives here?"

"Yeah. What about you? You mentioned a girlfriend?" she looked up at him as a smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, Artiann. She's amazing. We take it in turns to commute to the other's house. I'd usually stay over, but I have a business meeting early tomorrow morning." He sighed. "Looks like I won't be getting there for that."

"What if you took one of the early trains?"

"I'd still be late. Even after the train ride, I have to get a car back to my place, change, and then get the bus into work. By the time the train arrived, the bus would already be leaving."

"I'm sorry." Kaisha said, not sure what else there was to say.

"Why? It's not your fault." he pulled open the door and held it, waving his arm to tell Kaisha to go through first. The crisp night air filled her lungs, and she pulled her coat closer around herself, shoving her hands into her pockets to protect her fingers from the cold.

"She shouldn't be long," Mark said, watching as Kaisha shuffled her weight between her feet, trying to stay warm. Winter was cold enough already, without standing around outside at night.

A pair of headlights shone across Kaisha and Mark, and Kaisha looked up at the old car pulling up in front of her. Mark ran around the front of the car, climbing into the passenger seat, telling her to get in. She opened the back door and sat in, awkwardly closing the door behind her.

"Hi! We'll do introductions in a minute, what's the address of your friend's place?" The woman in the drivers seat asked. Her hair was tied up on top of her head, and she was wearing pyjamas, with a jumper over the top.

Kaisha rattled off the address and the woman imputed it into her satnav. As the robotic voice started giving directions, and the car pulled away, the woman looked at Kaisha through the rearview mirror.

"Sorry about that, I would very much like to get back to my bed as soon as possible," she stated and Mark started apologising to her. "Oh, be quiet. What was I meant to do? Leave you out here? Anyway," she turned her attention back to Kaisha. "What's your name? I'm Artiann, Arty for short."

"Kaisha. I'm really appreciative that you could drive me back–"

"You're as bad as Mark. It wasn't like I was going to hang up the phone and leave you to fend for yourselves. Besides, a thirty minute walk isn't a particularly long drive. Look, it says we'll be there in five minutes." She gestured towards the satnav.  "Anyway, I like being helpful." She added.

Mark and Artiann started a conversation, and Kaisha fell silent in the back as she stared out the window, listening to them. Evey other sentence ended with one of them laughing, and they teased each other endlessly. It was the kind of relationship Kaisha had always dreamed of, but had never quite found.

"Okay, we're here!" the car rolled to a stop and both Mark and Artiann turned around in their seats.

"Thank you, both of you, so much. You saved me from a horrible walk." Kaisha said and Artiann smiled at her.

"No problem, now get inside and get warmed up. Tell your friend to make you some hot chocolate. You look like you need it." Kaisha smiled at Artiann and climbed out of the car.

"Thank you, again."

"Don't worry about it, Kaisha."

Kaisha closed the door behind her and walked up to David's door, aware of the fact that the car was still there. She knocked, and waited. A light clicked on inside, and the door opened, flooding Kaisha with light and giving off a wonderful feeling of warmth.

"Kaisha? What happened?"

"I missed the train. Can I stay over?"

"Of course, come on in." David moved aside and Kaisha stepped in, glancing over her shoulder, but the car was gone.

"Can I have a hot chocolate?"

And done!

This one is quite long, but I don't think it matters too much. I quite like it, actually!

Thank you to the lovely people on Twitter who named Kaisha and Artiann.

That's all I have for now.

Bye!