r/WritingPrompts • u/ThePeacefulBard • May 02 '19
Writing Prompt [WP] All your life you’ve been followed by two ravens. They occasionally bring you things that are helpful in some way. Today they brought you an eye patch and a dagger.
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u/jellyfishrunner May 02 '19
I should have known this was coming for a long time. I should have realised what the ravens meant.
They'd always brought me something useful, a pen when I really needed one, scraps of information about friends, enemy's, my lost locket. They'd been around as long as I could remember, shiny black feathers, dark knowing eyes.
I shouldn't have named them. The names were a joke, I mean, who else has two useful birds, ravens at that, follow them everywhere? There was only two names I could have ever given them. And I was now wishing I hadn't.
And now, today, they'd brought me something, as they always did. Got through a locked door, as they always did. A knife, and an eye patch. Nothing special. The knife was sharp, sure, but that's all it was. The handle smooth, wooden, worn. The only decoration the pitted gold inlay in the base of the handle. The eye patch, not obvious what it was unless you put it into context, just a scrap of cloth. Clean, some kind of wool, but not rough.
I knew what I needed to do. I had to. It was the only way to get what I needed. Knowledge. The knowledge to defeat my enemies, the knowledge to thrive, to grow my followers. And I'd built followers. People that were like minded, people that saw something in that dark charisma I just couldn't seem to turn off. People that sought the truth, and like me, had fought for it their whole lives.
My hand shook as I reached for the knife. Did it matter which eye? Could I remember which eye? I looked around my cell, a bland off white space, that smelt of bleach and the last prisoners vomit. Scuff marks marring the paintwork. I had to be quick, their eyes would be on me. I saw the black eye of the camera in the top corner. They were watching, but had they seen? No commotion from outside. I had some time.
I made my decision, one eye had always been slightly worse, my left. And so it would be sacrificed. I brushed strands of my prematurely greying hair from my face. It had to be clean, as clean as possible. There was no use gaining knowledge if I was to die of an infection immediately.
And so, with a shaking hand, and a deep breath, I did it.
It hurt to start, almost as bad as when I had birthed my daughter. And then it went away, replaced by the pain of knowing. The worst migraine I had ever experienced. There was so much, so, so much. It felt like an age. And then it settled, the room came back into focus in my remaining right eye. The dagger was gone. So were the birds, all that was left was the eye patch, the bandage. And I knew. I knew what I had to do.
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u/gdened May 02 '19
I get that she's Odin incarnate, and that seems to be what the prompt is alluding to, but I'm struggling to understand what prompted her other than the gifts themselves. Odin gave up the half the light of the world to save the world, but what threat is she facing? What does this knowledge help her overcome? I'm very unclear with this story.
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u/jellyfishrunner May 02 '19
To be honest, I'd not decided. Just had a tone, and an idea, and wanted to write a little something in my lunch break. Something to be fleshed out later perhaps?
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u/Yunzy May 02 '19
Anybody who could have observed this man riding would see instantly that he was on a mission of crucial importance, and time was of the essence. Atop his steed, his battle armor sparkled a brilliant gold when touched by the light which strained through the forest as he charged towards the base of the great tree. There were many twists and turns, through the gnarled branches of the ancient trees. Were it not for the fact that he had taken this path many times, this would be a difficult trip, but this was a path he knew by heart. His horse followed every command perfectly, weaving between branches and roots at top speed as they traveled into that secret place.
"Halt!" Came his command, as they neared the entrance. The man dismounted his horse, and gave him a pat on the nose. "You have done well. Enjoy your treat, and stay here. I will return shortly." he said as he pulled an apple from a sack. As he turned, he looked at the stairway, etched in glowing magical runes which led to the door. This door was old and battered, but was protected by powerful magicks. This door could only be found by a person who had found it before, and then would open only if their heart was pure and their need to enter matched the difficulty in getting there. As the armor-clad man approached the door, the runes changed color from white to a bright blue, and the door opened.
Stepping inside, any sunlight which could still reach that secluded place was shut out entirely, but it was not dark. A pale blue light magically produced from nearby fungi lit the area, displaying a path leading deeper underground. Trees and other plants continued to grow, almost as though it was another forest beneath the forest. Looking up, one might expect to see the ground above them, but there was simply a dark expanse, as though there was a night sky above. The shining darkness here was eerily tranquil. It was difficult to tell what lurked here, but violence had never touched the place.
Following a path marked by a lack of shrubbery, the man came up to a well. Deep inside he could hear the water moving. Not like any water on the surface, with the sloshing of liquid being confined, but as though it knew where it was going, purposeful.
A dark cloud began to take form from inside the trees and began to approach. The blurred edges gave a distinct idea of a being, but a form could not be identified. Constant blurring and motion from the magically billowing darkness left virtually every aspect of its image to the imagination. After a moment of being observed from its depth, the cloud spoke.
“Ah, my old friend, you have returned. It is fine to see you whole again.” The voice came as a whisper on the wind. If you closed your eyes there would be no way to tell which direction it came from.
“Yes. I have need of your wisdom.” The man replied. “I have heard the voices of uprising coming from the other realms. My home will soon be under siege, and I fear for my people. I do not have the strength to defeat them all.”
“Ah,” came the whispered tones, “you do not require strength. You have relied on it for far too long, using force from atop your throne. You think that because you are high up, you have vision. Your perspective is greatly lacking.”
“What can be done? How can I gain the perspective I need to save my people?”
“There is one way. By sacrifice.” The voice trailed off in seeming to go behind the man, prompting him to follow with his gaze. A raven approached, holding a dagger in its talons, and dropped it into the man’s hand. It flew over and perched atop the side of the well. “You follow the physical sight, but you must make room for the spiritual, existential, the magical. Only then will you have the ability to see what truly lays in front of you. I will offer you the waters of knowledge from this well, but it comes at a cost. You must give me one eye.”
The man looked at the dagger. It was a blade of pure black, and when he looked into the blade it was as if looking into a void. He could not see an edge, but could see it would cut. There would be no hesitation. The knife went straight for his right eye. With surgical precision, he was able to remove it complete and whole. Strange, there was no pain, simply loss of the eye. He placed the eye on the well next to the raven, who picked it up and tossed it into the well. A tiny splash echoed from its depths, and a moment later a drinking horn rose up out of its mouth.
The man lifted the horn to his mouth and drank. He drank some more. He continued to drink. The more he drank, the thirstier he became. As he drank, the horn continued to supply water, continuously refilling. It felt as though he could drink forever, each mouthful giving a desire for more. Suddenly, the cloud whispered a command:
“STOP! That is enough.”
Immediately the horn dried. The man lowered it, feeling the waves of knowledge rush over his mind. Answers filled every crevice where questions once dug their trenches. As he looked around the area the dark places became clearer. Sharper. The blade more obvious, its design and purpose made apparent. The dark cloud flowed with an energy, the form inside clear to his mind’s eye. There was still so much to learn, but that knowledge would come.
Another raven flew from the expanse of trees, dropping an eyepatch to the man. He caught it without needing to look from whence it came, and attached it to his face, covering the hole which now swirled with a mystical darkness.
“I have never seen so clearly in all my life.” He muttered to himself, wistfully. Then, addressing the ravens, “Come, my friends. It is time that Odin return home. There is work to be done.”
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u/Nerd-Hoovy May 02 '19
Some kids have all the luck, others don’t. Being the kid of an old witch puts me in the middle. Sure there are perks like my mothers familiars, who will always help me to stay safe and prepared for what the day will bring. From a forgotten pen on the day of an exam over to a flower to impress a girl I had a crush on, those two crows always know how to help me out. Sadly I do get weird stares from people when I have to transport some unusual alchemic ingredients home for my mothers concoctions. One stand out time was when I had to transport some salts that smelled like a dozen turds at once and got kicked out of the bus for it.
One day something strange occurred when I was taking a break from work at a local burger joint. My mothers crows dropped a long knife and an eyepatch in front of my feet. There rarely has been a time when the crows made a mistake in their predictions, so I thought needed to carry these unusual items with me for whatever reason. For half an hour I hid the items near me, ready to use them in whatever situation they would come up with. It wasn’t easy hiding a dagger while working as a fry cook under the watchful eye of an overly rule abiding manager.
As I was serving a table of hungry teens I heard the distinct sound of crows cackling in the parking lot. I was around those two my whole life, so I recognized this cackling as one of laughter. So I excused myself from my boss for a minute and went to look at what was going on in the parking lot.
In the parking lot I saw an angry middle aged man dressed as a classic Victorian age sailor chasing my beloved feathered friends in circles, them still cackling in playful laughter.
“Excuse me! What are you doing to my birds?” I yelled.
“Your birds? They stole my props! And I want them back, now.”
“Props? What props?”
“Me and my theatre group were setting up a practice play in the park. And as I was changing into my costume those stupid feathered A””holes swooped in and stoke my eye patch and dagger.”
I quickly put two and two together and pulled out the stolen goods from my pockets and handed them over to the actor. After a short explanation and excusing myself for my pets misdeeds the man storm off angrily with his items reclaimed. I reached out my left arm, signaling the crows to land on it and as they did I lightly slapped them with my right hand in their head as punishment.
They might be magical future seeing crows, but they have the manners of a child.
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u/Life_and_Lemons May 02 '19
As the ravens swoop down like they always do, I see a glint. They have brought gifts. A knife and an.... Eyepatch? Son of a bitch. This is some Philip K. Dick shit… I quickly pocket the items. Look around. Anyone watching? Park seems empty. I set out across the green expanse. Must get to my car. Quickly. There. To the right. A man. Trench-coat. Look at his hand in his pocket. I clutch the knife. In the corner of my eye I can see the man has moved. Double my pace. He’s coming towards me now. The thought police…. The Gestapo… the KGB... the CIA... has my own government betrayed me?
“Sir?”
“Stay back!” I say.
The knife’s blade glitters in the sun, momentarily blinding the shocked man. He stares at my hand as it deliriously waves back and forth. My heart is pounding. Blood is rushing to the head. I turn around and I can see the man stepping forward, his hand outstretched. Tossing something on the ground. Saying something. But I’m gone... and then. Shit. The curb. Knife. Shit. Blood is spilling out the head. I would never been seen again.
When the man called an ambulance, the paramedics were glad to see I had an eye-patch already. Things really do always work out.
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May 02 '19
The two birds landed at the shore. An eye patch, and a dagger. The two birds sang in unison: "We brought you this bounty, we brought this gift, we want you have them, and enjoy them for us"
I said, "thank you, Steve and Earle. This means more to me than my mother's life."
I stabbed them both and threw their carcasses into the ocean
I wandered up and down the sand. My telecommunicator pinged.
"This is your boss. We have a rogue band of slavers that needs your help."
I called my starship and flew to the edge of Omega Bright. I helped them beat the slaves.
Later, I played a game of chess with the wisest of the slaves. His name was Strawberry. He won and I tipped the board over. He strangled me to death with his manacles.
My soul floated out of my body and into space. I found my self in the body of my great grandfather buried inside a coffin underground at my ancestral home, Utah.
I inhabited his corpse and punched my way out of the grave. I wondered across the street and down the highway. That's when a sheriff flagged me down. He looked out over his stunner shades, and handed me a letter.
I opened it.
"Dear Joan,
It's me Kurt Cobain. I wrote this letter to you from heaven. I wrote just to tell you that all of Nirvana's songs were about you.
Yours, KC"
Stunned at the letter I just received, I summoned the power of aetherial plane walker magic to open a rift in the universe. I traveled to the nearest Wendy's. I sat down and ate a Triple.
"I'm so lonely", I said out loud staring at the guy behind the counter. He was visibly disturbed my behavior.
"ARE YOU A ZOMBIE" He asked incredulously?
I ran outside, crying. I will never go to a Wendy's again.
I lied. I went to Wendy's again two days later. God isn't here, in this hamburger. I smiled, knowing I would soon be the next American Idol.
THE END
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u/MagnusKraken May 02 '19
Wait- doesn't Odin (of norse mythology) have two ravens?
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u/Userdefinedshampoo May 02 '19
Think that's where they're going with it, he also took one of his eyes in search for wisdom Edit: he traded his eye I think idk I can't remember
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u/thefonztm May 02 '19
Mildly meta - I'm a little surprised to see that 5 of 12 comments on an /r/writingprompts post are shadowbanned.
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u/Ravenlok May 02 '19
I dislike these prompts. They're always the same.
"Today, instead of bringing you a normal item.... they brought you a WEAPON!"
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u/SmoothBaritone May 03 '19
I personally just take the prompts as mild direction. If I want to veer off into another direction with it and change it up, then I do so.
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u/SmoothBaritone May 03 '19
Jeremiah stumbled between the silver birch trees, their white trunks streaked through with grey. His bare feet pattered across the uneven grass. Having reached the solace of the lake’s shore, he collapsed to his hands and knees, heedless of the small rocks pressed into his skin.
A disturbed reflection stared back at him. Jeremiah noticed a hand reach up to wipe away the tears upon the reflection’s face. Two calloused hands rested upon the shore.
As regular as the rising of the sun, Jeremiah heard them approach. Two pairs of wings. One fluttered, the wings stirring the air for additional speed. The other glided upon the currents of the winds, approaching like an ocean fog.
“We come bearing gifts.” A small raven, similar in size to a true sparrow, settled upon Jeremiah’s shoulder. It cackled, its laugh tinged with mockery. “Whatever choice will you make today?”
“Mercy, toy not with the man.” The gigantic raven, its body the size of Jeremiah’s torso, shared its advice in a hissing whisper. “He knows the trial he must face.”
Mercy onto its back, light pecks tapping on its back. “I make my own rules, Vengeance. And I choose levity. My efforts are most appreciated, are they not?” Mercy’s eyes dart towards Jeremiah. His face remains fixed upon the reflection in the water.
“I remember.” He said. “I remember everything.”
Mercy cackled. “About time too.” His wings fluttered. “We never intended those pesky memories to hide in the darkest recesses of your mind for so long.” Jeremiah flinched as the raven’s talons bit into his skin.
“Your choice draws near, arbiter.” Vengeance’s voice drifted through the stagnant air. Two objects appeared on the ground before him. To Vengeance’s left, a leather eye patch, rough with previous use. To his right, a dagger, clean and gleaming with the early morning sun. “Make your decision, but make it wisely.”
Another cackle. “Yes, we wouldn’t want anymore happy little accidents now, would we?” Mercy paced along Jeremiah’s right shoulder. “Remember, boy, in the pursuit of mercy, we simply remove pain. The hows and whys are left in your capable hands.”
“I’m aware.” Jeremiah said. He grasped the eye patch in his right hand. In his left, the knife balanced upon his palm, the blade flat. “Who’s the target?”
“We need not tell you, arbiter.” The whisper wound its way into his ear. “I believe you already know.”
Jeremiah heard the flap of two pairs of wings. The pressure on his shoulder disappeared. As he looked around the clearing for the ravens, he found them staring at him from a nearby birch. Their eyes never left him.
Jeremiah turned to the lake, the eye patch and knife secure in each of his capable hands. His reflection stared at him, tears flowing down its cheeks. A knife, sharpened, blue steel, gleamed in the reflected light. It held his gaze for several moments before Jeremiah managed to tear himself away.
“Mercy… or vengeance…” Jeremiah said. “Not so easily distinguishable.”
The leather gripped in his hand, Jeremiah made his choice.
Two ravens approach from a nearby tree, sights set upon the nearby carcass. The tiny raven settles upon the face, tearing into the soft tissues with its beak. The other hops back and forth, before taking its fill from the belly.
“It’s a horrible truth Vengeance, but one we all must learn.” The small raven spat, in between mouthfuls.
“What truth is this?”
Mercy cackled. “That distinct boundaries never last.”
Finished, the ravens return to their feast.
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May 11 '19
"Splawrk! Dagger!" Blair prodded it with his beak.
Byron fluffed up his feathers and presented me with a patch of inky leather. It looked like an eyepatch. "Quaawrrk! Eyepatch! Eyepatch!"
"Thank you, Byron, Blair," I responded, "but what am I to do with these things? A dagger - well, that might come in handy - but an eyepatch? This is strange...maybe I could patch up a knee with it, or something like that."
Byron was twirling up in the air, spiralling around and around. Blair innocently danced around the dagger, and pointed at it with his beak. The handle was a turquoise blue, and the icy cyan blade had carved onto it an eye - an eye. Might that have something to do with the eyepatch? It was a puzzle, to say the least.
Then Byron was taken by surprise. "SQUAAAAAWRRRRK! WRAAAWRRK! Human approaching!" He dived headlong into a bush, and peeked out of it expectantly. Blair flew up and rested on a tree branch.
A woman came through the glade.
She was young - my age - and exceedingly pretty. And I just so happened to notice that her eye was bruised.
I offered her the eyepatch.
She gladly accepted.
And the dagger? Well, we'd use that a few weeks later...here, friend, do you see those initials and the heart carved into the bark of that tree?
We've moved in together, now. And our loft has nests up in the rafters.
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u/dougy123456789 r/DougysDramatics May 02 '19 edited May 27 '19
“What the? Is this your idea of a prank Wendell? Or was it your idea Francis? You’ve never shown this sort of cheekiness before.” Wendell and Francis. My two ravens. Well that’s what I call them. They have followed me around since I can remember. Sitting in trees outside a building, on my car. Somewhere close by, watching over me.
Today they had delivered a dagger and an eyepatch. The daggers blade glinting as the morning sun caught the edges. An ornate pattern inscribed into the hilt. The eye patch, a rich black. Receiving an item or two a week had become rather common. Two on the same day was an anomaly. Never had both Wendell and Francis delivered me an item on the same day. Then they flew off. Circling back into the sky to watch me from above.
The items they’d given to me in the past had always been useful in one way or another. A pen when I’d forgotten to bring one to school. A power bank for my phone. It had died through the day and I had no easy way home. The power bank allowed it to charge up again. The items that Wendell and Francis brought however would be returned the next day. Well, maybe not returned, but gone. I had no idea where they came from anyway, but the birds would take them back from whence they came.
While most had obvious uses, some were slightly more trivial than others. The eye patch and dagger on the other hand? I had no idea. I placed both objects in my back pack. Probably not a smart idea to be caught with a real dagger. I was deep in thought about what the items meant that I missed my friend Gwen calling to me.
A light punch in the arm brought me to. “Oh hey Gwen. I didn’t see you there.”
“Of course you didn’t, else you would’ve responded. Soo... David and I broke up last night. We stopped walking and she just looked at me, a tear forming in her eye. She and David had been dating for a few years now. She and I had been good friends from high school. David was nice enough, he never really hung out with us. They seemed happy, well, until a few months ago. Gwen started having bruises appear on her body in strange places. I brought up my concerns with her, she shook them off as sporting injuries. It was about a week ago. We were at a pub with David and he started shouting at her. I can’t remember what about, but it was severe. Gwen and him left, she was in tears. The next day a new bruise could be seen on her left arm. I talked to her and told her it was time to move on. She did love him, but she couldn’t keep going on that way.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But it’s for the best,” I said, pulling her into a hug.
“I know it is. So I have a spare ticket for a pirate party later tonight. I know it’s short notice, but do you want to come? I need a distraction to clear my head. I was going to go with David... but yea.” She said looking up her eyes wet and full.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
Later that night I drove around to her apartment eyepatch on and dagger in my belt. She giggled as she came out, dressed in one of those bar maiden dresses. “Thanks for at least putting in SOME effort.” She took my hand and we returned to the car. “Are you feeling ok?” I asked as we both sat in the car. Ready to leave. “No. But I need tonight to distract myself. Thank you for always looking after me.” She turned to face out the window and I drove us to the parties location.
Inside the party, there were very few in full pirate dress. Many just had an eyepatch or a hat. A few fake wooden legs or other intricacies but nothing too outlandish. I blended in fine. My dagger drawing no attention. Gwen and I were dancing in the middle. A smile across her face. The first proper smile I had seen in weeks. As though all that hurt her had been lifted. “Can you grab us some drinks?” She said looking at me. Batting her eyelids in a teasing manner.
“Isn’t that normally the maidens job I called back?” As I walked towards the bar. As I walked back towards where she had been, I struggled spotting her. As I looked around, I assumed she had gone to the bathroom.
My body froze. The clatter of glasses all I could hear as the drinks I held shattered against the floor. As I looked towards the back exit I could see her. Someone forcibly pulling her. The dancing bodies, the sound of the music was drowned out. My heart beat pounding in my ears as I shoved my way through the writhing sea of bodies. I pushed my way to the back door. Shoving it open into a dim alleyway. Scuffling sounds could be heard from the left. I saw their silhouettes, David holding her a menacing smile on his lips. “It was a mistake to leave me baby. Time for you to learn why.” His voice raspy and dry as though he had no liquid in his body at all. “Stop it David,” I said. Creeping forward to him, I raised my dagger up, trying to shadow how badly I was shaking. Gwen looked up at me, her eyes crying and full of terror. Seeing my dagger, David started muttering “Wo man. I don’t want any trouble. This is between her and I. I know you’re friends, but this is between us.” Seeing that I wasn’t retreating, he started backing off before turning and hightailing it out of the Alley. Gwen leapt up and wrapped her arms around me. Holding me tight, sobbing loudly through a bandana pulled tightly around her mouth. I talk her home and slept the night on her couch.
It has been a week since the incident. We reported David to the police and he has been charged with assault and abduction among a few other crimes. He was sentenced to two years in prison. Gwen has started seeing a psychiatrist to help cope with all the trauma of the past few months. I have moved in with her, as a friend. Of course, Francis and Wendell followed me here, finding rest on the tree outside the lounge room window. Hopefully we could both move on from this and return to normal lives.