Day 85 Ruminating And Writing

Ares

This was his century. All the gods had agreed. The humans had become too cocky, and they had to be put in their place. The god of war, Ares, swayed the hearts of men. He whispered in their sleep about fame, power, and money. He sowed seeds of jealousy, paranoia, and greed in their souls. And like petty men, they took in his whispers without consideration. He watched as they bombed each other. They came up with new weapons to eradicate other religions, races, countries, and anyone who was different from them. They seized their lands and killed every mother and child so that there wouldn’t be another generation. How easily it came to them.

The other gods marveled at his effect. They knew little of the pettiness of human hearts. This was too easy for Ares. Humans were surprisingly inventive and willing to kill.

Genie

The bottle swayed against the shore. She reached for the lucid, teardrop-shaped bottle and turned it around in her hand. It had to have been in the water for a long time. It was grimy in a way that only ancient things can be grimy. She brushed the surface to see what the bottle was made of. It began to shake, and she dropped it on the sand and stepped away.

The cork popped open, and there came a booming voice. “What is that you wish for, child?” the voice asked.

A man stood where the bottle had been.

She could only stare at him and then at the bottle. It was still on the sand, attached to the man’s shiny, black, leather shoes, only a businessman would wear. The man had a blue, sleek suit on, and he had neatly cut hair.

She blinked.

“I don’t have ions to wait,” the man said—this time with a more normal tone.

“What..?” she managed.

“A genie. Isn’t it obvious?” he said. He glanced down at his shoes and then patted himself. “I see,” he added. “I guess we are not anymore in the Renaissance. I’m glad. All they wished for was knowledge and inspiration. Tell me that you have a greedy heart. I can make every man fall in love with you. How about a house? Or a stallion? Or a thousand gold coins?”

“I…”

“Yes?”

“I want you to go away,” she said.

The genie frowned. “Why would you ask that? Are you sure you want to waste one of your three asks for that?”

“I…”

“I can really make them love you. And it doesn’t matter that you have a potato nose.”

She automatically reached for her nose, covering it up.

“Or if you want, I can make you a petite nose,” the genie said.

“No,” she dropped her hands down. “I want you to go back into the bottle and leave me be.”

“Your wish is my command,” he sighed, and then he disappeared.

She reached for the bottle and threw it back into the ocean. She had had it with all the wants. That was what the world seemed to be made of. Wants without regard for the consequences. Everything was based on that, and there was no curiosity, creativity, or knowledge left. She would rather live in the Renaissance than in the modern world.

New School

I don’t have time to write this one. It took more time to write the other two, and I’m already running late to work.

The Prompts are from the book A Year of Creative Writing Prompts.

No time to ruminate today. I’m running late. I hate the feeling of counting down the days until my holiday. I don’t feel like going to work, and it’s not a good thing. I need to be present and there for my clients. I try hard to be, but I still feel the strain of stamina and focus. Our world of commerce doesn’t work well with duties and values. I work for a company that provides therapy services to the public sector and generates high earnings from taxpayers. I hate it there. I have been looking for other work, but nothing has come up. I like my clients and I want to do right by them, but the system is rotten. Okay, now I have to go. Sorry about the rant.

(Also, having to hurry clearly affects my writing.)

Thank you for reading! I wish you a lovely day ❤