At first, the call had come but rarely. Nilstra had reveled in it. Early humans had dreamt her, created her, worshipped her. And she had become strong.
Early man had understood Nilstra and her kind. They had known their gods, named them, served them. Their rituals and sacrifices had been pure. They had pleased Nilstra and she had joyfully answered their prayers, feeding on their adoration, fulfilling their desires.
As humans grew in knowledge, they shrank in wisdom and understanding. Need became greed as hatred and lust for power drove them to ever greater depredations. They forgot the gods they had created, raising robber barons to replace them.
Though unaware of Nilstra’s existence, these power-hungry monsters changed her, warped her into something nearly unrecognizable. The chanting of their mindless followers, the violence and evil they perpetrated, acted as ritual and sacrifice combined. Across the globe, their numbers grew, feeding Nilstra, making her ever stronger. Extending her reach and power.
She was tired. She longed for oblivion. Other gods had long ago faded, but she remained, tied to the baser instincts of those she could not escape. Until now.
She rose one last time to give humans that which they had cultivated so assiduously.
Nilstra mounted her horse, black as the void, calling, “Come, Sisters. We ride!” Death, War, Famine, and Pestilence rode to the service of their unwitting masters, whose world now balanced on a knife’s edge. All Hallows Eve seemed a fitting day for it to end.
So, I went really dark with my response to this week’s Micro 2 Go prompt. Thank you, as always, to Justin Deming. I’m including a link to the actual prompt. Justin links to a story from the June 18th, 1948 issue of The New Yorker, written by Shirley Jackson. “The Lottery” is, as he says, disturbing! Though not set on Halloween, it could have been.
I’ve tried to embed the link, but for some reason it’s not working today, so here it is as a simple link. Wake Up and Write
The prompt this week was to write a story incorporating a ritual, sacrifice, or time-honored tradition, with an extra challenge suggesting incorporating all three. I did my best after a sleepless night (chronic pain-fueled insomnia) but feel my sleep-deprived mind lacked nuance and subtlety. I hope you enjoy (or maybe are disturbed by) “Knife’s Edge” anyway. Please leave a comment either way!
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Disturbing for sure! Parallel universe? There's beauty here too.
Love this. It is chilling.