A Simple Side-Effect of One's Undead Condition
She had sat in the crypt for eons.
Her tanned fingers had progressively lost the luster that they had once held in life. Now hidden from the sun, they’d grown blue-white, pale. Though she didn’t think that mattered much. Once a persons blood lays still beneath their skin for a millennia there were sure to be some side-effects.
She assumed it had been a millennia.
The years had begun to pass in seconds for her long ago. For months she could remain in the same position. Coming to, with dust accumulated on her fingernails and webs coating her brittle hair. These were the only indicators to her that time had passed at a great, imperceptible length.
On occasion she would cough up gravelly crunchy balls. A hard rock, that was an accumulation of dust and dirt, had combined in her lungs as they sat empty and unused. A simple side effect of her undead condition. The lone sacs were a perfect vacuum for whatever materials her body came into contact with.
This was how she lived.
She considered herself a separate being from her physicality. Her mind was the only thing that remained that had any semblance of a will. Some strange longing that she didn’t understand - to continue. And the other. The thing. The Body. Which trapped her in this plane, was a nuisance.
She easily placed blame on The Body which neither offered her freedom by dying nor living.
If only she had been a more powerful necromancer.
Her plan wouldn’t have failed. And if it had, which was unlikely, she would have simply ripped the feeble chains that bound her spirit to The Body. Crawl into the ether and find a new way. An existence that didn’t include constant disassociation and hardened, heavy, rock-filled lungs. Maybe she would take up a new hobby like collecting finger bones or playing cards.
Her existence was pitiful and, against her ego-driven judgment, she was ashamed.
If she could -if this God-forsaken Body had the ability- a tear would escape her duct. She squished on her hardened cheeks. Moved the eyes laterally and then around in circles against the particles within them. Nothing.
Once, upon a time she was A Lady: Mistress of Night. A harrowing sight, as told to her by all her closest acquaintances and cowering visitors. She had been A Queen above her skeleton horde. She would call upon them and they’d answer dutifully. Their loyalty never swayed by extra bone meal or good pay. Their bones clinking against her crystalline floors reverberate in her skull making her wistful of the times past.
She looks around, dust accumulated on her brittle nails that she doesn’t really care to remove any longer. She notices her body is a part of a resident spider’s intricate web. Its silky thread entangled within her brittle hair and clothing. Its nearly comforting. A place where she could just... sleep.
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This piece is brilliantly written. Your writing style is fantastic and everything was so vividly described that I absolutely felt like I was in that crypt with her. It also has elements that made you emotionally connect with her, at first feeling sorry for her predicament and later wondering what chaos she wrought when she was alive with necromancy powers ( that got her into her current predicament!), and then felt that perhaps I shouldn’t feel so sorry for her as once dead she seemed to wreak havoc on others of the dead for her own gain and amusement. You managed to pack so many conflicting emotions within this short piece, I am impressed! Goes to show how talented you are with words and your writing to convey everything from the world of the crypt, her current predicament, the situation with her current physical form and lifestyle within the crypt as well as glimpses into her living past, reminiscing on memorable better times in the early days of her undead life as well as vivid images of her current situation which cleverly combined to portray a glimpse into her nature and personality while both living and undead. Seriously, this is so fantastically written I truly wish you would explore this further and expand on the story as it has the beginning of a truly intriguing story. There is so much potential for reminiscing on her time with the living including her experiences and competence as a necromancer (who seemed to put herself in her current predicament), and what will she do now? Obviously her undead powers have drained but is there a way to recover them? Could she find a way out of her crypt with a goal to reclaim her necrotic powers? And if she did regain her powers, what would she do with them? What would be her capabilities - could she reverse her current situation? Can she better her current situation or would she wreak havoc on the surrounding populace just for fun and out of sheer boredom. Or would her lengthy time in the crypt have offered her time for reflection on who she used to be and how she used her powers that would change her outlook and goals with her power usage if she can regain them(use them for good rather than her own selfish purposes)? Would she vow that if she could reverse her undead state that she would seek out an experienced mentor to properly teach her the methods and ways of a necromancer? Or would she utilise her powers (that tend to go awry and backfire), still in her selfish ways to attain self gratification, a sense of power over other undead by placing herself on a pedestal or would she just be like a Wicked Witch, pulling pranks, tricks and aim to cause as much mischief and chaotic mayhem in a bid to bring about entertainment for herself that she sees as the equivalent to making up for all her lost time in the crypt? If she goes this more evil route, who or what powers will she come up against that will aim to foil her plans, stop, undo and correct what chaos she had managed to achieve and come up against in a battle to have her powers stripped and be returned to her crypt whether to seal her in once again as an undead or would they help release her consciousness from her body to finally die the natural way with her consciousness and soul departing to the afterlife? So many possibilities and chances to gain a more in-depth understanding of her from reminiscing on her parents, childhood from a millennia ago as well as how her powers manifested and experiences in her breathing life that led her towards finding herself currently trapped in her unfortunate situation that was of her own doing. This could make for a really interesting and engrossing story that would be very immersive for a reader. I do hope you consider it one day as this could definitely be expanded to create an increasingly unique and highly engaging novel length book. But whatever you choose to do, I hope you continue to use your natural talents to produce more wonderful stories and longer books. I believe they would be very well received with your engaging style of writing and vividly imaginative storylines that are so unique. Happy Writing