Indiscriminate Mixtures
“Existence is filled with indiscriminate mixtures,” Yadira
noted as she and her father approached West Zecor’s once-stately art museum. “Consider,
for instance, the blessing-curse of our power to grant wishes. Our actions save
lives but destroy worlds. We are endlessly sought after by desperate souls because
of our power, and we are hated and feared for that same power. My soul is
haggard, crushed by the persistent procession of seekers coaxing me with
treasure that I have no use for or, worse, offering up kissable nothings that I
find utterly distasteful.”
“Your temperament is similar to your mother’s,” Nyarlathotep
remarked. “When I first met Nathicana, the troubles of the Cosmos weighed heavy
on her gentle soul. It brought me great joy to ease her burden.”
“Mother’s temperament was softer than mine,” Yadira countered.
“I have no patience for petty tyrants with inflated egos. Do you recall how that
fool Qweh tried to bribe me by offering me my own empire replete with all the
luxury I could dream of? I reminded him in no uncertain terms that if I desired
an empire or luxury, I could have such with the blink of my eyes, a twitch of
my nose, a snap of my fingers, or a wave of my hand. He was truly one of the
most ignoble and ignorant individuals that we have dealt with, do you not
agree?”
“True, but even he had his moments. He did, after all,
commission the creation of this museum.”
“Ondina was the force behind that. The sweet princess wished
to give hope to the realm’s many artistic failures, making them feel if only for
a moment as if their futile efforts might count for something.”
“Everyone wishes to be immortal. Those whose works reside
eternally in this museum mausoleum were granted a measure of immortality when
their pieces became part of West Holpry’s celebrated art collection. People
like believing in the pretends, Yadira. And, as you know, sometimes things that
appear to be fabrications are actually doorways to different realities.”
“Everyone wishes to be immortal, yet those who are immortal
often wish that they were not,” Yadira mused. “There may be something to be
said for having a lifespan so short that one never loses innocence. It is
impossible to maintain uncorrupted hope and belief once pain, loss, and
injustice have become a part of life. When one has lived as long as we have, a
hardness forms around a heart pierced by a dagger that can never be removed.
Oh, dear, I am sure that you must despair of this conversation. Let me try things
your way. Look at the algon that have escaped their globes and climbed the
walls. They resemble drawings made from phosphorescent chalk.”
“I appreciate the appearance of the colonies that have
formed along the walls where water drips and streams from the roof,” Nyarlathotep
agreed. “There are those who would say that the algon are weeds that need to be
eliminated, but this would certainly be a dull world without the beauty of the
algon. This colony is a striking shade of juniper, while its neighbor has taken
on a hue of opalescent iris. Has it occurred to you, my daughter, that we may
have answered Zecor’s prayer to be free of the two-legged parasites that colonized
it? The psychic screams of tortured phantasms grow fainter with the passage of
time.”
Acknowledgments
Nyarlathotep is the creation of H.P. Lovecraft, initially
appearing in his 1920 story of the same name.
Nathicana is the creation of H.P. Lovecraft, initially
appearing in his 1927 poem Nathicana.
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie
Sunday Writing Prompt
Wordle
https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2021/03/15/wordle-229-2/
Putting My Feet in the Dirt
http://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com
Reedsy Prompts
https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Submitted to the Start your story with the line, “That’s the
thing about this city…” prompt on 19 March 2021.
The following prompts were also utilized in the creation of
this story:
Write a story that takes place in the same building but in
two very different time periods.
Set your story in a major city that your character has a
love-hate relationship with.
Words for Wednesday
https://myjustsostory.blogspot.com/2021/03/words-for-wednesday-1732021.html
Note This
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Hilary's words fitted seamlessly into this excerpt from your tale. Thank you for joining us.
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