“I Promise”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Sunlight snaked through the cracks in the walls, highlighting the vines that hand long overtaken the once-delicate tile inside. Thick roots burst through the marble flooring, leaving jagged edges of tile sticking out between the greenery.

The forest floor extended all the way to the stairs, each step also covered in greenery. If one looked closely, they might have been able to discern the carefully sculpted railings beneath the twisting vines. The grand staircase, some had called it. Now, it was another climbing planter for the ever-growing forest.

The sunlight struggled to brighten the top of the stairs. A painting hung there, covered in so much dust that the ornate golden frame was the only indication that anything was there at all. Parts of the dust had been wiped away, revealing faded faces.

A king. A queen. And a prince.

As the sun rose higher, the rays lowered to spill over the man kneeling among the plants before the painting. He stayed still, head bowed, while the sun rose to its highest. Completely bathed in sunlight, he shifted slightly, relieving his numb legs for a moment, before resuming his stillness. Only once the moon had taken the sun’s place did he raise his head to look up into the eyes of his wife and son.

“Soon,” he whispered, his words echoing around the empty hall, “I will see you again. I promise.”

Final Comments: It took me a lot longer to think of the descriptive words that I wanted to use, and I feel like there’s a lot of repetition/similar wording in the first bit about the vines and greenery. But I really enjoyed visualizing the scene!

Overall Rating: 🥺