Welcome to this week’s installment of many micro stories, ranging in length from 100 words to 500 words.
With each story we hope to deliver a little whimsy into the lives of our readers.
THE LONGEST NIGHT
The doe emerged from the pine shadows as the sun bled its final light across the frozen meadow. Her breath crystallised in silver plumes, each exhale a prayer to the dying day. This was the solstice — the earth’s deepest sleep, when darkness claimed dominion over the world.
She had witnessed a lifetime of these longest nights, each one carving deeper wisdom into her amber eyes. The forest held its breath around her, snow-heavy branches bending like cathedral arches. In the distance, her daughters waited, their spotted coats now winter-brown, learning the ancient patience their kind had perfected.
The doe lifted her muzzle to taste the star-sharp air. Tomorrow, she knew, the light would return — tentative at first, then bold. But tonight belonged to the velvet darkness, to the whispered secrets of snow, to the sacred turning of the world’s great wheel. She stepped forward into the vast, waiting night.
Laura Shenton is probably best known for her music non-fiction, particularly Dance With The Devil – The Cozy Powell Story (Wymer Publishing) and Tommy Bolin – In and Out of Deep Purple (Sonicbond Publishing).
Her fiction books are character-driven with a short, punchy narrative that gets straight to the point – typically novellas and novelettes. Genres include gothic, fantasy, and adventure (mostly, with the occasional diversion).
Laura’s children’s books are simple, accessible, and fun – an excellent choice for youngsters with fertile imaginations who are just beginning their reading journey.
If you enjoyed this story you can find it and more in the Hawthorn & Ash anthology.
Iron Faerie Publishing 