Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Family Tree

"Come in, come in!"  Stanislav motioned the visitor to come over to the window where he sat.  A bare tree with blackened branches sat just outside the window, several branches sitting on the open window sill.   Stefan entered the room, bowing, and sat where he was directed.   An awkward silence descended as the two men eyed each other with the same ice-blue eyes, the same proud chin. 

"So!"  Stanislav clapped his hands together.  "You are blood--er, family?"   The old man's accent was thick, reminding Stefan of his long dead grandfather.  He smiled as he nodded.

Stanislav leaned forward.  "I thought that all such records had been destroyed."

"My great-great grandmother, your sister, kept a bible,"  Stefan began, but Stanislav cut him off.

"Ah yes, a bible.  She has a sense of humor, my sister."  Stanislav sat back thoughtfully, staring out of the open window.   More of the branches seemed to be protruding into the open window, as if the tree were trying to climb inside.  "She never understood that our Druid blood is cursed."

"You should not have come, young man." Stanislav began chanting softly, and his head dropped forward to his chest.  Concerned, Stefan stood up.  A hungry black branch shot from the tree at the window, piercing Stefan's Achilles.  He screamed as a second branch pierced his wrist; a third tore through his throat, silencing him.  The rest of the branches impaled Stefan in a macabre embrace.

Stanislav watched sadly as the tree drained the blood from Stefan, then pulled the lifeless body over the window sill and deep into the soil, where the roots would feast upon the remains.  The tree was alive once more.  Bright pink blooms were rapidly sprouting  from the once dead branches,  and Stanislav felt the rush of health flooding his veins, healing his afflictions.

He would call his sister this evening, to thank her for her sacrifice.






The prompt is the third definition of the word 'blood'.



The prompt is a tree blooming with pink flowers, and a quote.  

27 comments:

  1. Good story! I love these trifecta prompts!

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  2. That's one mean family tree.

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  3. Love the way you combined the two prompts. Brilliant!

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  4. Love it. Dark and twisted, with family secrets and surprising beauty. Did I mention I love it?

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  5. Dark and lovely. I adore the "tree of life" concept.

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  6. Love it. Just remind me to steer clear of trees in your yard. ;)

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    1. We did not plant any vampire trees, I promise.

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  7. Whoa, great take on that family tree.. tree of life - and death... well drawn.

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  8. That was bizarre! Poor Stefan- a victim of the the cursed family tree.

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  9. WOW!!!! I think this is the best story I've read this morning! It's unexpected. It's irreverent. It's unconventional. I love it.


    http://artographja.com/

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  10. Wow! There are some major skeletons in this family's closet!

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  11. Replies
    1. That is what I was going for. Thanks for reading!

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  12. Ooh, I really like this! So creepy. And so creative. Remind me never to look up old relatives...

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    Replies
    1. He he..those old folks hide lots of secrets!

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  13. Shades of Avatar, with a very wicked twist!

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  14. Ahhh! The descriptions here are very vivid, almost theatrical. I can see it all playing out. Great job with the prompt(s)!!

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  15. Nice creepiness with the tree and twist of fate. I know it's my brain but had to read twice because both characters had names beginning with S. Got them confused. It's okay now. Hope I'm not on that family tree somewhere!

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  16. This was deliciously creepy! I'll be working in my garden today, but I won't turn my back on my old apple tree. Just in case...;)

    Great job!!

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  17. Well, the commute to school just took on a more sinister aspect...

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I welcome comments, but reserve the right to correct your spelling because I am OCD about it!