As life swelled around me, I needed to push the initial micro tale for a week. Fortunately, these stories tend to come together fast once I settle into the idea. Once the disruption passed, I grabbed my planner and started thinking about the next tale featuring Lucas and Elouise. While I’m building toward their serialized flash fiction, there are several moments that I’m eager to highlight along the way. Armed with a plan and the base seed, I set out to craft this micro tale.
Some stories are carried through bloodlines, while others survive only because someone refuses to release them. In this world, ink can anchor shades with the right preparation, allowing stories and fragments of lives to endure. With the craft dwindling, the burden of carrying another isn’t taken lightly. For Elouise, the path before her still feels uncertain despite learning from Lucas. She’s seen the weight his guests carry and the responsibility that follows him.
As a master of the craft, Lucas seeks to create safe harbor for those searching for a chance to remain. Hoping Elouise might understand that truth, he guides her through the city to visit a woman nearing the end of her life. She has no family and little hope of being remembered once she’s gone. Still, she remembers the kindness Elouise once showed her.
What begins as a simple visit becomes something far more personal. Faced with the possibility of vanishing into silence, the elderly woman asks whether her stories might survive. In turn, Elouise is forced to confront what it means to carry someone forward when the rest of the world has already begun to let them fade.
Excerpt of Carried Stories
Lucas guided Elouise through the city. She walked beside him, her hands tucked into her sleeves, eyes darting everywhere. When Lucas stopped at a house burdened with age, he smiled at Elouise before he guided her inside.
The door creaked as he closed it. With another smile, they walked through the air thick with the hints of dried herbs and time. After passing through another weathered doorframe, they found an elderly woman wrapped up in a quilt. Her head turned, her breath shallow but steady.
The woman’s eyes cracked open as her head inclined before sliding to Lucas. “I’m surprised you came back.”
Lucas crossed the room, taking her hand. “I brought someone to meet you.”
“I didn’t think you’d return,” the woman said with a faint smile. “Most never visit a second time.”
Lucas turned and beckoned Elouise to come near.
As Elouise approached, the woman’s gaze shifted to her.
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