Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

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Angie’s Tale

The crunch of the leaves under Angie’s boots chilled her to the bone. She was running, running in the forest. Why? Why was she running? She couldn’t remember. She couldn’t remember anything.

Hiss.

Angie froze. It was them. Who is them? she wondered. She turned around.

She remembered them now.

The horrifying spirit floated in midair, its bat-like wings flapping noiselessly. Its fangs were bared, gaping mouth wide, emitting black fog. Its gray antlers were sticking in all directions, and its large, beady black eyes bore into Angie. Silvery black mist shrouded the creature as its long black tail whipped back and forth behind it. A large scar ran across it’s vaguely humanoid face. It let out a horrible, ear-splitting shriek, calling on more spirits. The creatures’ atoms reformed before Angie’s eyes, hungrily extending their claws. She screamed.

No one heard.

Or no one cared enough to venture in this forest, was Angie’s last thought before she felt her atoms drifting away from her soul. A few seconds later, and all that was left was a bloody carcass sprawled in the dirt, never to be found again. No one remembered Angie’s tale.