Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Eternal Fire





Here's the link to the poem, Listen to the Madness, that inspired the characterization dialogue exercise titled, Burning Damnation, which inspired tonight's flash fiction piece. Enjoy!


Eternal Fire
By Nomar Knight


     “It’s no use to try and wriggle free, you will burn, witch!”
     The townsmen watched as Katrina struggled with her bindings. Lord Mortimer took charge of providing justice.
     “You’ve all gone mad.” She scanned her executioners with a defiant gleam in her eyes. “I am but a simple midwife.”
     Lord Mortimer sneered, “You poisoned our Lord’s wife. She gave birth to an abomination.” He signaled two men carrying lit torches and continued, “He had to kill it and for that, you must pay!”
     The men lit the wood. 
     “No! Don’t light those twigs!” Outrage poured from her voice. 
     Lord Mortimer considered himself a firm, and righteous man. With smoke rising before them he said, “The flames of hell will consume you.”
     He pretended to walk away, but quickly turned and faced Katrina for effect. “Did you not see the look on my Lord’s face when he saw the beast? Did you not hear his whimpers when he was forced to stab the thing through the heart?”
     Katrina coughed and scoffed, “He played with the devil and lost.”
     “No, you evil witch! You alone are responsible for the tragic event.”
     Lord Mortimer wished he could inflict more pain upon the evil wench. 
     “Please, untie me.” Katrina’s voice broke as her lips quivered from desperation.
     Lord Mortimer grinned, “You can cough and gag all night, but your pleas fall on deaf ears.”
     “Please!” Tears streamed down red cheeks. “Mercy!”
     Laughing, Lord Mortimer turned to the bloodthirsty crowd. “The smell of witch defiles the air. Compatriots, cover your mouths, lest she poison us all.”
     They all laughed and jeered.
     While the flames consumed her legs, Katrina growled through clinched teeth. “I swear before the Dark Lord, evil will fall upon all who misjudged me.” In a childlike tone, she added, “I gave her a potion to save the child, but alas, the innocent paid for the sins of the father.”
     “So you admit to sorcery?”
     With immeasurable agony on her face she replied amid cries, “Doctoring is not witchcraft.”
     “What satisfaction to hear the evil witch scream!” With his chest out he proclaimed, “The flames of justice are beyond your powers.”
     Panting and screaming, Katrina said, "I...curse...all...your...firstborn...”
     The crowd gasped!
     She continued, “Deformed...faces...full...of...thorns.”
     The flames grew larger, covering Katrina. 
     “Die Witch!”
     Refusing to succumb to the flames she said, “Families...will...starve.”
     Feeling smug, Lord Mortimer smiled, “Your words have no power here.”
     Whispered from the cackling flames, “Starve...for...eternity.”
     Lord Mortimer yelled, triumphantly, “Rot in hell!”
     To this day, it is rumored that the ancestors of those who misjudged Katrina can hear her whispers, just before the curse reignites the eternal flame that brings deformities to their firstborn, and the destruction of their crops.



© Copyright Nomar Knight 2015. All rights reserved.
A Knight Chills Flash Fiction Presentation.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

A Burning Damnation




     I recently wrote a poem called Listen to the Madness, about a man who burns a witch at the stake. At the time, I felt like writing about a witch, but had no idea who the characters were or how the poem would turn out until I wrote it. You may click on the poem's title so you can check it out. 
     Now, the unknown characters intrigued me to the point that I decided to use a writing technique to get to know them. What follows is my unedited dialogue between the man and the victim (witch). In the coming days I will post the flash fiction piece that was fleshed out from this exercise. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at the results. Enjoy. 


A Burning Damnation
By Nomar Knight


“It’s no use to try and wriggle free, you will burn, witch!”
“You’ve all gone mad. I am but a simple midwife.”
“You poisoned our lord’s wife. She birthed an abomination. He had to kill it. For that you must pay.”
“No! Don’t light those twigs!”
“The flames of hell will consume you. Did you not see the look on my lord’s face when he saw the beast? Did you not hear his whimpers when he was forced to stab the thing through the heart?”
“He played with the devil and lost.”
“No, you evil witch! You alone are responsible for the tragic event.”
“Please...untie me.”
“You can cough and gag all night. Your pleas fall on deaf ears.”
“Please! Mercy!”
“The smell of witch defiles the air. Compatriots, cover your mouths, lest she poison us all.”
“I swear before the Dark Lord, evil will fall upon all who misjudged me. I gave her a potion to save the child, but alas, the innocent paid for the sins of the father.”
“So you admit to sorcery?”
“Doctoring is not witchcraft.”
“What satisfaction to hear the evil witch scream! The flames of justice are beyond your powers.”
“I...curse...all...your...firstborn...deformed...faces...full...of...thorns”
“Die witch!”
“Families...will...starve.”
“Your words have no power here.”
“Starve...for...eternity.”
“Rot in hell!”


© Copyright Nomar Knight 2015. All rights reserved.
A Knight Chills Presentation.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Listen to the Madness






Listen to the Madness
By Nomar Knight



Listen to flicks of flames
It dances pricks and maims
Consumes flesh inch by inch
Chars a permanent pinch

Listen to the witch scream
Stuck in a morbid scene
Cries while choking on smoke 
She gags and squeals and pokes

Listen to enraged mob
Deaf to her desperate sobs
Brandished ignorant hate
Deciding witch's fate

Listen to cries of few
From Mercy's righteous pew 
Failed to shed holy light
Witnesses of scorched night

Listen to Witch's vow
She'll get vengeance somehow
Deformed the first newborn
Cripples adorned with thorns

Listen to raging wind
Homes will crumble with sin
Floods mutilating crops
Madness that never stops

Listen to sounds of hell
Decrepit souls that yell
Bound to torturous plight
Expelled in endless night

Listen to father time
Erasing the sublime
Just when all hope shines through
The curse ignites anew


©2015 Nomar Knight. All rights reserved.
A Knight Chills poetic presentation.