Invitation To a Cleansing (Short Story) | "Talent Tuesdays" in FreeCompliments Community

I'm here again to share with you another project for "Talent Tuesdays". "Invitation to a Cleansing" is the theme in which I envisioned a mysterious island.

Once endowed with beauty, Hannah fell ill under suspicious circumstances. Rumors circulated involving one of her extended family members. The cause spoken of was jealousy. Of course, a love triangle was at the root of the dispute. Her body was ablaze as she lived in torment unable to distinguish the flames surrounding her.

A mysterious old man approached her one evening after hearing of her unusual ailment. He confronted her, careful not to frighten.

Noticing her distress he spoke calmly, "A place I know can lift the curse that has been placed upon you." He continued, "all will be well. I'll deal with the perpetrator in due time."

Astonished and not knowing whether to believe this stranger, Hanna merely nodded as though her speech had been taken away from her as well.

Having now learned of the healing work done by the elusive priestess who dwelled on the island, she set out to discover whether she can be cured of the disease that's ravishing her body.

As she traveled to the edge of the rocky shore, she's tempted to return home. Knowing she's an outcast and unable to socialize with anyone for fear they'll perish at her touch saddened her. Returning to normal as other young girls her age, overshadowed her fear.

In the distance, a bright light struggled to shine through the night's threatening clouds that gathered.

Across the water lies her salvation. The forbidden island.

For a long moment, she stared, hesitating to summon the boat that would transport her to the island. A force moving toward her caught her attention. She glanced upward as the sorceress' image became visible while whispering her name. She was unable to resist.

What a menacing mirage she encountered as two giant gray statutes stood on the island's edge. But they weren't ghosts as she first surmised. She had no way of knowing that the statutes were protectors or barriers to prevent outsiders from encroaching on the island refuge.

The priestess, adorned in flowers, with am emblem on her forehead, captivated Hannah with her smoldering emerald eyes. A new subject to heal, the priestess felt, as Hannah's boat approached. The priestess also could sense the young girl's pain and suffering.

All will be well, dear Hannah, she promised as the boat docked. One of the gray statutes knelt and picked Hanna up in the palm of his hand. It turned and placed her in the priestess' care.

While Hannah healed, she was promised sanctuary from the curse placed upon her.

In designing my mixed media art project, the theme I wanted to portray entailed a mysterious female inhabiting an equally mysterious island off the coast of a remote village. For the mysterious female, I utilized a stable diffusion program StarryAI to produce the sorceress. The image I retrieved complemented my text input description.

Other images I included helped gave substance to the mysterious island concept. The vibrant and fiery background displaying two opposing statutes, in my opinion, represented protection as they guarded the island.

^{LMAC-Round 219 Contest Image ~ Gray statutes ~ Woman on fire ~ Storks}