Prompt Link
Prompt Word: Dream Catcher
Perched high up on a tree branch, the owl bobbed it’s head briskly as it’s yellow eyes glared absently into the night sky. His head quickly rotated down as his eyes zeroed in on a mouse scampering across the dirt, then through a patch of shrubs, and out of sight. The owl then resumed his blank stare with occasional brisk head bobs as he scanned the night sky.
The mouse had felt the pressure of the owl’s gaze and instinctively went through a small opening in the birchbark wall of the dome where Naajwi, the little girl, snored lightly. He lifted his nose and looked around as he surveyed the wigwam for scents of food. And when his nose caught scent of some maple sugar that had been spilled on the table in the corner, he scurried about looking for the nearest object to climb. Ah, the mosaic twig stool next to the table. He stood up on his hind legs to put his front paws on the foot of the stool -- it was more slippery than he thought. The desperate pitter-patter of his paws on the stool released a sound into the quiet night air. Naajwi tossed and turned, while still asleep, in response to the light scratching sound.
What started out as sound waves began to curve into luminescent ornamental spirals as they traveled throughout the air. The sound amplified as it made its way toward Naajwi and incorporated into her dreams; A nightmare of a wolf scratching at the door mixed in with a pleasant dream of her older sister brushing her hair with a porcupine hide brush. The sparkling particles of the dream began to condense as they transitioned closer to the dream catcher that hung on the wall near her bed. It pulled the dreams toward its web like a gravitational force. The nightmare about the wolf dispensed across the web as it hit the sinew cords and was slowly absorbed by the fibers. All the while, the pleasant hair-brushing dream became heavier as it repelled the cords within the willow hoop and trickled down onto the beads and owl feathers that dangled upside down from leather string suspended from the hoop.
The owl perched itself outside the wigwam instinctively knowing its molted feathers reside there. The mouse decided to venture out, but quickly returned inside the wigwam once the owl swooped down in an attempt to grab him. He scurried over to Naajwi’s sleeping mat and attempted to burrow into her dark hair. Dig, dig, dig. His tiny paws scratched until they matted the hair. He climbed into his cozy burrow and slept through the night; not making a sound when he left early in the morning. Naajwi protected the mouse from the owl, while the owl’s feathers protected Naajwi at night.
"Naajwi, dear," said her mother the next day, "why is your hair a mess?"
"I don't know..." Naajwi said slowly, pondering to herself, as she brought her hand up to her hair.
"Wenona," her mother called over to her sister, "be sure to brush Naajwi's hair today before you head out."
Wenona looked up as she was sprinkling some maple sugar onto her breakfast. As she became distracted by her mother's request, a little bit of sugar fell out of the spoon onto the table.
This is a nice accurate story with a beautiful narrative. One can imagine objects and situations very fluidly. It made me a little funny to think that the girl's hair was the victim of a dream. Greetings!
Thank you, and thanks for reading ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
This was a wonderful read. A nicely textured and clever story, well conceived, tightly written with good structure. I loved the circular theme. We are left wondering which occurrence might have started the continuous cycle of events, as each appears dependent on the one before it. Bravo.
Thank you, I only thought of the circular theme as I had written almost all of the story and didn't know how to end it. That's why I've always loved the writing advice that says "just start writing and the ideas will form as you go."
It worked incredibly well!! I generally write out of sequence myself. Sometimes I start at the beginning, sometimes the end, sometimes the middle. I sleep on thoughts and ideas, ruminate, allow them space to breathe. You did a wonderful job with this piece.
Thank you! Exactly, you write one part and then build off of that - that's how to get the ideas rolling. I like to sleep on it and come back to it after a day, too.
This story made my day. I read it through a couple of times :-) Just as an artist sits at a canvas and places their brush just so - each drop of paint perfectly positioned for the desired effect when we step back and admire the bigger picture - so you have carefully constructed your story. The final line was a delight! Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece with us. !LUV
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Thank you, your comment made my day ; )
I hope to see a lot more of your fiction in The Ink Well. It was a treat to read.
The end of the story takes us to the beginning. Interesting. I read the story more than twice. Beautifully written.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
You are welcome.
This was awesome :) I do wonder if the sugar ended up in the mouse!
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Thank you : )