It’s beginning to feel festive here at Wordsmith HQ! To keep the festive spirit going, this week’s #WednesdayWords prompt is…
One present sat, unopened, under the tree…
You could go in any direction with this prompt! To give you a bit more of a taste, we had a go!
I walked into the room, the fire burning low, casting an orange hue across the worn rug on the floor. Everyone had moved into the kitchen, ready to eat the leftovers from Christmas dinner yet I was drawn back to this room and the tree. It dwarfed the furniture, towering like a monolith above the leather sofa’s and wooden dressers, branches trimmed with pine needles and tinsel. We’d opened presents earlier, as was our family tradition, but as I moved towards the tree a glint of something shiny caught my eye. Kneeling down, I crawled under the low hanging branches, the fire providing some scattered light. One present sat, unopened, under the tree, pushed to the back, trailing edged of a gold bow fluttering down it’s sides. I knew the present hadn’t been there earlier; I’d been the one to crawl under the tree to retrieve the last few gifts for family members and this one definitely hadn’t been here. I would have spotted the gold and the bright red wrapping paper that pulsed in the shadows of the branches. Tentatively I reached a hand out, almost scared to touch it. The paper was smooth and cold under my fingers but it sent a little jolt across my body. Pulling it out, I clambered away from the fronds of pine and settled into the chair by the tree, sinking into the soft leather with the present sat squarely on my lap. There was no label, no indication of who it was for and, as I inspected it, I could see the lid was already separate from the box, meaning I could just pull it off. Casting a glance down the hallway towards the kitchen, I took a deep breath and wriggled the lid off. My mouth fell open and the lid dropped to the floor. Inside the box, a pair of eyes regarded me, sparkling even in the low light, full of mischief. I couldn’t move. With a flutter, the creature flew out of the box and settled onto the arm of the chair. Now that it was in the light, I could see wings of gossamer beating gently, attached to a iridescent skinned body. Purple hair fell in silken waves down her back, gently resting on the edges of the dress she wore. She smiled at me, revealing tiny pointed teeth and pushed her hair back from sculpted, sharp ears. Footsteps down the hall distracted me; I quickly shoved the empty box under the tree, making sure none of the ribbon trail poked out. When I turned back to the chair she was gone. A low, tinkling laugh made me look over to the branches of the tree where she stood, like a statue, against the tinsel. As the footsteps grew louder, she winked at me and froze, looking for all the world like another decoration…
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