Posts tagged writing

Before and after. Then and now. These are words people always use to describe life. But I have never found much difference between the two. If you asked why, I could hardly tell you, except that I found both to be very much the same. Whether this was due to the stagnant nature of my being or some other mysterious reason, I doubt I’d ever be able to say. They were simply words that never lent themselves to proper descriptions.

You may compare the change between then and now and view it as before and after. However this is a description and conclusion only understandable by you. Not me, never me. You see I do not change, no matter how much time passes, I am always the same. Still. Forever unchanging in this fast-paced world.

Not that I am complaining, there is something to be appreciated from the sameness that many run from. I just wish you and all the others could find a different set of words. It is not always best to compare the past with the present after all. Sometimes the telling and the living can be so much more if you just used different words. Is that too much to ask?

The fire flickered in front of her. A blaze that somehow managed to warm her from inside out. Sitting there, she could almost imagine that things had gone well. That she had not been thrown aside, that she was not a replaceable object. She breathed in the smell of burning wood and smoke, a scent that took her back, back to a time when things had been simpler, more enjoyable.

But that was far too long ago and she was sitting in front of this blaze by herself, her only company the buzzing insects and distant trees. Her friends had been right, she had needed to get out of the house.

Taking another deep breath of the ashes and smoke she closed her eyes, letting her mind drift to the future and the possibilities of better things to come.

As Ellie gazed out the window, watching the trees sway in the breeze, she couldn’t help but think of him. The years had passed much faster than she had expected and if it hadn’t been for her class distracting her, she would have realised that the four year mark had just passed.

Ellie drew her legs to her chest, trying to ignore the ache she felt when she thought of his death. Four years should have been enough time to grieve, yet still she could not stop. She hadn’t even known him for a year when it happened but they had grown so close so fast that it still felt as though she had lost a lifelong friend.

It was these feels that made her so angry towards those who believed someone you only met and talked to on the internet was not a real friend. Ellie would look at them with a harsh look in her eyes and tell them that sometimes internet friends were more real than offline ones. But though Ellie said that, she would then recall that she would never have met him if not for an offline friend.

“Ahh…” she sighed, “Sometimes I’m jealous of her. At least she got to meet him in person.”

And it was because of that friend’s connection with his sister, she thought, that meant they found out about his coma and eventual death.

Her thoughts drifted to more positive memories before once again recalling that she had begun to fancy him. Something that had only been realised when her heart skipped a couple beats when he had suggested he come back to Sydney for her birthday and that this time they would actually meet.

Ellie often wondered if that niggling feeling was the reason she still was in partial denial over his death. As ever year around this time she would lurk on the sites they had both frequented, in the vain hope that it was all some nasty joke.

She rubbed her eyes, thinking those thoughts was both depressing and exhausting. ‘What if?’s did not change what had actually happened.

Reminiscing about the past wasn’t something that May enjoyed doing, but as she folded her clothes into a suitcase, her mind couldn’t help but wander, in an attempt to pinpoint where it had all gone wrong.

She had firmly believed that Ash was the man that she had been looking for her whole life, but even now as separation was confirmed, all May could feel was regret at the loss of their firm friendship. That, she thought, had been the problem, because even now a flash of green hair would pass through her mind’s eye and her heart would ache at the memory of her first love and how she had let it slip through her fingers.

Shaking her head she finished placing all her clothes in the suitcase and began to pack away the precious personal items. It really should have been clear to her, both Ash’s true feelings and her own. The way he had looked at her had never compared with the passion that filled his eyes whenever Misty had entered his sight. Her own feelings should have been clearer still, but it had taken years for either of them to admit that the only reason they were together was because they couldn’t bear to be alone, as who better to spend the rest of your life with than your best friend?

Distracted by her thoughts, the box she held in slipped out of her hands and rolled across the ground, dried petals spilling out across the floor. The scent of roses hit her like a truck and memories of Drew came pouring back. Their first meeting, their first battle, the first rose supposedly for Beautifly. The memories flashed past as May sank to the ground, tears pooling in her eyes as she recalled the first kiss, the ultimatum and the eventual parting of ways. Her home had always been Hoenn, but her calling had always been to travel.

It was time, she thought, to bring this saga to a close. Leaving her half-packed suitcase, she simply grabbed her pokéball bumbag and her old backpack. Today was the day she would find Drew. Today she would rectify the mistake made many years ago. With this firmly etched in her mind, she ran out the door toward her new adventure.

* * *

Ash watched as his ex-fiancé ran out the door, a determined look on her face. A look he hadn’t seen since May had given up on contests. It was good, he thought, that the decision had been an amicable one.

It had never been a hidden fact that they had been each other’s second choice, but it had taken May’s glimpse of Drew on the news as he won the Hoenn Grand Festival for them to realise that friendship was not enough to make this work.

He felt a tug on his jeans and looked down to see Pikachu looking at him, concern written on the pokémon’s face. “It’s alright Pikachu, May just finally realised she couldn’t pretend any more. I think it’s time we did the same, don’t you?”

“Pika!” exclaimed the pokémon in agreement.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters!

Author’s Note: Just something that sprang to mind when I felt compelled to write some contestshipping-ish stuff (it doesn’t even have a title ._.), although this seems to focus more on Ash and May, not entirely sure what to make of that but oh well! Dunno if it’s any good, been awhile since I wrote anything Pokemon-related.

She stared at the hoop she grasped in her hand, light glinting off the glitter that adorned it. Taking a deep breath she threw the hoop high into the air. She watched as the hoop spun, sparkling in the sunlight. It was brand new, no dirt or scratches present but as she caught it in her hand again she knew that wouldn’t last.

(Written in ~60 seconds using the prompt “hoop”)

They were always making plans. For where they would go, for what they would see. But there were some things that just could not be planned for. Some things that just threw everything out and meant you needed to start from scratch. It was these chaotic things they lived for, whether they knew it or not. 

(Written in approximately 60 seconds using the prompt “Plans”)

(Source: snowstormangel5.deviantart.com)

The hills stretched out before her, their magnificent mottled green seeming to go on forever. If she hadn’t known better she would’ve thought that nothing would interfere with such a view. However even from here she could spot the roads, although few, criss-crossing amongst the green, much like badly healed scars.

(Written in ~60 seconds. Prompt: View)

The door creaked as she entered the room. Looking around she could only assume this had once been a study. There was a large wooden desk with papers piled on it and others scattered on the floor. A few crunched beneath her feet as she moved towards the desk. Who had worked here she wondered and where had they gone?

(Written in 60 seconds. Prompt: Study.)

Stunning. It was the only word to use. The lake sparkled in the sunlight, an astonishing mixture of blue and green. The trees swayed with the breeze, the green leaves seemingly ignited by the bright light that shone from the sun. It took her breath away and now she never wanted to leave.

(Written in 60 seconds. Prompt: Stunning.)

The light in front of her flared brightly before quickly going out. She sighed. That had been her last match too. The darkness enveloped her as she pondered what to do next. Being trapped by a collapsed tunnel had not been part of her escape plan and now there was little to do but wait.

(Written in 60 seconds. Prompt: Flare)