Dunluce Castle Finds His Lady

I stood fortified and strong. Wrapped in rugged lands and harsh seas, I defied all that had come to conquer or condemn my wards for centuries. But... it had been years since I had felt the warmth of humanity within my stone walls.

Only those calling themselves tourists and those scavengers of movie producers and actors had run across my fortress and I had allowed it.... as the sun stood on guard, ever watchful. But at night, I played my tricks. I let the wind race along my passages calling out in eerie blather. Her sorrowful moans even set my own stone foundation to shuddering, but I only laughed at our game as I watched those crazy fools who dared trespass into my hallowed halls at night. They couldn’t get away fast enough.

But one day SHE came.
         Glory herself.
                   The image of my Lady so long ago.
Her golden hair flying in the wind. Wild and reckless, yet so sad, she looked. Like life had tried to twist its blade into her and yet, she had survived, though barely. I could feel her pain, pulsing like a jack hammer.... It was wrapped up around steel bands of pure determination and I felt her hope. It was like the whisperings of the gentle breeze that came in the gloriousness of summer. It was weak, but I knew she would grow stronger.

My heart swelled and I called to her, hoping that she could hear. And she did. I watched with bated breath as she moved towards me, slowly at first, then faster as if gaining confidence. At my walls, her hand reached out and touched my stone facade and I felt myself tremble. She felt it too, but though her eyes widened, she did not run scared. Instead, she smiled. It was like watching the sun break through after weeks, no months, of misty fog and rain. The cold dissipated and I pulled in her warmth, longing for her to stay. Telling her to stay. She did.

She entered in through the crumbing hole that was once my grand gate. She looked around like this was home... like she had finally come home. And I felt her heart rise and sing. Her voice joined the song and carried up around the battlements, easing out my tension. Her song was strong and clear. Her Irish lilt a comfort beyond any I had ever known. This was my Lady reincarnated. She had come back to me..She swept through the castle making sure to miss no nook or cranny and I felt her presence like a balm.

When night fell, I cradled her. Telling the wind to hush and she listened, giving only a soft sigh as she moved on. My Lady slept in the uppermost tower. Her dreams stirred up memories of the past and I soothed her when she felt the tremors of her pain. I knew she would need to go. That saddened me, but now I knew, she knew me... and in the morning when she left, she was stronger. I knew she would return and I would carry her memory in my heart forever.

Word Count = 526

Requirements - Personification ▼

While poets use personification often in writing poetry, in this activity we will be focusing on using this device in a short story/flash fiction and offering each other reviews based heavily—though not entirely— on how well each story was personified. Think about the root word person here. The idea is that the non-human object or abstract concept can take on the emotions, desires, will, sensations, actions or even speech of a human. You may choose to use one or all of the above in your story.

Famous examples: Tolkien's ents—walking, talking trees who also do battle, E. T. A. Hoffmann: in which young Marie Stahlbaum's favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls, Beauty and the Beast includes the personification of a clock, a candlestick, a teapot, a feather duster, Alice in Wonderland personifies flowers, rabbits, and a deck of cards, and The Wizard of Oshas many: flowers, a scarecrow, a tin man and apple trees, and Pinocchio.

These stories don't have to be written for just children. You can take it to the creepy side. Consider Steven King's Christine, a jealous car that can talk through its radio, lock its own doors, start itself, put itself into gear, and even kill—now that's a great personified horror tale!

Anthropomorphism:

Personification of animals will be allowed in your story as long as the personified animal is not your main character/narrator.

While your personified characters may use dialog, you may not include any humans talking. Your character/narrator may relate something they said or did, but don't include any human dialog.

My story: 500 – 1500 words – personify a haunted Irish Castle. August 29, 2016