TuesdayTales 16 on Glitterlady's Blog

Read the other stories and take part in the challenge here.

I watch the men untangle their nets and curse when they find a hole big enough for a dolphin to escape. A smile crosses my face as I stand up; the last time I cut their traps they caught me and kept me whelved under a boat while the guards were coming to fetch to me. This time they could only curse and accuse me.

One of the men stands up and waves his hand at me. I can make out the words “go away” and “abomination”. I happily oblige, exchanging the view of the vast ocean for a sea of dewy grass. The breath of the ocean still lingers; I catch a drop on the tip of my finger and lift it to my parched lips. The sea itself is forbidden to me, for I dared to love one of its beings. Dared to…

My sweetling cannot exist above the waves and I cannot abandon the ones who raised me, my friends, those who need me. The humans try to force me to choose, but why should a shapeshifter choose between earth and sea, when he can have both?

Tuesday Tale Challenge 3 on Glitterlady's blog

 The other stories can be found here.

His foot was caught by a crack in the road, sending him down. The concrete kissed his cheek roughly. Ignoring the pain, he got up and ran, spurred by the fear that they might have followed. He chanced a quick look back, but the old splintered road was empty. The trees swayed and the stars sparkled above, but nothing else moved. Stopping to catch his breath he contemplated what had happened.

They tried to burn me alive. But fire was his ally; the flames had burned the ropes and parted before him. They fear me, only because I’m cursed with magic.

Tuesday Tale Challenge on Glitterlady's blog

Read the other stories here.

Cold gnawed her hand, yet she picked up the brittle flower from the snow. It was dead, as she should be. Envy surged through her; she crushed the wilted flower inside her fist. Her life had been an average one: she’d married, had children, then died calmly.

It was what came after the death that had frightened her; the realization that she was leaving her loved ones behind and stepping into a new plane of existence. Her feelings had been lugubrious, a clump of sorrow and fear lodged in her heart.

She should have been afraid of the offer of immortality instead.