Marie

The Escalator

Marie van Derloon was filthy from head to toe, having been out in the forest all day looking for wild carrots, turnips, and anything to stock her pantry with. She had no magic now, that she was punished by the Jardine. She could not magically create a supper for herself, or stoke a fire with just the tips of her fingers. 

It had been discovered that her potions for illness were mostly pretend claims, made of herbs and alcohol, at best. Her magic was connected to her knowledge of animal ways and wants, but the rings kept her alive as a Witch. She had not been a very bookish girl and failed to understand potions and healing. She had excelled in Natural Talents, those of the Earth. That is how she earned her rings as a Witch and a Sorceress. It was the rings that gave her power, Marie knew.

Now, her rings of enlightenment had been taken from her by The Jardine. She could not show that she was a Sorceress. Now she just looked (and was) a filthy beggar. 

 She had only been shackled in the public square for ten days for lying and misleading the people. The Jardine said it was an act of mercy that she did not kill her. She acted like it was such a kindness as she shackled her up. For ten days, she wept and begged for her freedom, from the bars of a cage, from townsfolk who she had known her whole life; and had helped more than hurt. 

She knew she had done wrong. But, times were hard. It had been difficult even with the bit of magic she did have. And many of the townsfolk were rich merchants with thick purses who did not know the pinch of hunger. It made sweet Marie resent them, as they used her as an entertainment, while she was on display in the cage. Starving, with only ladles of water given each day and grateful for moldy bread.

Now, she was searching for tuber roots and edible mushrooms, anything to fill her pot and tummy. The residents of the town had jeered at her, and claimed her powerless, due to the failed potions.

How she wished to tell them that she was not so, but her lips would not work. Her brain seemed fit to explode with the information. Marie wanted to tell the people of the town that the nastier trick was how the Jardine had sucked her power from her. The memory of that incident got weaker and weaker every day, like a dream.

The only thing Marie could of to get her magic back was to get her rings.Getting to the Jardine herself was the test. That was like climbing aboard a raft surrounded by sharks, opening up the jaws of a tiger. Facing the Jardine was nasty business. She was flummoxed. Did she want her magic, or did she want to live?

She called Simon to her. Being of the Earth, Marie spoke the language of the birds. The Jardine could not take that from her. It was a talent she had, much like mixing the potions was not. Simon was a black crow with a beautiful shiny pelt and wise eyes. He landed on her van brace and cawed back a hello to her. It was then that she told him of her idea that he could spy on the Jardine. Perhaps, even to get into her good graces. While she looked for more hospitable places for both of them. Where people with magic were, who would embrace a disgraced Sorceress. 

Author's Note

Write a scene of 250-350 words featuring a character with one concrete want (a table, a moose, a toothbrush, anything physical is fine!) and one weakness. Use these two features to drive the action of the plot. Set up the story where every other sentence is a rising action. To help you come up with rising actions, use one word from the following list of twelve words in each sentence that has a rising action. In other words: Write your first sentence introducing your character. Make the next sentence a rising action using one of the following twelve words. Write your third sentence, which may introduce the weakness, then write your fourth sentence with a rising action that includes one of the remaining eleven words you haven’t used. And so on.

trick
memory
aboard
tiger
pretend
carrot
appliance
cage
rings
crow
filthy
explode
You must use at least 6 of the 12 words, but you are encouraged to challenge yourself to use as many of the words as possible while still meeting the word count.

This is a home work assignment! I need help!