Member-only story
Not All Wells Are Well Wells
Short Fiction From The Archive
[CONTENT DISCLAIMER] This piece of fiction, originally written in June of 2020, deals with dark themes, including abrupt violence. If you prefer not to consume material of this nature, stop reading now.
As I wandered into the forest green, on a path to a place I could not know, I spied a well in the distance.
‘At last,’ I thought, ‘an opportunity to slake my thirst. Too long have I walked this barren path from back there to nowhere.’
As I approached ever closer, I noticed the dance of a wood nymph around and around the stone reservoir, set to the music of an ethereal pan flute emanating out of the boughs of the stately trees. It witnessed my approach and with a simple leap, hovered above the ground, floating gently back and forth as if gliding on the wind.
“Welcome weary Traveler,” it said with a voice of song. “This is the Well of Knowledge. Face the Well, sacrifice desire, and the Book of the Age will be open to you.”
A somewhat cryptic message, I mused as I glanced down into the depths, but it was clear none the less. I would have to give up something to gain something. I could not see any water but I ignored the incongruity as I took stock of my load. I knew that I had few possessions and very little money. The…
