You deserve better

     I wield my pen

     polish your beauty

     mirror your soul

     coddle it on paper

You deserve better

     I inscribe your scars

     with angel’s breath

     wrap you in loving words

     meant to embrace

You deserve better

     I understand your pain

     bedeck in gauzy words

     draw the butterscotch moon

     to radiate on your face

You deserve better

     My words breathe for you

     to give you respite

     erasing the smudges

     that tarnish your life

You deserve better

     I autograph a tranquil mind

     expose you to a gossamer life

     draw the inner art of you

     let you find your sacred place.

                      The Day After the Contest (Present Day)

         Yesterday the superintendent, the principal, the vice principal, and several teachers and students went missing from Prose High. However, one of the adults that went missing didn’t work at Prose High at all. That adult was Harry Situation, who owned the biggest newspaper in the country. Everyone was at Prose High for the tenth annual playwright writing contest, which had taken place in the school’s auditorium after school that day. Something must have gone wrong. “How do so many people just disappear?”, thought the Chief of the Prose Police Department Andrew Regin. Sheriff Brittney Sowards had decided to find the surveillance tape from the auditorium. When they watched the tape, they saw everything up to and including the three flashes of light. After the third flash, everyone had vanished. It didn’t make sense.“Where could they have gone?”, said Sheriff Brittney Sowards to Chief Regin. “I don’t know, but with one of the missing persons being Harry Situation it won’t be long before this becomes a national story. Journalists from all over the country are going to want to ask us questions about this and we won’t have many answers. Conspiracy theorist are gonna have a field day with this one.”, said Chief Regin. “I hate to say it, but you are absolutely right about this one.”, said the sheriff.

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503 Years Earlier……….

Only the sound of metal against metal breaks the silence of the dark Dragon Forest. The wind picks up speed and becomes heavy. The temperature of the forest is dropping like a stone. Yet two spies are are fighting each other. The best spy of the Lambian Empire and the best spy of Revolution as a matter of fact. Fauxhero swings his sword at Sandflea68. She dodges. Sandflea68 tries to stab him in the chest and misses. This sword fight has been going on for almost an hour. Fauxhero starts to realize that those women he saw earlier has probably reached General Paul D. Chambers and warned him about the surprise attack. He had failed in his effort to stop them. Besides, Sandflea68 was not letting up and he would be no good to the empire by being dead, which he might soon be from fighting this woman. Fauxhero swings again at Sandflea68, but when she goes to dodge he then kicks her. As Sandflea68 is getting back up from the ground, he runs to his horse and mounts it. “Until next time, Sandflea68”, he says before taking off for the Emperor’s Palace. Emperor Lamb would want to see him. “I can’t believe that woman forced me to run, I need to find a way to take care of her.”, Fauxhero thinks to himself.

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Andy Betz had written the Twain Manifesto, a powerful pamphlet about the need for revolution. History would later say that he wrote the Twain Constitution as well. Right now though, he was with General Paul D. Chambers’s army and so was his fiancee Esther Flowers. He and Esther had realized they were best helpful to the revolution by being at Fort Prose, the Twain Revolutionary Army’s Headquarters. Mnezz and Mtrubenfire entered Andy and Esther’s tent. “Hello sir”, said Mtrubenfire and Mnezz. “We are here to get you to safety. When General Jumotki makes his move you and Esther need to be long gone” whispered Mnezz “We will all leave at dawn for Fort Prose.”, said Esther. They all nodded their head in agreement. Once Mnezz and Mtrubenfire left their tent, Esther turned to Andy. “ Do you think that Winterreign will be happy to see us, after....”, Esther trails off. “I don’t know, but we are about to find out.”, said Andy.

The police were here again last night. He said he’d handle it, like he always does. After all, there was nothing to show, no damage done. I waited on the porch as the discussion went on inside without me.

Through the squeaking screen door a female cop emerged, joining me in my retreat. She put her hand on mine. I flinched at the touch and pulled back.

"Sorry," she said. "I should have known."

I waited, breathless, for the dismissal, but it never came. Instead, she continued.

"I've seen this so many times. Before you say anything, it is definitely not your fault, and you do deserve better. If you give me your hand, I'll take you to a shelter. They can help you there."

She reached out, but I held back. Help me. For what, a night? Maybe two? Then what? I'd be right back in this house and the cops would be called again, though this time it would be for a homicide.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Sorry to have troubled you."

Was it cowardice or self-preservation? I don't know, and I'm not sure it matters. Instead I wiped my eyes, plastered on a smile, and entered the house again, leaving my dignity out on the porch with the only person who seemed to care about it.

#deservebetter #challenge #domesticabuse #prose