authorlizperry

[authorlizperry]

Across the Starlit Skies

Across the miles, a whisper on the breeze,

A love forbidden, borne on starlight seas.

“We shouldn't meet, we shouldn't speak,

Yet hearts entwined, a bond we seek."

Duty binds us, worlds apart,

A constant ache within my heart.

Though miles may separate, it's true,

My endless love, forever new.

We built a world where shadows softly fall,

Where whispered secrets echo to the wall.

But duty whispers louder, cold and clear,

A constant drumbeat in my longing ear.

The moon, a silent witness to our plight,

Reflects the longing in the lonely night.

We paint our dreams on canvases of hope,

Knowing daybreak shatters when we wake to cope.

Forbidden fruit, a taste both sweet and wrong.

A melody forbidden, yet a song we've sung.

Though miles may separate, hearts forever bind,

A love we must deny, yet leave it undefined.

Your voice, a solace in the night,

A stolen moonbeam, warm and bright.

Your words, a promise, bittersweet,

A love unspoken, can't retreat.

But shadows linger, whispers rise,

Of truths untold, and tearful sighs.

For though we yearn, and long to hold,

This love, unyielding, takes its toll.

Now we must wait, with heavy hearts,

For paths to change, for life to restart.

And pray that someday, stars align,

And this forbidden love, can finally shine.

So hold this secret close, a fire in the snow,

A love unspoken, where forbidden emotions flow.

And though we walk alone, beneath the selfsame sky,

Our hearts will echo, a love that cannot die.

[authorlizperry]

The Echo of Friendship

A shadow you cast, yet a presence withdrawn,

My dearest friend, a distance has grown.

We wove our laughter, secrets we shared,

A bond unbreakable, so it seemed we'd declared.

Now silence stretches, a chasm so deep,

Where whispers once flowed, memories we'd keep.

Your voice in the wind, a melody faint,

A connection uncertain, a whisper of a name.

The weight of the unknown hangs heavy and cold,

A story unfinished, a future untold.

Did harsh words divide us? Or did life intervene?

Leaving only silence, where our laughter had been.

I reach out a hand, though it grasps at thin air,

Longing for bridges we once used to share.

Perhaps time will mend this tear in the seam,

But for now, the loss feels a heavy, hollow dream.

Though you walk beside me, a world yet apart,

The echo of friendship still beats in my heart. 

[authorlizperry]

Teacup Dragon

By Liz Perry

The air in Sudsy Secrets hung heavy with the smell of forgotten socks and fabric softener. Ashina, a tall and gorgeous woman, hunched over a steaming dryer watching as crimson scales shimmered in the spinning laundry. This wasn’t her usual load; it was her dragon, Kai.

Kai had been reduced to pocket-sized frustration by a mischievous gnome. “This is ridiculous, Ash,” Kai grumbled, her voice muffled by the thick sock she was tangled in. “We could be out scorching mountains, not spinning in this contraption!”

Ashina winced at the rumble that echoed through the laundromat. “Quiet down, Kai! We don’t want to attract attention.” Ashina glanced around the laundromat with caution. A lone figure in a tattered old trench stood in the far corner with a magazine.

“Like a human would even notice a dragon the size of a teacup!” Kai snorted.

Ashina wasn’t so sure. Even in her witch form, she felt the weight of countless curious eyes watching her over the years. Dragons and magical beings were creatures of legends, not laundromats.

Suddenly, the figure in the corner let out a high-pitched cackle and the trench coat fell away revealing a tiny gnome with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Well, well,” he chirped, his voice surprisingly deep for someone no taller than Ashina’s waist. “A dragon in disguise. You must be Ashina, the dragon whisperer.”

Kai’s fury erupted. “You! You’re-”

Ashina clamped her hand over the teacup dragon’s mouth. “Enough, Kai,” she sighed. “You, gnome, must be Lorcan,” she said, recognizing the culprit behind Kai’s predicament from his mischievous grin.

Lorcan puffed out his chest. “Indeed! And I must say, this shrinking charm is quite ingenious. Though, the button that activates it…not so much.”

 “You cursed Kai with a button hidden in a sock?!” Ashina gasped, pointing an accusing finger at Lorcan.

“It was an experiment!” Lorcan scratched the back of his pointed hat. “A test to see if a dragon could shrink to the size of a... well, teacup.”

“I am not a lab rat!” Kai snarled as she shot flames from her tiny nostrils.

Ashina grabbed a fireproof glove from her belt and doused the flames with a sigh. “Look, Lorcan,” she said, her voice firm. “Undo the charm. This laundromat isn’t exactly the safest place for a dragon, even a very small one.”

Lorcan pouted. “But the experiment,” he began. “Unraveling it is tricky business.”

Ashina glanced around the laundromat again. It remained strangely empty, the silence broken only by the hum of machines and the occasional giggle from Lorcan. “Alright, Lorcan,” she said, her voice lowered. “Tell me what you need. But be warned, if I hear one more cackle out of you, I’ll-”

Lorcan held up a tiny hand. “No need for threats, Ashina. You’re known for your fiery temper, but everyone knows you are a good egg, or should I say, a good…dragon whisperer?”

Ashina grimaced. “Just…tell me what you need.”

“We need thread,” said Lorcan. “The finest you can find. And a needle, small enough for delicate work.”

Ashina rushed to her satchel and began searching. Deep at the bottom was a small leather pouch with a spool of silk thread and a needle used for mending the intricate scales on Kai’s wings. Ashina retrieved the pouch and hastily handed it over to Lorcan.

With nimble fingers Lorcan threaded the delicate silk into the needle and began weaving a meticulous counter-curse.

Ashina found herself captivated. The mischievous gnome, Lorcan, with his chaotic experiments, was strangely endearing.

“Ah ha!” said Lorcan with a triumphant squeak as he snipped the last thread.

In a puff of smoke, Kai returned to her full size, her crimson scales shimmering in the harsh florescent light.

“Thank you,” Ashina said, relieved to see her comrade back to her usual size. “But please, in the future, find a less,” she paused, trying to find the right words.

“Explosive way to conduct experiments?” Lorcan finished, winking.

Kai chuckled, a low rumble that resonated through the room. “Perhaps we could help with future experiments, gnome,” she said.

Lorcan’s eyes shot wide. “A fiery witch-dragon-gnome partnership? Now that is an idea I can get behind!”

Ashina chuckled and watched them, a smile playing on her lips. Despite the chaos, the laundromat had become the unlikely setting for an unexpected friendship. Maybe the human world needed a little less mischief, and a little more dragon fire.

As they walked out into the sunlit afternoon, the laughter of a gnome and the rumble of a dragon echoed through the empty laundromat, a testament to the unusual bond forged in a placed filled with the smell of forgotten socks and fabric softener.

The End

[authorlizperry]

Bridging the Gap

Salt and pepper strands, a life etched in time,

Weaving tales of laughter, beneath a summer’s clime.

Racing through the sun, chasing dreams in rain,

A bond we shared, though fractured by the strain.

Grandparents’ love, a constant and warm embrace,

Yet a father’s absence, a lingering, empty space.

Wednesday’s, a border, a heart cut in two,

Lost in the silence, with nowhere to accrue.

Teenage storms raged, a tempest I couldn’t tame,

Your raging temper, fueling a burning flame.

Years of distance, a chasm vast and wide,

The child I once was, searching deep inside.

Then, a tiny hand, a beacon in the night,

A son’s joyous laughter, a dawning, gentle light.

Tentative steps, a bridge across the unknown,

Melting the ice, where tenderness had grown.

Anger softens now, replaced by a gentle grace,

Love’s unspoken language etched upon your face.

A tapestry woven, with threads of joy and woe,

Forgiveness a balm, letting compassion flow.

Too soon departed, a song left incomplete,

A father, a friend, forever bittersweet.

Your laughter lingers, a guiding, comforting breeze,

The salt and pepper hair, a love that sets me free.