IWSC SEASON 4, WWN, ISSUE 3, WRITING SCHOOL: Show Me The World - Writing Descriptions
Beauxbatons, Exchange Student 2
WC: 894/900
"Awiergan…My love..."
The baron stopped in his tracks.
No one had ever called him 'my love' before. Could it be Peeves trying to prank him? He would have to punish the foolish poltergeist.
He put on his most menacing scowl and floated through the walls after the voice. He arrived in a large room, where a tall mirror with ornate carvings stood in the corner. The baron moved closer, looking around for Peeves' trick.
Nothing happened.
He drifted closer.
"Awiergan, my love…You're home."
The baron stiffened when his eyes landed on the mirror.
In the clear reflection was a tall, young woman with beautiful brown hair, sparkling brown eyes, and an angular jaw. Dressed in a long gown made of Acromantula silk, she stood in the foyer of a mansion the baron recognised as his ancestral house. One hand was on her protruding stomach and the other on her back; she was glowing.
The baron fell to his knees in front of the mirror. If he were alive, his heart would have given out on him. Contrary to popular belief, ghosts could stop themselves from floating right through the floor. How else were they supposed to 'walk' on the ground?
"Awiergan...I missed you so much."
The baron could have wept at the words.
Oh, how he'd yearned to hear his beloved calling him by his first name. How he had longed to see her offer him her beautiful smile. His deepest desire had been to see her happy with him and round with their child.
And now, there she was!
"Min diere," he whispered, crawling towards the mirror. He didn't know how this was possible, but all he cared about was getting to her.
He placed his see-through hand on the mirror's cool surface. He craved the warmth only she could provide. He longed to touch her. To hold her. To kiss her. To love her like he'd wished to when they'd been alive.
Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to the mirror. "I'm so sorry, my darling. I failed you. I promised you I would never lay a hand on you, and look at what I've done. Every day in this accursed life, I lament my grievous transgressions. I have erred, and I must pay for all eternity. Still, I wish for you to forgive me so I may pass on and repent for my sins in the Underworld."
A strange sensation in his forehead made him look at the mirror. A brilliant golden light burst forth and surrounded him in warmth and energy.
The baron clenched his eyes shut as something in his gut tugged…
A warm hand rubbed his stubbled jaw, and the baron's eyes snapped open. A gasp escaped his lips when he laid eyes on his beloved. "Helena…"
A brilliant light hugged her body as if the sun itself had enveloped her in its golden arms. Like a child, the baron's hands reached up as if they could bathe in her light.
"Oh, Awiergan." Her breath caressed his face as she gazed at him with love.
The baron's eyes prickled with tears at the warmth emanating from her. "How…is this possible? Is this real life…or is this a fantasy? Am I dreaming?"
Helena's eyes shone. "No, my love. This is not a dream. I'm real, you're real…You belong here with me…with us." She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. "Awiergan, meet your heir...our son, Ozias."
"Salvation." He translated the name in his head. He couldn't believe she was forgiving his sins. Tears streamed down his face; he knelt down and pressed his forehead to her belly. He kissed the baby bump and murmured, "My salvation..."
"Will you stay with us, my love? Are you coming home?"
The baron got to his feet and cupped Helena's face in his hands. "You are my home, Helena. You are all that I've ever wanted. Needed. I cannot bear to be apart from you any longer. I have been in love with you for centuries, my darling. But I am the cause of your demise. How can you think of forgiving me when I myself can never forget what—"
"Your remorse for your actions is punishment enough. You have repented for your sins. It's time for you to come home."
"Then, I would love nothing more."
"Then, kiss me, and let us join in spirit and be one," Helena whispered, stepping up onto her tiptoes. Her long, brown locks framed her flushed face beautifully, and madness gleamed in her shimmering hazel-brown eyes.
The baron swooped in and claimed a kiss.
Outside the mirror dimension, his ghost's heavy chains disappeared; what had once been an unyielding weight, shackling him to the mortal plane, vanished as the golden light engulfed him. Inch by inch, the blood on his clothes began to vanish. The stains that had marked him as a violent, damaged man, lifted off as if they'd never even been there.
The baron held his beloved in his arms, in awe of his changing fortunes. He didn't realise that outside the mirror, his ghost was fading from view like his body was the fog that was now dwindling as the wind blew in. His body stayed still, his eyes closed, his hands held up in worship. A statue crumbling with the breeze.
The baron was finally at peace.
Sentences For Judging:
Two problem verbs:
The baron could have wept at the words.
A gasp escaped his lips when he laid eyes on his beloved.
Subjunctive:
If he were alive, his heart would have given out on him.