The Wall

The city was surrounded by a wall. In the distant past, whatever architects built the city had ensured there was plenty of room to expand, with the wall erected far from the center. They probably believed there was so much space that they'd never run out. Or that the city would die before it grew so large as to matter.

But here we were teeming like a coffee cup, the only thing holding the place together an invisible tension that might burst at any moment.

No one knew what, if anything, existed beyond the wall. Only that it was dangerous.

For the prompt Frontier

Three Seals

With muzzles lifted towards the sky, they gather on rocks long dry. The sun touches down where water no longer passes by. Sable tips wash to marbled tails that tell of a time in the distant past. As wind sifts the sand nearby, it slowly edges them away. A golden plague bears their memory with a single name and details of their cause. For now, they pause as a simple thread meant to knit its way into today. When clouds darken the light, rain falls and remembers the familiar trails. It brings with it a mending unearthed by the dawn.

From Guest Contributor Kristi Kerico

Kristi is a psychology major at Pikes Peak Community College. She is studying to become a horticultural therapist. She currently works at a bookstore and volunteers at a zoo and nature center. She began writing after enrolling in a creative writing course at PPCC. She enjoys poetry the most, considering it's brief yet complex beauty. She also loves writing with a focus on nature.