A bird flaps in the cavity where his heart once beat. Momentarily trapped, its echo rings through the forest like bells in a ruined church. Beyond reach, the oil can mocks. His eyes leak burnt sienna lines down weather-worn cheeks. He longs for the day the axe will fall.
A small girl skips along a path. Her red cloak dances behind her; a streamer on the wind. Singing softly, she catches the reverberation of the captive wings. She stops, mid-lyric, listening intently.
Ahead, the path forks. She chooses the right one.
Stepping towards him, she oils his joints with clumsy precision.
Sorry, but this story goes no where.
Au contraire, Jeanette!. An interesting spin on Dorothy Gale, who rescues the Tin Woodman, and takes him with her to Oz – accompanied by the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, to see if the Wonderful Wizard can give the Woodman a new heart!. Well done! Jerry
Thank you Jerry. I have the tin man and Little Red made in clay on my studio shelves. They like to muscle into stories now and then and refuse to be sold.
I agree Jeanette, this is a very expressive snippet of your insight into the journey on the “Yellow Brick Road.” I would be interested in reading any further stylistic renditions you would wish to share about this story.
Hi B, thank you! It started out a tiny bit longer for an ad hoc fiction entry the week their prompt word was ‘spring’. No great stylistic revelations I’m afraid, I just take a lot from old stories and childhood and play around with how they fit my alleged grown up life.
But luckily the tin man does now. Phew. One of us is winning and today it’s him.
Seems I posted that comment in the wrong place… No idea how to move it, but it was answering the rauthour68’s comment about the story not going anywhere.
I guess sometimes, things have nowhere to go, and other times they just end up in the wrong place. Echoes of the story, I guess ?
Beautifully written, but dependent upon cultural familiarity with Baum’s works. It’s not stand-alone.
Thank you Perry, that’s a very valid comment (about the cultural knowledge), and certainly something I should pay more attention to in the future.