Tag: Winter 2019

Midnight Magic | McKenzie Richardson

May 4, 2020

The old crone smiles down at the man before her, although she does not much like being called an old crone.

Sparkling blue wisps of magic, like berry-dyed mists, sweep around them, stirring the airborne snowflakes that reflect the winter moon.

She advises him not to think of it as a curse, but rather a gift. It’s all about perspective after all. In time he will grow to understand her words.

Then, with a final twitch of her head, she is gone, leaving the prince alone in the forest. It is now up to him to decide his own fate.

McKenzie Richardson lives in Milwaukee, WI. Her work has been featured in various anthologies such as Mutate, Electromagnetism, and Doomsday, as well as online publications. Her first novel, Heartstrings, was published in 2018. McKenzie also runs a crafting blog: http://www.craft-cycle.com For more updates on her writing, you can follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mckenzielrichardson/ | Wattpad

Selected by the editor as a featured submission, September 2020

Originally posted on the site: 30/12/2019

The Little Match Girl | McKenzie Richardson

May 4, 2020

we can all relate to the Little Match Girl, sitting outside in the cold
the snow gathers on her head almost beautifully, magically, otherworldly
like a fairy coated in fresh spun sugar
but still the passersby, pass on by, as is their nature, shift their eyes away.

we have all lost match after match to fight the cold that runs through our fingers
cracking our bones like chestnuts popping over open flames
we have all been the Little Match Girl
the heat and the beauty feeling worth it in the moment,
the instant regret as the fire dies down, kissing our fingertips in sharp searing pain.

what will you burn your last matchstick for?

McKenzie Richardson lives in Milwaukee, WI. Her work has been featured in various anthologies such as Mutate, Electromagnetism, and Doomsday, as well as online publications. Her first novel, Heartstrings, was published in 2018. McKenzie also runs a crafting blog: http://www.craft-cycle.com For more updates on her writing, you can follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mckenzielrichardson/ | Wattpad

Originally posted on the site: 27/12/2019

Cold | McKenzie Richardson

May 3, 2020

Snow flowers fall from the darkening sky, shedding their pearly petals, which blanket the ground in a soft coating of purest white.

The tears on the woman’s cheeks freeze almost as quickly as they spill from her eyes, liquid born more from frustration than sadness. The puny fire slowly burns before her, but each flimsy flicker foretells its imminent demise.

Her hands, tucked snuggly beneath her arms for warmth, tremble at the thought of gathering more frozen branches in the darkness. She squints against the cold, glaring in the face of adversity.

She will survive this night in the woods.

McKenzie Richardson lives in Milwaukee, WI. Her work has been featured in various anthologies such as Mutate, Electromagnetism, and Doomsday, as well as online publications. Her first novel, Heartstrings, was published in 2018. McKenzie also runs a crafting blog: http://www.craft-cycle.com For more updates on her writing, you can follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mckenzielrichardson/ | Wattpad

Originally posted on the site: 23/12/2019

In the Gloom | Sammi Cox

May 3, 2020

Frosty and foggy
Footsteps crunch underfoot
Secrets remain hidden
In the gloom
A cold embrace
Yet it warms my heart

Sammi Cox is from the UK and spends her time writing and making things. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in various places online and in print. Her first collection of tiny tales, One Turn of The Wheel was published by Three Drops Press in 2017. Find her at: https://sammiscribbles.wordpress.com/

Originally posted on the site: 20/12/2019

An Invitation from the Queen | McKenzie Richardson

May 3, 2020

come with me, come with me, come with me, sweet child,
I’ll warm you with my icy heart.

don’t you know that when the cold creeps into your bones
you’re filled with the most wonderful warmth?
your lips turn the prettiest shade of blue
and your skin shines white as the moon
there’s beauty in ice crystals filling your eyes
the perfect companion to those sparkling bits of mirror dust.

so come with me, come with me, come with me, sweet child,
we’ll make ourselves a home out of snow.

McKenzie Richardson lives in Milwaukee, WI. Her work has been featured in various anthologies such as Mutate, Electromagnetism, and Doomsday, as well as online publications. Her first novel, Heartstrings, was published in 2018. McKenzie also runs a crafting blog: http://www.craft-cycle.com For more updates on her writing, you can follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mckenzielrichardson/ | Wattpad

Originally posted on the site: 16/12/2019

The Frost | Nascent Ederren

May 2, 2020

How I had missed that air of silent chill, and the glow of flame which carries through the mist of winters loving embrace.

Once full of green and life, the woods and fields seem devoid of all things, save for the majesty of pine and the unworldly glow of holly.

The silent sounds of the falling snow echo about the still and quiet world. A world bathed in white, sleeping yet living at the verge of life and death.

To the fire one returns, to drink and remember the year which passed. To celebrate what too will come.

You can find Nascent Ederren at: https://ederren.wordpress.com/home/

Selected by the editor as a featured submission, June 2020

Originally posted on the site: 09/12/2019

The Beginning of Winter | McKenzie Richardson

May 2, 2020

The moon glowed overhead like a skull freshly cleaned of its coverings, the dark night typical for this time of year, a blackness a person could get lost in.

Down the empty road ran two dim figures, shadows darting hand-in-hand. They were breathless when they reached the graveyard, heavy exhales spilling out like unfettered spirits.

The thin layer of an early snow crunched under their boots as they slipped through the gates. They say the veil between life and death is thinnest during Samhain. What better time to go looking for ghosts? You never know what you’re going to find.

McKenzie Richardson lives in Milwaukee, WI. Her work has been featured in various anthologies such as Mutate, Electromagnetism, and Doomsday, as well as online publications. Her first novel, Heartstrings, was published in 2018. McKenzie also runs a crafting blog: http://www.craft-cycle.com For more updates on her writing, you can follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mckenzielrichardson/ | Wattpad

Originally posted on the site: 06/12/2019