Legacy
02 Jan 2019Today’s prompt: “Pick a small object to be given one day to your great-grandchild. Write a letter to that child explaining why you have chosen this object.”
“Dear Nathan,” you write, “The talisman enclosed in this package is called the Eye of Crathaad. It is said to be the key to unlocking the door between dimensions. That door must stay closed. That door is the one thing preventing the Old Ones from devouring all of humanity. Our family has been entrusted with keeping it safe from generation to generation.
“There are those who would use the Eye to unlock the door, those who serve the Old Ones and would destroy all of humanity in the process. This is a hard life on which you now embark. You will not be able to stay too long in any one place. You must never use your true name with anyone.
“Be cautious about who you get close to. Followers of the Old Ones are everywhere – the Order of Dagon, the Black Brotherhood, the Church of Starry Wisdom – and they won’t always be so obvious as to have pentacles tattooed on their foreheads or wear black robes with scarlet linings. They will seek you out your whole life. Keep the Eye away from them at all costs. If it should ever fall into their hands –”
You hear a dog bark. The creak of the gate. Rustling sounds. You peer out the window. There – just passing out of range of the streetlight – two figures in black hoods, with a hint of red lining. Neither of them was holding a scythe, so they must be bringing up the rear. It’s too late, then. The house is surrounded.
You hear breaking glass. The unlatching of a deadbolt. The opening of a door.
The Eye of Crathaad gleams up at you from the desk. You grab the talisman and furiously cram it into your mouth. The stone is smooth and about the size of a walnut, but it’s mounted on some jagged gold filigree. It’s not easy to choke down.
A man wearing a black robe and carrying a long scythe steps into the room just in time to see you take your last swallow. You know he knows.
He’ll have to cut you to ribbons to get the Eye. But you’re pretty sure he’ll enjoy it.