So here goes for the 2nd Campaign Challenge Rachael Harrie gave us at Rach Writes. The challenge was to write a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title, that includes the word "imago" in the title and in the body of the post includes the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity". For an added challenge make reference to a mirror in the post. For an even greater challenge, make the post 200 words exactly. All criteria are met (after much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair.)
The Imago
Arms folded, Nyla stares through the beveled glass door into the galería. Somehow, the glass is both mirror and window. Superimposed on the polished floors of the sunlit galeria beyond, her reflection stares back, as if bemused.
When Nyla was younger, in the miasma of grief that pervaded her home, she sometimes caught mental glimpses of who she might become away from her family’s confused dynamics. These glimpses led her on, in hopes of escaping the pain that oscitated inside her, as one family member after another went down dubious roads to disaster. Now, through some synchronicity, her decision to teach English in Spain has allowed her to catch up the person she hoped to be.
23 Comments on Campaign Challenge #2 -- The Imago, last added: 9/30/2011
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Wow, what a good scene. It definitely makes me think and wonder what's going on. Great writing.
Wow, Elizabeth! That's awesome!
Oh my gosh I loved it! Wonderful job!! I'm a new follower by the way :) Nice to meet you!
(I'm entry #112)
Oh this is great. I love the tension you build with the 'reflection'. Great way to use the mirror from the prompt.
Such a beautifully written piece! Well done!
Great piece of writing - made me want to read more.
Scary and intriguing! I want to keep reading :)
Loved the way you introduced your character and ended it with an unexpectedly chilling conclusion. Not an easy feat. And those words! You used them expertly.
Great job, Elizabeth! :)
Wow, very interesting, is she a twin or another dimension of herself? You have me wanting more! ; )
Wonderful piece of writing. I loved how you used some of the words, especially "the pain that oscitated inside her". Very good. Such difficult words, sigh.
(I am #133)
Oooh and you are a fellow Californian, I've just noticed :)
I love your entry! What an interesting idea--if our reflections turned out to be independent.
Very creepy! What is it about mirrors that can be so unsettling?
Mine is #3.
wow, good scene and pretty creepy, too.
Great use of the words, and you built the suspense so well. I want to know more!
I like the sort of emotional intensity in this piece. I'm over from the campaign (#142).
I wasn't expecting that ending at all, I got carried away with all the details. I'm 153 BTW
Great build-up leading to an unexpected twist at the end! Love how easily you incorporated all the required words into this story.
I'm # 157
I want an explination too! Nicely done. Mine is #29
Thanks everyone. While we are in Spain, we don't get to the wifi cafes as often as we'd like, so I'm not able to respond so often. But I certainly appreciate your nice comments, and I'm reading as many of the stories as possible. It's just amazing (and fun) to see how different all the stories are!
I was impressed by the theme of your story and the way you compressed it into 200 words. Surely worth working up into something longer, to develop the creepiness and the tension? And with the Imago Challenge behind you, you can forget about those arcane 'challenge' words. Does anyone ever use them in their fiction/poetry/general conversation?
Thanks too for your comment on my Imago.
Great Job, Elizabeth. Pretty impressive.
Love this. It reads as a scene from a longer piece. I'm left with questions and want more :)