SWE #496 Entry

[GraveBlues]

My entry for SWE #496. Please do not post! Thank you and I hope you enjoy reading ❤️

[Index]
♞ C1. Cursed Beginnings
♞ C2. Existence in Misery
♞ C3. New Blood .........
♞ C4. Hidden Secrets ....
♞ C5. Unbreakable Bonds

[GraveBlues]

Lightning cracked and the crash of the rain on the metal barn roof sounded like static as the sky cracked open down upon the barn. But inside at least it was warm and dry, the scent of straw and hay, of grain and sweet horse sweat filling the air. Quiet snorts could barely be heard over the sound of the rain on the roof, gentle hooves ringing against the floor. It was late at night, but the old man was up and in the barn, patrolling through the stalls and checking on his gestating mares. Several were close to their foaling date and he wanted to make sure everyone was alright during the storm. A particularly loud crash of thunder rattled the barn and suddenly a distressed high-pitched series of chirps sounded and the farmer swung around and strode towards one of the mare's stalls. It was time... She was a Sveldala Walker, an equine species he was dabbling in, as they were good money-makers; people would pay quite good prices for a well-bred Sveldala.
He was nervous, and murmured a quiet hopeful blessing as he parked himself outside of the stall to await the foal's arrival. Nervous not only for the mare, who was producing her first foal, but also... Because this would be the thirteenth foal he had produced, and on such a bleak night... An extremely superstitious man, he knew these signs did not bode well, but he attempted to calm himself and reassure himself that this was nothing, it would be alright. Just because the number was unlucky it meant nothing, and they always had storms this time of year. Everything would be alright, this would be just like any other foal and he would be able to raise it up, train it, and sell it for a good profit. Both this sire and dam showed immense promise, extremely well-bred, both of them, he'd been lucky to get them for decent prices because they were both untrained and unproven breeders, this would be the first foal from either of them, and he had high hopes for their foal and for their future. They were his most well-bred pair he had now, actually. His others were plenty pretty but their confirmation and lineage often left him with a smaller price tag at selling time than he'd like...
He didn't need to call his vet, the foaling process went smoothly even though it took a few hours, the mare did just fine for her first time, which was a big breath of relief for him. That was always the most nerve-wracking part of this process, just making sure everything went right during foaling time. Losing a foal or putting his mare in danger was not high on his list of things he wanted to experience again. Being a farmer, it happened, though it didn't make the experience any less unpleasant. He got to his feet and came to the door when he knew the process was finished and he would not disturb or upset the mare, and stopped cold in his tracks. Instantly, the hair raised on the back of his neck and a trickle of sweat made its way down his spine as his mouth gaped in horror and disbelief at the sight before him.
It was... atrocious. A mix of colors as if it had been cobbled together from many different parts, with feet cloven like the devil's and a nub of a horn upon its head. He stood frozen in the doorway, watching in abject horror as the mare tended to her new foal, licking the little thing to clean and dry it and encourage the blood to flow to its legs. The mare surprisingly did not reject the foal despite the odd coloration or the physical deformities... He stood, frozen, for what felt like hours, though in reality it was only a handful of minutes. Before long, the foal began to wobble to its feet- a filly, he realized numbly. He watched her rise and fall several times on wobbly, uncertain legs before she was triumphant. It was only once she stood that he fully realized she was also completely tailless- probably explaining why it had taken her so many tries to get to her feet. She had no tail for balance... The farmer had felt cold the entire ordeal, but now a hot feeling swept through him. Rage, mixed with dread.
"Cursed little creature," he muttered under his breath, his fingers going to his chest and clutching a rabbit's foot he had hung on a chain there, as if to ward off any further ill-luck from the newborn filly. "May the devils take you in the night, begone from my stables," he began muttering as he closed the stall door with shaking hands. He had never, in all his many years, seen anything like this.
"May your ills not fall upon this place, leave my property untouched, bless this barn and these blessed creatures to not be tainted by its presence," he continued to mumble, sending up prayers to keep whatever foulness from spreading beyond that now-cursed stall. He closed his eyes, and walked away.
His mind raced with dreadful thoughts, feeling almost feverish as he desperately sought mentally for a way to prevent tragedy from falling over his farm thanks to that wretched little creature. Could he send her away, have her put down? No, no... Doing anything like that would surely curse him with worse luck, she would come back to haunt him as a vengeful spirit and then he would never be rid of her. Giving her away was out of the question, he couldn't let anyone know such a creature had been produced on his farm, he would never live down the shame, the judgement. He would have to keep her, but he couldn't possibly keep her here in his barn... His eyes snapped open as he left the comfort of the barn and into the dark, rainy night, gazing in the direction of his old barn. Perhaps that could work... This barn had only been built recently, the other one had been scheduled for demolition so he could reuse the wood from it, but to keep that awful creature... It would be perfect. He could buy more wood, what he needed now was a secluded shelter for the little beast. As soon as she was able to be weaned from her mother, he would remove her there, and finally the rest of his barn would be safe. Or perhaps he could move her tomorrow night, when it wasn't storming to kingdom-come. The thought of leaving her in his barn for the months it would take for her to wean sickened him. Yes... He would move her tomorrow night.
"And let that be the end of it then,' he whispered, and headed back to his home to wash himself of the unlucky threads of fate that had been spun that night, trying not to think about the devil in his barn.
[Word Count: 1,172]

[GraveBlues]

The next night, close to midnight, the farmer returned to the stables, carrying an armful of old towels that needed to be thrown away anyways. He hurried into the barn, feeling sweat beading on his brow even though the night was quite cool, anxious at having to be near that... thing, that awful omen again. He haltered the mother and clipped a lead rope to her, and then disdainfully draped the towels over the little foal and bundled her up, putting her in a small wheeled cart, shuddering from even the brief contact with the creature. He was wearing his rabbit's feet and a multitude of other good luck charms, but he still felt as if he was bringing throngs of bad luck onto himself by touching the creature, even if it was out of necessity. He hurriedly led the mare and filly out of the barn and along the worn dirt path that served as his road, heading off into the night for his old barn. It was a moonless night, which both added to his feelings of apprehension, and made him grateful. Though there was more danger on a moonless night, there was also much less chance of anyone spotting him with this... devil. If word got out about her... He didn't know what he might do.
He panted softly, their pace was agonizingly slow due to having to pull the wagon with the filly inside of it; if he went too quickly it was liable to spill her out onto the ground and then he was in for a world of trouble.
The night was still, dead and quiet. Not even a tiny breeze rustled the grass and trees, or a single cricket could be heard. To the farmer is felt like the world was holding its breath around the cursed little foal, as if nature itself hated her too. He mumbled a quiet prayer to himself as he walked along, until the old barn was finally in sight. He exhaled loudly with relief, and stiffened when he heard the filly give a little snort in reply. Foul creature... He stopped the little cart just outside the barn doors, opening them up and putting the mare inside first; earlier in the day he had stocked the hayloft and put bedding straw down, made sure there was a feed and water bucket. The mare was happy with her new accommodations, and immediately went to go eat her hay while the farmer went back out pulled the wagon back in. Once again he felt dread and revulsion as he picked up the tiny bundle wrapped up in towels, swiftly putting her down in the stall with her dam and whipping the towels away and backing out of the stall. He looked down- his hands were trembling. He sighed and gripped his rabbit foot and the satchel of salt around his neck, rubbing them slightly to rid himself of the bad luck from her. Once he made sure the stall door was securely latched he exited the barn, leaving the towels in the aisleway in case he needed to touch the little beast again. He wiped some sweat from his brow and trudged back to his home, glad to have it out of his barn at least. He would sell the dam as soon as she was able to be weaned, and the sire he could sell now. He would put him up first thing tomorrow...
The three months it took for the foal to wean felt like the longest of his life. Each day he we go to the old barn to feed the mare and clean the stall, shooing the curious filly away from him with shouts and a rope that he would wave and swing around, though he never hit her. He knew that if he ever hit her or hurt her she would surely curse him and plague his farm with ills... The thought of trying to clean the stall without the dam in there to help keep the foal at bay from him made him feel almost nauseous. So he took it upon himself to cut a new door into the stall, on the side so that when it opened, it opened into the next adjoining stall. He tied a piece of rope to the sliding bolt and kept a metal rod nearby. When it was time to clean the stall, he was able to pull on the rope from over the stall wall and open the door. She would be ushered into the next stall with a stiff whip, and then he would use the rod to push the door shut, leaving the stall empty for him to clean in peace and do his work. The day she was weaned enough, he ushered her into the next stall and haltered the mare and led her out. Ignoring the cries of the filly behind him, he hurriedly led the mare out, and away. He’d already sold her, her new buyer was coming that afternoon to get her. She left the barn and never came back, leaving the little bad omen all by herself.
Being truly alone for the first time, she cried for days afterward, and kept trying to nuzzle and follow the farmer around, who continued to shout at her and shoo her away with ropes and by waving his arms like a madman. This loneliness would become her whole new world. Slowly, she grew, and her routine was exactly the same each day. Every day she spent by herself, pacing in her stall or sleeping, eating. The farmer would come by once a day to throw her fresh food and hay and water. She knew her routine to a T- as soon as she heard the door of the barn creak open she would stand by her cleaning door and wait patiently until he pulled the rope to open it. Some days the farmer couldn't bring himself to even enter the barn though, or perhaps he was too busy, and she was left forgotten in her stall. She taught herself how to survive- she had learned that if she only went in one particular corner, it kept her stall cleaner for her to lay down in and relax in each day. The farmer had her water bucket set directly below a faucet that he left on to drip to keep the bucket filled even when he couldn't be there, and she learned to turn the nozzle with her lips to get more water, and to turn it off when she had enough... Though the very first time she had done it, the sudden gushing of the tap had frightened her and the water had splashed everywhere until she had been brave enough to approach it again and turn it off. The farmer had been furious when he'd found her stall flooded with water... She watched him, constantly, and the farmer hated her more with each passing day. Even as her horn came in to be a beautiful unicorn horn, he still refused to believe it was any sort of good omen or good luck, believing it was a trickery- trying to deceive him into thinking she was anything less than an evil entity. He hated her pale, intelligent eyes watching him as he cleaned around her stall and gave her more food and hay. For nearly three years, this was her life. Despite the farmer hating her, her one joy in her daily life were his visits, because they were at least something different. The scents she could catch from the outside when the farmer came to visit her enticed her, made her coat shudder with desire. She knew there was.. something, beyond the four walls she was contained in, but she truly had no idea for how big the world truly was, or what it was like. She could only hope that someday she would discover it all...
[Word Count: 1,325]

[GraveBlues]

I hopped out of my truck, squinting against the bright sunshine of the day, raising my hand to shield my eyes. The late summer sun was angled just right to hit me in the face, but it didn't stop me from looking around. This new farm was... Something. The buildings and pastures and all looked nice enough, the barn was pretty new and so was most of the fencing, but the decor left something to be desired... The main house was the worst for it, I noted as I approached the place, looming over top of me. Windchimes tinkled almost clangorously from all corners of the property- some storebought, made from wood or metal and glass, and some homemade, made from old tin cans and glass bottles. Upturned horseshoes adorned every doorway and wall I could see, and even along many of the fenceposts. Orange cats prowled the property- not a single black hair on them at all, and four leaf clovers were painted everywhere too, as well as evil eye wards. The worst part though were the rabbit feet... This dude had them hanging up everywhere, there must have been dozens upon dozens of rabbits feet... I just really hoped the poor bunnies hadn't been hunted just for their feet. Seemed unlucky to me, at least for the rabbits. Clearly this guy was more than a little superstitious, but... I needed this job, really badly. My last farm gig hadn't worked out, the farm had gone under and they hadn't been able to pay me anymore, and I needed a new job ASAP. As many weird vibes as this place was giving me, I had to take the job, at least until something else came up anyways. People around here are always looking for more farmhands, I'm sure I'll find something else eventually. But for now... Time to get to work.
I knocked on the front door of the big main house, flicking some of the white paint off my knuckles- the door was peeling, and shreds of the old paint were now stuck to my fist, huh. I wonder if I'll have to be responsible for repainting... I hope not, I'm interested in looking after the animals and the land and not much else, but if I have to put up with extra tasks I suppose it won't be so bad. There are worse things than painting, anyhow. I took a step back as the door opened towards me, and greeted the old man with a firm handshake. He was stooped and weathered, with creased skin like old leather, and eyes dark with suspicion and anxiety, white hair wisping around his balding head like smoke. He dressed in humble clothes, denim overalls and plaid shirts, not too dissimilar to what I wore honestly, except that around his neck hung all sorts of trinkets and talismans- including more rabbit feet, I noted. We chatted for a bit on the porch, sitting on some old wooden rockers while he asked me about myself and my work ethic and experience. After that we went for a tour of the property and for him to see me handle some of the animals, watch how I worked and did things. It was pretty easy stuff, nothing I hadn't done a thousand times before, and he seemed satisfied.
"What's that, over that way, Mister..?" I asked him, gesturing towards a dark shape nestled between two hills- the dirt road led towards it so I knew it had to be something belonging to this property, and the path seemed pretty well-worn too. We'd already covered the barn and side-barn, the main house, all the pastures, and the tool shed, so I couldn't imagine what else it might be.
"When you're in my presence you call me Sir," the old man barked to me, making me jump slightly, though I nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"That there is no concern of yours, it's the old barn I used before this one was built, we don't use it anymore and you are never, never, under any circumstances, to go near or in that old thing," he wheezed to me, his breath rattling slightly in his lungs. "You put one toe out of line and you're out of here, you hear me? Only reason I'm even hiring any help is 'cause I'm getting too old for this crap," he growled.
I nodded again, "Yes sir," I replied evenly, though I noted he didn't give any explanation as to why I should stay out of the old barn... This barn hadn't been built very long ago at all, he had even mentioned that himself earlier in the tour, so I knew it couldn't be just because it was too old to be safe anymore or something. It feels like he's hiding something, I mused to myself.
"Good," He grumbled. "You know your place and that'll keep your head about you. It's good to know your place, boy. You're hired. Start first thing tomorrow mornin'."
I turned my gaze back to the old man and grinned. "Sounds great, sir. Can't wait," I replied, glancing once more back towards the old barn.
I admit, I'd always had a pretty wild imagination, and wondering what he was so concerned about keeping hidden in that old barn was letting that imagination run away with me now too. Stolen money- maybe the old man was a bank robber! Or perhaps something darker, maybe he'd done away with his missus and didn't want anybody figuring out where the body was buried... One thing was for sure, he had something to hide, and I wanted to know what.
[Word Count: 940]

[GraveBlues]

After two months of working for the old man, I thought I was liable to about fall apart. He was, without a doubt, the worst boss I'd ever had, and I'd had some pretty bad bosses before. He was strict in everything, but especially in how he wanted things done. Feed had to be given at 7 AM and 7 PM, you couldn't ever have 13 of anything- not animals feeding, in the barn, cats... One of the barn cats had had kittens and it had ended up with thirteen total cats and the man had nearly had a fit, insisting that one of the cats had to go. Sooo now I have a cat at my place... He's not used to being an indoor cat either, that's for sure. But I couldn't let the crazy old man have him put down or something, just because he had thirteen. The kittens would have been given away when they were old enough anyways, I really don't get it. But, whatever. I was still looking for other jobs, and I found something quite promising, but they needed me to go through a monthly training period before they would consider hiring me, so I'm stuck with the old guy for another month at least. I hadn't been to the old barn yet, but I was planning on it... Especially now that I'll be heading out shortly. I just had to wait for a time when the old man wouldn't be looking over my shoulder and watching my every move... Now that I'd worked here for a couple months he was finally starting to trust me with doing things on my own, and sure enough, I got my chance. The old man took his hat off and wiped his brow, and complained to me that he was going to go lay down for a spell, and that I was free to take my break until it was time for the evening chores.
I agreed and waited until he went into the house and was good and sound asleep, fiddling around doing a few things in the barn for a good forty five minutes until I was positive he was sound asleep and wouldn't be up to bother me anytime soon. Evening chores didn't start until four-thirty, and it was only noon now, plenty of time to do a little exploring...
I turned my boots down the old worn dirt path and made my way along quietly, observing the world around me as I did so, looking for anything out of the ordinary. I could see boot prints- fresh boot prints, and I recognized the tread as being the farmer's boots. Hmm. Not to go near this place, huh? So why are you going by it all the time, I wonder... Apart from his boots, I couldn't see any other tracks out of the ordinary. Some rabbit tracks across one portion of the path, which made me shake my head. Good luck little bunny, I thought. Tough farm to live on if you're a rabbit. I crested down the mild slope to the bottom of the two hills where the barn lay, and stopped for a moment to take it in. The wood was stained dark from years of being out in the elements, any sealant on the boards long since worn off, and a few boards near the top of the hayloft were peeling, the corners edging up from where nails had once held them in place securely. I frowned a little- wait a minute... Was that hay?? Sure enough, I could see hay poking out from one of those peeling corners. That's odd... It's not like the old man to have forgotten to empty the hay out of the loft before he switched barns. Why is that there, I wondered.
I stepped towards the barn, and froze. What was that? I could hear a noise I thought, it sounded like a rustling... There was no breeze today, so it couldn't have been leaves. I swallowed a little, but steeled myself. There's nothing to be afraid of, as long as the old man doesn't catch you. It's fine, just a stick or some leaves or something probably... Still, I could feel my heartbeat pick up and starting to race as I reached my hand out for the main door of the barn, swallowing hard as my eager, anxious fingers met the warm, rough wood. What would I find in here? Did I really want to look? Some things are best left unsaid and unanswered after all. But...
"Curiosity killed the cat," I mumbled quietly to myself, as I steeled myself once more and pushed the door open finally. The rusted hinges gave a low whine in protest of me opening them, and I stepped inside quickly, trying to let my eyes adjust to the sudden dimness as compared to the bright sunny day outside, blinking rapidly. I couldn't even hear anything over the sound of the blood rushing in my ears, my own heartbeat, adrenaline coursing through me. Which... Seemed completely unjustified, as my eyes began to adjust and I looked around. Nothing? Just a dusty old barn? I took a few steps further inside, glancing around some more, when a flash of color caught my eye, and I froze again, once again feeling my heart pick up its pace. What was that? A trick of the light? No- there it was again! Only... A different color this time? My heart in my mouth, dry with fear, I took another step towards the stall where I had seen the movement, and I gasped.
An equine the likes I'd never seen before paced anxiously at the back of a deep, wide stall, watching me with the most striking, pale, intelligent eyes I had ever seen. This mare was like nothing I'd ever seen... She was beautiful. Breathtaking... No two colors on her were the same, it was like looking at a piece of art, stained glass... Black, white, silver, gold, red, brown... Captivated, my eyes turned to the shimmering, pearlescent horn on her head, taking in the faint rainbow sheen. "Wow," I finally breathed quietly. Once I stopped gawking long enough to take her in more fully, I could see the short mane and the flopped ears, hallmarks of Sveldalas, though I'd never seen one without a tail before... Or with a horn and cloven hooves. She was beautiful... Why on earth was he keeping her locked up in here?
I was distracted from my thoughts again by her snorting at me and tossing her head, and I approached the stall cautiously, crooning to her. "Hello there pretty girl. Who are you, hmm? What's your name lovely? Why are you in here, huh? You in jail?" I cooed to her, using a soft voice and keeping it light, teasing her a little and being playful, and it seemed to work. She slowed her pacing, watching me with those bright, curious eyes, and snorted softly at me, ears twitching slightly. I stayed put, not daring to enter her stall or otherwise get closer, just leaning on the edge of it and cooing to her, murmuring soft things and just talking about anything that came to mind, the subject wasn't all that important, I just wanted her to get used to my presence and my voice. Finally, after what must have been more than twenty minutes, she slowly came towards me, one questioning hoof after the other, stretching her nose towards me as I very slowly extended my hand out, watching her cautiously. One wrong move and she could freak out, bite my hand or smash my arm against the wall or something. Her quivering, velvety nostrils brushed my outstretched fingertips and I felt a thrill of delight and excitement shoot through me. She acted as though she were a wild creature, not anything like the tame and relatively safe creatures I had been around before. Feral, almost... She didn't seem to know what to think of me.
I stayed there for as long as I dared, never tearing my eyes away from the stunning mare before me, letting her snuffle her nose all over my hands and smell me, laughing softly at the ticklish sensation of her whiskers brushing me. Every time I tried to touch her myself she would dance away nervously, seeming to continuously go back to a side door in her stall every time I moved even a hair towards her. Finally I sighed and stepped away, her head going up and watching me on red alert now that I was moving.
"It was lovely to meet you, pretty girl, but I gotta get back to work before I get caught. I promise I'll come see you again, soon," I whispered to her, watching her watch me and feeling her gaze on mine, like she could see right into me as I spoke that promise.
"I'll hold you to that promise," she seemed to say to me, the way she watched me like that. I couldn't help but smile, walking backwards until I reached the barn door. I waved goodbye to her and carefully crept out and shut the door, latching it the way I had found it and glancing around fearfully. Was the old man up and looking for me?
I relaxed after a few moments when I heard no shouts and felt no hand on my shoulder, phew... I walked back, carefully scuffing my boot prints out of the dirt with a little branch of a bush so that the old man wouldn't see my tracks and know I had discovered his secret. Now I had a secret too, I knew what was hidden in that barn.
And I fully intended to come back to it.
[Word Count: 1,642]

[GraveBlues]

The farmer never noticed, or if he did he never made mention, of my little visit to the old barn and the mysterious, beautiful Sveldala equine, which suited me just fine. Slowly but surely, each day the old man began taking a nap at the same time, leaving me alone and free to do what I needed- I was starting up that training for the new job soon, so I knew I wouldn't have as much time to work with her as I'd like, but that was okay. The first week was the most important, just building up that foundation of trust first thing. That was my first task, every day just sneaking into that barn and trying to get her to trust me enough to let me touch her, to feed her, and eventually to get into the stall with her. It was slow going at first, the first couple days she repeated her antsy, uncertain pacing in her stall, seeming agitated and standing by that little side door, and I just had to stand there and wait with my hand outstretched for upwards of fifteen minutes before she would calm down and come over to me. I began bringing her little tasty things to eat, sugar cubes and carrots and slices of apple or shortbread cookies...
At first she didn't even seem to know what they were, and wouldn't take them from my hand until I finally wedged a corner of an apple slice in her lips and she chewed on it out of instinct. Once she got the idea that they were food for her, the treats seemed to really endear her to me, and she finally warmed up to me a bit more. Once I gave her tasty tidbits she started letting me stroke her gently, and she would even approach me over the stall wall to lean her head down and nuzzle my pockets, making the little chirps and chatters that I found to be oh-so-cute and endearing. After a couple days of letting me touch her went by, I finally decided to try it, to try.. going into the stall with her. I couldn't deny I was nervous, swallowing softly a couple of times. She was a big animal and I knew she could be dangerous, easily, if I upset her. But I wanted to show her that she could trust me, I wasn't going to hurt her. That everything was going to be okay...
I watched her as I slowly opened the door, never taking my eyes off her in case she suddenly charged and tried to escape the stall or something, but she didn't even try. Instead she went and stood firmly by that little side door, which never ceased to puzzle me. I still couldn't figure out why she did that, it seemed so odd. But at least it kept her from crowding the door I used... That was a blessing at least. I slowly slid inside and closed the door firmly behind me, cooing to her and staying right there by the door, in case I needed a quick exit. She was tossing her head, her eyes were wide and fearful again, pawing nervously at the floor.
"It's okay pretty girl, it's just me," I cooed to her, you know me... I cooed and cooed to her, gazing into her eyes, slowing my breathing, and for a moment... It felt like we were the only two creatures in the world, just me and her. I kept my eyes trained on her as she began to still, feeling my breathing start to match up with hers as her breathing began to calm down. You're just with me now, it's okay, I thought to her. As if in slow motion, I watched her began to walk towards me, neck arched and then outstretched to come nuzzle my hand tentatively. As if realizing it was just me after all, she seemed to perk up and stepped closer, stretching her head to me to nuzzle me all over, seeing me fully for the first time, she nuzzled and nosed all over, making me laugh.
"Are you surprised I'm not just a head and arms?" I asked, grinning, stroking my hands down her neck and feeling elated, on cloud nine that she seemed to have accepted me so readily this time. After a few moments of her exploring me and looking in my hands and pockets for treats, I leaned my forehead against her warm neck and gazed down her flank at her. I could feel and smell the sweat and grease in her coat, and up close I could see her coat was shaggy and unkempt, knotted and matted in places from.. probably years of never being groomed, winter coats never fully deshedded. Her cloven hooves were cracked and split, overgrown, and I could feel bones under the skin where there should have been muscle and fat.
"You poor, poor thing... How could he do something like this to you?" I whispered, closing my eyes as I just rested my head against her neck, about ready to cry, honestly.

--work in progress--
[Word Count: 854]

[GraveBlues]

Hello and thank you for reading! I'm unable to finish everything I have written on time for the ending of this competition, but I do fully intend to finish this story if I win. You can read the synopsis on my entry form to get the gist of the rest of it however!
I wanted to finish this on time severely but unfortunately events irl and other obligations got in the way ^^;