PROMPT: "People trust me with their fortunes. They shouldn’t. "
Time 25 minutes
Gold
By Laura Nettles
People trust me with their fortunes. They shouldn’t.
Gold sings to me with its pure metallic voice. A siren song of a loving, sweet embrace. Its reflective warm light gilds my soul in wonder and mesmerizes my eyes. I have never lost a piece of treasure entrusted to me for safe keeping. Though, no one have ever received a piece back either.
My scales are encrusted with jewels and trinkets that have snuggled between the shifting plates. Their presence comforts me. Makes me immune to the weaponry of the humans attempting to steal what has been entrusted to me. Given to me freely. I never signed a contract saying I would return them.
Fire churns within me. I softly breath it onto the lack luster pieces to melt them into gilding for my talons. No piece goes to waste.
A small human approaches, bringing my latest offering. A large casket of glittering coins. I take a deep whiff of their intoxicating allure. The man scurries off, leaving my magnificent cave.
The moment my nose touches the newly gifted fortune, I know something is off. A tingle begins to travel down my entire body from the point of contact followed by an acrid stench.
A curse.
I’ve been gifted cursed treasure and I fell for it, too enthralled by the shine to check for malintent.
The shiver transforms into wracking muscle spasms. My scales fall from me, taking their imbedded adornments with them. I am shrinking. Twisting. Transforming.
I come to once the sun has set. I try to lift my front claw to inspect the damage, only to see I no longer have claws. Or appendages. I am roughly hewn stone. I am an ugly statue amongst my ocean of belongings.
Men come pouring into my abode, dancing and singing. They take armfuls and wagonfuls of my treasure.
Days pass as I watch my cavern ravaged. All that once entrusted to me in now gone.
I am cursed to spend the rest of my days a bare rock, hewn into the shape of a plain monolith. Never to move, or wallow in fortune again. My soul bound, my will broken.
The End