The Queen of Avalon

The Lady of the Lake was an interesting story. She was the Queen of Avalon, a place of ethereal palaces and marble pinnacles that glinted like wet seal skin. Her green hair could be mistaken for the kelp that dragged many a unexperienced druid to their murky deaths  But Carmen didn't believe that the Lady of the Lake was real. The tales of Arthur Pendragon, Queen Guinevere and the sorcerer Merlin where all myths from long ago, why should the Queen of Avalon be any less fictional.

Carmen walked along the muddy banks of the lake, the light reflecting off the calm and serene surface like a mirror. She stopped by a Hazel tree, and noticed a spring trickling out from the messy tangles of roots.

"How odd." Carmen thought lazily. "There'd been no mention of a spring." She noticed that it was making an unusual splashing noise and leant down to see what was causing it. There below the hazel tree was a stone gap, with stairs spiralling downwards, big enough to fit a small person. Carmen pulled her trainers and socks off, before placing her feet in the water. She lifted the roots up and put one foot on the first mossy step, then the other. She bent down and entered the stair way. Carmen continued to walk down the steps, being careful not to slip on the velvety moss, until she reached the bottom. Thin streaks of daylight shone down the stairway, illuminating the first few metres of the hallway, then petering out.

She stepped forward and a torch flamed up, Carmen took hold of it and continued walking. She knew something was going on here, something otherworldly. But it was no malevolent spirit that called her into the depths. Carmen noticed on the walls, drawings depicting stories. In one picture, a man was holding a sword, in another a queen stood in front of her castle. But all of these pictures had something in common, they all showed the lady of the lake somewhere in them.

Along the walls runes where carved, the same symbols over and over again. For some reason Carmen understood them.

'Those who disrupt will perish. Those who understand will stay.'

Carmen was confused. How could she understand these runes? What did they mean?

Carmen entered the main room. Slivery green panes of glass revealed the lake and let light in. Ivy and moss swirled in irregular geometric patterns around the room. In the middle, there was a stone table in which a girl laid upon. Her hair flowed out, touching the floor; as did the sleeves and train of the green velvet dress.

"It seems you have found your way to my daughter." A woman said from behind Carmen. Carmen turned and noticed how oddly this woman was dressed. Her long green hair was bound with leather strips in a criss-cross pattern. She wore a long white dress that fluttered like butterflies wings.

"Nimue has been dead for centuries, but you Carmen could help me. You know how to deal with the grief and despair losing a loved one gives. Time is not as good a healer as I thought." The woman continued.

"Who are you?" Carmen asked, confused.

"My name is Vivien, and I am the queen of Avalon." Vivien replied. She walked forward and put her arm around Carmen's shoulder. "You can teach me to deal with pain." she whispered in Carmen's ear.

The pair walked back to the surface but instead of walking onto the bank, Vivien continued walking on the water, her feet creating little ripples on the still lake. Vivien turned.

"Come on Carmen, Avalon awaits." she called, waving a little.

Carmen continued walking through the water, following Vivien into the land of exquisite palaces and beautiful homes. She walked, desperately trying to keep up, but it is easier to walk on the surface than through the water.

The next day, a jogger noticed Carmen's shoes, neatly arranged by the hazel tree. He saw no person swimming in the lake, so he called the police. It took them three days, but eventually they found Carmen's body; peacefully sleeping between the green kelp and stones.

Reviews

[Andrew Leister-Frazier]

I thought the writing was great but then it ended all of a sudden. I feel like there should be more allure to Vivian. I wish the ending was written better, it feels rushed. It is too abrupt.

[Ashish]

That's something intresting!!
I had not expected the story to end like this...
Good job :)