I see the way she holds the blade to her skin. Her fingers are trembling as her lips move. "I can't do this..." she whispers. Hair tumbling around her face, she tries desperately to resist temptation.

I envelop her in my arms. "Oh, sweetheart," I whisper, stroking her hair and letting her rest her head under my chin.

On the inside, though, I'm scoffing. You idiot! You actually think you can resist temptation? "Come on, darling," I say, bringing the blade closer to her skin. "You're in pain. The only way you can escape pain is to add more." Backwards logic, I know. But this pathetic piece of trash believes me.

They always do.

She drags the blade along her skin, whimpering as she does so. "That's right, you idiot," I whisper. She turns to me, surprised.

That's right, you filthy sinner. Didn't expect me to turn on you, did you now?

I hide laughter as I watch the wench tear her arms apart with the blade. Her demons always win. She can't resist temptation. She's too weak.

Author guidance for This work

All Glory to God!

Dedicated to those who are in temptation.

For a creative writing class, I was challenged to weave a compelling story. The only catch? To write it in no more than 1,000 words. Kind of a challenge for one used to verbosity, eh?

So here it is. I'm sorry if it's blunt.

No, I'm not. It had to be.

As this is already receiving a grade, my point is to share, not to be critiqued. I certainly do appreciate feedback, but I disabled ratings because this story is already complete.

updated Jan 29 by cassandramorrow