Tales From Haran

By Elin V. Pettersson

"Emotions - we all have them. Some wreak havoc in our minds and cripple our bodies. Other bring us to tears of joy, and make the seemingly impossible, possible."

Tales from Haran is a fantasy flash fiction compilation set in the world of Haran'utarië - a broken world that was once destroyed, but refused to die.
Follow the elves, humans and other beings of this world as they experience heartbreaking grief, attraction, enthusiasm and much more through 21 short stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elin V. Pettersson
• Release date: Jan 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310867682

Elin V. Pettersson

I'm a fantasy author and artist.

Book preview

Tales from Haran

-A Flash Fiction Compilation-

Elin V. Pettersson

A FROSTNIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS PUBLICATION

Cover art and Illustrations by Elin Pettersson

Editing by Paul Yoder

© 2015 Elin Pettersson, Frostnight Illustrations. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This compilation was made out of blog posts for S Frankie Blooding's Show vs Tell: Emotion flash fiction challenge. These stories have since then been edited and improved and might differ from the original versions.

Though some story elements are related to, or from other works set in the world of Haran'utarië, some names, words and events might be subject to change.

Find out more about the world of Haran at

www.haranutarie.com

For more art of the world and the characters visit

www.frostnightillustrations.com

Table of Contents

Defeat

Relief

Loneliness

Wariness

Empathy

Anticipation

Guilt

Exhaustion

Grief

Panic

Attraction

Enthusiasm

Pain

Jealousy

Fear

Confusion

Annoyance

Doubt

Shame

Desire

Empowerment

Curiosity

Excerpt From: A Hidden Paradise

Glossary

- Defeat -

The voices—they were always there. They grew stronger in his mind with each passing moon. He gently squeezed the bundle resting in his arms. The orb was still there—cool to the touch even through the cloth. His leg twitched. An involuntary spasm in response to a distant sound he thought he had heard. Was there something out there, or was it all in his head?

He peered out under the thick flap of the blanket he was hiding under and pressed his body flat into the moss. If he lay still, no one would find him.

Nothing happened.

Just the wind, he exhaled after holding his breath.

But it was never just the wind. Deep in this mind, Thorn knew they had found him.

Something breathed down his neck. A soundless laugh from a restless soul.

That's it, It whispered. Sink into the dirt where you belong.

With every broken word it spoke, the spirit grew more agitated—frustrated with its own effort to remain calm. The light from the heartstone was like a burning star to its eyes. Their star—no—their heart, that this elf had stolen from them.

Thorn curled up, pulling his knees to his chest and covered his head with his arms. He felt the anger building around him. Soon the screams would come—then the pain. Then...then what? Death? What death would that be? The spirits’ torment would remain even if his body perished-forever—or until he did as they demanded.

There was no scream this time, only a silent lash of rage followed by another. Again and again the fists and claws of the spirit pounded and clawed at his back. No blood, no torn clothes. The wounds were not physical, but they hurt just as much. How much longer until they could harm him?

He dared a look at the orb that had slipped its covers and now lay glittering in the sun. Beautiful and white. Pure, perfect, and powerful, but oh so cursed.

The enraged spirit let out a heart-wrenching cry as Thorn shot to his feet and scooped up the heartstone back into his arms.

Without looking back he started