I was inspired to write a fantasy short story for my own amusement, but I thought maybe other folks my like to read it. I sell stuff on Amazon, but this little tale I decided to release free into the wild. Feel free to share.
KARMHOLZ – A Short Fantasy Story
Partly, I was inspired by the Middle English term þesternesse (thesternesse) which, per Wiktionary, meant:
- The state or quality of being dark; lack of light or brightness
- A location that is dark; especially used of Hell
- Immorality, paganism, iniquity; bad religious behaviour
It was the third definition that I found particularly intriguing, a catch-all term for heathendom. I decided to use the name for a fantasy place and the people who live there.
I was also inspired by the dynamics of braided streams, watercourses that have regular sloping shores but also banks of mud and stones in the riverbed defining the path of the water. These banks are often realigned by floods, and over several years I witnessed such a realignment in a very small stream in Virginia (Scott’s Run) which I have adapted to the larger fictional river in the story.
A third inspiration was my study of Stone Age symbols, particularly the work of archaeologist Genevieve von Petzinger whose remarkable book, The First Signs : Unlocking the Mysteries of the World’s Oldest Symbols, I recently finished.
I hope you enjoy my fantasy take on this various inspirations.