C. C. Harper - Author

  In today’s midweek prompt - which you may freely consider slightly lengthy for a writing prompt - we’re going back to an urban fantasy setting, to the witches, the magic and the supernatural.   So here it goes: In the heart of a neon-lit metropolis, where the dazzling glow of modernity gleams against the backdrop of age-old secrets, a forgotten coven stirs from its century-long slumber. The city, a fusion of towering skyscrapers and dark alleyways, hums with an energy that pulses just beneath its surface. Ancient magic, once cloaked in shadow and silence, begins to seep into the streets, awakening forces long thought to be extinct.  Here, amidst the chaos of honking cars and flickering streetlights, you find yourself entangled in a web woven from the threads of your ancestry. You are a witch, a proud descendant of the Forsaken Coven—a group banished from the magical realm for daring to summon powers deemed too dangerous for mortal hands. Until recently, your life h...

  There’s something delightfully magical about a garden gnome. Isn’t there? Standing quietly in a flowerbed or nestled between shrubs, they seem to simply watch over their surroundings—innocent, stationary, perhaps even ordinary. Or are they? I’ve always been deeply fascinated by these little figures, especially after watching The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain . There was something so whimsical about the idea of a garden gnome secretly traveling the world, sending postcards to its unsuspecting owner. It made me wonder—what if these gnomes have lives of their own when we’re not looking? During one of my trips to Finland, I noticed that many cabins had their own resident gnomes. They stood in gardens, watching over homes as if they had always been part of the landscape. And for the first time, I began to imagine what sort of stories these gnomes could tell if they came to life. What world do they belong to when the stars come out and the humans go to sleep? In European folklore,...

  Today, on folklore friday, I'm going to tell you a bit about werewolves. After all, they are characters in my book, so might as well explain a little about them.  The myth of werewolves, or lycanthropy, is a widespread and persistent part of folklore in many cultures, and the concept of humans transforming into wolves dates back to ancient times. The term "lycanthropy" comes from the Greek word "lykánthropos", meaning "wolf-human", and one of the earliest known accounts is the story of King Lycaon in Greek mythology.  According to the myth, told in Ovid's "Metamorphoses", Lycaon, king of Arcadia, doubted the divinity of Zeus and decided to test the god's omniscience. So he decided to invite Zeus to a banquet and served him a dish made from the flesh of a sacrificed boy, which was either one of his own sons or a hostage, depending on the version of the story. This heinous act was intended to mock Zeus and test whether he would recogn...

  In the savage belly of the city, where neon demons shy away from the shadows, sprawls the Obsidian Market. A mysterious realm muttered about in clandestine whispers, reserved for the shrewd and the fearless few. Among the sinuous alleys and veiled corridors, fantastical entities and nocturnal creatures gather like moths to a flame, drawn by the seductive pull of contraband and enigmas powerful enough to reshape destiny itself. This domain is a shadowy maze of secrets and whispers, where loyalties shift like the wind and danger lurks in the dark, ready to strike from the depths.  Amidst the howling chaos of the market, a young thief known only as Ash slinks like a phantom through the shadows, his footsteps whispering against the cold cobblestone streets. With fingers quick as lightning and a mind racing at the speed of light, Ash dances through the twisted alleys and dark corners, his gaze locked on a treasure that promises riches beyond the grasp of mortals. His prey: a priz...