The Earth Between Us

This piece was written for Writing Battle in Summer 2026. It places in the top 8 stories in my genre.

Prompts:

Genre: "Old Flame"

Character: Denier

Item: A ribbon

Word Limit: 100

The air soaks with geosmin and sweat as my spade cuts through the soil. Six more feet until our reunion. As I dig, I uncover her crimson ribbon. The same she often weaves through her braid. A tribute to the grandmother who first fashioned it.

Close now, I stab and scoop the ground furiously.

        My love, she is formidable, never backs down. Mutated cells would not vanquish her. My hands cup the final bits of earth and pry open her wooden prison.

        Her face, what’s left of it, smiles back at me.

        My love.

        I’ve come to take you home.