Thomas Charles Henry

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The Diviner

Published by

Thomas Charles Henry

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PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Pendergast

The Diviner

Sibyl’s barking brought him back. The fire was unlit; the soup frozen in the bowl. He had indulged in his craft too long. 

A common misconception of divination is the threat of madness caused by witnessing your own death. He had seen a thousand variations of that dreary event. The real risk was becoming addicted to the point of self-neglect. Easily done. Knowledge is, after all, divine.

His body creaked as he stood. He should follow that young man and his party. He’d never beheld a life so…incandescent before. They had a head start, but he knew where they’d be.

Written in response to Friday Fictioneers, a weekly 100-word writing challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Come and play along!

20 responses to “The Diviner”

  1. Dale Avatar
    Dale

    What an original and interesting response to the prompt!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you, Dale!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Dale Avatar
        Dale

        My pleasure, Thomas!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Iain Kelly Avatar
    Iain Kelly

    Loved the character you created here. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you, Iain!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. athling2001 Avatar
    athling2001

    Well done. I love the character.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. neilmacdon Avatar
    neilmacdon

    I wonder if he wishes the young men well

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    Reply
  5. elmowrites Avatar
    elmowrites

    Ooh, I like this view into the inner workings of such a character – so often they feature as a mere cameo in stories, I enjoyed reading his POV. I wonder what his plans are for the Young Man though… More please!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you! I do hope to revisit this character/story in the future.

      Like

      Reply
  6. James McEwan Avatar
    James McEwan

    Yes, knowledge and lived experience wins every time.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. The Sicilian Storyteller Avatar
    The Sicilian Storyteller

    Excellent and compelling take.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. msjadeli Avatar
    msjadeli

    It feels like he’s toying with fire. And knowing all the ways he *could* die won’t tell him how he *will* die. Does he really want to know? And if so, why? Interesting story.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you! It’s certainly an intriguing dilemma!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. msjadeli Avatar
        msjadeli

        You’re most welcome, Thomas.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. rochellewisoff Avatar
    rochellewisoff

    Dear Thomas,

    A fascinating and unique take on the prompt.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you, Rochelle! It’s nice to be writing again. I was glad to see this group was still up and running. Thank you for all you do!

      Like

      Reply
  10. Michael B. Fishman Avatar
    Michael B. Fishman

    This was very well written and I liked it a lot. If I can nitpick then for me there was a little bit of a disconnect between the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. The 2nd paragraph brought us into this diviner’s (wizard’s?) life and I liked it and where I thought it was going. And then it changed to the thought of following a young man and his party and I had a lot of ‘whys’. I’d really like to read more of this story.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Thomas Charles Henry Avatar
      Thomas Charles Henry

      Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Michael. It may have been a case of trying to squeeze too much into 100 words, but the intent was as follows: whilst practising the art of divination, the main character had been drawn to the lives of a young man and his travelling companions. He observed them for some time and when he finally returned to reality, he decided to go and find them. As to ‘why’? We’ll have to wait and see! Thanks again for the feedback.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Michael B. Fishman Avatar
        Michael B. Fishman

        “As to ‘why’? We’ll have to wait and see!” I’ll be waiting! 🙂

        And thank you for accepting my comment as feedback and not criticism.

        Liked by 1 person

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