Bridge Of Silence

Written for Sunday Whirl Wordle using
 Brenda’s prompt words shown here:

stuck, water, words, winds, wither, still,
cluster, bridge, spell, wicked, temples, realm

In the realm of Faelwyn, where the winds carried voices from one valley to the next, there stood an old stone bridge that no one dared to cross. Beneath it ran black water that never rippled, never froze, and never reflected the sky.

Elora found it on the seventh evening of her journey, her lantern guttering low. The villagers had warned her: a wicked sorceress had once cast a spell on the bridge, binding to it every word that had ever been left unsaid. Travelers who set foot on the stones became stuck halfway across, frozen beneath the weight of all the apologies, confessions, and farewells that had never been spoken aloud.

But Elora had to reach the temples far on the other side. Her grandmother lay ill, and only the priestesses who kept the moonflowers could help her. Without their blossoms, the old woman would wither like the autumn reeds along the riverbank.

She stepped onto the bridge.

At once the air grew still. The winds died, and a cluster of whispers rose from the water like moths drawn to her lantern. I’m sorry. I was afraid. I loved you. Don’t go. The words pressed against her, heavy as wet wool, and her feet would not move.

Elora understood then; the spell didn’t trap people …. it trapped silence.

So she began to speak. She told the empty darkness that she was ashamed of her feelings of anger over her grandmother’s illness and how frightened she was of losing her. She quietly admitted that she was proud of herself for coming this far alone.

With each word spoken, a whisper loosened and drifted upward, glowing faintly before it vanished among the stars. The stones beneath her softened their grip. The winds returned, warm and gentle, nudging her forward.

By the time Elora reached the far side, the black water had begun to shimmer, reflecting the moon for the first time in a hundred years.

The priestesses were waiting at the temple gates with a basket of silver flowers. “Few cross that bridge,” the eldest said. “Fewer still learn its secret.”

Elora took the basket and smiled. “It isn’t a secret,” she said. “It just has to be said.”

NAR©2026

This is “More Than Words” by Extreme

Wordle 782

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