Microfiction as Definition
By Fritz Schwimbeck (1889–1972) – http://1910-again.tumblr.com/post/57574281095/fritz-schwimbeck-my-dream-my-bad-dream-1915, Public Domain
Here’s day/leg 2 of Mac Sitko’s Fictionwocky challenge!
Night Demon:
(noun) night demon; sleep paralysis demon; Pisadeira (She-Who-Steps): A suffocating weight pressing you down as you wake, groggy from sleep. Often seen as a crone (She-Who-Steps) that squats on your chest, matted hair twined in her tattered cloak, talons cutting into flesh, weight pressing down, down. You struggle to breathe, to move, to scream, but She-Who-Steps only laughs. Night demons have been associated with the consequences of overindulgence and excess, but also lust and hatred.
Instructions:
Leg 2 – The Definition Leg: Write a microfiction in the style of a dictionary definition. For example:
(noun) dream-walker: A largely unknown fella who waltzes through other people’s dreams and devours them. Carries a full belly of stolen, blood-soaked dreamworlds. He often whips a bit of panic into meaning of a dream, (but not for you, oh no, not anymore, for you are awake, my dear). Historically, dream-walkers were the key culprits for the sudden morning loss of consciousness, and the odd feelings of déjà vu.
Check out the rest of the prompts (through Leg 7).