Submission (#7665) Approved

Shimmer sat at her small wooden desk, the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the window, casting a gentle light across the room. Her home was cozy, filled with warm hues and soft textures. But tonight, her mind was anything but calm. As she gazed down at the blank parchment before her, her thoughts were consumed by one thing: Olympia.

The crown she had commissioned was coming along beautifully, a masterpiece that would soon rest upon Olympia’s head. But as much as Shimmer loved the idea of the crown, she knew it wasn’t enough. She wanted to give something more, something personal, a handwritten note that would express the depth of her feelings in a way that no crown, no matter how exquisite, ever could.

There was just one problem: Shimmer’s handwriting was atrocious.

Her usual script, Eyrescript, was a delicate and flowing style used by many Elnin, but in Shimmer’s hands, it often resembled a tangled mess of lines and curves. She had never been good at it, her paws more suited to delicate, precise movements like crafting or grooming rather than the fluid motions required for beautiful writing. But tonight, she was determined to overcome that.

With a deep breath, Shimmer dipped her pen into the inkwell, the dark liquid swirling gently as she lifted it out, careful not to let it drip. The parchment before her remained dauntingly blank, waiting for her to begin. She hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest as she imagined what she wanted to say. She wanted to write words that would make Olympia’s heart flutter, that would show the love she found so difficult to put into words, much less script.

Carefully, she began to write. The first letter was shaky, the curve too sharp, the tail too long. Shimmer frowned, biting her lower lip as she continued, trying to steady her hand. But the more she tried to control the pen, the worse her writing became. The lines wobbled, the loops tangled, and the beautiful script she envisioned remained frustratingly out of reach.

“Why is this so hard!?” Shimmer muttered to herself, her frustration mounting. She set the pen down and crumpled up the parchment in her paw, tossing it into the growing pile of discarded attempts beside her. The room was silent except for the faint rustling of the paper and the soft sighs that escaped her.

But she couldn’t give up. Shimmer knew that if she wanted to create something beautiful for Olympia, she would have to keep trying. She picked up the pen again, her determination renewed, and began to practice her calligraphy. She wrote each letter slowly, carefully, trying to mimic the elegant curves and lines of the Eyrescript. But even as she focused on her strokes, her mind wandered back to Olympia, her gentle smile, her kind eyes, the way her presence made Shimmer feel like she was the most important Elnin in the world.

The thought filled her with warmth, but also with a sense of urgency. She wanted the note to be perfect, something that Olympia would cherish as much as the crown. But as the minutes ticked by, frustration began to seep in. Each mistake felt like a failure, each crooked letter a reminder of how far she had to go.

Shimmer let out a small growl of annoyance as she made another mistake, the loop of a letter coming out far too large. In her frustration, she swiped at the parchment, knocking over the bottle of ink that sat precariously on the edge of her desk. The dark liquid spilled across the surface, a black tide that quickly engulfed the parchment she had been working on.

“No, no, no!” Shimmer exclaimed, scrambling to right the bottle and save what she could. But it was too late. The ink had soaked into the parchment, leaving a large, unsightly blotch along the page.

She sat back, staring at the mess with a mixture of disbelief and despair. The ink bottle, now upright but nearly empty, stood as a silent witness to her failure. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, a combination of frustration, exhaustion, and the overwhelming desire to make something beautiful for the one she loved.

For a long moment, Shimmer simply sat there, her heart heavy in her chest. But as the tears threatened to spill over, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. This was just a setback, she reminded herself. She could clean up the mess, start again, and keep trying until she got it right. Olympia was worth it, worth every drop of ink, every failed attempt, every moment of frustration.

With renewed determination, Shimmer carefully cleaned the desk, disposing of the ruined parchment and wiping away the spilled ink. The night was still young, and she had plenty of time to perfect her Eyrescript. She would keep practicing, keep trying, because she knew that when she finally got it right, the words she wrote would come from the deepest part of her heart—a heart that belonged, entirely and irrevocably, to Olympia.

After what felt like an eternity of practice, Shimmer finally sat back and stared down at the parchment in front of her. Her paws were trembling slightly, not from exhaustion but from the sheer relief of having finally completed a draft she was proud of. The Eyrescript, once a tangled mess of lines and curves, now flowed gracefully across the page. The letters were legible, elegant even, and the words they formed carried the warmth of Shimmer’s love for Olympia.

She traced a paw lightly over the delicate strokes, careful not to smudge the ink that had only just dried. Each letter, each word, had been crafted with care, the result of countless hours of practice and no small amount of frustration. But it had all been worth it. The note was everything she had hoped it would be, beautiful, heartfelt, and a true reflection of her feelings.

A smile spread across Shimmer’s face as she read over the words one last time, her heart swelling with pride and a touch of disbelief. She had done it. Her writing, once clumsy and awkward, now looked almost professional, the flowing curves and elegant loops of Eyrescript finally within her grasp. It was as if something had clicked inside her, as if she had finally unlocked the secret to writing with grace and precision.

And yet, it wasn’t just about the technique. As Shimmer admired her work, she realized that something deeper had changed as well. With each stroke of the pen, she had felt herself becoming more attuned to the rhythm and flow of the script, more in harmony with the art of calligraphy. There had been a moment, just before she finished the final line, when she had felt completely at peace, her frustration melting away as the words seemed to write themselves.

She wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to produce such a perfect piece again, but the experience had given her confidence. Maybe, just maybe, she could do this. The idea of writing more notes, of being able to express her feelings in such a beautiful and personal way, filled her with a sense of accomplishment she had never expected.

Shimmer gently set the parchment aside, letting it rest while she gathered her thoughts. The note was finished, the crown was being crafted, and soon, she would present them both to Olympia. A soft sigh of contentment escaped her as she imagined the moment—the look on Olympia’s face when she saw the crown, when she read the words that Shimmer had poured her heart into.

But for now, Shimmer allowed herself a moment of quiet satisfaction. She had overcome her doubts, pushed through her frustration, and created something truly special. As she cleaned her desk and carefully stored away her tools, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. Her journey with calligraphy had only just begun, but it was a journey she now faced with excitement rather than trepidation.