Promptvent - Day 9

25 days of winter prompts to thaw your writers (ice)block - and this year it's all about being Cozy.

Hello and welcome to day 9 of Promptvent!

If you’d like some wintry musical inspiration whilst you write, why not try listening to Hibernation by Dave Lewis from ‘Cozy Winter Reading’ on Spotify.

Listen to me read the guided invitation via audio below or if you prefer to read the transcript, that is also available for you underneath the audio.

Welcome back to our Promptvent village advent calendar where you find yourself standing once again before the cozy Christmas window.

Bundled up in your warm woolen mittens and thick scarf, you are eager to to know what wintry word of the day awaits you. What world will you step into and discover today? A little tired from Christmas shopping, your mind is buzzing with to do lists and odd jobs left to do before Christmas day - you could use something nice and relaxing today! You lean closer, and can feel the eagerness in your fingers as you pull off your mittens and reach for the iron latch on the window, lifting it with care.

You sigh with relief at a stunning cozy nook cut into the side of a bookshelf, full of books. There are candles and slippers splayed out along the ledge underneath a huge window looking out onto the countryside.

The red wreathed door to your left slowly opens, inviting you further. You step through the door, stamp off the snow from your boots and hang your winter coat up on a golden brass hook. You walk over to the cozy nook and slip your feet into the slippers, the perfect fit. You inspect the bookcase and smile, delighted to see that this bookcase is full of your favorite books. Christmas books that were read to you when you were young, and ones you read yourself over and over again. Books that are still frayed and stained from your love for them. There are timeless books you love to read even now, and some you’ve always wished to cozy on up with but never had the time. You look up at the clock, the seconds hand isn’t moving. Time has stopped. You take that as a sign to pick a book that smells just like you remember.

The room is quiet, except the soft sound of the snow falling outside and the occasional hoot from an owl, bliss. You feel an excited anticipation as you climb into the nook, realising it is cut into an old oak tree, which the bookshelf is also made of. You always wanted a secret reading nook when you were young. You feel safe and protected here - finally a moment for yourself.

After reading a few chapters and feeling remarkably more relaxed, you begin to think about your life and how time runs from you like a stream and how, perhaps, there are ways in which you could invest more in this feeling, perhaps it isn’t so hard to carve out a sacred space or few hours to be at peace. You begin to feel a sense of hope for the new year and that you have come so far already. You sit for a while and allow yourself to simply ponder.

You decide you will choose another book and whatever book you choose, holds a clue to a year of abundance for you. You pull a beautiful leatherbound book out that has gold leaf lettering titled, ‘The Path',’ on the spine. You flick through expecting to find a sentence or word that jumps out to you, but the pages are blank. Brow furrowed, you flick further, and still empty pages. You go back to the first title page and to your astonishment there is one word in large cursive script written at the top of it.

It reads: NOOK

You return to your nook, pick up a pen that you never noticed before, look up at the clock - which has still stopped and suddenly, everything makes perfect sense. Then you pick up the pen - and write.