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ArtistThe Rider Who Never Came for People – Part 2 – The Door Death Was Not Allowed to Open REFERENCE IMAGE: Use the supplied reference image for the appearance of the four established fantasy characters: Morren, his large black wolf, Rattle and Bone. Keep their recognizable appearance and proportions. Create a cinematic 4:3 realistic painterly fantasy storybook illustration. Morren stands on a mysterious silver-grey road crossing a wide moonlit moor. He wears his established long black hooded cloak and carries his familiar scythe exactly as in the reference image. His large black wolf stands calmly beside him. Rattle and Bone, the two small skeletal fantasy dogs from the reference image, stand together near Morren. Both dogs are complete and clearly recognizable. Bone has several thin brass wires wrapped neatly around a few ribs as a humorous improvised repair. Behind the group, the strange road disappears into beautiful pale mist. In the distance are several tall indistinct travellers holding antique lanterns with soft silver light. They are peaceful silhouettes partly hidden by the mist. Near Morren stands a rectangular magical doorway filled with warm golden light. Through the doorway is a glimpse of a cozy cottage interior with a fireplace, wooden furniture and warm lamplight. Morren looks thoughtfully toward the distant lantern travellers while the two small dogs look curiously down the road. The black wolf remains alert beside him. Strong contrast between the warm golden doorway and the cool silver moonlit landscape. Beautiful full moon behind drifting clouds, rolling mist, atmospheric depth, detailed landscape, soft volumetric illumination, realistic painterly fantasy storybook style. Exactly ONE Morren. Exactly ONE black wolf. Exactly TWO skeletal dogs. No additional animals. No people other than Morren and the distant indistinct travellers. No text or lettering. Bottom-right corner: small white full-body unicorn emblem with the words “AI by Unicorngraphics”.
Nobody in Grey Hollow noticed when Morren turned his black wolf toward the village. Rattle trotted beside him, carrying a stick twice his length. Bone followed carefully. Every few steps one of his ribs clicked loose. “You are falling apart again,” Morren said. “I am aware.” Rattle dropped his stick. “We could tie him together.” Bone stopped. “With what?” Rattle looked toward a washing line. “Absolutely not,” Morren said. Curtains moved as they passed. Somewhere a woman whispered, “Death has come.” Morren sighed. “I have a name.” At the far end of Grey Hollow stood a small house with blue shutters. One candle burned upstairs. Morren dismounted. On the front door was a thin silver line shaped like a closed circle. “That should not be here.” Rattle sniffed it. “Smells like rain.” “You have no nose.” “Still smells like rain.” Bone sat carefully. “Is this Elsie’s house?” Morren nodded. Inside were two heartbeats where there should have been three. One belonged to Elsie, eight years old. The second belonged to her grandmother. The third should have belonged to Tilly. Morren had followed Tilly’s trail across the northern moor the previous night. He had found her red scarf on a thorn bush and footprints ending in the middle of an empty road. Tilly was not dead. That was the problem. Morren touched the silver circle. The door became cold. “Bad?” Bone asked. “Very.” “How bad?” “Someone made a door that refuses to decide which side it belongs to.” Rattle wagged his bony tail. “Can we open it?” “No.” “Are we going to?” “Obviously.” Morren placed one hand against the wood. The candle upstairs went out. Then a small voice spoke from behind the door. “Elsie?” Bone tilted his skull. “Tilly?” The voice came again. “Elsie, please.” A small face appeared at the upstairs window. Elsie looked down at the black cloak, wolf, scythe and skeleton dogs. “Are you Death?” “No.” “You look like Death.” “I have heard.” Morren pointed at the door. “Your sister is knocking from somewhere she should not be.” Seconds later footsteps raced downstairs. “Do not open it!” Morren shouted. Too late. The door opened inward. There was no hallway beyond it. Only a grey road stretching into fog. Far away stood Tilly, barefoot in her yellow coat. “Elsie!” Elsie tried to run forward. Morren caught her. “If you cross, the road may keep you too.” Tilly began running toward them, but she did not come closer. Bone stared. “The distance is moving.” Every step Tilly took pushed the horizon farther away. Elsie looked at Morren. “Can you save her?” Morren knew every road that ended. He had never learned how to bring someone back. “I don’t know.” Elsie’s eyes filled with tears. “Then learn.” Morren drew his scythe. “What are you doing?” Bone asked. “Cutting the road.” “Can roads be cut?” “Everything can be cut if you are sufficiently unreasonable.” Morren swung. A sound like breaking ice rolled through the house.