Write by the Cards: Day Five
A Leap Forward
If you’re new to The Rebel MFA Way, welcome! This is my daily work for my Write by the Cards: 30 Day Challenge that I’m hosting. Learn more here. Scroll down to the end to see my behind-the-scenes commentary and source material.
Despite the hesitation, the character decided to take the first step by {draw a card}.
As the moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow through her window, Rian's thoughts danced dangerously around the idea of sacrifice, a fire igniting deep within her. Vasalisa had chosen to burn her past; maybe it was her turn to light the match.
With shaky hands, Rian picked up her pen and began writing. “Dear Baba Yaga,” she wrote. “I need your help. My siblings and I… we need out of this house. Out of the life our parents think is meant for us. It doesn’t matter what I do.”
The words tumbled out, each letter lighting a new spark of rebellion within her. She continued, detailing not just her pain but also the simmering rage that had clawed its way to the surface after so many years of submission and playing the “good girl.”
“I’m willing to give something back,” she wrote, biting her lip as she considered what that might mean. “I’m ready to burn the ties that bind me.”
Rian took a moment, letting the weight of her decision settle on her shoulders. What would she offer? What did she have to give that Baba Yaga would even want? For a moment, Rian felt small and insignificant. She wasn’t special. Wasn’t gifted. She was average and although she never thought of that as a bad thing, she wished that she had something spectacular to trade with Baba Yaga.
As she sorted through her options in her mind, she came upon a solution. Her entire life she had felt invisible. Overlooked. But it hadn’t been without it’s advantages. Having a certain level of invisibility offered Rian many benefits. And even though she would occasionally like to be seen, for the most part, she liked her invisibility. It kept her safe.
That’s how she knew it was what Baba Yaga would want.
With resolve, she penned another sentence: “In exchange for your guidance, I am willing to sacrifice my invisibility.” The words felt like a promise—a dark pact forged in desperation and longing for autonomy.
Once finished, she folded the note carefully and placed it beneath her pillow. As sleep began to envelop her, Rian whispered into the darkness, “Please come. Please save us.” It felt both absurd and necessary—she couldn’t shake the feeling that something monumental was brewing within those simple words.
Hours later, a sound stirred Rian from sleep—an odd rustling accompanying an unfamiliar breeze that chilled her skin despite the warmth of her blankets. She sat up, heart thudding in her chest as shadows wavered across her room like dark spirits weaving in and out of form.
“Baba Yaga?” she called softly, half-wondering if she'd just awakened from a dream.
A cackle erupted from somewhere unseen—a sound that rattled every bone in Rian’s body. “Oh dear child,” came an echoing voice. “You’re quite bold for one so young.”
Rian’s breath hitched as she squinted into the dark. A figure began to materialize before her—the outlines sharp yet shifting like smoke through fingers. An ancient woman with wild hair flew into focus; a crooked nose perched atop an expression that alternated between amusement and intrigue.
“I see you seek freedom,” Baba Yaga said, tilting her head as if assessing Rian's very soul. “But be warned: freedom comes at a cost.”
Rian gulped hard and nodded slowly, matching Baba Yaga's gaze with conviction. “I’m ready.”
“Are you?” The witch leaned closer, eyes narrowing dangerously. “Freedom means wielding your own power — it means facing your fears head on. It may even mean witnessing what remains after things go up in flames.”
Rian felt a chill spread through her, thrilled and terrified by the witch’s words. She could see the flicker of flames dance in Baba Yaga's eyes, as if the old crone could read her thoughts—the hunger for freedom a living, breathing, thing inside of her.
“What do I have to do?”
Baba Yaga leaned back, her crooked smile revealing teeth that were sharper than they had any right to be. “First, you must confront your family,” she rumbled, the weight of her voice wrapping itself around Rian like a heavy cloak. “They hold the keys to your shackles, and you must demand them back.”
“But they won’t listen,” Rian protested, feeling the heat of doubt curl up from her belly. “I’m just a child and they’re the adults. They never take me seriously.”
“Then make them listen.” With a wave of her gnarled hand, Baba Yaga conjured a swirling mist that coalesced into images—visions of Rian’s family arguing over trivial matters while she stood by, invisible and unheard. “You see how they ignore you? How they drown out your voice? It’s time for you to be heard.”
Rian felt an ember ignite deep within her; a whisper of defiance sparked to life with Baba Yaga's words. “What if they don’t care?”
“Ah,” said the witch with a grin that sent shivers dancing down Rian’s spine, “sometimes, you must break things before you can rebuild.”
“What do you mean?”
Baba Yaga’s laughter was rich and dark. “Sometimes, destruction is necessary for creation. You must not just burn; you must burn with purpose.” The air turned thick with anticipation as she leaned forward. “What will it be? Will you face them as you are now—a shadow in your own home? Or will you harness the fire I sense within you?”
Rian’s heart thundered in her chest as visions flashed before her: stormy confrontations with tears and shouting, but also clarity—her siblings asking questions that have long been buried beneath layers of silence.
“I want to be seen. I want my voice to matter,” Rian declared fiercely.
“Then you shall summon a storm like no other,” Baba Yaga replied softly yet powerfully. With another flick of her wrist, she produced a small vial filled with shimmering liquid that glowed. “This potion holds the essence of who you are and who you’re meant to be. It will embolden you, but it will also take your sacrifice to heart. You will no longer be able to hide behind your invisibility.”
“Will it hurt?” Rian asked.
Baba Yaga’s eyes hardened. “Only as much as the truth does. True freedom often comes wrapped in chaos,” Baba Yaga replied, her voice a murmur above the rustling leaves. “You are the storm, Rian. You must decide how fiercely you will roar.”
With a deep breath, Rian reached for the vial, feeling its warmth soak into her palm. The very air around her seemed to hum in anticipation, charged with the weight of her choice.
“What if I lose control?” she asked, a flicker of fear darting through her veins.
Baba Yaga’s laughter echoed through the shadows once more, a sound both terrifying and oddly reassuring. “Child, chaos is already inside you! It festers beneath their indifference. Embrace it; let it guide you to your truth.”
Rian’s resolve hardened like forged steel as memories surfaced—her mother’s dismissive glances when she spoke up in family meetings, her father’s heavy sighs that signaled disinterest, and her protests about school and “normal” children buried her voice deeper into silence.
Each memory fueled the fire brewing within her.
“Then let it burn,” Rian whispered defiantly, raising the vial to her lips. As the liquid slid down her throat, warmth flooded through her body, igniting a blaze that pulsed at her core. The sensation was intoxicating, like standing on the precipice of a cliff with wind whipping through her hair; exhilarating and frightening all at once.
“Now go,” Baba Yaga instructed, gesturing toward the door that now stood ajar. “Face them with your truth. Release the storm.”
Rian stepped across the threshold into darkness but felt immensely different—a fierce determination pulsing alongside the magic coursing through her veins. She didn’t look back at Baba Yaga; she could feel the old crone's presence melting into the night as she ventured forward.
Behind-the-Scenes Commentary
You wouldn’t think the card I pulled for today made much of a difference, but actually, it was the beating heart of this chapter. As the guidebook explains:
Hippopotamus appears in a reading when aggression is involved in an issue. One of the world's most aggressive creatures, hippos can be lethal. But this aggression is most often displayed when they are protecting their young or their territory. Aggression does not always need to be reigned in, but you do need to channel it into the right things. Use it to your benefit.
It’s clear to me as I’ve been working with Rian that she is harboring A LOT of anger, aggression and resentment. But there is also a maternal/nurturing aspect to it. She doesn’t just “hate” her parents to hate them — she feels betrayed, rejected, unseen and inconsequential to them. She fears for her future and the future of her siblings which is why I feel like she HAD to call upon Baba Yaga.
My favorite part of writing this part was deciding what Rian wanted to sacrifice because it took a while to think about that perfect “thing” that a young child could understand was both essential to get rid of but also something that provided value. I knew Rian wasn’t the kind of child/narrator to think that Baba Yaga would respond to giving away her toys or material things. She knew it would have to be something of herself. As an introverted child myself, I counted on my invisibility to help me through certain situations and I thought — hmm, what would have happened if that was taken away from me? How would I cope? And so, I gave it to Rian to try on. What would happen to her if she not only lost her invisibility — but chose to sacrifice it for something far more dangerous?
On a sidenote — I am naturally a lean writer. But I’m also an impatient writer. So my first drafts are ALWAYS shorter than they should be and the pacing quicker than it has any right to be. I find this to be a problem no matter what genre or type of story I’m writing. One of my writing coaches (yes, even a writing coach can benefit from working with another writing coach) has said that this tendency is what makes me a solid short story writer, but complicates things when trying to write a novel. Something I need to keep in mind this challenge!
Source Material
Ask the Animal Guides