Every year on Instagram, artists of all kinds participate in #Drawtober, an art challenge consisting of six prompts spread out over the month of October. This year, the prompt is “Dark Fairytale”
Now, I cannot draw. But my sister, Emily Pillard, can. She and I have collaborated for the past three years to create stories accompanied by beautiful illustrations. We’re at it again for the fourth year in a row with a brand new story and stunning artwork.
Read on to discover the whole story! And don’t miss out on our 2024 story “Monster Mash,” our 2023 story “Haunted House,” and a series of micro-stories for the 2022 theme, “Season of the Witch!”
Drawtober 2025: Candlelit Messenger
I had expected something grander, to be honest. An owl or a nightingale bedecked in moss and starlight. What I found instead was only a bluebird. Her dusty blue and orange feathers were puffed up with fury, and she wore a little lantern atop her head, the candle inside somehow still lit. Tied to her leg was, of course, the message I was after.