Ofelia: “Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death, and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And every day, the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone… forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time. “

–Guillermo Del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth

There have been many stories about immortality. The idea is both thrilling and frightening for sentient beings like us who are aware of our own demise. Put your own spin on the timeless tale. Choose an item that will cause immortality and write about the quest to find it. Does your character want to be immortal or do they want to destroy the object? Where did the object come from and what’s the catch?

As a fun extra challenge write about someone who is immortal, maybe, the protector of the object or the only person to ever find it. Write about their emotional turmoil of having to watch everyone they love die, or maybe, they love being immortal and are excited to watch the world change. Write something new and fresh that you’ve never seen before. For inspiration you can read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit, or watch Stardust directed by Matthew Vaughn based on the novel by Neil Gaiman.