This premade cover was designed by BoN Editions
The novel didn’t exist yet.
It had a main character, three possible endings, a map of a kingdom the author hadn’t named yet, and forty-seven pages of notes explaining how the magic worked.
But there was no book.
There was, however, a book cover.
One evening, the author had discovered a premade fantasy book cover called RUNE MIST, fallen in love with it, and bought it. She figured she could always write the novel to go with it later.
In the meantime, RUNE MIST moved in.
They got along wonderfully. The author worked while the book cover usually sat on her desk, occasionally knocking over pencils. RUNE MIST was particularly fond of a tiny plastic squeaky toy the author had once bought for him as a joke at a pet shop.
Then one morning, the author woke to a strange sound.
RUNE MIST was lying on the bed.
He wasn’t moving.
A deep, heartbreaking moan came from somewhere inside him.
The author rushed over.
“What happened?”
RUNE MIST didn’t answer.
He just lay there rigidly, letting out another pitiful moan every few seconds.
The author stroked his cover.
A moan.
She tried to sit him up.
An even more terrible moan.
That was when she panicked.
She wrapped RUNE MIST in a blanket, called a taxi, and rushed him to the nearest hospital emergency department.
The receptionist stared at them for a long time.
“Patient’s name?”
“RUNE MIST.”
“Date of birth?”
“I’m not exactly sure. I bought him on Tuesday.”
The receptionist looked down at the purple corner sticking out from under the blanket.
“This is a book.”
“A fantasy book cover.”
“He’s still not human.”
“But you can hear him suffering!”
At that exact moment, RUNE MIST let out such a heartbreaking moan that even the receptionist flinched.
They still refused to examine him.
The author ran back to the taxi.
“Veterinarian,” she said.
The driver looked at her in the rear-view mirror.
“Dog?”
“Book cover.”
The driver nodded.
“All right.”
He had been driving a taxi in the city for a long time.
Fortunately, the veterinarian didn’t ask unnecessary questions.
She immediately placed RUNE MIST on the examination table. She felt along his spine, examined his corners, looked between his pages, checked his reflexes, and finally took his temperature.
“There’s nothing wrong with him.”
The author went pale.
“Doctor, he’s been dying for hours.”
“He isn’t dying.”
“But he’s moaning!”
As if determined to prove her point, RUNE MIST produced another deep, miserable sound.
The author burst into tears.
“You hear that? This must be the end.”
The veterinarian leaned closer.
Then closer still.
“Wait a minute.”
She carefully lifted one corner of RUNE MIST.
There was something underneath him.
A tiny yellow plastic toy.
The veterinarian pulled it out.
She squeezed it.
Squeeeak.
Silence.
The author stared at the toy.
Then at RUNE MIST.
The veterinarian squeezed it again.
Squeeeak.
RUNE MIST recoiled in horror.
It turned out that sometime during the night, he had rolled onto his own squeaky toy. Every time he breathed or moved even slightly, the toy made a noise beneath him.
RUNE MIST had become convinced the sound was coming from inside his body.
So he had spent hours lying perfectly still because he was afraid that if he moved, he would die.
The author hadn’t moved him because she thought exactly the same thing.
The veterinarian handed the fantasy book cover back to her.
“He’s perfectly healthy.”
“Are you sure?”
“Completely.”
RUNE MIST cautiously sat up.
Nothing.
He moved one corner.
Nothing.
Then he stood up and happily snuggled against the author.
She hugged him, crying.
“I thought I was going to lose you.”
RUNE MIST was emotional too.
He sat in her lap all the way home in the taxi.
The veterinarian kept the squeaky toy.
For medical reasons.
Continue the Conversation
If this story resonated with you, here are three more you might enjoy.
– UNSOLVED – The Unsolved Mystery of the Retirement Home
A thriller book cover becomes a stripper. The retirement home will never be the same.
– SEVERED – A Typographic Thriller Premade Book Cover with a Broken Heart
He survived the bull. Unfortunately, he didn’t survive the relationship.
– SERIAL KILLER – A Thriller Book Cover Who Wanted to Become a Motorcycle Legend
No motorcycle. No sense of direction. One extremely ambitious rocking horse.
CTA a Ko-fi shophoz
Looking for a Fantasy Book Cover of Your Own?
RUNE MIST survived his medical emergency and is now perfectly healthy. His squeaky toy has been confiscated.
This one-of-a-kind premade fantasy book cover is still looking for the novel he was meant to belong to. If your fantasy story needs a little magic, mystery, and significantly less veterinary attention, you can find RUNE MIST in my Ko-fi shop.
→ Meet RUNE MIST on Ko-fi
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