Writing Prompt Wednesday: Beauty and Terror

A view from the window of the slave, the tension between the calm beauty and the inate terror of this window are the 

source of today's writing prompt.  Image © Lori Gravley

This is a view through a window at the Slave House on Gore Island in Senegal.  The house was a famous stopping point in the West African slave trade, and almost below this window is the Porte de Non Retour (The Door of No Return) through which slaves left Africa knowing they would never return.  It's a beautiful view, but for the slaves kept on the island before transport, the view would have been one of terror and not serenity.

Can you write from that place of tension either about Gore or about another place that has beauty and terror?  If you'd like a to write about Gore, you can find more information on the island from the links below.

The UNESCO World Heritage description of the island can be found here.

Wikipedia has an interesting entry for Gore, here. 

An interesting article about Gore and the extent of the slave trade and "sincere fictions" is here at the Washington Post.