The way I see it, God is like the director of a play. The play is all the best plays in the world, every tragedy, comedy and the rest, all put together in one play, Life. We're the actors, except we don't know how the play ends, because we haven't read the entire script. But the Director has: and when when the actors talk to the Director, they get help.
Actors still get to pick the little things that they do, of course. They have their own acting style. But some actors like to work all by themselves, without other actors, or even without the Director. So they mess up their part of the Play and things get messy. Of course, the Director is always right there, ready to help them out again.
When the play is all acted out and the lights are turned off, all the actors go Home.

Another Year

Yet another year,
has come and gone,
the fun and tears and
all.
Where did it all
so swiftly go?
New things,
new people,
all past.
Learning through
living, mistakes
and moving on.
Now looking forward
to new times,
new friends,
new life.
Happy New
Year.

Till we meet again

Here we are once more,
upon the threshold of reality.
This time we had together was grand,
a step out of time and space.
But reality is ever calling,
back to grey and hard work.
I won't forget you, you know.
Could I ever do that?
This parting is not forever,
no, but only a short time.
Because winter doesn't last long,
and soon the summer sun will sing.
So say the words that give
this weary traveler hope:
"Till we meet again."

A Lovely Place

It is the most peaceful sort of place.
The grass rolls like a carpet,
gentle hills rising and falling;
an emerald sea.
Lovely, towering trees surrounding,
silent watchers, eternaling guarding.
A beautiful place, with flowers all around.
Almost always surrounded in silence.
Yet there are days, or nights, when meetings
take place.
People of all ages and races meet.
A wonderful party, a meeting of minds.
Their chairs are cold, grey stones,
Stones of all shapes and sizes.
A lovely place, a
Cemetary.

Book

A bell rings, welcoming me in.
Dusty smells waft towards me.
A peaceful feeling is in the air,
and also the need to be quiet.
All is silent and still, ready for
anything.
As I walk forward, a soft sound
is heard.
A low tone and then it becomes
a little louder.
Voices speaking out, calling my name.
So many tales to tell, so many
adventures.
Houses and houses of portals to new
lands and new times.
Each portal whispers and calls to me,
begging me to come along.
Touching each spine, reading titles,
time has no meaning here.
Dreams, hopes, fears and more,
so many options, yet so little funds.
Ready to go on an adventure?
Tell me your secrets, my friend.

Christmas

Time becomes meaningless,
dancing in a starry expanse.
Peace in the cold air,
joy in the warm heart.
Hear the stillness, the stars
all together proclaiming
goodwill to all the people.
Have you heard?
That on this day,
the Savior has been born
in the lowliest place

The Land of Imagination Four-Rio and Raffi

(The fourth short story I wrote when I was younger. Unedited.) 

 Rio and Raffi

“Time for a walk, everyone!” I waited for my pets to come down. Usually all four of my pets would come running down the stairs. But this time I didn’t see any one come down. I climbed up the stairs and went to my room. Yips and growls made it pretty clear that there was a fight going on. I opened the door. It wasn’t very hard to imagine there fight. There was fur every where; in the air, on the ground, and on me. My German shepherd Fido and the fox twins Trick and Trap were chasing each other around my room, knocking stuffed animals and books every where. My winged lioness (Yes, I said lioness) Elsa was trying to stop them but she wasn’t doing a very good job. “What is going on in here?!” I yelled. Fido stopped in mid-jump and fell to the ground. The fox twins had each others tails in there mouths. I guess no one had heard me come in. “What happened?” No one answered. They just looked at me hoping someone else would answer. “Well?” Finally Elsa stepped forward and said, “Well um, the fox twins wanted me and Fido to go ask you if we could go to LOI but I told them you had said no. But Fido wanted to and we sort of started to, um, argue.” She looked at me as if to say that she was just a piece maker and had gotten in the middle. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Having four pets was tiring sometimes. But it was worth it. I opened my eyes and said “Well, it is true that I didn’t want to go to LOI, but if the Old Owl doesn’t ask to adopt another pet, then, I guess, we can go.” As one, all four leaped up in the air and then sped down downstairs. I guess they were excited or something. J “I’m coming! I just have to tell my mom that I’m going for a walk.” I went to my parents room and found my mom painting a, thing. I think it’s called abstract. “I’m going for a walk in the forest, okay mom?” My mom stopped painting and a looked at me. She smiled sweetly and said “Still playing with your imaginary friends, honey? You’re almost a teenager and shouldn’t be alone all the time. You need to spend time with other kids your age.” My mom had given me this lecture so many times, that I almost had it memorized. “Mommmmm, I know! Can I go now?” She sighed, nodded, and went back top her “artwork”. I walked downstairs and opened the door. Me and my mom just didn’t see eye to eye, especially when it came to making friends. Oh, well. I closed the door and looked around. Fido and the twins were way ahead but Elsa, the more mature, had waited for me. I thought about what my mom would say if she knew about the pets. But and impatient growl from Fido told me to think later. We walked to the edge of the forest and found the bridge. I stepped onto it, and slipped! “Ouch! What’s wrong with the bridge?” No one said anything, because they were already in LOI. I stood up and crossed. After the mist cleared, I saw a winter wonderland! Everything was covered in at least three feet of snow. It was so beautiful. Four pairs of paw tracks showed me where my pets had gone. I followed them, thinking they’d go to the Old Owl’s house, but to my surprise, they led to a place I had never been in before. I heard a cheer, and as I rounded a corner, I saw thousands of imaginary pets and there owners. They were watching something, but since I’m short for my age, I couldn’t see what it was. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Trap showed up and said “Come on! This way! You’re going to miss the races if you’re way in the back.” She led me to a row of chairs that were in the front. I could finally see what every one was excited about. It was dog sled racing! There were six teams of four waiting at the starting line. I saw Elsa and asked her what this was. She said “Don’t you know? It’s the annual dog sled races. The huskies, dogs and wolves train all year for these races. The weather is perfect right now. I personally want team four to win.” I looked up but couldn’t see team four. “What’s so special about team four?” She giggled. “What’s special about them? Well, they’re…” Suddenly, Fido appeared and broke in saying “They’re the most totally, awesome, super, cool, wonderful, stupendous, um, uh, cool team ever!!!!” He gave me a big grin. “But why are they awesome, super, um, well you know all those things?” Trap said “Because they’re the only team to have two people only!” I gasped. Only two team members? Wow. In this big race? Trick noticed my confusion. “They’re twins, like us. They’re names are Rio and Raffi. Can you see them? Rio’s the big male. He’s silver with a black forepaw and Raffi’s the smaller female. She’s all white except for a silver line running from the tip of her nose, to the tip of her tail.” I looked up and finally saw them. They were very powerful looking husky twins. Suddenly, the crowd quieted. The Old Owl stepped up to a little platform and spoke into a microphone. “Greetings everyone! This is our fifty-sixth annual race. As you know, the contestants aren’t owned by anyone. If you put your name on this paper, you might be chosen to own the winner! Now, let the races beginnnn!!!!!!!!!!” And with that, the sleds took off. It was a very close race. My pets were cheering for team number four at the top of there lungs. The race was almost done. Who would win? Team number four ran with all there might. They pulled ahead of teams six, five and one. Only teams two and three left. They ran and ran. They pulled ahead of team three! They might just win! But team two consisted of four large male wolves. And they looked like very violent pets. They were now running neck and neck. Who would win? Team Two seemed to pull ahead. There was the finish line! Who would make it? Suddenly, one of the wolves lashed out at Raffi. She cried out in pain and they had to stop. Team two ran ahead and crossed the finish line. But no one cheered for them. The LOI vets ran to Team four. The Old Owl talked to the judge, and then went top his microphone. “Ahem. Excuse me ladies and gentlemen. The judges have decided that biting is foul play and team four has rightfully won.” He hardly finished saying this when the crowd gave a thunderous cheer. It took him a while to calm the crowd down. “The judges have also chosen the owner of the winners. The new owner is…….. Karlin Jensen!!!!!!” I went pale. I hadn’t put my name in! I looked at the fox twins. “Trick? Trap? Did you guys put my name in?” They shook there little red heads. I turned to Fido. “Fido, did you?” He shook his head. That left only… Elsa! “Elsa? Did you put my name in?” She nodded. She looked at me and said “I thought you were ready for more pets. Was I wrong?” That made my decision finale.

    

                   *        *        *        *        *

   “Rio! Raffi! Let’s go.” The husky twins bounded over to me. Elsa and Fido had already crossed and the fox twins were staying in LOI for their Christmas vacation. That left me with my two new pets. We walked to the bridge. The Old Owl was with us and he was chattering on about how the frost was chilling or something like that. We stopped at the bridge and he said good bye and left. I said “Well, this is it. You guys absolutely sure you want to come with me?” Raffi looked at me with her big golden-brown eyes. They said it all. After the papers were signed and stuff, I had a long talk with the huskies. That was when I found out that Raffi was mute, and they weren’t being adopted for that reason. Rio hadn’t wanted to leave his sister. Rio said “My sister and I have been long awaiting this moment. Let’s not prolong it.” I took that as a yes. So, together we crossed the bridge. As we crossed, I promised myself that this was enough pets. No more for me. Six was enough. Haha. Totally famous last words.

          The End, or is it? You never know.       

                         

Switch

 A small dark road lies lonely between two towering houses. It is seldom used, if at all, by vehicles. A few alley cats, perhaps, use it as a passage from one side to the other, but even then, rarely.

     A cold, pale, sickly moon hangs high in the starry night, shining into the frosty air. Barely a sound is heard, for the wind is dead. Only a constant rushing in the background, the cars from the far off highway.

     The air, though still, is heavy and full expectancy, of potential.

  A lone figure appears through some nearby bushes, trotting towards the dark road at a steady pace. As it comes to the shadow of the road, it stops and sits down, golden eyes taking everything in. A bushy red tail curls around slender legs, twitching slightly at every sound. A pointed muzzle raises towards the sky, sniffing the icy air for answers. Around the neck hangs a thin silver chain, and at the end is a small, golden cross.

     The figure surveys the land before it. Houses loom above, too close together and far too noisy. Ears twitching, the figure hears the sounds of sleep and the muffled growls of common house dogs.

     The figures’ lip curls in disdain at the thought of those yapping, mocking replicas of the real thing. They gave their freedom away long ago, the foolish things. They had no real place anymore, except as slaves to a more dominant race.

     The houses are lit with lights for that specific time of year, although the fiery red figure can’t quite remember why. Giving a sound that is similar to a sigh, the figure stands again and trots towards the rats nest of houses, eyes focused only on one.

*              *             *             *             *

   I was washing the dishes that were left over from dinner. I stood in our cozy, warm kitchen, full and ready to sleep. But I had to finish doing the dishes. I also had a pile of math and chemistry homework waiting for me in my room after.

   Scrubbing diligently at a particularly stubborn pot, I suddenly thought I heard a noise, rather like scratching.  I fell still and listened closely. But I heard nothing.

   “Crevana!” My mother said as she came into the kitchen, carrying another plate and a cup. She smiled warmly as I took them from her.

   She looked nothing like me, of course. My long hair was bright red and her short hair was pitch black. I was short and rail thing, while she was tall and comfortably plump. I had eyes the color of a wild forest, while hers were as blue as a summer sky.

   “I have a present for you in the dining room.” She said, looking excited. “I can finish those.”

    I dried my hands on a towel and followed her into the adjoining dining room, where the small table stood, surrounded by chairs. I sat down in my usual chair and she sat down across from me, pulling out a box.

    “Do you know what today is?” She asked, still beaming at me. I frowned a little, not quite sure what she meant.

   “Um…I don’t think so…it’s not my birthday…” I said, thinking. She laughed a little and said “Not quite your birthday, but close, honey.”

    And suddenly I knew and suddenly I wasn’t so sure I wanted to get a present. But before I could come up with an excuse to leave, she said “It’s been an entire year since I adopted you!”

   I smiled with her but I didn’t feel it. A year ago, this had seemed like a brilliant idea. To have a mother and go to school and learn all sorts of things…but…I missed something.

   “Well, open it up.” My mother said, tucking back some of her hair behind her ear. She did that whenever she was nervous, and I knew she was waiting for me to react to the gift. So, with pale, slender fingers, I pulled away at the bright ribbon and pull off the lid.

    It’s a necklace. The chain was thin and shone like moonlight. At the end of it was a miniature heart, the same color as the chain. The heart had a hinge on it and I opened it up. Inside were two pictures; one of myself, and one of my parents. Adoptive parents, I should say.

   “I know you don’t really wear any jewelry, but I see you wearing that other necklace, so I thought you’d like something new. Something to commemorate this occasion.”

    Almost sub consciously, I touched the necklace I was wearing. It wasn’t anything fancy. Actually, the cross pendant was a dull golden color, faded and worn. The chain had been replaced many times as well. But I loved that necklace. It was the only thing that was with me all the time.

    “Wow, mom. Thanks. It’s really…shiny.” I said, for lack of something better to say. It wasn’t awful, of course. It was just a little…I don’t know, but I really never did wear any jewelry. My cross necklace didn’t count. That was a part of my past and all of what I was and am.

   Mom reached over and gave me a big hug. I smiled and again said something nice about the necklace, and then I put it on. She seemed so pleased as she went to go finish the rest of the dishes.

   A little while later, holed away in my small room, I tried to work on my homework, but soon found it impossible. The words kept mixing up and made no sense, so I finally quit. Turning off the light, I sat in the darkness, staring out my open window.

   It was a chilly, cloudless night. Christmas lights shone from the house across the street, blinking in an excited manner. Listening closely, I could hear the sounds of the night in full blast: cars on the highway, sirens going off, TV’s and radios chattering about nothing. And there were so many lights around, even though it was getting late. I looked up and tried to see some stars, but it was difficult, even though we were barely at the edge of the big city.

   A slight breeze wafted into my small room and spoke of times past. I sniffed the air and sighed. I remember what it was like, outside all the time, in the forests…the lovely forests…

   No. I couldn’t think about the past. I had been here for a year now. This was what I had decided and this is what my life would be like, from now on.

   At least, that was what I kept telling myself. But no matter how much I did, I’d been feeling more and more restless lately. I kept having moments where I’d almost remember something, but then the memory would flit away as soon as I tried to grasp it. Something still wasn’t right, even though I’d been living here, with this family, for a year now.

   The family was great, really. I loved them and they loved me. Yet I knew that something wasn’t right and that things were bound to change soon.

   Lost in such thoughts, sitting perfectly still in front of my window, I didn’t hear him until he spoke.

    “Has it been worth it?” He asked in his low, gravelly voice.

   I nearly jumped out of my skin, a thousand and one emotions dancing and screaming to me at once. Trying to remain calm, I looked through the screen and saw him standing on our lawn, nearly hidden by a tall bush. He was tall and strong looking. His hair mirrored my own in color, though it was shorter, of course. As I looked closer, I caught sight of his familiar eyes, glinting in the light.

   Golden, like the sun, betraying nothing that happened within.

 “Tokala.” I whispered and then smiled, despite myself.

He slunk towards the window, until he was only inches away from me. “So you still remember my name. And are you still Crevana? Or did your human family change that too?”

   My lips curled and I frowned at him. “I’m still myself, Tokala. They never changed anything.”

   “That’s a pretty necklace. Is it like the collars, worn by those pampered house dogs?” He said, sneering at me.

   I tore through the screen and lunged at him. We fell onto the frosted grass and wrestled for a moment. Finally, he pinned me to the ground, laughing softly. “You still lose, just like normal.”

   Torn between the desire to punch him and the desire to kiss him, I said “So I haven’t changed. And I still wear my other necklace.”

    He helped me sit up and then looked at me for awhile. I gazed back at him, not flinching. A silent power struggle raged, and also a struggle of pride. Finally realizing that he wouldn’t bend, I said “I’ve missed you.”

    Smiling, he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a long kiss. I kissed him back, so relieved that nothing had happened to him.

   Pulling away, he said “Will you come back now?”

 I sighed, pulling my knees up close to myself. “I…they need me, Tok.”

 He growled. “No, you just think they do. They don’t actually…I need you, Crev.”

“So you’ve missed me too?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded. “Of course I have.”

   I thought about what going back would mean. It meant that I could go back to where I belonged, away from the awful city, from the stench and the crowds and the….the humans.

    As if reading my thoughts, Tokala said “You don’t belong with the humans. You belong in the wild forests. With the others. With me.”

   “The others are still alive?” I asked, stalling. He nodded. “Of course.”

  “There have been hunts recently, that’s all.” I said, still thinking. My mind was a mess of whirling thoughts and emotions. Trying to make sense of them, I thought of my old home and was hit with an intense need to go back. To go back and stay there forever.

  Touching the new necklace, I thought about my mother, sleeping upstairs in the house. I thought about how happy she had been when she gave it to me. I thought about what the necklace meant.

   Tokala was gazing at me intently. “Please come home.” He whispered, all pride gone now.

   My mind was made up. Taking one final look back at the house, I said “Let’s go.”

*              *             *             *             *

Ending One:

     She was jolted out of her sleep by a strange unfamiliar sound. Heart pounding wildly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. The small glowing clock said that it was almost one in the morning. She put on a warm robe and went to the window, but nothing was to be seen.

     But there was another sound, echoing the first. An ugly sound, wrenching through the darkness and speaking of untold horrors.

     She ran down the stairs and out the front door, looking around. Several other neighbors were outside as well, looking just as confused. “What’s going on?” She asked, but no one knew.

     Finally, one of the neighbors appeared, carrying a gun. He was grinning, despite the dirty looks that the others gave him. “I finally got ‘em! The little rotters…sneaking around in my garden when they thought I couldn’t see ‘em.”

     A man nearby rolled his eyes and asked “What are you talking about?”

 The first man laughed. “Foxes! A pair of them, probably had little baby foxes that were learning to steal too. But now they’re dead!”

   She frowns and goes back into her house to check on her sleeping daughter. But when she opened the door, the bed was empty.

   “Honey?” She asked, but there as no answer. A sinking feeling began to grow in her stomach.

    Running back outside, she saw that there was now a police officer among the gathering crowd. Everyone was looking at something in the middle, on the ground. Pushing through and getting closer, she bit her lip as she saw them. The two red forms, bleeding into the ground.

    “Move along, folks. Go back to your beds.” The police officer said, kneeling down to get a better look. He touched the neck of one and frowned. She watched as he ran something through his fingers. Then he looked up and saw her.

   “Ma’am? Is something wrong?” He asked, kindness in his eyes. She knelt down and touched the fox gently. Then she too touched the thing around its’ neck.

   She stared at the chain and little silver heart for a very long time. Then she stood up and went back to her home, closing the door softly.

Ending Two:

    She gazed out of the window, sighing for probably the millionth time that day. No sign of her daughter. At all.

   She had known that their happy times weren’t going to be for forever. Something about her daughter had been…flighty. She just wished she knew that her daughter was safe. And happy.

   Something flashed by outside, causing her to startle. She looked and gasped. Two red foxes ran across the lawn from one bush to the other. One stopped and looked right at the window. In the sunlight, two chains around the fox’s neck reflected a little. The fox gazed right at her, and then vanished into the bushes forever.

The Land of Imagination Three-Trick and Trap

  (This is the third short story that I wrote when I was young. Still unedited.)

  Trick and Trap

“Oh, Fido.” That was really all I could say. My room was a total mess. My books on lions and dogs were every where and tomorrow’s homework was all around the room. My sleek, brown and black German shepherd looked at me with despair. “I miss Elsa!” he said. Now wait, did I say said? Yes I did. Fido isn’t a normal dog. He’s my imaginary pet. So’s Elsa, my winged lioness. Back to the story. “I was pretending that she was here and I was the brave mail carrier, like I was in LOI.” Fido smiled at me trying to look innocent but it didn’t really work. I knew he’d been lonely since Elsa hurt her paw and had to go to the imaginary vet clinic. “Well Fido, you know I like going to LOI (Land Of Imagination, if you couldn’t remember) but the old owl always tries to give me another pet. Don’t get me wrong, boy. I like having pets. But you and Elsa are quite a hand full. I really can’t have another pet, and that’s that.” If only I’d stuck with that. But of course, I never really can stick with something for a long time. Fido looked at me with big eyes that pleaded with me. I instantly regretted what I’d said. “Oh, fine. I guess we can go for a little visit. But let’s try to not talk to the Old Owl about pets, okay?” Fido was out the door before I was done. As I ran out the door of my house, my mother stopped me. “Honey, did you finish your homework?” She always asked me that even though (not to brag) I never got a single study hall. I guess she just wasn’t used to me being in school. See, I’ve been home schooled until I was ten. After that, I had to go to school. I’m eleven now and in grade 6. I like it and Fido usually isn’t lonely because Elsa is there. (That’s one of the reasons I got him. So Elsa wouldn’t be lonely.) Any way. I told my mom not to worry and before she could say any thing else, I sped out the door. I went to the back of my house and went into the woods. I found Fido waiting at the Bridge of Mist. As usual, it wasn’t in the same spot. It was always moving. So, Fido and I crossed the bridge. As usual, the mist swirled around us, but we walking. We knew that we wouldn’t fall off. Finally, we reached the end. We stepped of and the bridge vanished. As usual. We went directly to the Old Owls’ house. When we go there, Fido zoomed up ahead of me. As I climbed the wooden planks, I heard Fido start to laugh. What could be so funny? The old owl is sort of serious. When I go to the top, I opened the door and stared in horror. The old owl was tied to a chair! And dancing around him were two foxes! Fido was laughing away. I started to scold him but then I realized why he was laughing. The old “owl” wasn’t real. It was just a dummy. Just then the old owl (the real one) flew in. He stared at the foxes. “Trick and Trap, you must be ashamed of your selves.” The foxes stopped dancing and said sorry. Then they and Fido ran out the door. “Who are they?” The Owl poured me some tea. “They are fox twins that have been here for awhile now. No one wants them because they are so mischievous, as you can see.” He looked at me waiting for me to say something. I knew what he wanted. But I already had two pets, and taking care of fox twins that got into trouble just didn’t grab me. “Do they have any interests?” The Owl thought for awhile. “Well, Trap lives up to his name. He sets traps. The dummy on the chair was a practice trap. And Trick also lives up to her name. She loves to trip people and play wonderful tricks on them. The two of them together is very dangerous. You have to watch your step.” Just as he said that I stepped on a rope that quickly tightened itself around my leg. The Owl looked at me apologetically. I just couldn’t take two more troublesome pets. I loved Fido and Elsa but they were enough trouble. The Owl looked at me expectantly. “I’ll, I’ll think about it.” The Owl sighed and drank some tea. I unwrapped the rope from my leg. “Well, thanks for the tea. I’m going to take a walk and then I’ll give you my answer.” I got up and left. I decided to go to the LOI Park. When I go there, I saw tons of imaginary pets walking with there owners. There were also tons of homeless pets walking around and playing too. I finally found Fido under an orange and yellow colored tree.  I guess he was waiting for me. When he saw me, he barked and said, “So, are you going to adopt Trick and Trap?” I didn’t know what to say. Fido did need someone to play with. Elsa was okay but she preferred solving math problems to playing Fido’s mail carrying game. I decided to play it safe and said “I want to talk to them first.” I walked to the pond where the twins were setting up some sort of fish catching device. I said hi but they didn’t really notice. “Um, do you need any help?” Trick kept working but Trap suddenly looked up at me.” I don’t think we do. Thanks though. So, um, are we in trouble?” He looked at me with big yellow eyes. I said, “Not really.” What else could I say? I couldn’t say ‘you’re coming home with me’. I’d have to ask them. But they don’t know me. They’d probably say no. “Is it okay if I, uh, um, watch?” I sounded really lame. I could tell he knew I wanted to say something else. But he nodded and went back to work. They went on constructing there fishing thing for a couple minutes but then one of Traps’ friends called him over. It was a big lynx. Trap bounded over and left me with Trick. She looked up and smiled. “Are we going home with you?” I gasped. “How did you know? I mean, well, was I that obvious?” She smiled more and said “No, it’s just…” she trailed off and looked down. I think I saw a tear drop but I’m not sure. She finally looked up and said, “Well, whenever a human comes to LOI, the Old Owl tries to give us to them. He really wants to get rid of us. We don’t mean to be bad, we just like to play. But he’s not very good at playing.” She stopped to catch her breath and looked down again. I started to feel guilty. These poor outcasts. They wanted, no, needed a loving owner. And I was about to say no. I picked her up, and she looked at me with mournful eyes. “You’re going to say no, right?” I looked at her and realized what I had to do. “I’m, I’m going to talk to the Old Owl again. Okay?” She nodded as I put her down and she scampered off. As I walked back to the Owls house, I thought about my decision. I would have to get more pet food and more beds and more, more everything! I’m not going to adopt anymore though. Ha. Famous last words.  

                 *         *        *        *        *

  “Trick! Trap! No splashing in the water!! The point of the bridge is to not get wet. Oh, never mind. Come on, guys. Let’s go home.”

Tick Tock

 
Unwrapping the plastic around my cheese sandwich, I watched my best friend, Carter, and his girlfriend, Victoria, walk by. He didn’t even glance at me as they walked by, holding hands and laughing about something. I sighed and took a bite from my sandwich, resisting the urge to call out to him.

  We’d had an argument about her yesterday. In the end, he said I was a jealous little girl, which I just laughed off.

   But wasn’t it true? It was only then that I realized that really liked Carter. A whole lot more than just being best friends. And I finally knew that was why Victoria irritated me so much.

   Carter and I had met in Kindergarten, while playing with the puppet theater. He had said that because I was a girl, I had to play with the princess puppet. I promptly proceeded to hit him over the head with it.

  We had been friends ever since. That was nearly eleven years ago now.

  I glanced at my watch. 12:08. The bell for the end of lunch would ring in about three minutes. And then it was off to math class. Carter used to sit with me, but as soon as he had started dating Victoria, he had begun sitting with her. I pretended not to care.

  A strand of my long hair fell in front of my face and I pushed it away impatiently.

This is so stupid! I thought. I should just tell him I like him and get it over and done with.

  I looked at my watch again and pushed the button that switched it to the timer, like any normal digital watch. Except my watch was counting down, not up. It told me that I had two days left until I blew up.

  Perhaps I should explain.

 Two years ago, I had been kidnapped by a little known terrorist group. They experimented on me and finally implanted a tiny bomb inside my spine. They started the timing mechanism, and then let me loose, assuring me that the bomb would go off if someone tried to remove it. So I had never told anyone. What the terrorists were hoping was that I would be at school or some other crowded place when it went off. What they didn’t know was that I knew exactly when it would go off, thanks to a very talkative terrorist who had tried to kiss me.

  So I had two days left now. That was it. After that, I would blow up and stop being. Stop talking, interacting, existing.

  I wasn’t really doing anything special in my last days, like some heroic people seem to have done. I just kept living my normal life, although ever since I had been kidnapped, I hadn’t fought with people as much. My life was too short for such silly things.

  But now there was one thing that I wanted to do; to tell Carter how I really felt. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with it later on, because I would be dead.

  I truly hoped it would be quick and painless, the explosion. I simply wanted it to happen at the time it was supposed to, all short and sweet. I spent nights wondering if there would be some sort of fluke, and I wouldn’t be dead right away. Just in little pieces, lying there in fiery pain. Short and sweet was what I wanted.

  Short and sweet.

*        *         *        *        *

  Call me a coward but I decided not to tell Carter. This decision was made after I saw him and Victoria making out after school. I ran away, tears threatening to spill all over.

  I now had three hours left to live. Not even that, as I looked at my watch again. Only two hours and fifty nine minutes.

  I knew where I was going to go when it was time to die; a place where I wouldn’t hurt anyone else when it happened. I would take a nice long walk in the park near my house, and then…poof.

  The park was huge, filled with lots of trees and bushes, and yet there was almost never any where there. It was a sad lonely place, always grey and rainy. I was sure it was the best place to go, because it was so secluded.

  So I walked around for awhile, thinking about…well, everything. My family, to whom I had said goodbye earlier, though they didn’t know it would be for forever. Same for all my other friends. Carter…I hadn’t been able to find him. I had looked everywhere that I could think of. I had even broken down and asked Victoria. She looked at me down her nose, scowling and said “I’m not sure why you care…but actually, I don’t know where he is at the moment. Why?”

I had smiled grimly and said “Time is nearly up.”

She had looked at me like I was a freak and then walked away.

  So here I am now, thinking about Carter once more. I sat down at the foot of a tree and sighed, looking at my watch again. One hour left, and then ka-boom.

  “Tick tock. Tick tock.” I whispered in a sing song voice. Time was running, running away from me, leaving me with nothing.

  After awhile, just as I decided to get up again, I heard a noise. I tensed and looked around. “Who’s there?”

  The bushes in front of me moved and out stepped Carter.

  I stared at him, not believing he was really there. “C-Carter? What are…what are you doing here?”

  Only twenty minutes left.

 “Karen…I wanted to apologize for our fight on Monday.” He said, sitting down in front of me. I kept staring at him, painfully aware of the minutes ticking away. Like I had said, tick tock.

  “Carter…did you follow me out here or something?” I finally asked, not sure what else to say. He grinned a little sheepishly. “Well, not exactly. I went to your house but your mom said you went for a walk in the park. So I came out here and finally heard you. So I kind of followed you…but not really.”

  I laughed a little, glad to be talking to him again, for one last time. Tick tock.

 “Oh Carter…well, I’m sorry I argued with you too. It’s just that…” Do I dare tell him? What do I have to lose? Ha, nothing.

 I glanced at my watch again. Fifteen minutes left. Hurry up! But before I could say anything, he spoke.

 “You see, Karen, there was something I wanted to…to talk to you about.” He paused and I suppressed the urge to yell at him to hurry up. Just say whatever you want to and get it over with!  Time is running away from us!

  But he didn’t speak. It was like he was trying to decide something, to make up his mind about something. I finally rolled my eyes and said “I have something to say too. So while you sit there thinking, let me say it.”

 Twelve minutes until I died and was gone forever.

 “Carter, I love you.”

 Okay, so that wasn’t quite how I had wanted that to come out. I had wanted to be a little more reserved, with a nice ‘I kind of like you a little bit’ or something. But I guess when you’re about to die, the large, painful truth will come out no matter what.

  He was staring at me in shock. His mouthed moved but no words came out, not even an incoherent sound. I kept a steady gaze with him, not turning away. I wasn’t even blushing, though I had surprised myself as well.

  Ten minutes.

 I willed him to hurry up and say something, anything, no matter what it was. He looked away, running his fingers through his dark hair. “Karen…”

  My stomach doing the butterfly thing, despite myself. “Yes?” I asked, almost wanting to laugh. I mean, here I was, telling him I loved him, and all the idiot could do was say my name. He couldn’t even look at me.

  But….I really loved him so much. Why didn’t I say anything sooner? I’m the real idiot.  Eight minutes.

  I stood up. “Carter, I don’t care if you don’t feel the same way, okay? I just thought you should know, before it was…too late.” I started to walk away.

 He stood up too and grabbed my arm. “No, Karen, wait. I’m sorry, it’s just this was such a surprise. I mean, the reason I came to find you was to tell you-”

  “Tell her what, Carter?” A new voice shrilled and I winced, wondering how this could get any worse.

  Of course it was Victoria.

 She toddled out from behind a tree on her extra high heels and draped a delicate arm around Carter. “What, Carter?” She asked again, her voice dripping with poison. I hit my head with my hand and then looked at my watch, anticipation starting to bubble up inside me.

  Six minutes.

  Carter looked confused as he looked at Victoria. “Hey, I told you we were through.”

 My jaw dropped. “You broke up with her?

He nodded, looking at me. “I just…I didn’t feel the same way about her like I felt for-”

  Victoria put a hand over his mouth and said “Shush, Carter. You’re just being silly.”

 Something within me wanted to scream at her. I could just tell that Carter was trying to say something important, and she kept getting in the way. Once more, I looked at my watch and my heart dropped.

 Four minutes.

Carter must have finally noticed that I kept looking at my watch. “Is something wrong?”   

 He asked as he pushed Victoria’s hand away. I sighed and nodded. “I’m going to die in exactly three minutes and fifty eight seconds.”

  They both stared at me and then Victoria gave a little laugh, as though I had told a bad joke. “Honestly, what kind of joke is that?” She asked.

  I shook my head sadly and looked at Carter. “What do you mean?” He asked, looking worried.

  “Remember when I was kidnapped? By the terrorists? I told everyone I was fine, but I lied. They implanted a bomb inside my spine, set off to go in two years time. That’s why I came here. To blow up in peace.”

  Victoria curled her lip. “Pieces, I suppose you mean.”

 Carter whirled around and shoved her. She lost balance and fell over, screeching. Then he turned back to me. “You’re serious, aren’t you.”

  I nodded and showed him my watch. The little numbers ticked down and down, taunting. Three minutes and twenty seconds left. I looked up at Carter and saw that his eyes were glassy. “You’re going to die.” He whispered in horror.

  I nodded, biting my lip. “Which is why I told you that…I love you. I wanted to say so before I died.”

  Before I knew it, his arms were around me and he was hugging me tightly. “You can’t die!” He said, tears falling down his face and running into my hair. I hugged him back, my own tears falling as well. “You should have told me.” He said and I pulled away.

  “Told you what? That I was dying or that I love you?”

 “Both.” He said.

 My watch beeped. One minute. I pushed him away and said “Grab Victoria and get out of here. I don’t know how big the explosion is going to be.”

 He was shaking his head. “I can’t…I can’t let you die!”

I laughed. “There’s nothing you can do. I have fifty seconds. Run! Now!”

 I pushed him extra hard and he started walking backwards as Victoria tugged at his arm. I walked away from them, still looking at them both. Thirty seconds left.

 Tick tock.

I was far from them both now. I could see Carter trying to run over to me but Victoria was hanging on to him tightly. Good. He wouldn’t get hurt.

 Twenty.

Ten.

Five.

I blew a kiss to him, just as he yelled something to me. I almost hear what he said, but then the roar in my ears covered all other sounds, and then I was on fire, and then…

  Carter yelled as Karen blew up, hot fire engulfing everything around her. He struggled weakly, still trying to get to her….

….but it was too late to tell her. He cried and screamed her name, shock hitting him like a rock.

 Victoria, though shaken, didn’t think much of what had happened. She hadn’t liked Karen. “Carter, it’s alright. It’s all over.”

 He shook his head violently, sobbing. “You’re right.” He said, burying his face in his hands. “It is all over. I never got to tell her…”

 He trailed off, sobbing harder. “Tell her what?” Victoria asked, feeling a little impatient. She barely heard his reply, he was so quiet. But she heard the pain in his voice, and for a moment, she felt a little guilty.

“I never got to tell her….I loved her too.”

End

City

Burning scent, rubber and tar,
golden lights blazing, surrounding.
Foul motion, much too busy.
Destruction, chaotic structure.
Bleak in a dying world, no more green,
cold in a heatless sun.
The rich and the poor juxtaposed,
a vile contrast indeed.
Tall symbols of pride, frail glass,
too close and too claustrophobic.
Ashes scatter in the unclean air.
The mark of their existence everywhere,
fake worlds among the illusions.
No more space, going upwards:
the wild try to find a way to cope.
Little trees surrounded by fences,
a rats nest maze high in the sky.
Wilted dreams, too hot and crowded,
mocking and shattered memory mirrors.
Poor, pitiful efforts, commendable,
if not laughable.
Dirty place, dirty people,
forgot again to save the beauty.

The Land of Imagination Two-Fido

(This is the second short story that I wrote when I was younger. Once again, it's unedited.)
Fido 

“Elsa, do you want to go back to LOI?” I asked my sandy colored lioness. “Hmm, I think it would be enjoyable.” she said. “Okay, I just have to tell my mom and then we can go.” I ran downstairs to the kitchen and found my mom cooking some sort of paste that I hoped would not be for supper. You see, my mom is an artist and sometimes she treats her meals like an art canvas. “Hi mom, can I go to the forest for a while?” She didn’t look happy and said “Honey, I don’t like you going to the woods alone all the time. You need to be with other ten year olds.”         She paused to wipe her face. “I know you like using your imagination but why not use it with someone? I’ve invited Susie Wellington over for this after noon and I want you to be here when she comes. Okay?” I didn’t like Susie because she only played with dolls but I really wanted to go to LOI! So I said okay. I ran out the door and then looked for Elsa. She was way ahead of me. I suddenly realized that I didn’t know where the bridge was. It had disappeared last time when we got off of it. Then, there it was! But it most definitely was not in the same spot as last time. Elsa was yelling at me to hurry. With that, we crossed the bridge. Just as before the mist swirled around us and we couldn’t see any thing. Then we were there! This was the Land of Imagination. With its purple leaves, yellow tree trunks, pink grass, green clouds and blue sun. And just then I noticed something else. I could see Elsa without having to imagine her! And boy was she running! I knew where she was running to so I took my time. When I got to the massive tree that had a sign saying MAYOR’S HOUSE in big bold letters, I knew she gone to the old owl’s house because there were huge paw prints leading around the tree. Odd. Why hadn’t she gone right in? Unless the old owl wasn’t home. As if to answer my thought, the old owl came flying in. When he saw me, he flew toward me and hugged me. He said “So, is every thing all write in the real world? And where is Elsa?” “Everything is fine in my world” I said “And I don’t know where Elsa is. I did bring her with me.” Just then we heard noises coming from somewhere and we saw that it was Elsa and a big German shepherd running toward me. I thought they were going to crash into me. I closed my eyes waiting for it. But a crash didn’t come. I opened my eyes. There in front of me was Elsa panting and smiling like I’ve never seen her before. She said “This… is...Fido. He went to…. school with me here.” “Uh, hi.” I didn’t know what to say.  “I like the color of your fur.” he said. Fur? He must mean my hair. “Thanks Fido. No one has really complimented me on my hair before. They usually call me carrot top.” Fido looked at me for a moment, puzzled. “Carrot top? Is it because you have orange-red hair?” I nodded. “Well” said the old owl. “Know that we’ve all met, I would like to speak with you in my office.” Elsa left right away knowing that he wanted to talk about her. Fido followed her with great speed. “Come up, come up.” I followed the old owl as he flew up the steps. We went into his large sitting room (other wise known as his office) and then he poured himself some tea into a large cup and then sat down. “Do you like Fido?”  he said. “Um, yes he’s okay.” “Yes, yes, but do you like him enough to own him?” he said.  “Uh, well, it’s hard enough to take care of Elsa. I don’t know if I could take care of him as well.” The old owl looked disappointed. I could tell that it was a busy time in LOI. Probably because some new TV show came out. Lots of pets were being given up. “Where did Fido come from anyway?” I asked. “He was pushed out of a car a few years ago. Elsa found him and they became great friends.” he said. “Did he get hurt?” I said.  “No, which is a miracle” he said. “Yes, it is.” Awkward silence filled the Owls’ large office/sitting room. I broke it by saying, “Well, I guess I could talk to Elsa about it. You see, I’m going to start school soon and-- “Wait, wait. Don’t you already go to school?” the owl asked. Ooops. I didn’t like telling any one that I don’t go to school. “Well, I don’t go to a real school.        See, I’m home schooled.” “Ahh.” Said the Owl. “And, well,” I continued, “Elsa would probably get lonely.” There was another long silence. After a while, I thought the Owl had gone to sleep. But he suddenly said, “Well, it was nice seeing you. Be sure to look around before you leave. And maybe you can think about my offer. See you later.” And with that, he opened the door for me. I got up and left. I had no idea what I should do. So, I decided to find Elsa and talk to her about it. But how was I supposed to find her? “This’ll be fun.” I thought as miles and miles of trees and fields opened up before me.

         

              *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

  Two hours and lots of thinking later, I finally found Elsa playing in a pond. I called her over, and told her what the Owl had said. She said “Well, I for one think the idea is wonderful. But you said it might be nice for me to have a friend. Are you going away? You are a good friend of mine after all. And Fido’s just visiting. Isn’t he?” She looked at me with her pale blue eyes. “No he isn’t. He was abandoned. Didn’t he tell you?” Elsa shook her head. “Oh, and about your other question. Yes, I’m going away. But only during the day. Your old owner must have gone to school. Well, I have to go to school.” Elsa looked at me and said “Yes, I know what it is. In fact, I helped my owner while she did her homework. I have learned much from school. I also went to the LOI academy. It was very enjoyable. Yes, school is a good place.” I looked at Elsa and wondered what other things I didn’t know about her. “Well then, I guess we’ll go tell Fido that he’s part of the family.” Elsa smiled with delight.

    

            *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

  With imaginary leashes in hand, me, Elsa, and my new pet Fido walked to the bridge. The Owl waved and said goodbye. There were also other imaginary pets saying goodbye to us. I was almost a celebrity for taking such an energetic pet like Fido. (I later found out that Fido was the runner and mail carrier of LOI. Now there’s a statue in my honor) I waved and said I’d be back. Then we went home.

           ******Two hours later******

 “Fido, who was your old owner? Maybe I know them.” Fido thought and said “You probably don’t know her. Her name is Susie Wellington.”

Hm. No wonder I didn’t like Susie very much.

   

                      THE END   or is it? 

Wild Heart

A wild thing at heart,
untamable at best.
Going insane in cages,
locked away, no rest.
Fleeing into the wind,
the forest calling out.
Run away from cities,
far beyond a doubt.
Skim across the sea,
lost inside the forest.
Free the raging heart,
it always was the fastest.

The Land of Imagination One-Elsa

(This is a story I wrote a long time ago, one of my first short stories. Here it is, unedited, raw and origonal. There are several more after this one.)
Elsa 

  It all started when I was walking through the woods one day. Now, before I go on with my story, let me explain who I am. I’m a nine year old that has been home schooled all my life. At least, I have been until now. In the fall, I have to go to real school. I have red-orange hair and I hope not to get teased in school about it. I also don’t think I have a good imagination. My mom is an artist and has a good imagination and every one expects me to have one too. Anyway, now that you know some things about me, I’ll gat back to my story. I was going to meet a friend when suddenly I saw a bridge. “Now where did that come from?” I thought. I decided to cross it. I got on top of the bridge. Suddenly, it was foggy all around me and I thought I might fall off. Then, just as I thought I    would never find my way off, I could suddenly see again but there was no bridge! And then I saw that I was not in the woods that I was used to either. “Where am I?” I thought. Just then I heard a noise behind me. I turned around and then wished I hadn’t. I saw a, you’ll never guess what, but I saw a..... LION! And not just a lion, but a winged lion! I was terrified but to my surprise the lion said hello! Then she said her name was Elsa. I said hello and then asked her where I was. She said   that I was in the Land of Imagination but I could call it LOI for short. Then she asked me if I wanted to go to the old owl’s house. I thought “Owls are smart, so maybe he could help me. So I said yes. So she turned around and I followed. We walked past lots animals. At least, I think some of them were animals. Some of them were strange creatures that I’ve never seen before and the landscape was very strange. There were purple trees and pink grass. Just then we got to a massive tree. It looked very old. We went around to one side of it and I saw that someone had nailed boards to the trunk. I looked up and saw a sort of house built into the trunk. Elsa and I climbed up. Above the door was a sign that said “MAYORS HOUSE” in big letters. I guess the old owl was the mayor. Elsa knocked on the small door and a few minutes later the door opened with a loud squeak. “That repair pet hasn’t come yet. You just can’t trust beavers these days.” The speaker was an old but wise looking …thing. I wouldn’t really have called it an owl. “Ah, good morning, Elsa. Have you brought a customer?” What? I thought. Customer? “Um, excuse me. What do you mean by customer, uh, sir?” The …thing looked at me and said “Hasn’t Elsa told you?” I shook my head. He said “This is where unwanted imaginary pets live.” I didn’t get it. Aren’t imaginary pets supposed to be well, imaginary? I just stared at him. Then I said “Can people get them back?” The owl (I’ll just call him that because every one else does) shook his head. “Sadly, not every one can. In fact, not every one can even cross The Bridge of Mist. It wasn’t always this way though.” The owl paused and then went on. “A long time ago, almost every child had an imaginary pet. But once the child became a teenager, they forgot their pet and that pet died. One day a very imaginative girl was getting too old for her pet but she didn’t want it to die. So she came up with this place. Now whenever a pet is given up, it comes here. Pets here die too but only if the person that made up the pet dies.” He paused again and looked at me to make sure I understood. Then he went on. “Pets here won’t die though if someone else adopts them.” He looked me meaningfully. Adopt a pet? I had to know more before I decided anything. “Is the pet of that girl still alive?” I asked. The old owl smiled and said “Yes, in fact, you’ve already met her.” I looked at Elsa and she nodded. “She is the oldest one here” he said. “But for years, no one has wanted her. They say she is too old but imaginary pets have no age. She may be more mature than some of the others but not old.” That was all I needed to hear. “May I adopt Elsa?” His smile grew and he almost seemed to sigh with relief. “Why don’t you ask her your self?” I turned around and said “Elsa, do you want to be my imaginary pet?” She smiled and said “I would be most grateful if I could.”

                          

                                  *****

    A few days later when everything was settled and Elsa had said goodbye to her friends, the old owl, Elsa, and I went back to where the bridge had been. To my surprise, it was there as if it had never disappeared. The old owl and I shook hands/wings and then Elsa and I walked up to the bridge. “Remember” the owl said “Elsa will disappear once you cross the bridge but if you imagine her, you will be able to see her.” I nodded and then remembered that I had one last question. “Who can come here nowadays?”  His answer came to me as the mist closed around us. His answer was “people with a great imagination.”

 The end? We’ll just have to see.   

Innocence

Little dreamer,
small and meaningful.
Wake not yet,
for the night is young.
Close those eyes,
rest in comfort.
Silence will sing
you to sleep.
Trust in me,
I'll keep watch
over you.
Dear little child,
innocent and free.
Be at peace,
despite the storm
outside.

Lord of the Dance

    (Note: This piece of writing is based on Riverdance's "Lord of the Dance" show. Each song and dance described is an actual song and dance. The links are links to the songs on youtube.)

This is in the Time of Before. In that time, every one had a song and a dance that they sang. They would join songs and make new songs. But to kill someone’s song/dance, or to killdance, was the most terrible thing that someone could ever do. We go to the Time.

  All is silent. It is night, the time when doom reigns. And then…

Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. Dong. The misty voices of those that have been join the sound of the Day Bell. It is gloomy, the time in between night and day. Then, a small pixie named Kyna walks into the middle of the Glade and starts to play her flute. The world begins to awaken. The birds fly out of their nests and the animals on the ground look around as the Song of Life plays. The faeries join in the dance and then the elves do too. The dryads sing the song with all their hearts. They all awaken the sun. And then suddenly, they become expectant and the Song quiets. The Lord of the Dance is coming! He is coming to greet the day! The animals stomp, the music stops, and then… He appears! He leaps and twirls about them all. He amazes the world! The music joins and the faeries leap and twirl around him. The dryads start to sing again. The pixies play their flutes as the new day begins. All are dancing and singing now. This dance is the Dance of Life that flows in their veins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQDFNYv1YaE

   And as suddenly as it all started, it stops, for there in front of them is the goddess, Erin. Her long beautiful red hair shone in the new morning sun. Her forest green dress and cloak where made of the most wonderful cloth and didn’t get dirty, even when she brushed against the branches and bushes. She was beautiful. All the creatures of the Glade gasped in awe. She greeted them all with a beautiful song of sadness and hope, of lost and found love. She awed them as her song continued. Some of the elves accompanied her on their harps. Her song fades, growing softer and softer, and then she is gone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5QKUYRLMU

  All the creatures in the Glade scatter. The Glade is empty for a long while, or perhaps it was only a short time. Then, a young faerie steps into the glade and begins the faerie song. She sings and dances the fragile sounding song. She did little hops and skips on tip toe, never losing her balance, never missing her footing. More faeries join her. Each dance is different, yet the same. They twirl and seem to float above the Glade.

  Without a signal, all the faeries dance into a tight circle, and then dance out again. There, where the center of the circle had been, stood Birkita, Queen of the faeries. Her golden hair flowed as she hopped and flowed in the dance of the faerie. The others hummed the song as she danced. Then they danced into a circle again and then danced out and the Queen was gone. The faeries hummed and danced, swaying back and forth. All the different movements were so beautiful, and though they all did their own dance, they all went together perfectly. And then they all vanished to the forests, still humming and dancing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhGhYYiypI0

  Suddenly the air grew cold and the whole Glade felt an oncoming horror. And there, in the middle of the Glade, appeared Sheridan. He was the same type of creature and the Lord of the Dance, but as he dances, he shows his temper and rage and displeasure. His dance is cruel and vicious. His dance starts to summon all the evil creatures that were banished from the Glade. Goblins and Ratmen, Werewolves and Minotaur. Sheridan’s song and dance tells them how he hates the Lord of the Dance and wants to defeat him so he can be the Lord of the Dance. The dance gets crueler and more horrible by the second. All the evil creatures start to mimic the dance and song and soon all are doing the awful thing. Their goal is clear: To killdance the Lord of the Dance. They all work themselves into a frenzy and then suddenly all are gone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI7SCmBIpkg

  The Glade begins to warm up again. But no one in the forest dares to go dance in the Glade. Then a song is heard, a song that is almost never heard. It is the song of Edana, the gypsy. Gypsies are neither pixie, nor elv, nor faerie. They are simply Gypsy.

  Edanas’ song is like the faeries but has hints of Sheridan’s dance in it. The Gypsy’s moves are flowing but also a bit stiff at the same time. She sings her song with life and energy as she prances about the Glade. She wants to capture someone’s heart with her song and dance. She is very beautiful but has a hint of darkness about her. She finishes dancing her song and leaves the Glade. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03rx2S6TVo4

  Kyna the pixie saw both Sheridan and the Gypsy. She takes out her flute and plays the Song of Life but in a softer, gentler tune. Her song calls for help from all the creatures of the Glade. Nothing seems to happen but then suddenly the faeries appear and join the dance, saying they’ll help. Then the sweet pixie/faerie song is joined by the lower, yet good sound of the elves. They all dance together to unite against the evil ones. The animals join too and soon the Song of Life has almost all the elements to complete it.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEjclME_BM4

   It ends though, because Kyna started to play the Lord of the Dance’s song. This meant that he would come soon. Queen Birkita starts the dance with light, faerie movements as the elves join Kyna’s flute music. The rest of the faeries join the dance and the dryads sing. They hear him. The animals stomp, the music stops, and suddenly, the Lord of the Dance is among them, dancing and singing away as he calls them all to join him. They all do and the Song of Life is sung and danced by all. The music gets faster and faster. And then it ends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By4NUxd6z3s

  They all scatter into the forests as the old, bent form of Kieran the Seer hobbles into the Glade. He cried out to the disappearing woodlanders, asking them to listen to his sad, lonely song of prophecy. He wept as he sang of things that had been, and things that were to come. His song grew quieter and quieter and he and his song faded away as the sun began to set. (Note: This song was only on the CD, so there's no link)

At this time of day, the Elves and faeries meet in a dancing feast. They all danced the sun as he died and danced the moon as she awakened. It was a hot night but no one noticed. They danced of battles that had been and of adventures and of times of evil and how heroes had saved the day. And then with one voice they sang the last note and faded away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKlk2Jt0_kQ

  A small young faerie named Rhoswen appears in the Glade. She didn’t dance with the rest of the faeries at the feast. She hadn’t dance with them for a long time, for she had vowed to never dance again. She sat on a rock ledge that no one would come near. It was her rock ledge. Her mournful song floated on the night breeze. She sang of sorrow, for her lost elven lover, who had been killed the night before their wedding. In a faerie/elv wedding, the elves sing and the faeries dance. When Rhoswen’s lover died, she vowed to never dance until her lover was avenged. But that would probably never happen, for Sheridan had killed her lover.

  Rhoswen wept as she sang of her sorrow, her loneliness, and how she wanted to join her lover. She sang of her anger at Sheridan. Her long black hair was soaked with her tears. Finally, her song faded into nothingness, and she went back to the forest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKgVQ-MznM

  After the Dancing feast, there came a break while all the faeries and elves cooled off and ate some food. Then, after Rhoswen left, there came the dance of Lovers. This dance was quick and exciting. All those faeries and Elves who either were married or were going to be married soon danced this song. The faeries sang as they danced and leapt with their elven partners. They twirled and swung and the elves threw the faeries into the air and then caught them. They danced in a circle and then danced in partners and then in a twirling circle again. All were happy and having the time of their lives as the moon reached the top of the sky and the song ended. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8SeuZHMlUQ

  Queen Birkita stayed for her own special dance with the Lord of the Dance. All the others left to the forests. The queen started the dance. She leapt about in faerie fashion, twirling and singing her song. She stopped by the Lord of the Dance and they danced together, dancing on their toes and leaping at the moon. They smiled as they sang and danced together.

  They stopped and were about to kiss when suddenly the Gypsy’s song interrupted them. Edana pranced over to the Lord of the Dance and danced around him. After awhile she realized he wouldn’t dance with her and got very angry. Her song turned bitter and then bitter sweet with revenge as she called to Sheridan. The Lord of the Dance told Birkita to flee. She ran to the forests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIpSX1JmCLY

  Sheridan’s men surrounded the Lord of the Dance. They kicked him as he struggled to get away. They’re dance was harsh. They brought him up to a small hill in the Glade where Sheridan was waiting. He took the lords Dance belt and slapped in the face. Then he started the most awful dance there ever was. They Lord of the Dance fell closer into the ground as Sheridan’s dance got faster and faster. The Lord of the Dance vanished in a puff of black smoke. Those that have been moaned and screeched. Sheridan put on the belt and danced and evil dance of joy. The moon died.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH_UA4hutTA

   Suddenly, as the sun awakened, the Lord of the Dance appeared, stronger than ever! Sheridan was quickly vanquished and his followers fled in terror. The Lord of the Dance put his Dance belt back on and DANCED! This dance was different from all the others. This was a victory dance. The elves, the faeries, the pixies, the dryads and the animals danced and sang with all their might. Erin the goddess appeared and sang as well. Even Rhoswen danced and sang, for her lover had been avenged. The joy that radiated from the Glade was amazing. It was a new morning.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-Yh-v29QU

End

Room 47

I had never believed in ghosts before. Not until I had gone on a trip to England, where everything changed.

 Perhaps I should tell you what happened.

 It was my summer vacation. I had finally earned enough money to fly to England and stay there for two whole weeks. I was so excited! I got time off from my work (a newspaper where I wrote a weekly column) and was all packed and ready to go.

 My flight was perfect. I rarely flew anywhere, because it cost so much, and because I really disliked flying. But this flight was wonderful. No turbulence, no irritating passengers; I didn’t even feel slightly sick, not even once.

 As soon as the plane landed, I found my luggage and got a taxi to take me to the hotel nearest to the airport. I had made reservations there a couple of days before I had left home.

 On the hotel website, there hadn’t been any picture of the building, which surprised me a little. But I couldn’t be picky. The flight had cost me a lot of money, so I couldn’t afford to stay at some fancy, expensive hotel.

 As the taxi driver made a turn, I finally saw the hotel. It made me gasp and I stared at it as we drove down the long, winding driveway.

  The hotel was unlike any hotel I had ever seen before. It had tall, dark towers that rose up into the swiftly darkening sky. Some of the large windows had a soft yellow light coming from them; but more of the windows were dark, and rather foreboding. In front of the hotel was a large garden, but all the plants were either dead or dying. In front of the garden was a black iron fence that seemed to run all around the place. The large gate was standing open. In short, the hotel was actually a castle. A dark, intimidating castle.

  “This is the hotel Dormio?” I asked the driver as he drove past the large gates. Large gargoyles glared down at me from the fence and I shivered under their gaze.

 The driver nodded. “A very famous place, actually. Or at least, it was about fifty years ago. But then the owner died and it fell into a bit of a…well, not so good state, as you can see. The new owner has been working very hard to make it what it once was, but it’ll take a long time before it’s even close to what it once was.”

  “I see.” I said, and though I was a somewhat scared, I was also a little excited. As a writer, this place might give me just the inspiration that I needed. My writing had gotten somewhat dry of late, and I just needed something to pull me through.

 “I heard that it even has its’ own ghosts.” Said the driver. I chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure it does.”

 He parked in front of the large front door and waited while I got my suitcase. “Thank you.” I said, handing him his money. He smiled as he took it, but then his face grew grim. “Be careful, alright miss? I was serious about the ghosts.”

  I smiled. “I’m sure you were. But rest assured, no ghosts can harm me, because I don’t think they’re real.”

 He shook his head and I closed the door. I watched him turn the car around and then drive back down the long driveway, until he was out of sight.

 I sighed and turned around, picking up my suitcase. I walked up the large marble stairs and opened the door.

 Walking inside, I walked towards the front desk and waited for someone to come out, so I could register. But no one came. I looked around, hoping to see someone, anyone. But there didn’t seem to be anyone. I looked at my watch and sighed. I hit the little bell several times, but no one came.

“Hello?” I called out, hoping it would do the trick. But no one came.

This is ridiculous. I thought. Why, I should just turn around and find some other hotel to stay at.

 But of course I couldn’t do that. I barely had enough money as it was, and there would be no refund if I left here.

 While I stood there at the desk, wondering what on earth to do, I suddenly got the feeling that I was being watched. I whirled around, but there was no one there. I frowned, chiding myself for being so silly, when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, by my right. I looked there but saw nothing. Then there was this faint noise, like a child giggling.

 It’s just one of the guests. Of course there are other people around here, with their children and such. Why am I so nervous today?

 Finally, someone came through one of the many doors and walked towards the front desk. Relieved, I was about to speak but stopped short when I got a better look at the person.

 It was a very old lady. She had white hair that was tied up in a very severe bun, which made her face look sharper than what was normal. She had silver piercing eyes that seemed to see everything. As she walked, I noticed that she had a bit of limp, though it appeared she was trying to hide it. Her lips were locked in a permanent position of displeasure, as though everything was wrong. Who knows, maybe in her world everything was wrong.

 As she walked towards me, she brushed away invisible dirt from her long, black dress. It was very old fashioned looking and did not flatter her in the least. Her walk was brisk and purposeful, however, giving her an air of being in charge.

  “Hello there.” She said in a soft, sophisticated British accent. “You must be the girl who reserved a room here several days ago. I didn’t expect you to be so young.”

 As she looked me over, I got the feeling I was like an insect, under a large microscope. It wasn’t a very nice feeling.

 “Uh, yeah, my name’s Amanda Roberts.”

 She sniffed and looked down at the desk, searching for something. She finally pulled out a folder and ruffled through it, finally pulling out a piece of paper. “My name is Mable. You’ll be in room…forty-seven.” It seemed as though she shuddered, but then her face became normal again. “That’s on the second floor, on the right from the main stairs. Here is your key. I trust you will not lose it.” She said as she handed me a very old fashioned key. She looked at me as though I were going to lose it the second she turned away.

 I tried to smile, to reassure her. “I won’t lose it, I promise.”

She raised an eyebrow as if I were incapable of this, but she merely said “Breakfast and dinner are provided. Breakfast is at nine and dinner is at seven. All other information will be in your room. Any questions?”

 “Yeah, just one. Are there many guests with children here? You see, I’m a writer and it would be nice if it weren’t too loud.”

 She sniffed again and said “I detest children. There aren’t any here.”

 I was surprised. “Really?”

She leaned a little closer to me and said “Do I look like I would make up silly stories simply to amuse the likes of you?”

I quickly shook my head and she pulled back, her face now in a grimace-smile. “Good.”

 With that, she turned on her heel and walked back to the door that she had come out of. She opened it, took one last look at me, and then went inside, slamming the door.

  I looked down at the key in my hand and then picked up my suitcase. I walked over to the main stairs and started walking up, looking at all the paintings and statues as I did. There were a good many of them, but most were very old and falling apart.

 When I got to the top of the stairs, I turned right and started walking down the hallway, looking at the numbers on the doors until I came to room forty-seven. Sticking the key into the very old looking lock, I gave it a twist and door opened with a loud creak. I walked in and looked for a light switch.

  But I simply couldn’t find one. I searched all along the walls with my fingers, until I crashed into the bed and groaned in pain. It was much too dark outside now for the window to be any help. I slowly limped over to the door again and looked out, hoping to see another guest and ask if they knew where the light switch was.

“You won’t find one.” Said the voice of a little girl. I whirled around and gasped.   Standing in front of me, in the middle of my room, was a girl who seemed to be about seven or eight. She was wearing a very old fashioned white dress, one that was covered with ribbons, bows and lace. She had on white shoes, with little heels on them. Her hair was done up into two pigtails, tied with dark ribbons. Her skin was very pale, as though she’d never gone outside before. She smiled at me impishly.

 “I won’t find what?” I asked as I continued to stare at her. She giggled and I noticed that she was carrying a very old porcelain doll that had half of its’ face missing. I shivered a little.

 “A light switch.” She said with a grin. I tried to remain calm, but she was seriously starting to freak me out.

 “O-oh? And why not?”

 She swayed on her toes, back and forth. “Because there isn’t one. Not in this room. There never has been. But there is a lamp. I’m Felicity, by the way.” She said as she pointed behind her, to a desk that I hadn’t seen before. There was an old lamp sitting on it.

 I rolled my eyes. “It would be my room that has no lights.” I muttered as I walked towards the lamp and lit it with one of the matches I found beside it. It actually shed a lot of light, which I was grateful for. I turned around, saying “What else should I know about this room?”

  But she wasn’t there. I looked around, wondering if she was hiding somewhere in the room, but there was no where to hide. I frowned. This is ridiculous. A child couldn’t have left so quietly, especially one wearing those shoes. Besides, Mable said there weren’t any children around here! What’s going on?

 I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of it all. Maybe I’m just jet lagged. I started to unpack and then I lay down on the creaky old bed, blowing out the lamp.

 It had started to rain and it pattered against the large window. I shivered from the cold that it brought and burrowed into the blanket. But I was still cold. In fact, I was freezing now. I sneezed and tried to wrap the blanket around myself, hoping it would help.

 I must have dozed off, because there was suddenly a flash of lightning and then a clap of thunder. I sat up, looking around. I could have sworn I had heard something else during the thunder.

 Yes, there it was again. It was like…I strained to hear it…footsteps. Shoes against a wooden floor. I frowned and looked around, but I still saw nothing unusual. I looked at the floor and gasped.

  There was no wooden floor. The floor was covered by thick carpet. Getting up and pulling the blanket around myself like a shawl, I walked to the door and opened it. The hall was covered in the same carpeting. I walked down the hallway and saw that the stairs were the same.

  I ran back to my room as another flash of lightning appeared. My teeth were chattering together as I sat down on the bed. Something was wrong, I could just feel it.

  “I can seeeee youuuuuu.” Whispered a voice. I jumped up, eyes wide with fright.

“Who’s there?” I whispered back, feeling very frightened and wishing I were back home.

 More footsteps, and then I saw a tall, skinny dark figure appear in the far corner of my room. It seemed to be a man, all dressed in black. His hair was black, he wore black gloves, a black suit and black shoes. Only his face was pale, as pale as snow.

  He looked up and I tried not to scream. He had no eyes. Instead, there were only empty eye sockets, filled with a burning blackness that seemed to draw me in.

 “Leave!” He hissed at me, walking closer.

“Go away!” I said, shivering violently. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, no matter how hard I tried. “Please, leave me alone!”

 He grinned, a menacing grin that showed all his teeth. “Never.” He whispered, still coming closer.

 “Leave me alone!!” I screamed, finally hiding my face in the blanket.

 I heard a giggle and then little feet. “Oh, leave her. She’s wasn’t mean to me, after all. Not like the old lady.” It was the voice of the little girl from earlier. I looked up and saw her standing in front of the man. She was looking up at him, smiling and clutching her broken doll. She giggled some more as she turned to look at me.

 “This is my room, you see. That’s why daddy doesn’t want you here.”

 “What?” I whispered, trying to understand what was happening. Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe I had just been so tired that my subconscious was feeding me very silly dreams. I mean…this couldn’t be real, could it?

 “We are very real.” Said the tall figure, still grinning at me with his death grin at me. I wanted to scream but the scream seemed to be lodged in my throat. The little girl danced in place, giggling. “I'll let you stay in my room tonight. But only tonight.”

  I was very weak as the tall man started to simply dissolve into nothing. All that seemed to remain were the black eye sockets, forever staring. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t even do that. “Please…” I whispered, but I wasn’t even sure what I was asking for.

  The little girl giggled more, louder this time. “Would you like to see something?”

 I shook my head no, just wishing this were all over. She scowled and stomped her foot. “Well if you want to be allowed to stay in my room tonight, then I’m going to show you anyway.”

 Unable to look away from her, I was filled with horror as she unbuttoned the top most button on her dress, and showed me her throat. In contrast with her white skin, there was a long, horizontal red line across her throat. As I watched, it started gushing blood and it all ran down the front of her white dress. She laughed even more at the look on my face. I felt positively sick as she started bleeding all over, and then her skin seemed to melt away as well.

  Now, standing before me, was a little skeleton, still wearing the white dress. I noticed that one of the black ribbons from the dress seemed to be missing, which I thought was rather odd. But then I looked back at her face, a mere skull, grinning the grin of death.

  “You’ll never guess who did it!” Said the skull, the teeth knocking together. And then she simply disappeared.

  I sat there for what must have been hours, shaking and mentally wailing. But I couldn’t make a sound, I was so frightened. I finally lay down and hid inside the blanket, until I fell asleep.

  Several birds were singing when I opened my eyes again. I looked around and saw that the sun was streaming through the window. There wasn’t even a hint of the storm from last night.

  I got up and stretched. It must have been a dream. Just my over active imagination at work.

  I got dressed and was about to go down to breakfast when I tripped over a small rug that was resting on the carpet. My tripping over it had caused the rug to move a little, and I thought I saw something underneath. Pulling the rug away, I gasped.

 There, on the carpet, was a dark red stain of some sort. I found that I was shaking again, but I tried to stop. I quickly covered the stain with the rug and stood up, trying to compose myself.

  Grape juice or something like that. Of course. I reassured myself as I walked downstairs to the dining hall. Nothing more, nothing less. It couldn’t be…blood.

  Before I could go into the dining hall, however, Mable came out of nowhere and scared me. “Girl. I must speak with you.”

  “Um…okay then.”

 She walked closer and said “One of the guests in room forty-six has said that she smelled something like gas last night. I’m sure there’s a gas leak in your room, or somewhere near there, so you’ll have to move to another room.”

 “A gas leak?”

 She nodded, and as she did, I noticed something that I hadn’t before. Around her throat, Mable wore a choker made of black ribbon. I frowned, sure that the ribbon looked familiar to me.

 Felicity’s dress. It was one of her ribbons.

 “You’ll never guess who did it!” I felt sick as I stared at the ribbon.

Mable made a little noise with her throat and said “Well, that was all I wanted to say.”

 She turned to go, but I caught her arm and asked her “Who was Felicity?”

 Something flashed in her eyes, but then it was gone. “Who?” She asked, sounding entirely sincere. I shook my head and said “Never mind. But…I don’t think I'll be staying another night.”

  She looked at me for a moment, and then started to grin in a way that reminded me of the tall man. “That’s probably best.”

End