A Strange Day in July

     Mary and Henry were playing in the backyard when the boat with a red sail appeared and it almost seemed normal. 
     "This is it Mary! Our chance to conquer the world! HAHA! We are going to fight pirates, become kings! We will go everywhere!"
    Now Mary had not the soul to conquer the world.  On the contrary, Mary was the girl with pigtail and a pretty pink dress who always saved the bugs from untimely deaths and to share her shy smile with anyone who would look. Of course she could not conquer the world!  Henry was the boy who strove for chivalry like the nights, but sometimes forgot.  He sought adventure and adventure sought him. 
     "Oh Henry, I shall not help you in conquering the world but I will come on the boat and go on an adventure. And I will be a Queen! Not a king you silly boy!" Mary responded in her most grown up voice.
     So they went on their way in a boat with a red sail.

     They sailed on the back of the North Wind as she whispered her lullabies to the slumbers down below.  Into the stars they rode, drawing close enough to run their hands through the ripples of the night sky.
     Mary giggled as one of the stars tickled her nose, the little ball of light flying all around her, lightening up her smile so lovely that the sun smiled back.
      Henry hung over the railing trying to catch the comets that shot by. Once he caught one and tucked it away in his inside coat pocket, safe from any harm.

     The North Wind Placed them down on a lake that the sky reflected.  She blew their little boat with a red sail to land before leaving them to complete her night sweeping. 

   

The Lost Ones (Newspaper clippings)

     She clopped around the stable, head low.  The wind whistled through the open door, making the sign above the stall that said 'Madam' knock against the walls.
     Tap, tap, whistle, clop. Tap, tap, whistle, clop.
     The air was cold and crisp, she could see her breath dancing away on the current of the wind.  The smell of the hay filled the openness while the smell of warm, roasting oats slowly declined.
      She was sad.  He hadn't come to fill her bale and brush her main in too long.  The hay she could take care of herself.  There was a very big pile in the room next to her stall, but the brushing was different.  Her back hurt with the weight of the blanket, the hairs on her back longed to be patted and combed, and her main was tangling.  She couldn't do that herself.  It had been days and she still didn't know where he was.  Madam longed to go run in the fields, her rider urging her forward.  But he hadn't come back.

     Madam decided it was time to leave, she was going to find him.  She wanted to be brushed, but most of all, she wanted him to be safe.  He had raised her, loved her, taught her to be free, and she was going to find him.

     The brown mare made her way to the doors of the stable.  She tried kicking the door with her solid hoof, but that only hurt her.  She knew she was going to have to try harder to get out.  Backing up to the other end of the stable, Madam bowed her head and braced her self.  The door shuddered under the impact, but stayed in tact.  Hit after hit, the door was assaulted, but still it did not budge.  Madam had almost given up hope, when she decided to try one more time.  The lock stayed firm.  The last hit was so hard that Madam half lost conciousness.  The room slowly came back into foucus as she lowered her head in defeat, that was when she noticed the broken window.  She had been so busy knocking down the door that she didnt notice that the giant window a few yards away had broken in the process.
   
     She charged quickly into the fields, leaping over the fence that kept her enclosed.  She didn't know where she was going, but he always liked riding towards the sun, so that's where she went.
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      The world was empty, overcome by death.  Disease left it's mark, leaving only a few in it's wake.  Surviving was the only thing left in the survivors future, there was no hope, or happiness, or what was once considered a good life.  There was simply to continue living, or get busy dying.
     When the sickness struck, it annihilated almost everyone.  Anyone left tried to bond together, the best of humanity coming through like the sun shining through a crack in the wall of a dark room.  But with the lack of edible food and contaminated water, even the survivors began to die off.
     As the people died, and the numbers reduced, people latched onto each other for any sort of relationship to keep some sort of meaning to life.  So when a teenage boy began to take care of a little girl, it wasn't unusual.  They became brother and sister, inseparable, where he went, she went.  He told her stories and reminded her about the time when joy ruled the world and sorrow could be tamed with a smile.  They talked about their lives before the darkness and what they would do in the future.  He wanted to take her to his family's ranch, to the place where he learned to love and understood loss, and he told her exactly the route they were going to take to get there.  And he protected her with his life, to the very end.

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     She was young and didn't know what to do.  When her family died, he had protected her, and now he was gone.  She was finally alone.  She decied to go to the place he talked about taking her.  It would take a while, he had traveled before the plauge hit, but she wanted to find a place she could call home.  He had talked about the place like it was a fairy tale kingdom, and she would be the fairy princess, she wanted to go there.

6 word memoirs

Climbed mountain, fell down, kept climbing

Cookies are the food of gods.

Leave me alone, I am reading.

Readers as Writers

     The glass slipper. The fairy godmother. The crazy whirlwind romance. It’s Ella’s story of how she conquered her surroundings and took hold of her own life. But, it’s my story too.

     That night wasn’t the first time we had met, it really wasn’t a love at first sight and a speedy engagement that no one thought would work. It started with socks and a letter. I was sent to lead my kingdom in a war with one of the neighboring countries. The days were long and the nights were cold on the war front and any comfort from home was a gift. One day, a box with a dozen knit scarfs and an equal amount of socks arrived for anyone in need of them. Any time a gift like this arrived, the men rejoiced and I would try and deal out the insides of the package evenly so every man would at some time get something. On this occasion, my second in command handed me one of the pairs of socks (I had finally worn through mine) and the letter that accompanied the package. The words in that letter were kind and comforting and offered solace should I only ask for it. So I did. Despite all of the men surrounding me, I was lonely, and afraid to confront my fear of fear out here in this field of death. She never failed to write back, always signing the letters with a simple “E”, while I never signed my at all.
   
     When we finally ended the war and returned home, my father decided to hold a welcome home festival ending with a ball. He told me that I had earned a brake and I should start enjoying myself. He hinted at other things but I turned him away before he started talking about them, I had seen too much misery to start thinking about that.
      I sent her house an invitation to the ball, not that my family had already taken care of sending out invitations to almost every eligible women’s families in the kingdom. That night, I danced and tried to be happy for the first part of the evening, dancing with the girls my brother and sister and I thought were pretty enough, if my brother didn’t get to them first, but I finally had enough. I went out into the gardens to find some peace from the crazy people vying for my attention. That was when I ran into her, literally.
     She laughed as she laid on the grass and I apologized and tried to help her up. Her bright smile lit up the nights as she told me she liked it down there and she had, in that moment, decided to stay there for a while. Giving up, I joined her.
     For a while, we simply laid down on the grass looking up at the stars, then we started taking, and talking, and talking. I finally asked her name, she said to just call her E, and I knew. She spoke with the same eloquence that she wrote with and had said some of the same things she had said in her countless letters to me, I couldn’t believe I had missed it. After a while, I asked her to dance and with no questions as to why or a laugh about how there was no music, she took my hand and we danced.

First and Last

     It is universally acknowledge, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.  But what about the woman? Or what if the man is not in want of a wife? What if they are just two people who decide to take on a little piece of life together without acknowledging that neither is in possession of a spouse? That's what they were doing.  Finally letting the universe acknowledge that there was a single man in possession of a good fortune who was not in want of a wife, but simply in want of a life well lived.

     There had been a moment where they both looked at each other and said, "there's no way," so they decided to do the friends thing and move on with their lives.  Now they were boarding a plane with two backpacks, two passports, and fused mind made for wandering.

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     They knelt next to the man who had taken them in as lost traveler and made them his kin.  He had done so much for them and they had no way of repaying their debt or expressing their vast thankfulness to the man other than sit by him as he looked at the sky for the last time.  They had become the family, his pact, he had lost and longed for until that very moment.  The time moved slowly by as they laughed and cried until it finally stopped, and the old man dreamt of lions.

Famous First and Last Lines Authors

Famous First Line:

“It is universally acknowledge, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

  Pride and Prejudice was written by Jane Austen in 1813, though it was originally published anonymously.  Austen was born on December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England and died on July 18, 1817 at the age of 41.  She is known for writing romances such as Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park.

Pride and Prejudice is a novel about the Bennet family of all girls trying to find respectable marriages.  The main character is Elizabeth Bennet, the second oldest girl, who with her oldest sister Jane, are trying to marry for love while trying to manage their silly and irresponsible mother and three younger sisters.

I have read this book and will continue reading it in my adulthood.  This is one of those novels where no matter how many times it is read, something new is discovered and is always a pleasure reading. It is simply a timeless novel.


Famous Last Line:

"The old man was dreaming about the lions" -Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.


The Old Man and the Sea (1952) is written by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), an extremely influential writer and journalist in the early to mid 1900s.  TOMATS is about an old fisherman who has had very bad luck in catching fish until one day he goes out on his skiff alone and spends about 3 days trying to real in a merlin that has caught onto his line. I enjoyed reading this novel because of the wisdom of the old man.  He was patient in trying to catch his fish and he talks to himself a lot.  I would highly recommend this book because it is a quick read of a great classic.

Quotes

"Know Me Better There"

"“It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.
"Are -are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.
"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”"
- C.S. Lewis The Voyage of the Dawn Treader


This passage is probably one of the most important in my life.  This exchange is happening right before Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace leave Narnia, and for Edmund and Lucy, it is the last time.  Edmund and Lucy had spent more of their lives in Narnia than they had in England and they had both fallen in love with the world and even more so, Aslan.  Before they knew it, they were saying their goodbyes forever and it was heartbreaking.  They have to leave their kingdoms and their King.  But Aslan reassures both of them, telling them that he is in their world also, he simply goes by another name.
Narnia is a place that I grew up dreaming about.  I wanted to go and have adventures with the Kings and Queens of old, sail on the Dawn Treader, and meet Aslan.  This book series, The Chronicles of Narnia, is a constant reminder in my life that there is something for me after this life.  That my Narnia is waiting for me and that Aslan is at the gates, he just goes by a different name.

Writers as Readers

WARNING:  this post contain EXTREME SPOILERS for Divergent, Matched, and The Selection




     1. When you read, what do you need to be comfortable?
Reading is the place I am comfortable. I don’t need to be anywhere specific or in a certain position or drinking a certain kind of tea. I just need the book and I am set. I have read in places like: my bed, my floor, my car (when I’m not driving), a courthouse, a park, an office, and many more strange places. Reading takes you away to a world other than this, it doesn’t matter where I am, as soon as I start a good book, I’m hooked and I could read on the moon.
       2. What is one of your best memories connected with reading?
I can’t ever pinpoint one memory in particular when it comes to reading. I simply remember reading a book, it doesn’t matter which book, and being completely taken away. Some of the saddest moments are when I come out of the new world and have to remind myself that it is just a book, I am merely reading. It is enchanting to be whisked away to the point that the words become a scene and the characters dance on the pages, and I feel like I am with them. That is when I know that what I am reading is a good book, when I remember the consuming feeling it gave me and the sadness it brought afterwards.
       3. What was the first book you remember reading? Why does this book stand out in your memory?
The first book I remember reading was one of those felt book for little kids. It was one that you could tie the shoe, open the window, pet the dog, and other things like that. I was an early reader and this book is the one I clearly remember where I began to recognize the words.
     4. What is your favorite book series? Why is this your favorite?
There are so many books and series to be my favorite and it is almost impossible to choose one, because just as I am being to think that one is my favorite, another comes along and captures my heart. Some of my absolute favorite series are Harry Potter (of course), The Selection Series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus, The Redwall Series and The Chronicles of Narnia. These all have sucked me in and kept me hooked for years. My favorite books and stories consist of Peter Pan, Kisses from Katie, Three Cups of Tea, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, The Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales, and so many more. These are the books I will read when I am an adult and the ones I will read to my kids for bedtime.
     5. Complete the following sentences. “When I finished reading (blank), I was angry/sad/happy because….
When I finished reading Matched by Ally Condie, I was angry because the main character is annoying and she ended up with the wrong guy. Her best friend was perfect for her and she left him for some guy she barely knew (and didn’t really like before) because the government “wanted” her to rebel. W
hen I finished reading Allegiant by Veronica Roth (the last book of the Divergent series), I was sad because SHE DIED. JUST DIED. Four’s story afterwards was simply heartbreaking. I literally (and yes, I do mean this word the right way) went into my parents’ bedroom and CRIED, for maybe twenty minutes.
When I finished The One (final book of The Selection), I was extremely happy because America married Maxon. The fell in love and I couldn’t be happier. And now they are having a baby. Two more books!!! YES!!!

Freedom is dancing
the steps set you free
shuffle one, shuffle two
leaping sending you into the heavens
shuffle three, shuffle four
that moment when you are suspended in the air
shuffle one cross step back
for a second you can fly
tip hop one, tip hop two
tip hop three, toe kick back

Dream Thread: Mexico

My dreams tend to revolve around going on a big adventure, and that adventure was here.  I was going to South America.  I had a suitcase that worked more like a backpack and a heart full of wonder. I was ready, I was going to seize the day.  My group were going to climb the Aztec pyramids, dance on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, hike to Machu Picchu, and many more incredible destinations.  We were going to immerse ourselves in the cultures, avoiding big resorts and “white towns.”  It was all smooth sailing in the trip from LAX to Mexico City’s international airport, but that’s about where our luck ended. We were almost immediately dragged into a small room by customs, causing us to miss our next flight to Pueblo.  By the time we finally go to the tiny airport, there was a whole day’s delay till the next flight out.  The crazy fat lady who wore about a half a pound of makeup on working the main desk to us that there was a motel that could house us over night or we could stay at the airport.  Not wanting to be scammed, we opted for the airport.  We decided to walk the market place and do some sightseeing in Mexico City, if we were here, we were going to enjoy it.  We wandered the market, stopping to admire all of the cheaply made items while being haggled to buy everything completely overpriced, then at a moderate price, then “I give you this SUPER cheap, just because you pretty lady.”  We came upon a stand that was selling beautiful figurines of animals and skulls and saints.  I set my suitcase down next to me to pick up the small items.  The stand owner came up to me and we started going back and forth with prices, his starting extremely expensive and mine starting with almost nothing. I was so caught up in buying the item that I didn’t even notice my suitcase being stolen by a Mexican family.  

Caged Bird

     1. In Maya Angelou’s autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou writes about a bird in a cage that sings a beautiful song. The song, however, is fearful and Angelou says that the caged bird sings of freedom. This means that the bird does not know of flight, or of making nest, or other bird like things, he only know how to sing, so he sings of a free life he wishes for. He sings for the freedom he could have outside of the bars of his cage. I understand this idea of being trapped and longing for a life outside of “here.” I sometimes feel like the caged bird, that there is a caged of things holding me back from what I truly want to do.

     3. When bad things come to control your life, the worst thing to do is to let them control your life. Angelou is right when she says that talking about bad dreams “gives them too much power.” The more you talk, and worry, and are anxious about a problem, the more it dictates your life. One of the greatest thing a person can do for themselves in tough situations is to take it his or her stride and trust that he or she will come out of the trial, for when they do, they will be more than conquerors. I live through this every day. My family does not understand that when they ask me about what’s going on and I say “okay,” I am trying not to give our situation power over my life. I do not want it to dictate who I am, how I am going to act, and how my life will be. A friend of my broke down when she learned her brother was sick. I do not want to be like her. I want to conquer this situation and not give more power than it is already demanding over my life.

     5. I do believe I could live some of my life just listening. There are times when I talk too little, and times where I talk too much, it really depends on the situation. To my family, I am the quiet one. In a crowd of vociferous aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma, I am almost soundless. But in a room of good friends who I know will actually care and listen to what is say, I am talkative. There are so many things to learn about life and people when you simply stop and listen. When I am with my friends, and people in general, I love listening to the stories and adventures of their past times. They open up a world of knowledge and understanding of how humans work and operate. It gives me the chance to learn from other peoples mistakes.

     7. I am the type of person who remembers a lot, maybe not everything, but it is still quite a bit (unless of course it is homework, but I am working on that). I think it is better this way because I can remember things from birthdays to silly stories to how a lawn mower is started to a person’s favorite foods. Right now, the time periods that are the clearest are high school and the “moments” I have had throughout. The ones that are the fuzziest are Junior High. I can’t ever seem to pick out distinct memories between 7th and 8th grade. I have the easiest time picking out happy and fun memories in life, it always seems more fun to remember the times where I was at my happiest. Though I do have one distinct uncomfortable memory of a kid whose family was good friends with mine kept following me around and trying to “impress” me with magic tricks until I just lied to him and told him it didn’t work. I was 12 and he was 15. I am still ashamed of lying to him even to this day.

Green

gliding down the Arbor Walk
I yearn for a Irish Medow,
long to Eye the secrets it holds
listen to it's Clear song whistle through the hills,
Guilding me to life and love.
to breath the Sweet air, crisp and new
and to find the Shamrock here at last

Yellow Stars

Yellow stars shine bright about the sky
Each one singing their twinkling song
Laughing with friends
Laying on a blanket in the middle of a park
Opening out minds to the vastness of the sky
Wind blows gently though our hair

Star gazing on a clear night
Taking in all God's glory
Always have guitars in one hand and cats in the other
Rain never washes away the joy

Sleepover Scare

     This was the little monster’s first time on the scare floor. It was his year one school fieldtrip, and he was so excited. The little monster wanted to be a scarer one day. He was going to work for the Terror Co. and be the greatest scarer that ever lived. But today, he was just a little monster on a fieldtrip. He was going to see some of the greatest scare monsters of his day. His hero was Vance Vonmonsteron, a legend throughout Scaretropolis. A buzzer went off above the group of year one monsters and the little monster’s eyes grew wide with excitement. His heart started beating faster than a racehorse monster could gallop when he saw Vance Vonmonsteron walk onto the floor. This was it, it was show time. The little monster studied Vance’s every move as Vance’s door was brought down. The navy blue door seemed extra special to the little monster, this was a door that his hero would go through. The little monster almost fainted with exhilaration when Vance went through the door. It was a few minutes before the screams started coming and once they began, they didn’t stop. Vance had hit the jackpot. His door had a sleepover. It was the most amazing thing the little monster had ever seen. When Vance came out, all the little monster wanted to do was celebrate with the scare monster.
     When the scare session was over, and all of the scare monsters were walking out, Vance passed by the year one monster and pat the little monster on the head. It was the best day of the little monsters life.