Tom's posse of neighborhood boys gather in his back yard. Today, they are ninjas. A couple of the boys, including Tom, have karate outfits. The others wear robes and strips of cloth tied around their heads. They have all kinds of weapons. A couple have wooden swords. One has his pockets full of pine cones. One boy has plastic nunchaku. Another has a lightsaber. One just has a long stick.
"Ok, boys, The emperor's daughter has been kidnapped, and is guarded by a fiend most foul." Tom points up to the treehouse where Lily, wearing a kimono, waves down at them. Tom's dog, next to her, barks.
"His death shall be swift!" says Daniel.
"I shall save the damsel and bring honor on my family!" says Johnny.
"Where's Jim?"
Jim runs into the yard carrying a plastic sai. He wears glasses. "Sorry, guys. I had to go to the eye doctor."
"You have to wear glasses?" asks Ted.
"Yeah. The doctor says I'm nearsighted," says Jim.
"Fellow ninjas, we must be careful not to break Jim's glasses. Now, for honor!" says Tom.
"For honor!" repeats the posse.
The boys fight each other and try to scramble up the ladder to the treehouse without be pulled down by the others. Ted pulls Jim down and scrambles up. Jim's glasses fall off.
"STOP!" yells Tom. All the boys stop while Tom helps Jim up and gives him his glasses. "Ok, go!" The fight continues.
Johnny monkeys up the treehouse rope, slays the fiend, and saves the princess. In other words, he drops the pine cones around the dog, tells him to play dead, and screams, "FOR HONOR!" while leading Lily back down the rope.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2011
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
JUST A SHEEP
"Why does Tom get to be the angel?" asked Lily. "Angels are girls."
"The angel that came to Mary and Joseph was a boy," said their mother.
Tom and Lily put on their costumes for the community Christmas program. Tom was radiant in his angel outfit. Lily was a cute sheep.
"All I get to be is a sheep. Where's the glory in that?"
"We need the sheep for the shepherds," said their mother.
"Yeah, but the sheep could be cardboard and no one would care. I'm only a sheep so they can feel better about themselves for giving me a part."
They got in the car and their father drove them to one of the local churches where the program was to be held. Lily grumbled the whole way.
Parents filed in and took their seats. Backstage was crowded with children. A friend of Tom's went out to start the program as the narrator.
"The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin named Mary."
The girl playing Mary went onto the stage, followed by Tom, who told her she was to have a baby named Jesus. Then, he visited Joseph and told him to marry Mary because she would give birth to the Son of God.
Tom waited backstage with Lily while Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem.
"Baa. That's all I get to say."
"The Savior is the good shepherd. We are all sheep, Lily. God loves his sheep. That's why His Son was born. You, like the Baby Jesus, represent God's love," said Tom.
Lily never thought about it like that. Sheep were more important than she realized, not as important as an angel, but still important.
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night."
The shepherds and sheep, including Lily, go out on stage. "Baa," said Lily and the other sheep. She smiled as Tom came out to announce the Savior's birth.
"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Kendo Lesson.
After Kozue had finished her conversation with Kasuga-sensei, she returned to her classroom to retrieve her bag. As she went, she could detect a faint whiff of smoke. Following it took her right to her own empty classroom. She slid the door open and was shocked to find an open book on her desk with its pages burnt. She rushed to it and found it to be the book she had been reading. Someone had burnt the book as an elevated form of bullying. She had endured so much of it until now, but she felt this one had gone too far. She reached her hand out and touched the burnt cover, tears starting to run down her cheeks and anger swelling in her chest.
“Again?” came a voice from behind her. She didn’t have to turn to know it was Emily. “You can’t keep letting them do this to you.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Kozue said. “I can report it, but I can’t prove who did this.” Then, more to herself than to Emily, she said. “Why my book, of all things?”
“They mean to break you,” Emily said. “Anyone could see that ridiculous attachment you have to your books. You’ve been syphoning off Imai-kun’s attention and they don’t like that. Not only do they feel you are unfit to be their competition for his affections, they also see you as an easy target.”
“Imai-kun’s only curious because I’m weird,” Kozue said, her face turning red, both from anger and from the mention of Imai’s name. “He couldn’t possibly see me as anything but a plain girl who doesn’t know how to socialize.”
“Is that what you think?”
Kozue rounded on Emily, her face angrier than Emily had ever seen it. “And what am I supposed to think? I’m ugly and completely socially inept! What other reason could there possibly be?”
“You’re not ugly, though I’ll admit your social skills are quite lacking. Besides, even if you were ugly, does that mean that you have no entitlement to any happiness at all? You think that just because you don’t know how to mingle with other people you have to take the crap you’re given? Grow a backbone, Sonoda! If you at least fought back they wouldn’t see you as such an easy target.”
“Fight back with what? Are you suggesting I beat them up, or kill them?”
Emily sighed. She reached out and grabbed Kozue’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come with me,” she said.
Kozue was confused and had no idea what Emily was on about, but she grabbed her bag and allowed herself to be lead from the classroom. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“To the kendo clubroom,” Emily replied, and shortly they were there.
Emily brought her to the center of the room and fetched two shinai, handing one to Kozue.
“Maybe you won’t be so spineless if you learn how to use one of these,” she said.
Kozue looked down at the shinai and said, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t going to help.”
“Nonsense. My confidence comes from kendo. Even though I’m a foreigner, I’m the best kenshi this school has seen in ages and I haven’t lost a match yet. I haven’t even shown any willingness to draw my sword yet, but still no one dares to tangle with me. I’m not saying you have to use this against them, but it may give you the backbone you need to stand up to them.”
“It’s no use...”
“Dang it, Sonoda, this is the kind of attitude that makes you such a pushover! If you aren’t going to even defend yourself, I might as well do you a favor and take you out myself!”
She swung her shinai in a high arc and came down on Kozue with considerable force, but was surprised at the ease in which Kozue blocked the blow.
“A pushover, am I?” Kozue said. “You have no idea who you’re talking to. If the ability to use as sword was all I needed, then I wouldn’t have any problems.” She looked sharply into Emily’s eyes, a dangerous look on her face like Emily had never seen. “Very well, kenshi-san, we’ll see how you fare against me!”
With a swift motion, Kozue pushed Emily back with enough force to knock her flat on her back. In her surprise, Emily had almost forgotten to pick up her shinai when she got to her feet again. Before she could think, though, Kozue was already on a second attack. Blow after blow, Kozue’s shinai was nearly impossible for Emily to block. She moved with a speed that Emily had never thought possible. Within seconds, Emily’s shinai was across the room and Kozue’s was right in her face.
“The sword is all I know,” Kozue said. “I don’t know how to deal with people on a social basis, but even I know I can’t just simply kill them.” Tears started to well up in Kozue’s eyes. She dropped her shinai and fell to her knees, her hands covering her face. “I can’t do that, you know? Because I can’t do that, I feel so lost! It’s the only thing I know and it’s useless to me! I... just don’t know what to do!”
Emily’s shock hadn’t worn off yet, but the sight of Kozue’s tears at least reassured her that she was the same person she had brought into the room to start with. Those skills were definitely not those of a normal high school student and she was shocked to see such immense strength and such heartbreaking frailty residing in the same person.
Emily was at a loss and all she could say was, “Who are you, really?” but Kozue didn’t respond. A person whom Emily thought she knew had just proved her how wrong she was on an epic scale.
Kozue eventually calmed down and rose from the floor. To Emily’s great surprise, Kozue quickly pinned her to the ground and had a tanto right to her throat. Kozue's eyes were as cold and deadly as the steel of the blade.
“You know my secret. Because it’s you I won’t kill you now, but rest assured I will if you let this slip to anyone.”
It was this statement that tipped off to Emily that she was in way over her head in a way she hadn’t been aware of moments before.
© Copyright 2010 Eric Williamson
“Again?” came a voice from behind her. She didn’t have to turn to know it was Emily. “You can’t keep letting them do this to you.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Kozue said. “I can report it, but I can’t prove who did this.” Then, more to herself than to Emily, she said. “Why my book, of all things?”
“They mean to break you,” Emily said. “Anyone could see that ridiculous attachment you have to your books. You’ve been syphoning off Imai-kun’s attention and they don’t like that. Not only do they feel you are unfit to be their competition for his affections, they also see you as an easy target.”
“Imai-kun’s only curious because I’m weird,” Kozue said, her face turning red, both from anger and from the mention of Imai’s name. “He couldn’t possibly see me as anything but a plain girl who doesn’t know how to socialize.”
“Is that what you think?”
Kozue rounded on Emily, her face angrier than Emily had ever seen it. “And what am I supposed to think? I’m ugly and completely socially inept! What other reason could there possibly be?”
“You’re not ugly, though I’ll admit your social skills are quite lacking. Besides, even if you were ugly, does that mean that you have no entitlement to any happiness at all? You think that just because you don’t know how to mingle with other people you have to take the crap you’re given? Grow a backbone, Sonoda! If you at least fought back they wouldn’t see you as such an easy target.”
“Fight back with what? Are you suggesting I beat them up, or kill them?”
Emily sighed. She reached out and grabbed Kozue’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come with me,” she said.
Kozue was confused and had no idea what Emily was on about, but she grabbed her bag and allowed herself to be lead from the classroom. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“To the kendo clubroom,” Emily replied, and shortly they were there.
Emily brought her to the center of the room and fetched two shinai, handing one to Kozue.
“Maybe you won’t be so spineless if you learn how to use one of these,” she said.
Kozue looked down at the shinai and said, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t going to help.”
“Nonsense. My confidence comes from kendo. Even though I’m a foreigner, I’m the best kenshi this school has seen in ages and I haven’t lost a match yet. I haven’t even shown any willingness to draw my sword yet, but still no one dares to tangle with me. I’m not saying you have to use this against them, but it may give you the backbone you need to stand up to them.”
“It’s no use...”
“Dang it, Sonoda, this is the kind of attitude that makes you such a pushover! If you aren’t going to even defend yourself, I might as well do you a favor and take you out myself!”
She swung her shinai in a high arc and came down on Kozue with considerable force, but was surprised at the ease in which Kozue blocked the blow.
“A pushover, am I?” Kozue said. “You have no idea who you’re talking to. If the ability to use as sword was all I needed, then I wouldn’t have any problems.” She looked sharply into Emily’s eyes, a dangerous look on her face like Emily had never seen. “Very well, kenshi-san, we’ll see how you fare against me!”
With a swift motion, Kozue pushed Emily back with enough force to knock her flat on her back. In her surprise, Emily had almost forgotten to pick up her shinai when she got to her feet again. Before she could think, though, Kozue was already on a second attack. Blow after blow, Kozue’s shinai was nearly impossible for Emily to block. She moved with a speed that Emily had never thought possible. Within seconds, Emily’s shinai was across the room and Kozue’s was right in her face.
“The sword is all I know,” Kozue said. “I don’t know how to deal with people on a social basis, but even I know I can’t just simply kill them.” Tears started to well up in Kozue’s eyes. She dropped her shinai and fell to her knees, her hands covering her face. “I can’t do that, you know? Because I can’t do that, I feel so lost! It’s the only thing I know and it’s useless to me! I... just don’t know what to do!”
Emily’s shock hadn’t worn off yet, but the sight of Kozue’s tears at least reassured her that she was the same person she had brought into the room to start with. Those skills were definitely not those of a normal high school student and she was shocked to see such immense strength and such heartbreaking frailty residing in the same person.
Emily was at a loss and all she could say was, “Who are you, really?” but Kozue didn’t respond. A person whom Emily thought she knew had just proved her how wrong she was on an epic scale.
Kozue eventually calmed down and rose from the floor. To Emily’s great surprise, Kozue quickly pinned her to the ground and had a tanto right to her throat. Kozue's eyes were as cold and deadly as the steel of the blade.
“You know my secret. Because it’s you I won’t kill you now, but rest assured I will if you let this slip to anyone.”
It was this statement that tipped off to Emily that she was in way over her head in a way she hadn’t been aware of moments before.
© Copyright 2010 Eric Williamson
Monday, October 25, 2010
MERLIN AND THE OLD MAN
The old man doddered around the cluttered room. Papers and test tubes covered every surface. He muttered to himself as he worked. "A squish of rat tail. Flip the corn seed, and..."
A fume of colored smoke filled the apartment. The old man coughs.
Merlin, a black tomcat, jumped onto the windowsill and placed his paw on the glass. The glass disappeared and the smoke billowed out of the room.
The old man ceased his coughing. "What did I do wrong?" He read the book again.
The window glass reappeared and Merlin jumped up on the table next the old man. He meowed and rubbed up against him.
"I'm sorry, my friend. I forgot your lunch." The old man set down the book and went into the kitchen.
Merlin flipped through the pages of the book. When he found what he was looking for, he picked up a pencil and made a note in the margin by the spell the old man was trying to do.
"Here, kitty."
Merlin went into the kitchen and the old man returned. He picked up the book again. "Oh, I must have forgotten- How silly of me."
He repeated the spell. This time, instead of a cloud of smoke, a ray of light danced across the walls. "I did it! Sunless sunshine!"
He ran into the kitchen, grabbed Merlin and showed him the the sun ray. Merlin purred. The old man hugged the cat, set him on the floor, and continued his work.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
JENNY
Grandfather left Jenny seething with furry. She ran upstairs, packed a bag and went out the door with a "Mom I'll be back sometime soon."
Once outside, her grandfather was nowhere in sight. Jenny looked in every direction. As she stood there a strange feeling came over her. She felt sick. Her body moved through space like it would a tunnel. Everything was a blur. Then all was still.
Jenny was far from her home. She felt dizzy. She sat on the ground, gasping for breath. She pulled a water bottle out of her bag and took a drink.
Her grandfather walked by.
"Hey!"
He turned to her, shocked. "Jenny! How did you get here?"
"I don't know. I just followed you."
"That's impossible. No one follows me anywhere."
"Well, I just did. Care to tell me where we are and how we got here?"
"No. Go home." Grandfather disappeared.
Jenny stood, shouldered her bag and set her jaw. Everything blurred like before. Jenny, again, was dizzy when she stopped, but not as badly as before.
"I'm not going home without you."
"I lived a life with you and your family already. I'm moving on."
"I won't let you walk out on us."
"I died, remember? I am no longer part of your family. Go home."
"No."
"I have a new life to live. Go home."
"You have a life with us."
"I'm no longer an old man. I can't have a bunch of kids calling me grandpa."
"You'll get over it."
"Just go home and let me live."
He disappeared again.
"I don't think so." She followed him.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wake Up Call
by Andrew Chandler
Copyright © 2010
Sandy flung her eyes open then sighed and frowned and listened to the loud banging. Her nine year old brother Tim walked through Sandy’s bedroom door relentlessly banging the backside of a pot with a wooden spoon, a wide smile on his childish face.
“Mom told me to wake...,” Tim began but was cut off when he tripped on a pile of magazines Sandy had neglected to put away. Flinging the wooden spoon and landing head first into the pot, his hand still around the handle. Sandy laughed out loud, rubbing in his failure.
Tim stood up looking half hurt, half indignant. “It’s not funny,” he exclaimed, he lifted his other hand to the pot to pull it off. He tugged. “Uh-oh!” he said quietly and tugged again, eyes wide.
Sandy sat up on her bed legs dangled over the side, not knowing what to do or say.
Tim and Sandy stared at each other, Tim’s hands still grasping the pot which was tightly wedged on top of his head. Sandy then smiled and stared to giggle, and giggled some more. Pretty soon she couldn’t stop. A couple of seconds later she was rolling on the floor, tears of mirth sliding down her face. Tim was in a panic, he turned and tugged and pulled, eyes wide. Tears moistened his cheek. Once Sandy saw his tears she stopped laughing and slowly got up.
“Please help me get this thing off,” Tim pleaded.
“Okay, but first I need some breakfast,” she said mischievously.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
TOM'S SEARCH FOR GOLD
Tom's posse of neighborhood boys gathered at the tree house, their heads covered with a variety of green hats. Tom, wearing a felt green top hat with a paper clover stuck to it, called the boys to attention. "Lads, today we follow the rainbow to the pot o' gold awaitin' there for us."
"But, Tom, there's no rainbow," said Ted.
"Nae, no' yet, but the wind's a blowin' in a storm."
"But if it's a storm how will the sun shine through to make the rainbow?" asked Johnny.
"It has come to my attention, lads, that we be a mite shy o' the faith necessary to find our pot o' gold," said Tom.
The wind blew a few shy raindrops their way. Tom looked up to the sky and turned away from the sun. He pointed in the distance. "That way, lads."
The ragtag group of boys followed Tom out of the yard. They walked for a couple blocks and stop at a house with a U-Haul in the drive. Tom removed his hat and bowed low to a woman carrying a lamp in each land. The other boys attempted to bow as well.
"You are the good lady of the house?"
The woman smiled at the boys. "I'm Mrs. Peterson, and that," she nodded her head to a man trying to unload a couch from the truck, "is Mr. Peterson."
"I am Tom, and this is my posse." Mrs. Peterson's smile broadened as Tom's hand took in the group of boys. "Our rainbow has led us to you." Tom turned to the boys and pointed at Mr. Peterson, still struggling with the couch. "Lads, the pot o' gold lies yonder. Let us get it before the opportunity passes us by."
Tom and the boys crowded around the couch lifted it up for Mr. Peterson. He laughed gratefully. They maneuvered the couch, as best as young boys could control a large piece of furniture, into the Peterson's new home. The boys panted and patted each other on the back and ran out to the truck to bring in more things.
As the boys worked, they were joined by other neighbors, and a bucket brigade was formed from the truck to the living room. The U-Haul was emptied in short order, and the boys went inside to ask Mrs. Peterson if they could take the boxes in the living room to the other parts of the house. Mrs. Peterson laughed and agreed to let them help her.
Tom carried a box to a door in the hall. Mrs. Peterson had asked him to be quiet and to just leave the box outside. He was tempted to open the door to see what was inside, but he shook his head and turned away, but he stopped as a weak young voice called out, "Mom?"
Tom was stunned. He pressed his ear against the door. "Mom?" called the voice again. Tom took hold of the doorknob and opened the door a crack and peaked in. There was not much to see, a pile of boxes and the foot of a bed. Tom opened the door a little further, and poked his head around it to see the whole room.
In the bed lay a boy about Tom's age. "Who are you?"
"I'm Tom. I'm helping your mom and dad. What's your name?"
The boy sighed. "I'm Corby. I wish I could help."
"Are you sick?"
Corby shook his head. "My leg's broken."
"How did you break it?"
"I broke it while ice skating."
"You can ice skate? Cool!"
Corby smiled. "It's easy, and a lot of fun."
"When your leg gets better, you can teach me and the posse how to skate."
"The posse?"
"My gang. Would you like to meet them?"
"Yes."
"I'll be back in a tick." Tom runs out of the room to find Mrs. Peterson. She was unpacking the kitchen. "Mrs. Peterson, can the boys meet Corby?"
She looks up from the box she is emptying. "Corby?"
"He called for you."
She sighed. "Alright."
Tom collected his posse from throughout the house and they all piled into Corby's room.
"Lads, we have found our pot o' gold. This is Corby."
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2010
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Limerick Attempt #2
Phew!
I think there’s a thing un'er my bed,
It’s blue and it’s black and it's red;
But a voice from down there,
Says with a confident air,
“I regret that it’s all in your head.”
Phew!
Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
Phew!
Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
Limerick Attempt #1
Back to School
A werewolf, a witch and a ghoul,
Decided they’d go back to school;
When met at the door with a blade,
A pitchfork, a torch, and a spade,
They decided they’d rather play pool.
Back to School: A Limerick
By Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ghost Story (w/corrections)
By Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
October 4, 2009
The path before me was barely visible under an overcast moon. Approaching the black iron gate I slowed to a stop, and shone my light on the letters that spelled out, Carlsbad County Cemetery.
A voice to my left made me snap around, “It’s haunted you know.”
In the beam of my flashlight stood a pale girl about my age. Straight brunette hair hung to just past her shoulders. She winced holding up a hand to block the beam. “Excuse me?”
I lowered the beam so it was aimed at her feet. “I know it’s haunted, or that’s what the locals say. That’s why I’m here. Legend says that a ghost always makes an appearance around midnight every night; ”
“Uh-huh,” she said, then added, “I’m Rachel,” as she turned and stepped through the large gate. “You coming? You don’t want to miss all the action, do you?” she said looking at me over her shoulder.
I followed her past a series of large pale gravestones. A sliver of silvery moon peaked out from behind a thick veil of dark cloud cover. She stepped into a shadow, and I lost sight of her. As I stood looking around for a sign of her, she called, “Over here.”
I saw her dimly waving me over from the shadow under a large tree. Somehow she’d located a marble bench and was waiting impatiently for me. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw that she was patting the seat next to her.
“Turn off your flashlight for a bit. Maybe the ghost will rear it’s ghastly head if the light is off.” She’d said ghastly with a little too much relish.
“K.” I said, pressing the switch watching all traces of light vanish in a moment. Gradually my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
“Do you think we’ll see one?” She asked as I looked out over the cemetery. I looked out into the cemetery grounds and slowly glanced back and forth over numerous pale grey stones and into the surrounding woods. I thought that the moon must have come out from behind the clouds because everything seemed to be lighter, the shadows deeper. From my vantage, under a canopy of leaves, I couldn’t tell. “I dunno, maybe.”
“You’re a skeptic.” she said, amusement played at the edges of her voice.
“Not a skeptic, necessarily,” I said. “I prefer ‘realist’. If I can see or touch something, then I know it. If I can’t see it, well...”
“That’s baloney,” Rachel sneered, “You can see the moon, but how do you know it’s real? What if it’s just an illusion, or some technological miracle? Sometimes we need to trust that a thing is real, even if we can’t see it, touch it, smell it, hear it, or taste it.”
I snorted, leaning forward under the curtain of leaves, looking at the moon which was now full.
“It’s right there!” I said pointing.
Rachel didn’t move out of the shadows to look, but gave me a look that said, You’re not getting it.
“Men have been on the moon,” I thrust an open palm toward it, “Astronauts have stepped on it, put a flag on it, drove on it,” I said.
“...or so they claim...,” she looked up and away from me, her lips pursed in protest. “You’re trusting that they’re telling the truth. Believing that what they told you is true.”
“But...” I started. She held up a hand, stopping me short.
“Have you been to the moon, I mean, you personally, have you been there recently?” Rachel was now looking at me with interest. After a pause, she said, “No? Then you’re trusting that what they’ve written in the history books is accurate.”
I didn’t answer right away, I was thinking, but Rachel took my silence to be defiance, and added, “It’s okay to trust,” she said with less passion, but no less conviction, in her voice, “And it’s also okay to experience a thing in order to believe it. Seeing can improve our knowledge, but we ought to believe without seeing from time to time, that builds trust.”
“I can’t argue that. Though...” and this time I held up a hand, silencing her, “I still prefer the hands-on approach. Experiencing a thing is the best, most practical way of getting the facts.”
“Okay,” Rachel said, smiling slightly, “we agree.” She stuck out a hand, and I took it. Instantly her hand shot back out of mine. It was my turn to smile.
Rachel’s eyes scanned me, first in disbelief, then methodically.
“My parents will never believe me, when I tell them I’ve met...you.”
“Then it goes back to what you said about trust. They’ve never seen me, but will they believe, second hand?”
“You make a good point,” she said, standing and moving into the moonlight. The light seemed to glisten on her pale skin. She tilted her head far back, as if basking in it’s glow. “...and you didn’t tell me you were the ghost everyone in town is talking about.” She glanced sideways at me, then closed her eyes and tilted her head back again, facing the moon.
“I was enjoying your company, and our conversation. Why spoil the moment?”
Rachel blindly made a check mark in the air, “That’s two for you. I’m glad you didn’t spoil it,” She smiled sincerely, then her expression turned melancholy. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” she said.
“Go?” I asked.
“Yup, I’ve got to run. And I’m sorry for not telling you the whole truth about me. Though I’m not sure you would have believed me anyway.” She smiled a Cheshire cat smile, rows of canine sharp teeth shone in the light of the full moon. “G’night Ghost,” she said, and this time I heard a hint of a growl in the back of her throat. She sprang forward running with incredible grace and speed. In a moment she was on all fours, and sprinted into the darkness. By the time she reached the edge of the woods, mere moments, her human form was gone, and in it’s place, a large majestic wolf.
For a long moment I watched the spot at the edge of the woods where moments before she’d disappeared. All evening something had been nagging at the back of my mind. At that moment, as I stared out into the darkness it dawned on me; when we’d first met, in spite of the night being overcast, she wasn’t carrying a flashlight. I chuckled as in the distance I heard the bay of a werewolf.
“There goes the neighborhood,” I mused affectionately.
Friday, October 9, 2009
GHOSTS IN A TOY STORE
"Hey! Quit pushing!"
"You pushed me!"
"I wanna see too!"
The three ghost children crowded close to the toy store window. It was late night. All was dark and still.
"Let's go in."
They entered the store via the window. Tony started up the display train. Betsy found a family of stuffed rabbits. Jerry set up an army invasion.
As Jerry was about to begin his epic battle of good and evil, he paused. He sat back and stared at the little army men lined up to destroy the enemy. He shook his head and fired the canons. "Blam! We need reinforcements! Bang! Bang! Gah! I've been shot! I'm..." His voice trailed off. He picked up one of the army men and stared at it for a long time.
The train passed before Tony's face. He was staring off into nothing. Faint echos of a train whistle resound in his ears, followed by the sounds of people talking quietly amongst themselves, babies crying, and a man's voice. "Everyone raise your hands where I can see them!" A gunshot. The rattle of the rails.
Betsy played happily with her little rabbit family. They dressed up, had tea and gathered berries in the woods. One of the baby rabbits got sick. It couldn't get out of bed for a long time. Why did it hurt so? Why was it too weak to get out of bed? "You're dying," whispered Betsy.
The ghosts sat there, numb to everything around them. Death is a terrible thing to happen to someone who doesn't understand it. They were children. No one told them about death. When someone died they were simply told that they had gone to another place. Tony thought that meant Texas. Besty assumed it was India. Jerry wondered if it was Fiji.
It was none of these places. It was somewhere else. They hadn't even realized they were dead. Death was something that happened to other people. What were they supposed to do? Haunt toy stores for the rest of eternity?
Betsy cried. Tony sniffed and wiped his nose. Jerry quietly put away his toys and joined the other two. "I want to go home." The others nodded. They left the store.
"Where is home?" asked Tony.
"I don't know," said Jerry.
"Well, wherever is, we'll find it," said Betsy.
The three ghost children took each others' hands, set their jaws, and began the long search for home.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
"You pushed me!"
"I wanna see too!"
The three ghost children crowded close to the toy store window. It was late night. All was dark and still.
"Let's go in."
They entered the store via the window. Tony started up the display train. Betsy found a family of stuffed rabbits. Jerry set up an army invasion.
As Jerry was about to begin his epic battle of good and evil, he paused. He sat back and stared at the little army men lined up to destroy the enemy. He shook his head and fired the canons. "Blam! We need reinforcements! Bang! Bang! Gah! I've been shot! I'm..." His voice trailed off. He picked up one of the army men and stared at it for a long time.
The train passed before Tony's face. He was staring off into nothing. Faint echos of a train whistle resound in his ears, followed by the sounds of people talking quietly amongst themselves, babies crying, and a man's voice. "Everyone raise your hands where I can see them!" A gunshot. The rattle of the rails.
Betsy played happily with her little rabbit family. They dressed up, had tea and gathered berries in the woods. One of the baby rabbits got sick. It couldn't get out of bed for a long time. Why did it hurt so? Why was it too weak to get out of bed? "You're dying," whispered Betsy.
The ghosts sat there, numb to everything around them. Death is a terrible thing to happen to someone who doesn't understand it. They were children. No one told them about death. When someone died they were simply told that they had gone to another place. Tony thought that meant Texas. Besty assumed it was India. Jerry wondered if it was Fiji.
It was none of these places. It was somewhere else. They hadn't even realized they were dead. Death was something that happened to other people. What were they supposed to do? Haunt toy stores for the rest of eternity?
Betsy cried. Tony sniffed and wiped his nose. Jerry quietly put away his toys and joined the other two. "I want to go home." The others nodded. They left the store.
"Where is home?" asked Tony.
"I don't know," said Jerry.
"Well, wherever is, we'll find it," said Betsy.
The three ghost children took each others' hands, set their jaws, and began the long search for home.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
PETER AND ELIV
I did both options for you as examples. you only have to do one or the other (or both if you wish). they all read differently... i hope i didn't slip up somewhere and get things mixed up
Option 1
Passive Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv is shouting at his mercenaries. They are gathered in a parlor room of an inn.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” a mercenary is saying in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards upon which Eliv and his mercenaries are standing, there is a small storage room. Peter is hanging from grapplers that he has attached to the ceiling. Through a crack in the boards, Peter is listening to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” another mercenary is saying in a hesitant voice.
Eliv becomes still. His blue eyes are becoming ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he is sneering. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary was willing to meet his fierce gaze, nor willing to answer him. Eliv is seething with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare at the mercenary who spoke becomes dagger-like. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
While the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter has released the grapplers from the ceiling and is putting them in his sack, when he stops to listen to another voice above. “My Lord,” the thug is saying in a quavering voice. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find them.” He yells at the others who are already leaving the inn. “Get back here!” They are shuddering as one man and are shuffling back to Eliv. “Search this place for spies. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds them.”
The mercenaries begin to look around. Peter is exiting by way of a small window that hardly looks wide enough for him to fit through. His exit is in a back alley. The Mercenaries are still searching the inside of the building. Peter is stepping out of the alley and into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug is educated in a valuable lesson, as he is falling to the ground. Peter is showing his hands to the thug’s empty eyes. One of them is holding a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Active Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” asks Lord Eliv.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling in the room below. He listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes harden to ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “Just look for three people traveling together!”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
The mercenaries file out of the room. Peter releases the grapplers from the ceiling and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens to another voice above.
“My Lord,” says the thug. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“There’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “Search the place for a spy. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds him.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window. He comes out in an alley. The Mercenaries still search inside. Peter steps out of the alley and into the knife of a thug. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. He holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Option 2
Passive and Active Voices
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv shouts.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling of the room below. Through a crack in the boards, Peter listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary in a hesitant voice.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes are like ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
As the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter releases the grapplers and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens as another voice is heard above. “My Lord,” the thug hesitates as Eliv’s eyes narrow. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others already leaving the inn, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds the spy.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window and comes out into a back alley. Peter leaves the alley and walks into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. In one of them, he holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Option 1
Passive Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv is shouting at his mercenaries. They are gathered in a parlor room of an inn.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” a mercenary is saying in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards upon which Eliv and his mercenaries are standing, there is a small storage room. Peter is hanging from grapplers that he has attached to the ceiling. Through a crack in the boards, Peter is listening to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” another mercenary is saying in a hesitant voice.
Eliv becomes still. His blue eyes are becoming ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he is sneering. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary was willing to meet his fierce gaze, nor willing to answer him. Eliv is seething with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare at the mercenary who spoke becomes dagger-like. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
While the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter has released the grapplers from the ceiling and is putting them in his sack, when he stops to listen to another voice above. “My Lord,” the thug is saying in a quavering voice. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find them.” He yells at the others who are already leaving the inn. “Get back here!” They are shuddering as one man and are shuffling back to Eliv. “Search this place for spies. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds them.”
The mercenaries begin to look around. Peter is exiting by way of a small window that hardly looks wide enough for him to fit through. His exit is in a back alley. The Mercenaries are still searching the inside of the building. Peter is stepping out of the alley and into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug is educated in a valuable lesson, as he is falling to the ground. Peter is showing his hands to the thug’s empty eyes. One of them is holding a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Active Voice:
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” asks Lord Eliv.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling in the room below. He listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes harden to ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “Just look for three people traveling together!”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
The mercenaries file out of the room. Peter releases the grapplers from the ceiling and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens to another voice above.
“My Lord,” says the thug. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“There’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “Search the place for a spy. A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds him.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window. He comes out in an alley. The Mercenaries still search inside. Peter steps out of the alley and into the knife of a thug. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. He holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Option 2
Passive and Active Voices
“Why haven’t you found them yet?” Lord Eliv shouts.
“We have searched everywhere, My Lord,” says a mercenary in a quavering voice.
“I have been very patient with you. If they are not found within the week I will have your innards strung up a tree. And that goes for the rest of you as well.”
Under the floorboards, Peter hangs from grapplers attached to the ceiling of the room below. Through a crack in the boards, Peter listens to the conversation above.
“Maybe they disguised themselves?” says another mercenary in a hesitant voice.
Eliv stiffens and his lip curls. His blue eyes are like ice cold knives of steel. “‘Maybe they disguised themselves?’” he sneers. “Of course they disguised themselves you imbecile! You have spent all this time looking for the same three people you saw at the inn? Did you think they would just wonder into Mabid feeling like the world was made of sunshine after your failure to kill them?”
Not one mercenary meets his fierce gaze, nor answers him. Eliv seethes with anger. “You are supposed to be looking for two men and a woman traveling together.”
“How do we know they are still in Mabid?”
Eliv’s glare bores into the mercenary who spoke. “That’s my business. You just find them.”
As the mercenaries file out of the room, Peter releases the grapplers and puts them in his sack. He stops and listens as another voice is heard above. “My Lord,” the thug hesitates as Eliv’s eyes narrow. “I’m not very skilled with magic, but I can sense when people are nearby…”
“And?”
“Well, there’s someone else here. Possibly a spy.”
“Find him.” He yells at the others already leaving the inn, “Get back here!” They shudder as one man and shuffle back to Eliv. “A thousand gold pieces to the man who finds the spy.”
The mercenaries scatter. Peter exits by way of a small window and comes out into a back alley. Peter leaves the alley and walks into the knife of the same thug who had sensed him with his magic. “Put your hands where I can see them.”
The thug learns a valuable lesson, and falls to the ground. Peter holds his hands in front of the thug’s empty eyes. In one of them, he holds a dagger coated in blood. “See?”
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
KING TOM
Golden summer days... Actually what made them so golden was the fact there was no school. From June to September there was nothing but sweet freedom. Tom and his posse gloried in their freedom. They played all day long and only went inside to eat and sleep.
Those whose mothers insisted on them doing daily chores would get up early and rush through them and be done before their mothers were out of bed. They would eat breakfast and the boys would meet up and the treehouse in Tom's backyard by eight. Then the fun would begin.
On this particular day, the boys had decided to play Camelot. Tom, of course, was King Arthur. The other boys filled in as his knights of the round table. The boys wore a variety of shiny armor, shimmery cloth, aluminum foil, tin can lids, and whatever else they could find. Their helmets were whatever they could get on their heads, pans, boxes, buckets, one boy even had a football helmet. Their swords were mostly plastic or wood. Daniel had a lightsaber.
"Honored knights of the round table, I welcome you here today with some grave news," said Tom.
"What does that mean?" asked Ted.
"It means bad," said Daniel.
"Right," said Tom. "The Lady of the Lake has been gobbled up by a dragon."
The boys all gasped. "Not the Lady of the Lake! Why didn't se use her powers?" said Johnny.
"She tried in vain. The dragon would not rest until he had his dinner," said Tom. "Our task is to go to the dragon's lair and fight it to the death."
"What if we're killed?" said Steve.
"Then you will die in glory and honor, and we will always remember your sacrifice for a just cause," said Tom.
The boys made their plans of vengeance and slipped quietly down the pole of the treehouse. Whispering and telling each other to shush, they approached the dog house.
"The beast sleepeth. It will be an easy kill," whispered Tom to his knights.
They nod and spread out around the sleeping dog. Jim dropped his sword. Tom's dog woke and stretched and padded over to Tom, his tail wagging.
The boys panicked. They couldn't let the dragon slay their king. They all charged the dog at once. The dog jumped out of the way, and ran around and barked playfully at the pile of boys.
Tom shook his head at his knights and thrust his sword, gently, in the dragon's ribcage. "Play dead," he ordered his dog. The dog obeyed.
"Knights! We have slayed the dragon! We are victorious this day! Our adventure shall be sung in song and story for centuries to come!" said Tom.
The boys all stabbed the air with their swords, and in one case a lightsaber, and shouted, "Glory to Camelot!"
The dog jumped up and barked. Tom gave him a hug, and got him a treat for playing dead.
The boys boasted of their conquest and went back up to the treehouse to plan their next feat.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Those whose mothers insisted on them doing daily chores would get up early and rush through them and be done before their mothers were out of bed. They would eat breakfast and the boys would meet up and the treehouse in Tom's backyard by eight. Then the fun would begin.
On this particular day, the boys had decided to play Camelot. Tom, of course, was King Arthur. The other boys filled in as his knights of the round table. The boys wore a variety of shiny armor, shimmery cloth, aluminum foil, tin can lids, and whatever else they could find. Their helmets were whatever they could get on their heads, pans, boxes, buckets, one boy even had a football helmet. Their swords were mostly plastic or wood. Daniel had a lightsaber.
"Honored knights of the round table, I welcome you here today with some grave news," said Tom.
"What does that mean?" asked Ted.
"It means bad," said Daniel.
"Right," said Tom. "The Lady of the Lake has been gobbled up by a dragon."
The boys all gasped. "Not the Lady of the Lake! Why didn't se use her powers?" said Johnny.
"She tried in vain. The dragon would not rest until he had his dinner," said Tom. "Our task is to go to the dragon's lair and fight it to the death."
"What if we're killed?" said Steve.
"Then you will die in glory and honor, and we will always remember your sacrifice for a just cause," said Tom.
The boys made their plans of vengeance and slipped quietly down the pole of the treehouse. Whispering and telling each other to shush, they approached the dog house.
"The beast sleepeth. It will be an easy kill," whispered Tom to his knights.
They nod and spread out around the sleeping dog. Jim dropped his sword. Tom's dog woke and stretched and padded over to Tom, his tail wagging.
The boys panicked. They couldn't let the dragon slay their king. They all charged the dog at once. The dog jumped out of the way, and ran around and barked playfully at the pile of boys.
Tom shook his head at his knights and thrust his sword, gently, in the dragon's ribcage. "Play dead," he ordered his dog. The dog obeyed.
"Knights! We have slayed the dragon! We are victorious this day! Our adventure shall be sung in song and story for centuries to come!" said Tom.
The boys all stabbed the air with their swords, and in one case a lightsaber, and shouted, "Glory to Camelot!"
The dog jumped up and barked. Tom gave him a hug, and got him a treat for playing dead.
The boys boasted of their conquest and went back up to the treehouse to plan their next feat.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
FOOLS RUSH IN... OR IS IT OUT?
For Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. It is an old phrase, but it can still be used today. Take my granddaughter Jenny for instance, she was a fool for following me. I told her that part of my life was over. I warned her. Still she rushed in.
I am a very old man, though to look at me you would never guess my age, or even come close. I have lived for hundreds of years. I have had hundreds of lifetimes. I have had hundreds of wives who have died of old age, illness, giving birth or any of a number of things. I have had more children and grandchildren than I can count. I admit I love them, but I get restless. I feel the need to move on.
My time in each place grows shorter as I continue my search. For what? I do not know. Jenny has not made things any easier. No matter where I go, she finds me. I have changed my name, traveled to the remotest places, and still she finds me. How does she do it? What does she hope to accomplish? She is only going to get herself hurt.
I have tried to start a new life, like I always have done after the death of a wife, but Jenny was there every time I tried. She has successfully scared off at least a dozen potential spouses. It has been frustrating. I have been forced to take drastic measures. I did not want to do this. I have always moved forward, never looking, or going, back, but she has left me little choice.
Time is like a river, flowing in one direction. People are content to simply ride the river, but that does not mean one can't go against the river's flow. It is not easy, but it can be done. I don't like traveling to the past, but here she can not find me. Here, she can not ruin my new life.
It has been nearly six months since I came here, and there has been no sign of Jenny. I am getting married again next week to the daughter of an Earl. It will be nice to live the posh life again. When I was married to Jenny's grandmother, I worked for an automotive company. The pay was decent and we lived well, but not like this.
"Excuse me, sir, but there is a young lady downstairs, who wishes to see you," says my fiancee's butler.
"A young lady? Did she give a name?"
"No, sir."
Who could she be? I couldn't be... could it? I descend the stairs. She comes into view. She is dressed according to the fashion of the time. It can't be. She has her back to me. I wish I could see her face. I wish I knew if it... I'm being silly. There is is no possible way it could be her. I reach the bottom of the stairs. I clear my throat. She turns.
"Hello grandfather."
No. No! NO! It's impossible! How did she get here? Never have any of my children or descendants ever shown the slightest indication of inheriting my power! I watch every generation closely to make sure they don't have it! She was just an ordinary kid like the others!
"That was clever trick, hiding in the past, but I still found you."
"H-How?" was all I could manage to say.
"I told you before. We are connected. Wherever you go, I will follow."
I feel weak. The world is slipping away from me. I sit on the stair to avoid falling. I am tired. For once in my life I feel old. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
She sighs, puts her arms around me, and kisses my forehead. "Because I am your granddaughter, and I love you."
"So? I have had thousands of grandchildren over the years. I just want to get on with my new life. I am done with my old one. I even had a funeral!"
"Are you happy?"
"What?"
"Are you happy?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"The most important kind."
Am I happy? I don't know. I exist. Some days are better than others. Some times seem brighter. But, looking back on my life, through all the many marriages, births and deaths, it all seems pale, like the world was painted in pastels. I never stayed in one place long. I was always moving on. Searching. For what? I don't know.
Am I happy? Have I ever been? "I don't know."
"Grandfather, this time we have spent in this game of tag, has been interesting. I have learned more about you than you realize. I have learned to use the power I have inherited from you. Everywhere you go you leave a trace of yourself. I know you have been looking for something. Something you can't see. Something you can't quite put your finger on."
She knows. I want the empty ache inside me to fill, to be satisfied. And yet... I feel the pull. The pull to move on. Move on to where? Where can I go that she won't follow?
"I will always be with you. No matter where. No matter when. I am a part of you. When you hide from me, you hide from yourself. Come with me. I will show you what you are missing."
Her hand hangs in the air in front of me, waiting for me to take it. Do I dare? She smiles and we are caught in the time stream. Our clothes change as we move forward.
We come to a stop in the livingroom where Jenny first learned of my immortal nature. Where I had spent many years as a grandfather clock, sleeping away the time until my wife died. Not letting go of my hand, she leads me to the kitchen where my daughter, her mother, is setting the table for dinner.
"Grandfather has something to say to you."
My daughter's left eyebrow rises as she looks at the two of us. Jenny pushes me forward. I don't know what I am supposed to say. "Kathy... I..." I turn to Jenny. "What do you want me to say? I'm older than I look? I lied to her and her mother? I'm immortal?"
"Tell her how you feel."
I look into my daughter's confused face. Her eyes are so much like her mother's, but that little twitch of the mouth that is always ready to break into a smile if she would only let it, is mine. Mine. That is what she meant. This is what I have been searching my whole life for. I have been a fool. Such a fool. All those centuries wasted, looking for what I had had from the beginning.
"I love you, my little Katty." I had called her that as a child. It was my name for her. No one else ever called her Katty. No one dared to.
Both her eyebrows rise now. "Dad?"
I nod. She hugs me. I hold her close.
"Thank you, Jenny."
For the first time in my life, I belong. I feel loved. I have connected.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
I am a very old man, though to look at me you would never guess my age, or even come close. I have lived for hundreds of years. I have had hundreds of lifetimes. I have had hundreds of wives who have died of old age, illness, giving birth or any of a number of things. I have had more children and grandchildren than I can count. I admit I love them, but I get restless. I feel the need to move on.
My time in each place grows shorter as I continue my search. For what? I do not know. Jenny has not made things any easier. No matter where I go, she finds me. I have changed my name, traveled to the remotest places, and still she finds me. How does she do it? What does she hope to accomplish? She is only going to get herself hurt.
I have tried to start a new life, like I always have done after the death of a wife, but Jenny was there every time I tried. She has successfully scared off at least a dozen potential spouses. It has been frustrating. I have been forced to take drastic measures. I did not want to do this. I have always moved forward, never looking, or going, back, but she has left me little choice.
Time is like a river, flowing in one direction. People are content to simply ride the river, but that does not mean one can't go against the river's flow. It is not easy, but it can be done. I don't like traveling to the past, but here she can not find me. Here, she can not ruin my new life.
It has been nearly six months since I came here, and there has been no sign of Jenny. I am getting married again next week to the daughter of an Earl. It will be nice to live the posh life again. When I was married to Jenny's grandmother, I worked for an automotive company. The pay was decent and we lived well, but not like this.
"Excuse me, sir, but there is a young lady downstairs, who wishes to see you," says my fiancee's butler.
"A young lady? Did she give a name?"
"No, sir."
Who could she be? I couldn't be... could it? I descend the stairs. She comes into view. She is dressed according to the fashion of the time. It can't be. She has her back to me. I wish I could see her face. I wish I knew if it... I'm being silly. There is is no possible way it could be her. I reach the bottom of the stairs. I clear my throat. She turns.
"Hello grandfather."
No. No! NO! It's impossible! How did she get here? Never have any of my children or descendants ever shown the slightest indication of inheriting my power! I watch every generation closely to make sure they don't have it! She was just an ordinary kid like the others!
"That was clever trick, hiding in the past, but I still found you."
"H-How?" was all I could manage to say.
"I told you before. We are connected. Wherever you go, I will follow."
I feel weak. The world is slipping away from me. I sit on the stair to avoid falling. I am tired. For once in my life I feel old. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
She sighs, puts her arms around me, and kisses my forehead. "Because I am your granddaughter, and I love you."
"So? I have had thousands of grandchildren over the years. I just want to get on with my new life. I am done with my old one. I even had a funeral!"
"Are you happy?"
"What?"
"Are you happy?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"The most important kind."
Am I happy? I don't know. I exist. Some days are better than others. Some times seem brighter. But, looking back on my life, through all the many marriages, births and deaths, it all seems pale, like the world was painted in pastels. I never stayed in one place long. I was always moving on. Searching. For what? I don't know.
Am I happy? Have I ever been? "I don't know."
"Grandfather, this time we have spent in this game of tag, has been interesting. I have learned more about you than you realize. I have learned to use the power I have inherited from you. Everywhere you go you leave a trace of yourself. I know you have been looking for something. Something you can't see. Something you can't quite put your finger on."
She knows. I want the empty ache inside me to fill, to be satisfied. And yet... I feel the pull. The pull to move on. Move on to where? Where can I go that she won't follow?
"I will always be with you. No matter where. No matter when. I am a part of you. When you hide from me, you hide from yourself. Come with me. I will show you what you are missing."
Her hand hangs in the air in front of me, waiting for me to take it. Do I dare? She smiles and we are caught in the time stream. Our clothes change as we move forward.
We come to a stop in the livingroom where Jenny first learned of my immortal nature. Where I had spent many years as a grandfather clock, sleeping away the time until my wife died. Not letting go of my hand, she leads me to the kitchen where my daughter, her mother, is setting the table for dinner.
"Grandfather has something to say to you."
My daughter's left eyebrow rises as she looks at the two of us. Jenny pushes me forward. I don't know what I am supposed to say. "Kathy... I..." I turn to Jenny. "What do you want me to say? I'm older than I look? I lied to her and her mother? I'm immortal?"
"Tell her how you feel."
I look into my daughter's confused face. Her eyes are so much like her mother's, but that little twitch of the mouth that is always ready to break into a smile if she would only let it, is mine. Mine. That is what she meant. This is what I have been searching my whole life for. I have been a fool. Such a fool. All those centuries wasted, looking for what I had had from the beginning.
"I love you, my little Katty." I had called her that as a child. It was my name for her. No one else ever called her Katty. No one dared to.
Both her eyebrows rise now. "Dad?"
I nod. She hugs me. I hold her close.
"Thank you, Jenny."
For the first time in my life, I belong. I feel loved. I have connected.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Fool & His Wife
Ken Chandler
Copyright © 2009
The Fool & His Wife
A foolish man married a lazy woman and they lived in a drafty shack near a deep woods. Driven from their home by robbers they took to the road with only the shirts on their backs as the only protection from the growing cold. They had become accustomed to hunger, but soon their hunger became extreme and they mustered the strength to go in search of something to fill their empty and aching stomaches. Not accustomed to exercise the woman sat down below a tree to rest and get shelter from the cold. She noticed a rotting apple on the ground beside her, and being too lazy to check herself, asked her husband if there was more fruit borne on the tree. He stared at the trunk of the tree with intensity for some time and after a time, returned that there was none to be seen on the tree.
“Husband, you fool. Look into the branches, you’ll find the fruit in the tops of the trees.”
Looking into the branches of the tree a wondrous smile crossed his face and he reported that there was an abundance of food, enough for them both. When he made no move to gather the fruit his wife demanded that he get the fruit so she could eat. By and by the man climbed into the tree and plucked every last apple and brought them down to her. When he tried to take one to eat, the lazy woman declared that the food was hers and hers alone, and that he should get food for himself elsewhere.
For a few moments he longingly watched his wife eat the succulent apples before turning into the growing darkness in search of food for himself. The lazy woman polished off the apples and quickly fell into a deep slumber. The next morning the woman waited and waited for her husbands return, and she waited and waited. She occasionally mustered up the strength to yell his name and demand that he come to her at once, but he never came back. Before long, her hunger overcame her, and she rose shakily to her feet. She traveled about 200 yards before her legs ached and she found another tree under which to rest her weary feet. A day and a night passed, and still, her husband eluded her. Her cries of fiery indignation carried through the woods, then desperate for her husbands return, then faint with hunger her cries died out all together. A hunter found her dead, and she was properly buried without ceremony. She and her husband were not missed, nor mourned.
Copyright © 2009
The Fool & His Wife
A foolish man married a lazy woman and they lived in a drafty shack near a deep woods. Driven from their home by robbers they took to the road with only the shirts on their backs as the only protection from the growing cold. They had become accustomed to hunger, but soon their hunger became extreme and they mustered the strength to go in search of something to fill their empty and aching stomaches. Not accustomed to exercise the woman sat down below a tree to rest and get shelter from the cold. She noticed a rotting apple on the ground beside her, and being too lazy to check herself, asked her husband if there was more fruit borne on the tree. He stared at the trunk of the tree with intensity for some time and after a time, returned that there was none to be seen on the tree.
“Husband, you fool. Look into the branches, you’ll find the fruit in the tops of the trees.”
Looking into the branches of the tree a wondrous smile crossed his face and he reported that there was an abundance of food, enough for them both. When he made no move to gather the fruit his wife demanded that he get the fruit so she could eat. By and by the man climbed into the tree and plucked every last apple and brought them down to her. When he tried to take one to eat, the lazy woman declared that the food was hers and hers alone, and that he should get food for himself elsewhere.
For a few moments he longingly watched his wife eat the succulent apples before turning into the growing darkness in search of food for himself. The lazy woman polished off the apples and quickly fell into a deep slumber. The next morning the woman waited and waited for her husbands return, and she waited and waited. She occasionally mustered up the strength to yell his name and demand that he come to her at once, but he never came back. Before long, her hunger overcame her, and she rose shakily to her feet. She traveled about 200 yards before her legs ached and she found another tree under which to rest her weary feet. A day and a night passed, and still, her husband eluded her. Her cries of fiery indignation carried through the woods, then desperate for her husbands return, then faint with hunger her cries died out all together. A hunter found her dead, and she was properly buried without ceremony. She and her husband were not missed, nor mourned.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
FAIRY TALES Part 2
"My wand is missing," said Nijir. "We searched everywhere for the thief. They don't seem to be on this world."
The seven Dwarves exchanged looks. "This is bad." They seemed to say to one another.
"Could the wand take them to another world?" asked Jara, the only female Dwarf in the group, and the older sister of the other six.
Nijir nodded. "Mijorn of the Mountain Fairies tested it with his wand."
"Was there just one thief?" asked Jara.
"We don't know," said Nijir.
The Dwarves spoke quietly amongst themselves, and reached a decision. "Find out who's missing, and we will bring them back to you," said Jara.
Nijir spread his black wings and flew off to find the missing fairies. He spoke to the other Fairy Leaders, and they all combined their efforts to account for every fairy under their command. It was eventually found who was missing.
Adera a Night Fairy.
Harria a Cloud Fairy.
Jorie a Desert Fairy.
Kor a Mountain Fairy.
Eria a Prairie Fairy.
Perto a Forest Fairy.
Gewq a Swamp Fairy.
Irua a Water Fairy.
Jara and her brothers looked over the list. "Three men and five women. Right. We'll find them."
The Dwarves opened a hole that took them back to their home world, Orean. There they spoke with many other traveling Dwarves and discovered the fairies were on a world called Earth. A world with no magic.
*****
Adera was having fun. She liked giving gifts to these humans. They were nice. They gave the fairies all sorts of stuff. Adera was free to do whatever she liked and go wherever she pleased.
The other fairies were enjoying themselves too. Irua started visiting babies and giving them lifelong gifts like beauty, wisdom, singing voices, kindness, etc. Jorie said they couldn't visit every baby. There were too many of them. Gewq said why not the babies of leaders, to help be better leaders when they grew up. The other fairies agreed this was a good idea.
The problem was they got tired of giving the same gifts all the time. and sometimes their gifts were interrupted and never finished. One princess got the gift of an early death, because Harria had meant to say she would at a young age be able to make many dyes of vibrant colors to bring more color in the kingdom, but she was distracted at the time and all she said was, "At an early age.... dye...." Then she went into an argument with Eria about the usefulness of such an odd gift.
Perto visited another princess after not having slept for two days, and now that princess was hardly ever awake.
Eria had had an argument with Perto about loosing her hair from all the stress of granting so many wishes that she gave the daughter of a duke luxuriant hair that would never fall out and could never be cut.
Gewq thought it would be fun to make a prince kiss a princess that was dead and have her revive to complete health. Irua reprimanded her cousin harshly for that one.
And so it went. The gifts that had been so greedily welcomed by humans when the fairies arrived became dreaded and the commoners often reassured the fairies they were exceedingly happy and their gifts should be spent on the more deserving nobility. The nobility never turned the fairies away. It had become a symbol of status to have a fairy visit. The fairies didn't mind. There were far less nobility than commoners, and they found themselves not quite so busy as they had been before.
Time passed. The Dwarves did their best to catch the fairies, but they often eluded them. Although, when they caught and returned Perto to the fairy world, Eria sought out the Dwarves and volunteered to go back so she could be with her husband. Later they also caught Jorie, and Kor, who wanted to go back to be married properly and not just because some human priest said they were.
There were only four left. It had been nearly three decades since the fairies came to Earth, and Dwarves were getting frustrated. They didn't dare ask the humans for help. The humans liked the fairies better than they liked the Dwarves. The Dwarves figured this was because the fairies shared their magic. The Dwarves didn't.
One day after a long day when Irua had escaped them once more, the Dwarves came home to find a human sleeping on their doorstep. It turned out to be the king's oldest daughter, heiress to the throne. She had run away from marrying a prince she couldn't stand. She was also a receiver of one of the fairies' gifts. She was the one doomed to die an early death.
The Dwarves were delighted to learn Princess Esther's hatred of the fairies, and, when she learned what they were doing, she was more than willing to help the Dwarves get rid of the fairies.
Esther told them the elusive hiding spot of Gewq, who had taken up residence in mirrors. He gave advice on beauty, government, menus and all sorts of things. All a human had to do was ask the mirror and he'd appear do his thing without leaving the comforts of his home.
Kurgh, one of the Dwarf brothers, entered the mirror and grabbed Gewq by his iridescent wings and tossed him through the hole to the fairy world made by Jara.
Esther's friend, Prince David, not the prince she ran away from, and whom, incidentally, was supposed to kiss a dead princess which thoroughly disgusted him, knew where to find Irua. Irua had set up her own castle and was living on an island not far from Prince David's father.
She was challenging. Being a Water Fairy, Irua could swim through the water as easily as she could fly through the air. The Dwarves were stuck on the shore, until Lerso suggested opening a hole underwater. This was tricky because the hole always opened in the same cavern in Orean, and when a hole opened everything went through. They ran a few tests and together several of the Dwarf brothers were able to make a hole that let through everything but the water. Needless to say Irua landed in the Orean cavern on a pile of fish. The dwarves on Orean thought this was quite amusing and referred to her as the Fish Queen until they returned her to her own world and the leader of the Water Fairies.
There were only two fairies left; Adera and Harria. They were worried. They did not want to go back. They were afraid of what would happen to them. They knew they would be punished. They did not like to think of it. Harria figured they would be put to death or chained up. Adera didn't like to think about it. Whatever happened would not be good. They had to do something. It was Esther's fault. She was doomed to die anyway, why not speed up the process?
After a long discussion, the two fairies decided to trick her by giving her a poisoned apple. Then no one would know it was they who did it. They prepared the apple with Nijir's wand, which Adera kept with her at all times, then they dropped it next to the stream where Esther fetched water for the Dwarves.
They hid in the trees and watched Esther get the water. She must have seen the apple! Why didn't she take it? It was perfect in every way! Esther returned to the house. A Dwarf came out, washed his feet in the stream, glanced at the apple and went back inside.
Adera and Harria were getting annoyed. Whet was wrong with these people? Didn't they recognize a good apple when they saw one? Esther and the seven Dwarves came out again. She waved goodbye to them and they left. Esther went to the stream and seemed to see the apple for the first time. She picked it up, glanced around, took a bite and fell to the ground.
Adera and Harria laughed. Aha! The princess fell for it! They could get rid of all their enemies this way! Why not make a whole basket of apples for the Dwarves? They flew down to gloat over Esther. They congratulated each other and rejoiced over their success, until they realized they couldn't fly away. Adera's black shimmery wings and Harria's white feathery ones were in the hands of Dwarves.
They knew the apple was poisoned. That was what the Dwarf brother had been looking for when he had come out to wash his feet. They had asked Esther to eat the apple in the hope that the fairies would show themselves.
Jara opened the hole to Orean. Adera and Harria were handed over to the Dwarves there who delivered them to Nijir. The seven Dwarves took care of Esther, who was kissed by David and they lived happily ever after.
Adera and Harria on the other hand, with their six friends, stood before the Fairy Counsel. The Mountain King and the Golden Queen of Summer sat at the head of the semi-circle table flanked by the Prince of Night and the Purple Princess of Autumn. Seated on either side of them were the Swamp Lord, the White Lady of Winter, the Ocean Rider and the Flower Fairy of Spring.
Their friends had been held captive by the Dwarves until all eight were retured to their world. Their wands had been taken and handed to their leaders. Prince Nijir was happy to have his wand back.
The Golden Queen of Summer stood and said, "You have committed a great crime. You have stolen the wand of a Great Fairy and used it. Used it to leave this world, to grant wishes of people of another world, to curse people on that that world. We have no law for such actions, because these things have never happened before. Your punishment will be severe, because we do not wish for this to happen again."
"The Dwarves have given us a detailed report of what you have done, and we are disgusted at what we have learned," said the Mountain King. "You have shamed us."
"Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" asked the Golden Queen.
The eight fairies exchanged looks. Perto and Eria looked old and haggard. The stain of living among the humans and the following capture of the Dwarves had been hard on them. Jorie and Kor no longer glowed like newlyweds. They were tired and Jorie was large with baby. Gewq and Irua were relieved to be back home. Humans were fun for a while, but soon became demanding. Harria was wide-eyed with fear.
Adera raised her head and said, "I am guilty, and will pay for my crimes as well as those of my friends. I was the one who wanted to travel to other worlds. I was the one who My Prince's wand. I was the one who asked them to come with me. It was all my doing. Please, let my friends return to their homes and their families."
The other seven were shocked. They did not expect Adera to confess so readily, and they did not want her to take their punishments for them. They protested. They would accept the consequences.
The Fairy Counsel whispered to each other. and came to a conclusion.
"Jorie and Kor, since you returned voluntarily, you shall give community service to the Desert and Mountain Fairies," said the Mountain King.
"Perto and Eria, you shall teach the children of the Forest and Prairie Fairies what you have learned. The importance of laws, respect for your leaders and about the humans and Earth," said the Purple Princess of Autumn.
"Irua, you shall be restricted to the oceans. No lake parties or river runs. You are also to give service, and report daily to me of your activities," said the Ocean Rider.
"Gewq, you will likewise be restricted to the swamps, give service, and report to me," said the Swamp Lord.
"Harria, you will be restricted to the Clouds. No trips to see friends or family. Service is also expected of you," said the White Lady of Winter.
"Adera," said Nijir, "you will serve in my house. You will not be permitted to leave without my permission. I will not make service easy for you. You have claimed full responsibility for what has happened and you will pay accordingly." He paused as he waited for her to meet his gaze. When she finally looked at him, he continued, "I hope, in time, that I will once again be able to trust you."
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
The seven Dwarves exchanged looks. "This is bad." They seemed to say to one another.
"Could the wand take them to another world?" asked Jara, the only female Dwarf in the group, and the older sister of the other six.
Nijir nodded. "Mijorn of the Mountain Fairies tested it with his wand."
"Was there just one thief?" asked Jara.
"We don't know," said Nijir.
The Dwarves spoke quietly amongst themselves, and reached a decision. "Find out who's missing, and we will bring them back to you," said Jara.
Nijir spread his black wings and flew off to find the missing fairies. He spoke to the other Fairy Leaders, and they all combined their efforts to account for every fairy under their command. It was eventually found who was missing.
Adera a Night Fairy.
Harria a Cloud Fairy.
Jorie a Desert Fairy.
Kor a Mountain Fairy.
Eria a Prairie Fairy.
Perto a Forest Fairy.
Gewq a Swamp Fairy.
Irua a Water Fairy.
Jara and her brothers looked over the list. "Three men and five women. Right. We'll find them."
The Dwarves opened a hole that took them back to their home world, Orean. There they spoke with many other traveling Dwarves and discovered the fairies were on a world called Earth. A world with no magic.
*****
Adera was having fun. She liked giving gifts to these humans. They were nice. They gave the fairies all sorts of stuff. Adera was free to do whatever she liked and go wherever she pleased.
The other fairies were enjoying themselves too. Irua started visiting babies and giving them lifelong gifts like beauty, wisdom, singing voices, kindness, etc. Jorie said they couldn't visit every baby. There were too many of them. Gewq said why not the babies of leaders, to help be better leaders when they grew up. The other fairies agreed this was a good idea.
The problem was they got tired of giving the same gifts all the time. and sometimes their gifts were interrupted and never finished. One princess got the gift of an early death, because Harria had meant to say she would at a young age be able to make many dyes of vibrant colors to bring more color in the kingdom, but she was distracted at the time and all she said was, "At an early age.... dye...." Then she went into an argument with Eria about the usefulness of such an odd gift.
Perto visited another princess after not having slept for two days, and now that princess was hardly ever awake.
Eria had had an argument with Perto about loosing her hair from all the stress of granting so many wishes that she gave the daughter of a duke luxuriant hair that would never fall out and could never be cut.
Gewq thought it would be fun to make a prince kiss a princess that was dead and have her revive to complete health. Irua reprimanded her cousin harshly for that one.
And so it went. The gifts that had been so greedily welcomed by humans when the fairies arrived became dreaded and the commoners often reassured the fairies they were exceedingly happy and their gifts should be spent on the more deserving nobility. The nobility never turned the fairies away. It had become a symbol of status to have a fairy visit. The fairies didn't mind. There were far less nobility than commoners, and they found themselves not quite so busy as they had been before.
Time passed. The Dwarves did their best to catch the fairies, but they often eluded them. Although, when they caught and returned Perto to the fairy world, Eria sought out the Dwarves and volunteered to go back so she could be with her husband. Later they also caught Jorie, and Kor, who wanted to go back to be married properly and not just because some human priest said they were.
There were only four left. It had been nearly three decades since the fairies came to Earth, and Dwarves were getting frustrated. They didn't dare ask the humans for help. The humans liked the fairies better than they liked the Dwarves. The Dwarves figured this was because the fairies shared their magic. The Dwarves didn't.
One day after a long day when Irua had escaped them once more, the Dwarves came home to find a human sleeping on their doorstep. It turned out to be the king's oldest daughter, heiress to the throne. She had run away from marrying a prince she couldn't stand. She was also a receiver of one of the fairies' gifts. She was the one doomed to die an early death.
The Dwarves were delighted to learn Princess Esther's hatred of the fairies, and, when she learned what they were doing, she was more than willing to help the Dwarves get rid of the fairies.
Esther told them the elusive hiding spot of Gewq, who had taken up residence in mirrors. He gave advice on beauty, government, menus and all sorts of things. All a human had to do was ask the mirror and he'd appear do his thing without leaving the comforts of his home.
Kurgh, one of the Dwarf brothers, entered the mirror and grabbed Gewq by his iridescent wings and tossed him through the hole to the fairy world made by Jara.
Esther's friend, Prince David, not the prince she ran away from, and whom, incidentally, was supposed to kiss a dead princess which thoroughly disgusted him, knew where to find Irua. Irua had set up her own castle and was living on an island not far from Prince David's father.
She was challenging. Being a Water Fairy, Irua could swim through the water as easily as she could fly through the air. The Dwarves were stuck on the shore, until Lerso suggested opening a hole underwater. This was tricky because the hole always opened in the same cavern in Orean, and when a hole opened everything went through. They ran a few tests and together several of the Dwarf brothers were able to make a hole that let through everything but the water. Needless to say Irua landed in the Orean cavern on a pile of fish. The dwarves on Orean thought this was quite amusing and referred to her as the Fish Queen until they returned her to her own world and the leader of the Water Fairies.
There were only two fairies left; Adera and Harria. They were worried. They did not want to go back. They were afraid of what would happen to them. They knew they would be punished. They did not like to think of it. Harria figured they would be put to death or chained up. Adera didn't like to think about it. Whatever happened would not be good. They had to do something. It was Esther's fault. She was doomed to die anyway, why not speed up the process?
After a long discussion, the two fairies decided to trick her by giving her a poisoned apple. Then no one would know it was they who did it. They prepared the apple with Nijir's wand, which Adera kept with her at all times, then they dropped it next to the stream where Esther fetched water for the Dwarves.
They hid in the trees and watched Esther get the water. She must have seen the apple! Why didn't she take it? It was perfect in every way! Esther returned to the house. A Dwarf came out, washed his feet in the stream, glanced at the apple and went back inside.
Adera and Harria were getting annoyed. Whet was wrong with these people? Didn't they recognize a good apple when they saw one? Esther and the seven Dwarves came out again. She waved goodbye to them and they left. Esther went to the stream and seemed to see the apple for the first time. She picked it up, glanced around, took a bite and fell to the ground.
Adera and Harria laughed. Aha! The princess fell for it! They could get rid of all their enemies this way! Why not make a whole basket of apples for the Dwarves? They flew down to gloat over Esther. They congratulated each other and rejoiced over their success, until they realized they couldn't fly away. Adera's black shimmery wings and Harria's white feathery ones were in the hands of Dwarves.
They knew the apple was poisoned. That was what the Dwarf brother had been looking for when he had come out to wash his feet. They had asked Esther to eat the apple in the hope that the fairies would show themselves.
Jara opened the hole to Orean. Adera and Harria were handed over to the Dwarves there who delivered them to Nijir. The seven Dwarves took care of Esther, who was kissed by David and they lived happily ever after.
Adera and Harria on the other hand, with their six friends, stood before the Fairy Counsel. The Mountain King and the Golden Queen of Summer sat at the head of the semi-circle table flanked by the Prince of Night and the Purple Princess of Autumn. Seated on either side of them were the Swamp Lord, the White Lady of Winter, the Ocean Rider and the Flower Fairy of Spring.
Their friends had been held captive by the Dwarves until all eight were retured to their world. Their wands had been taken and handed to their leaders. Prince Nijir was happy to have his wand back.
The Golden Queen of Summer stood and said, "You have committed a great crime. You have stolen the wand of a Great Fairy and used it. Used it to leave this world, to grant wishes of people of another world, to curse people on that that world. We have no law for such actions, because these things have never happened before. Your punishment will be severe, because we do not wish for this to happen again."
"The Dwarves have given us a detailed report of what you have done, and we are disgusted at what we have learned," said the Mountain King. "You have shamed us."
"Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" asked the Golden Queen.
The eight fairies exchanged looks. Perto and Eria looked old and haggard. The stain of living among the humans and the following capture of the Dwarves had been hard on them. Jorie and Kor no longer glowed like newlyweds. They were tired and Jorie was large with baby. Gewq and Irua were relieved to be back home. Humans were fun for a while, but soon became demanding. Harria was wide-eyed with fear.
Adera raised her head and said, "I am guilty, and will pay for my crimes as well as those of my friends. I was the one who wanted to travel to other worlds. I was the one who My Prince's wand. I was the one who asked them to come with me. It was all my doing. Please, let my friends return to their homes and their families."
The other seven were shocked. They did not expect Adera to confess so readily, and they did not want her to take their punishments for them. They protested. They would accept the consequences.
The Fairy Counsel whispered to each other. and came to a conclusion.
"Jorie and Kor, since you returned voluntarily, you shall give community service to the Desert and Mountain Fairies," said the Mountain King.
"Perto and Eria, you shall teach the children of the Forest and Prairie Fairies what you have learned. The importance of laws, respect for your leaders and about the humans and Earth," said the Purple Princess of Autumn.
"Irua, you shall be restricted to the oceans. No lake parties or river runs. You are also to give service, and report daily to me of your activities," said the Ocean Rider.
"Gewq, you will likewise be restricted to the swamps, give service, and report to me," said the Swamp Lord.
"Harria, you will be restricted to the Clouds. No trips to see friends or family. Service is also expected of you," said the White Lady of Winter.
"Adera," said Nijir, "you will serve in my house. You will not be permitted to leave without my permission. I will not make service easy for you. You have claimed full responsibility for what has happened and you will pay accordingly." He paused as he waited for her to meet his gaze. When she finally looked at him, he continued, "I hope, in time, that I will once again be able to trust you."
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
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