Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 25)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwentyFive.html

“Let's go outside and take pictures in the snow!” Megan squeals in delight as she watches the cats roll around in the wrapping paper. “We can send pictures to Mom of Baby Bean and Chloe playing together in the snow.” Megan grabs the camera from the living room table; then she and John each pick up a cat and take them outside. As soon as they put the cats down on the snow in the backyard, Chloe runs around the snowman, then plops down in the snow beside Baby Bean. Baby Bean, meanwhile, is staring curiously around her. She lifts her paw up and shakes the snow off of it, only to get snow on it again as she trudges through the snow to sniff the snowman. Then she runs around and tackles Chloe, playfully biting her ear. While they play, Megan excitedly takes photographs of the cats, occasionally putting herself or John in the picture.

After a while, Baby Bean and Chloe tire from playing and running around in the snow. So Megan places them next to the snowman to take a picture. Baby Bean stares at the camera curiously while Chloe looks around and up at the sky. Suddenly, she sees reindeer in the air pulling Santa in a sleigh. Dakotah sits next to Santa with her tongue hanging out. She winks at Chloe, then the sleigh flies out of her sight. A little bit of snow falls from the sleigh and lands close to a nearby tree. Baby Bean waddles past the snowman over to the tree to inspect the mysterious fallen snow. As she peers at the little pile of snow, a large clump of snow falls from the tree and plops on top of her head, some of which splatters onto her nose. She startles and her tail fluffs up in surprise. She shakes off the snow, looks around her, and then stares up at the tree while Megan and John laugh and Chloe purrs.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 24)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwentyFour.html

“Chloe, meet Baby Bean. Baby Bean, this is Chloe.” Megan pets them both on their heads, then turns to the Christmas tree.

“Now she won't have to sneak outside to play,” John says to Megan.

Megan winks at John; then she says “time to open up presents!” as she picks up a gift wrapped in red paper. As Megan and John open their presents to each other, Chloe and Baby Bean paw through their stockings. Chloe decides she likes Baby Bean, so she bats one of her toy mice at her. Baby Bean bats the ball and chases after it, and she skids onto the wrapping paper strewn on the floor from opened presents. She jumps up from the unexpected noise, then starts patting the paper with her paws. Chloe joins Baby Bean in playing with the noisy paper. 

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 23)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwentyThree.html


She glances around the room quickly, but when she doesn't see John or Megan, she walks quietly to the box and peers over the edge. Inside the box lies a tiny gray and white kitten with a big red bow around her neck. Chloe stretches her neck and sniffs the kitten's head. The kitten startles and jerks her head up, staring up at Chloe with huge brown eyes. Chloe stares at the kitten for a few more seconds, then licks her nose. The kitten then meows and begins to purr.

“So you found your Christmas present already!” Megan walks into the room and scoops the kitten out of the box. She then picks up Chloe and takes both cats to the living room where John sits on the couch with a present wrapped in silver paper on his lap. Megan places them on the ground next to two stockings filled with toys and cat treats. Now Chloe understands why there's an extra stocking.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 22)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwentyTwo.html

Soon Chloe hears Christmas music coming from the living room. Megan dances into the kitchen, still in her pajamas, holding a tiny Christmas hat in her hand. Chloe turns from her bowl and sees the hat; then she darts away into the living room, but Megan catches Chloe and laughs as she puts the Santa hat on Chloe's head, securing its band under Chloe's chin.

“You're so cute!” Megan exclaims as she hugs Chloe to her chest. Every year, Megan either buys or makes a Christmas hat or reindeer ears for Chloe to wear, but Chloe doesn't like to wear them, so she hides them under the bed or behind the refrigerator. So when Megan lets Chloe down, Chloe dashes into their bedroom and knocks the hat off her head, and then she hides it under the bed. As Chloe crawls out from underneath the bed, she again sees the large box.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 21)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwentyOne.html


Just then, Chloe hears a door open and she runs to investigate. Megan is leaving her bedroom and walking towards the bathroom. John is sitting up in bed, his mouth open with a wide yawn. A huge box sits in the corner of the room. Curious, Chloe starts to walk towards the box (she loves to play in all kinds of boxes), but John scoops her up from the ground as he gets out of bed and takes her through the living room into the kitchen. Chloe forgets about the box and runs towards her food bowl as John opens a can of tuna for her favorite breakfast. John leaves the kitchen as Chloe happily licks up the tuna.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 20)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwenty.html

The next morning, when Chloe opens her eyes she sees wrapped presents underneath the sparkling Christmas tree. Four stockings, full of goodies and toys, hang above the fireplace. It must be Christmas day, Chloe thinks to herself. Megan always fills the stockings on Christmas morning. Chloe looks at the stockings again. Her ears flicker and her tail begins to move. Four stockings? Chloe doesn't understand why there's a fourth stocking, since they only need three for Megan, John, and Chloe. Maybe Megan gave her an extra stocking this year! She had been good all year, not trying to escape the house to go outside.

Chloe then remembers Dakotah and the magical golden tag that took her safely home the day before. She meows happily to herself as she thinks about playing with Tabs, Mitzy, and Fluffy at the pond and in the woods. Did it actually happen? Or was it all a dream? Chloe doesn't have the golden tag on her collar anymore. Even if it was a dream, it is the happiest dream of her life.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 19)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayNineteen.html

Chloe touches the collar and wishes she is home. Tabs, the pond, and the woods vanish from her sight; in their place, she sees the red-brick fireplace and the lit Christmas tree in her living room. She is home! Christmas music is still playing on the radio. She quickly runs around the house, but, to her relief, John and Megan aren't home yet. Chloe yawns again. She walks back to the living room and lies on the blue couch. Exhausted, she closes her eyes and drifts to sleep.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 18)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayEighteen.html


Chloe's head pops up out of a mound of snow and she exclaims, “Oh no! What if it fell in the pond after Fluffy cut the ice open?” Chloe starts to whine at this thought.

“Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be in the snow.” Tabs continues to dig in the snow. A few minutes later, he sees a glint of gold next to a tree. “Aha!” he exclaims.

“You found it?” Chloe runs towards him. Tabs lifts his face from the snow, holding the collar in his mouth, the golden tag dangling from the collar.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Chloe purrs and licks Tabs' face.

“Don't mention it,” he mumbles and passes her the collar.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 17)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DaySeventeen.html

“Are you ready to look for your collar?” Tabs asks, startling Chloe from almost falling asleep.

“Yes!” Chloe replies, stifling a yawn.

“Where do you remember wearing it last?” Tibby asks, walking away from her kittens and towards Tabs and Chloe.

“Well...” Chloe thinks for a moment. “I think I was wearing it when Fluffy caught the fish.”

“Fluffy caught the fish...” Tibby looks at her husband. “I thought you said you caught the fish.”

“Well, I might have exaggerated a little....” Tabs grinned at Tibby.

“Mmmhmmm....” Tibby shakes her head.

“Anyway, that means we should look at the pond first.” Tabs nuzzles his wife with his head. Chloe and Tabs say goodbye; then they walk to the pond in the dark. They search by the ice first. Then they look around and start digging in the snow.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 16)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DaySixteen.html

“Honey, this is my friend Chloe,” Tabs says, “Chloe, this is my wife, Tibby.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Tibby says as she sniffs Chloe.

“Chloe, I'll help you look for your collar after we're done eating. Please, join us.” Tabs invites Chloe. Everyone eats a piece of the fish until it's all gone. Chloe feels bad for taking even a little bit of food from the kittens. There wasn't much to go around, but Chloe is thankful for the little bit that she got.

After they finish eating, the kittens start yawning and curl up against each other. Soon they fall fast asleep. Chloe's eyes droop and she yawns, but she can’t sleep. She wants to go home.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 15)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayFifteen.html

She meows and cries. She needs someone to find her. She needs someone to help her. But no one comes. As she continues to walk, Chloe's tail drags in the snow until she hears a noise. Then her tail twitches and her ears perk up. It sounds like little kittens arguing. She follows the sound and finds herself at Tabs' place in the woods. Tabs' kittens are fighting over the fish he had brought home. As soon as Chloe sees the fish, she remembers how hungry she is, and her belly growls.

All at once, everyone looks at her. The kittens stop fighting. Tabs runs to Chloe and asks, “Chloe, what are you doing here?”

“I got lost and couldn't find my way home,” she cries, “and I lost my collar!”

“Oh, you poor dear,” a short-haired black and white female cat says to her. “Tabs, invite her to eat.”

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 14)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayFourteen.html

“Well, I'm going to go home too,” Chloe says as she walks away and says goodbye to Tabs. She walks around the woods for a little bit before she remembers the tag on her collar that Dakotah gave her. She thinks about going home, but nothing happens. She squeezes her eyes tight and thinks harder. When nothing happens again, she notices that her collar is missing. She doesn't remember it falling off. She shivers in the cold, her fur damp from the falling snow. Her stomach growls. She tries to find her way back home, but she is lost in the woods. She doesn't know where to go. Snow-covered trees surround her, but they all look alike to her. She glimpses the dark sky above the trees. She then looks at the ground and sees her paw prints, so she tries to follow them back to the pond, but her paw prints seem to go everywhere.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 13)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayThirteen.html

Fluffy looks at the fish and shudders. “I don't think I can eat a fish again.”

“Then I'll just take this. The wife will love me if I bring home dinner.” Tabs says before he picks the fish up with his mouth.

Mitzy's ears twitch.

“Mitzy! Dinner time!” They hear a voice yelling from afar.

“Well, sugars, it's been fun, but that's my human calling. I gotta run. Love y’all.” Mitzy says as she saunters home. They say goodbye to Mitzy.

Fluffy then licks his fur, trying to get it to lay flat again. It had gone all frizzy from everyone breathing on him. When his fur doesn't stay down, he gives up and tells his friends, “I need to go home where my human can fix this.” Then his tummy growls. “And my human will feed me too.” Fluffy scurries home, his poofy tail trailing behind him. Chloe and Tabs hold their laughter until they can no longer see Fluffy's long, frizzy white hair in the distance. He looks like a fuzz ball.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 12)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwelve.html

“I got it!” Chloe shouts. “ We can breathe on him. Our breath is warm. It should be enough to free him, if we do it together.” So everyone huddles around Fluffy and breathes on him. He growls again.

“We could just leave it on you instead,” Tabs suggests.

Fluffy whines again. So everyone breathes on Fluffy again until finally his mouth is freed from the fish.

“Thanks,” Fluffy says with a slight lisp. “Now, my paw please.”

“Mine too!” Tabs reminds them. They start on Fluffy's paw first. As soon as Fluffy is free, he forgets about Tabs and jumps all over the place, sliding a little on the ice. Mitzy and Chloe continue to breathe on Tabs to remove his paw from the fish. Fluffy slides over to Tabs and blows really hard on his paw, finally freeing him from the fish. Tabs stretches his paw.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 11)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayEleven.html 

Fluffy tries to shake the fish off, but it still sticks to his paw. Then Tabs bats at the fish, but his paw sticks to the fish too. Fluffy and Tabs try to run in different directions, but the stubborn fish remains stuck to their fur, causing them both to fall. Chloe laughs. Soon, Mitzy begins to laugh too. Fluffy and Tabs, however, do not find it funny at all. They growl, and Fluffy starts to gnaw on the fish, but then his tongue sticks to the fish. Chloe and Mitzy roll around the snow while laughing. Even Tabs starts to laugh, though his paw is still attached to the fish. But Fluffy does not laugh. He starts to whine. Mitzy, Tabs, and Chloe stop laughing.

“It'll be okay, sugar. We'll get you unstuck.” Mitzy tells Fluffy as she pats his back. Everyone stops to think.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 10)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTen.html


Finally, they reach the pond, which is frozen over with ice. Snow-covered trees encircle the pond in all directions.

“How are we going to catch any fish? The pond is frozen!” Chloe cries, a little disappointed.

Fluffy struts onto the ice. “I'll take care of this.” He puts his paw out, sticks out a claw, and traces a circle into the ice. Tabs, Mitzy, and Chloe stare at the circle, but nothing happens, so Fluffy punches the hole in. Everyone cheers. Fluffy quickly puts his paw into the cold, blue water. When he lifts his paw out, he has a fish. Unfortunately, the fish is frozen to his paw. 

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 9)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayNine.html

Mitzy runs around the corner of the house and squeals with delight, “Hey, sugar! You came out to play!” She looks over her shoulder and shouts to her friends, “Fluffy! Tabs! Chloe came out to play!”

“So you finally used one of my tricks. I'm dying with curiosity! Which one did you use to get out?” Fluffy pants as he runs up to Chloe.

“Who cares how she got out! She's out! Now it's time to play!” Tabs shouts as he skids to a stop right behind Fluffy.

“Sugar, we're going to have so much fun!” Mitzy purrs as she rubs shoulders with Chloe.

Chloe smiles and purrs. “Today is going to be purr-fect.”

“Well, after all that running, I'm starving. Let's go to the pond and catch some fish.” Fluffy says. So they walk to the woods towards the pond, chasing each other and playing along the way. They stop a few times for Fluffy because he runs out of breath very easily wearing his heavy fur coat. 

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 8)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayEight.html

Chloe shivers again in the cold and finally takes notice of her surroundings. Dakotah stands next to a giant snowman with a Santa hat on its head, a carrot for a nose, and coals for its eyes and mouth. They are in Megan and John's backyard. The back porch has lights strewn all around the windows and doorways. Across from the house, Chloe can see the woods where Tabs lives.

“I'm outside!” Chloe wiggles her paws in the cold snow; then she leaps and pounces and rolls around in drifts of snow. Snowflakes continue to fall from the sky, so Chloe looks up and sticks out her tongue to catch the falling flakes. One spot of snow falls on her eye, causing her to close her eyes and shake her head. In her happiness, Chloe turns to thank Dakotah, but Dakotah had disappeared. Soon after, Chloe hears voices coming from the front of her house. She bounds through the snow when she recognizes Mitzy's voice. “Mitzy! I'm outside! Come and play!”

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 7)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DaySeven.html

“I'm here to grant you your Christmas wish,” the dog says as Chloe slowly floats down to the ground. 

“Santa says your greatest wish is to frolic and play outside with your friends.” A golden tag then appears and floats in the air while the Siberian Husky says, “You'll need this for when you want to come back home.” The golden tag attaches itself to Chloe's collar. “You just have to wish you are home and 'Poof' you'll be home.”

Chloe stares at the dog with absolute wonder, her eyes big and round. “Who are you?” she asks.

“I'm sorry,” the Siberian Husky says as she places a paw over her nose in embarrassment. “I'm Dakotah, Santa's helper.” Dakotah wags her tail.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 6)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DaySix.html

Chloe watches Mitzy until she disappears from sight. Then she closes her eyes and curls her head underneath her paw. She decides to take a nap. Not long after, maybe a half hour, Chloe wakes up because she feels cold and her ears twitch at a sound. She lifts her head and opens her eyes; then she stands and arches her back, her fur sticking up in fright. She hisses at a big black and white Siberian Husky dog with ice-blue eyes staring at Chloe. Her claws bared, she's about to attack when the dog says, “Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you.”

“That's what you say now, but then you'll attack!” Chloe pounces at the Siberian Husky, but before she can claw her nose, she becomes frozen in mid-air. 

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 5)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayFive.html

“So, what are you doing today?” Chloe asks.

“Well, we're thinking about going to the pond later, but first we have a date with the milkman. He always has some milk for us,” Fluffy says excitedly, licking his lips as he thinks about the milk.

“Speaking of the milkman,” Tabs says, “I think I hear his van now! See you later!” Tabs jumps down from the chair and runs around the house out of sight. Fluffy chases after him right on his heels.

“Those boys!” Mitzy sighs. She looks at Chloe who looks so sad. Mitzy rolls her eyes at their silly antics, then jumps from the chair gracefully, slowly trailing behind Fluffy and Tabs. “Cheer up, sugar. We'll be back soon.” Mitzy purrs over her shoulder.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 4)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayFour.html

“You can do what I did this morning,” Fluffy suggests. “My humans left a hot pie cooling by the open window. I jumped up to the windowsill, looked behind me to make sure they had left the room, then gave the pie a little nudge. As it splattered to the floor, I squeezed through the small opening in the window and escaped before my humans could notice!” Fluffy is a fat cat with lots of long white fur. Sometimes Chloe can't see his chubby face through all his fur. He lives down the street from Chloe. She admires him because he knows how to escape from the house. He often tells Chloe how to escape, but Chloe doesn't want to anger Megan, so Chloe doesn't usually take Fluffy's advice. She definitely doesn't want to ruin one of Megan's precious pies. She'd be on the naughty list for the rest of her life.

“There's no pie on the window right now,” Chloe says, “and the window's closed, so I can't do that.”

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 3)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayThree.html

“Hi there, honey,” Mitzy says as she jumps on the chair on the back porch closest to the window. Mitzy is a sleek, gorgeous black cat with white paws. She lives next door, but, unlike Chloe, her human lets her out all the time.

“Hi Mitzy. Hi Fluffy and Tabs,” Chloe replies, her head hanging low.

“What's wrong, sugar?” Mitzy asks.

“I wish I could go outside,” Chloe answers. She lifts her head. “I want to play with you guys.”

“It'd be great to play with you too.” Tabs chimes in. He jumps up onto the chair next to Mitzy, who's licking snow off her paws, and places his orange paw on the window. Tabs is an orange tabby cat who lives in the woods. Chloe sometimes wished she had orange fur like Tabs instead of her blue-gray fur.

November Haiku

I wrote haiku poetry for a swap on swap-bot. The theme is November.

A cold gentle breeze

Stirs the leaves up into a

Whirlwind of colors.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I give thanks to God

For my family and friends

On this Thanksgiving.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A blanket of leaves

Covers the earth while the trees

Become cold and bare.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 2)

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayTwo.html

As Chloe watches the three cats jump in mounds of snow outside, she can hear Christmas music playing from the radio in the kitchen. Megan had forgotten to turn it off before she left the house with John. The smell of gingerbread cookies wafts from the cooling racks on the counter. Chloe resists the temptation to jump on the counter and taste them. She continues to look out the window as her three friends pause in their play and walk towards her. John, her male human, often leaves the living room window open for fresh air, so Chloe would sit and watch Mitzy, Fluffy, and Tabs run around, chase butterflies and birds, and laze on the grass in the sun. However, during the winter, like now, John keeps the window closed because of cold air, so Chloe's friends talk to her through the closed window. Her favorite part of the day is talking to Mitzy, Fluffy, and Tabs.

Chloe's Christmas Wish - Advent Calendar (Day 1)

A few months ago, I mentioned that I'd be writing a story for my friend Elaine for her advent calendar of 2011. Now that the advent season has started, each day I will share with you a portion of my story "Chloe's Christmas Wish" (coauthored by my sister Cassandra) and will post a link to Elaine's advent calendar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

http://www.elainenybeck.com/DayOne.html (Elaine's advent calendar)

Chloe, a Russian Blue cat, sits on the windowsill in the living room of her owners', John and Megan's, house. She watches large snowflakes fall from the sky onto the glistening trees already heavy and drooping with lots of snow. Chloe lies down and tucks her paws beneath her body. Her blue-gray ears twitch as she continues to look outside. Her tail swishes back and forth as she watches her friends play. Chloe wants to go outside and play with her friends and chase birds and taste the snow, but she can't leave the house because her humans don't like her to go outside. If she tried to run out the front door, her female human, Megan, would chase her and catch her.

Flirting with Danger

I wrote this story for a swap on http://www.swap-bot.com. It involves vampires (I just had to write something Halloween themed for October.). I hope you enjoy it!

Flirting with Danger 

By Candace Shultz 

I woke up underneath the bleachers on the football field. I felt hunger in my belly and fire in my veins. I opened my eyes, looking up at the night sky. The stars shined brilliantly, almost close enough to touch. I could even see the rings of Saturn. Wait, that's not normal. I sat up quickly and looked around. Everything was clearer, sharper, and closer. I peered between the bleachers to the football field, empty except for a grasshopper chirping loudly in my ears. I heard cars driving on the highway and voices from inside the school. Then I heard a rustle behind me, so I whirled around. I saw him and the memories came flooding back.

~ ~ ~ 

I liked him the moment I saw him standing at his locker in the hallway, surrounded by girls. He was a new student. I had been going to this school my entire life and never saw him before. He was tall with dark brown hair and piercing gray eyes. He had on his black leather jacket and jeans with holes in the knees. He looked dangerous. He was a bad boy. I had to have him. So I flirted without actually talking to him. I'd make eye contact and smile coyly. I dressed in tighter clothing. I showed more skin. Other boys became interested, but I just ignored them. I had eyes only for him: Derek. It didn't take long for him to notice me. We had a football game a week after I first saw him. That's where he made his move.

I had just arrived to the football game and was looking for my friends when I heard my name. I turned around to see who called me.

“Sierra,” Derek said. I looked into his eyes and became mesmerized.

“Yes?” I replied, my heart beating faster. He knew my name.

“Hi, I'm Derek,” he said. He wore his leather jacket again.

“Yeah, I know. I've seen you around,” I said as I flipped my blonde hair behind my shoulder.

“I've seen you around too,” he smiled, flashing his dimples at me. “So, do you want to sit together?” He motioned towards the bleachers. The game had already started, and most people had already sat down to watch the game.

“Sure,” I nodded. We found a seat next to my friends. I introduced them before turning to watch the game. My brother played quarterback on the team, so I was here to cheer him on. During the game, Derek and I chatted and flirted. At half-time, he asked if I wanted to get some food.

“Yeah, let's go,” I replied. We stood up and he nodded towards my friends.

“Do you want to come too?” he asked.

“No, I'm sure they'll be fine,” I looked pointedly at my friends, hinting at my need to be alone with Derek. They nodded their agreement and giggled as Derek and I walked away from our seats. He grabbed my hand as we walked down the bleachers. We headed towards the food stands, but suddenly he twirled me into his body and kissed me. Then he whispered in my ear.

“I've been wanting to do that since I first saw you,” he said. I no longer cared about the football game, whether or not my brother won. The only thing that mattered was Derek at that moment. We sneaked behind the bleachers and sat on the grass. He kissed me again. I let him put his hand on my thigh as the kiss deepened. Then he trailed kisses down my neck. I was enjoying the feel of him against me until he bit me.

“Ouch! I don't like that!” I complained, but he didn't stop. He sucked on my neck. Within seconds I felt dizzy. The sounds of cheering and people talking faded and the lights dimmed until everything was black. The next thing I knew, I woke up on my back staring at the stars.

~ ~ ~ 

I looked at Derek standing across from me in the dark. He moved towards me, but I stepped back and yelled, “Don't you come near me!” He just smiled at me, though he stopped walking.

“What did you do to me?” I asked. I still felt like my body was on fire, and my stomach really hurt.

“I made you into a vampire,” he shrugged his shoulders. I stared at him. I remembered the feel of his mouth biting down on my skin.

“Why?” My body started to shake.

“Because I like you,” he smiled again and walked towards me. This time I didn't stop him. He caught me as I fell, my hands clenching my stomach.

“Why does it hurt?” I cried.

“You need to feed. You need blood,” he replied. He held me against him.

“No! That's gross!” I yanked my body away, but my stomach had me doubling over in pain.

“Here, take a little of mine.” Derek bit his wrist, then he offered it to me as blood dripped down his arm. “Hurry, it'll heal soon.”

I turned my head away, but he put his wrist to my mouth and forced me to drink it. I felt a pain in my gums as two teeth began to sharpen. The smell of his blood was intoxicating. It didn't matter that he was offering the blood he had just taken from me, altering my life forever. I sunk my teeth into his flesh and drank. The burning in my veins and the pain in my stomach abated a little, but he moved his hand away before I could satiate my hunger.

“That's enough,” he said. “It's time to hunt.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out from the bleachers.

“Hunt?” I looked at him with confusion, but then I understood all too clear as I heard the voices again in the school, voices I couldn't have heard if I was still human. Derek dragged me towards the sound. “No!” I yelled as I yanked my hand from his.

“No?” He turned around and glared at me. “I am your owner! Your creator! You'll do as I say.” The power of his words blasted into me. I cringed. His eyes softened. “We'll deal with our relationship later, but if you don't eat, you'll feel excruciating pain, then death. So come on.” He held his hand out towards me. I hesitated, but as I felt the gnawing hunger return to my belly, I decided to take his hand.

We walked into the school towards the voices. Soon we saw two janitors. One man mopped the floor as the other leaned against the wall, a cigarette lit in his mouth. They never saw us. One second Derek stood next to me, the next he had his hands wrapped around the neck of the man with the mop. A loud snap resonated through the hall, and the cigarette fell from the other man's open mouth. Before he could scream, Derek broke his neck too. He turned towards me.

“Couldn't you just have hypnotized them or wiped their memories afterward?” I asked. I stared down at the lifeless bodies.

“Yes, but it's easier this way for your first time. There will be no survivors today,” he replied. He knelt down and bit into the smoker's neck, drinking his blood. He paused and lifted his head. He looked me in the eye and said, “Except you.”

“Now eat,” he commanded me. He waved his hand towards the other janitor. His power washed over me again, and I felt compelled to walk towards the body. I felt my vampire teeth against my tongue as the smell of blood filled my nose. I bit into the man's neck and hungrily drank his blood. The sound of mouths sucking on flesh filled the otherwise empty hallway.

100 words a day (September 24 - 30, 2011)

This is the final week of September's batch of 100 words a day. You can find my entire batch here: http://100words.com/member/9692/154.


09/24

Stream of consciousness, easily used when one can't think of something specific to write about. However, stream of consciousness tends to be erratic and doesn't often make sense in the long run. But one cannot be picky when one is having a hard time thinking of anything to write about. It seems that the void in my head has not closed, but I will fix that hole brick by brick, word by word, until the void is gone. In its place will be a fire spewing out sentences and paragraphs until stories and poetry will be etched in the flames.

09/25 

I dreamed that I lived in a dorm, and I wanted to get a shower. I grabbed my shampoo, soap, clothes, and other toiletry and walked to the community shower. I put my stuff in the bathroom; then, realizing I had forgotten something, I went back to my dorm room. When I returned to the shower, the door was locked and I couldn't get my stuff. Though a community bathroom, it only had one shower. For the next hour, I kept going back and forth from my bedroom to the bathroom in frustration and anger because the door remained locked.

09/26 

Dear Mom,

As you hold this postcard in your palm,

Here I am in Germany

Wishing you were here with me.

The weather has gotten cold.

The leaves have turned red, orange, and gold.

Right now Oktoberfest is the place to go,

But alas, this year we must say no.

Instead we'll enjoy the Frankenstein Castle

Where ghosts and vampires will be a hassle.

Every room will be a fright.

I'm sure I'll scream with all my might.

I still can't wait to go to Italy,

So many places I want to see.


I hope you visit soon.

Love,

Candace

09/27 

The young boy threw a rock into the lake. It plopped into the water, forming ripples from the impact.

"Here, l'll show you. Like this," his older brother said. He threw a rock, and it skipped across the lake four times.

"Wow," the younger brother said. "Let me try again!" He picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it into the lake, but it landed only a short distance away from where they stood. His face fell in disappointment. "I can't do it!" he complained.

"Yes you can," his older brother replied. "You just need to practice."

09/28 

Gurgling, growling, pinching, pulling, queasy, incessant pain. Nausea. My stomach has become a stranger to me. I don't know how to satisfy it. What's too much food? What's too little food? How long do I wait to feed it? When am I even hungry anymore? My mind has been reduced to just feeling the pain. All other thoughts flew away when my stomach took over. I had hoped to avoid this stage, but my stomach had other plans for me. And to spite me for hoping against nausea, my stomach decided to give nausea to me all day long. Pregnancy.

09/29

Two boys stand outside a dilapidated home. They talk in whispers about the old man who lives there, rumored to lure children into the house on Halloween with candy only to capture them and eat them. One of the boys does not believe the rumors, so the other dares him to knock on the house for candy on Halloween. He takes the dare, but only on the condition that they both go in the house. So they knock on the door. The old man answers and beckons them in for candy. They both go in, but only one comes out.

09/30 

Ginger ale has become my new best friend. So have ginger snap cookies. Finally, I found something that helps even a little bit with my nausea. Peppermint made it so much worse. Dry foods like crackers and pretzels don't really do much for me. Since I started drinking ginger ale, I can actually tell when I'm hungry. The angry pit of my stomach isn't hiding my hunger pains anymore. So that's good. I hope it gets even better so I can concentrate on my writings and on housework. I have better things to do than curl into a tight ball.

One-Minute Writings (9/25/11 to 10/1/2011)

9/25/2011

One Word - "pressed"

The train didn’t stop. The conductor didn’t see it. Already too late, the train just kept moving along, leaving behind a pressed, flat penny on the rails.


The One-Minute Writer - I am going to be the next great...

I'm going to be the next great friend to someone in my future.


9/26/011

One Word - "evidence"

The evidence before their eyes, they had no doubt the husband killed his wife. The cops had walked in on the husband still holding the knife as he knelt at his wife’s dead body. Still, they had to do a proper investigation or risk letting him go free on a technicality.

The One-Minute Writer - Write about a messy area in your home, workplace, or life.

My computer desk used to be tidy. I could move my arms around comfortably and not hit anything. However, for the last month or so, my desk has been collecting items upon items until I can barely see the light-colored wood of the desk and my arm space has become limited to the area in front of my keyboard. It's pretty bad when my husband can say his desk is cleaner than mine.


9/27/2011

One Word - "playground"

The two children ran to the playground. The youngest girl immediately ran to the swings and held her arms up for her mom to lift her. Then she squealed in delight as her mom pushed her gently on the swings. She wanted to go higher and higher until she felt she was flying in the bright blue sky.


9/28/2011

One Word - "dense"

She walked through the dense trees in the forest, following behind her father who looked for the gorilla that had killed his wife last Spring.

The One-Minute Writer - Write briefly about one thing in your life that is simple, and one that is complex.

In my life, living day to day is simple, but dealing with a first-time pregnancy is complex.


9/29/2011


One Word - "half"

I love being married to a man who views the glass as half full, especially since I tended to look at it as half empty. He knows everything will turn out okay, and so far he’s been right.


The One-Minute Writer - Write about a line you won't cross in your profession.

As a writer, I will not plagiarize, at least not intentionally. As an editor, I will not change the author's voice.


9/30/2011

One Word - "romantic"

He led me to our table with a candlelight setting and a bottle of wine. He pulled out my chair for me, and waited for me to be seated. He kissed my hand, then sat in his chair before pouring me some of my favorite wine. It looked to be a romantic evening with my husband, a delightful treat with our three children at home with the babysitter.

The One-Minute Writer - Write a brief bit of fiction using the prompt, "Month."

The month of September has ended,
But please don't be offended.
October is here.
Thanksgiving is near
And Christmas soon thereafter.

10/1/2011

One Word - "braid"

My mom used to brush my hair for me when I was a child. Sometimes she’d braid it. I loved the feel of the brush against my scalp and her hands in my hair. Now that I’m older, I brush her hair instead.

Postcard Poetry

Dear Mom,

As you hold this postcard in your palm,

Here I am in Germany

Wishing you were here with me.

The weather has gotten cold.

The leaves have turned red, orange, and gold.

Right now Oktoberfest is the place to go,

But alas, this year we must say no.

Instead we'll enjoy the Frankenstein Castle

Where ghosts and vampires will be a hassle.

Every room will be a fright.

I'm sure I'll scream with all my might.

I still can't wait to go to Italy,

So many places I want to see.

I hope you visit soon.

Love,

Candace

One-Minute Writings (9/18/11 to 9/24/11)

9/18/2011

One Word - "concern"

I am concerned for you, little child. I hold your life, the size of a poppy seed, in my body close to my heart. How can I not already love you?

9/19/2011

One Word - "celebrate"

Let’s celebrate new life! Let’s celebrate old life! Let’s celebrate the miracle that we exist. Let’s be happy with the short time we have on Earth.



9/20/2011

One Word - "crouch"

I crouch behind the couch, hiding and waiting for the right moment to appear. The room is dark. I can hear breathing from my nearby friends and family. I hear a door open and the light switches on. Footsteps come closer to the living room, then stop.

“Surprise!” I yell with everyone as we jump from our crouched hidden places. My sister’s hand flies to her mouth and she gasps. Then she starts laughing as we swarm towards her to wish her a happy birthday.

The One-Minute Writer - What takes too long?

When my husband is deployed, it takes too long for him to come home.


9/21/2011

One Word - "couch"

I have a couch.
It is blue.
But I prefer the rocker.

The One-Minute Writer - Rewrite the following sentence in a way that is more interesting and less cliched: And they lived happily ever after.

He took her hand and lifted her onto his white horse. Then, with his arms around her, they rode into the sunset, their hearts beating as one.


9/22/2011

One Word - "port"

I sip from the port wine in my hand as I lie in the tub filled with warm, sudsy water.



9/23/2011

One Word - "convinced"

“I’m convinced she’s trying to kill me!” Jonathon complained to his closest friend, Albert.

“But why? She’s just so charming.” Albert replied.

“Then why does she keep tripping me and spilling hot liquids on me and making my horses throw me to the ground?” Jonathon sputtered angrily.
“Well, I think she likes you,” Albert said.

9/24/2011

One Word - "preoccupied"

She twirled a tendril of hair around her index finger, her brows furrowed as she thought about the test questions before her. Her mind preoccupied, she didn’t notice her classmate peaking at her paper to steal some answers.

100 words a day (September 15 - 23, 2011)

09/15

Four hours here. Four hours there. Never eight hours straight, at least not for the last month. My husband works the midnight shift, so we don't go to sleep until the morning when he comes home. On my birthday, in mid August, we went on a Rhine River cruise during the day. We slept for four hours at home, then went on the cruise, and then came home and slept for four more hours. Michael readjusted quickly to his work schedule again, but I still sleep the same way I did as on my birthday: four hours at a time.

09/16 

Today marks a momentous occasion for me! I'm pregnant! I took a home pregnancy test that said "pregnant." I was so excited that I couldn't wait to tell Michael. He was at work, and he had just sent me an email with an image about coffee, so I replied saying I had a picture for him as well. I sent him the picture of my positive pregnancy test. He sent an email back saying I was supposed to wait and that he loves me. We confirmed the pregnancy with a urine test at the doctor's office. I'm due in May!

09/17 

I went to Bad Dürkheim today for the wine festival. I took a few small sips of a very sweet wine. It was delicious! I didn't want to drink more than that though. Michael and our friend Marie went on a few of the rides while I took pictures. I ate some Annette pizza with onions, garlic, peppers, salami, cheese, and pepperoni on it. It was delicious. I drank a slushi that I had thought to be watermelon, but actually tasted like coconut mixed with the watermelon. By nightfall, we could barely walk through the large crowd of people.

09/18 

My cat meows at me from the floor. I think she wants attention. Either that or she wants food. I know I already fed her, so she must want me to pet her. She'll tap me with her little white paws until I let her on my lap. Or she'll rub against my legs while meowing. She jumps on my lap and lies down, waiting for me to pet her. Whatever cats want, cats get. She purrs. Receiving enough attention, she jumps down to the floor, meows at me, walks away, and lies on the floor next to the door.

09/19 

We're told to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water each day. Most people probably don't, but I've definitely tried. I went on a diet to lose 40 pounds about two years ago. I decided to drink a lot of water to help me not feel hungry all the time, since I had cut my calorie intake and started exercising. I didn't reach that goal every day. When I managed to drink 64 ounces in a day, the bathroom became my best friend since I couldn't stop peeing. Luckily, other foods and drinks have water content to fill the gap.

09/20 

I keep thinking about my sister's Christmas story she wrote when we were kids. The details are a bit fuzzy, but I remember the door knocker being the shape of Santa's head. And people kept dying. Every time someone died, the Santa head dripped blood, so somehow the two were connected. She also wrote a story about how everyone loved this pizza shop's sauce, but the secret ingredient was human blood. The more popular the pizza sauce became, the more that people died. I'm thinking about these stories because I'll be writing a Halloween story soon, and I need ideas.

09/21 

I'd really love to skip writing today, but a promise is a promise, even to myself. Some days I have no problem writing, but other days, like today, my brain draws a blank, so I stare at the screen for a while until I gnash my teeth in frustration and watch anime or read a book for distraction. Today's one of those days that I just don't feel like doing anything. It seems that I've fallen into a routine of laziness. I need to set goals and stick to them, and I need to get out of the house more.

09/22 

Coffee doesn't have its appeal anymore. I crave it, but when I drink it, I take two sips and want to stop. The taste isn't as wonderful as I remember. Perhaps I will have Michael make it next time. He often makes food and drinks taste delicious. Either that, or everything just tastes better when I'm not the one making it.

On the other hand, I've been drinking a lot more milk. Usually when I drink milk, I add chocolate syrup or powder because chocolate milk tastes yummy. Now I drink milk three or four times a day.

09/23 

My ears hurt! I've just been on the phone for probably four hours, maybe even more, announcing to my husband's and my family that I'm pregnant. Holding the phone to my ear that long has caused my earlobes to hurt. And I still have one more phone call to make. It'd be so much easier if we lived closer because then I could have everyone over for dinner and announce it all at once. We're happy, though, to be having our first child, so the painful earlobes are worth it, and they will be the least of my physical symptoms.

One-Minute Writings (9/11/11 to 9/17/11)

9/11/2011

One Word - "hover"

The aircraft hovered in the air before zooming into the sky, its lights twirling and twinkling red, white, and blue. I looked up, hardly believing what my eyes could see. Secretly, I had known we couldn’t be the only beings in the universe.

The One-Minute Writer - I skipped this prompt.

9/12/2011


One Word - "trade"

I wouldn’t trade you for the world. Maybe for a bite of chocolate. No! I’m just kidding! Can I have some chocolate anyway? You know I love chocolate. I love chocolate, yes I do, but I don’t love chocolate more than you.

The One-Minute Writer - I skipped this prompt.

9/13/2011

One Word - "rally"

I never liked pep rallies. I never liked football either. I used to sit in the bleachers wishing I could go home instead of wasting my time, though I’m sure others were just happy to get out of class.

The One-Minute Writer - I skipped this prompt.

9/14/2011

One Word - "account"

Can you account for your whereabouts yesterday at 5:15 pm?

Why? What happened?

Just answer the question.
I was sleeping.

The One-Minute Writer - Write about someone who depends on you, or someone on whom you depend.

I depend on my husband as he depends on me, though sometimes in different ways.

I depend on God.

9/15/2011

One Word - "average"

Someone has to be average for comparison purposes. How else will you know you are smarter or more athletic or better at any number of things? How will you know if you are doing better or worse? By setting an average, we can strive to become better than the average and thus improve ourselves.

The One-Minute Writer - Write about something in your life that you put up with.

I put up with my cat. Just this morning when I was still trying to sleep, I could hear her cleaning herself. Lick, lick, lick. When you've only had three hours of sleep and that's all you can hear, you just want to throw a pillow at the source of the sound. I decided to pick her up instead and cuddle with her in bed, but she escaped and went back to licking.


9/16/2011

One Word - "pouch"

The idea of a kangaroo baby in its mother’s pouch is cute, but I saw a video of a joey popping out and it just looked so weird.

The One-Minute Writer - Write a brief bit of fiction using the prompt, "Pop."

"Good morning, Pop," Mary said as she entered his bedroom. She walked by an old dresser to a nearby window and opened the dark green curtains, letting the sun shine into the room. The light streaked across the huge bed, showing a sleeping figure burrowed in heavy black blankets.

"Wake up," Mary said in a lilting voice. She walked to the bed and looked at her grandfather. "You've slept in late enough." Mary shook her grandfather's shoulder gently.

"Pop?" Mary shook his shoulder again. When he didn't stir, she pressed two fingers to his neck. After a minute, she let her hand fall.

"Pop...no," she whispered as tears spilled onto her cheeks.

9/17/2011

One Word - "shootout"

I’m lucky I’m not in a shootout. I’d lose if I were on my own, mostly because I don’t know how to use a gun and the pain currently etched on my forehead would distract me. I hope I’d be on the winning side (the good side) though.

The One-Minute Writer - What day is it? (Be creative in how you respond!)

Today is whatever you make of it. You can wake up in the morning with a smile on your face and optimism in your heart or you can grumble in misery as you force yourself to get up. I choose to have a happy day.

100 words a day (September 8 - 14, 2011)

Here are my posts for 100 words a day from September 8th to the 14th. I feel proud that I've continued to write every day even if only a little bit. You must start small to eventually create something big.

09/08 

We watched Binx, the cat whose diary took up the last six days, for about a week in August. It made me rethink owning two cats at once. My husband, Michael, asked if we could get a miniature pig instead. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen, especially since we live in an apartment.

I'm so hungry right now that there'd be no scraps left to give to a pig. We've needed to go grocery shopping for several days now, but with my husband's horrible work schedule and my lack of driver's license, my stomach has grumbled all week.

09/09 

I dreamed that I was a student in high school and that my teacher Irene was being targeted by some unknown, yet dangerous person with a lot of men at his/her disposal to use to assassinate Irene. One of the men fiddled with the lockers, including mine, that we assumed they had bombs in them. Irene, a male teacher I assume is her boyfriend or husband, and I escaped in his car and went to one of my relative's places. A man arrived with a package for Irene that's empty, but he attacked with a deadly spray. I ran.

09/10 

I'm not very creative today. Actually, I'm feeling sick. I hope my stomachache goes away. I finally slept for a full 8 hours (I woke up a few times but went back to bed), but now I have to deal with stomach issues. I blame it on the beef jerky my husband made, but he thinks it's all in my head. He had the meat sitting in the fridge for almost a week before he finally dehydrated it for five hours to make it into jerky. Maybe I am paranoid, but I'm not imagining the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.

09/11

My sister-in-law gave me a writing prompt to help me out with my writer's block. She gave me the prompt back in March. I've only now begun to really think about it, about how I would write the story of Liz, a day-time book reviewer but night-time stalker. Well, the prompt doesn't say she stalks at night, but I like the sound of it. Her goal is to find true love, but the barista at Starbucks has become her obstacle. I think I want to make the story silly and romantic instead of heavy and tragic.

09/12 

We wait in the airport. I try not to cry by keeping myself busy, talking nonsense with a smile that doesn't reach my eyes. I try not to think about tonight or tomorrow or the next day, but inevitably my heart aches at the thought of missing his voice, his touch, his presence. I miss him even though he still sits next to me playing on his DS. Turning to him, I bury my head in his chest as I stifle the urge to bawl. He kisses my cheek, wipes away my tears, then tightly wraps his arms around me.

09/13 

A gentle breeze glides through the open window. The curtains look as though they breathe as they billow out with the wind and get sucked back into the window a moment later. The breeze softly lifts my hair and caresses my neck, sending chills down my spine. I shiver. Goosebumps form on my arms. I rub my hands against my arms for some warmth; then I walk to the window and close it. The wind wafts through the room a final time, then relieves my skin of its cold touch. The curtains billow once more before settling, breathing no more.

09/14 

I have a pack of Wrigley's Extra Sweet Watermelon gum on my desk next to my keyboard. Under the paper flap of the packet, it mentions hot dog gum in jest. That is just gross. I know that bacon has become a popular flavor to make into everything, like hot sauce and gum, but imagine if they made it all hot dog flavor. I don't mind eating hot dogs, and bacon is just delicious, but I wouldn't want their flavors made into gum. These are just my musings today as I sit at my computer after only four hours sleep.

The Beginning of My Shared Story Journal

On September 1st, I posted about my writing projects in the making. The last project I talked about was one from swap-bot where you start a story and someone continues it and sends it to another person to continue: a shared story. I joined that swap, and I'm sharing with you what I wrote for the beginning of the story. When I get the journal back (could be several months from now), I'll post the finished story. It doesn't have a title yet since I don't know where the story's going. Thanks for reading.

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Kayla stood by the open window. A gentle breeze flowed into the room and caressed her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Though goosebumps formed on her arms, she stayed by the window and endured the chill in the air.

The moon shone brightly in the dark sky, though Kayla did not see any twinkling stars. She looked beyond her bedroom window to the street below. Her parents' minivan sat in their driveway. The neighbors' cars waited quietly on the streets to be driven to work or school in the morning. A light here and there appeared in the neighboring houses as restless sleepers got up for a glass of water or decided to read a book until sleep overtakes them.

The wind suddenly picked up and sent whirling leaves into Kayla's bedroom from the tree by her window. She picked up an orange leaf from her hardwood floor and twirled it between her fingers. She opened her hand and then let it flit to her feet to join the other autumn leaves resting in her room.

Kalya then sat on her bed and grabbed her iphone from her pillow, where she had thrown it moments before looking out the window. She pressed a few buttons and sent a text: Where are you? She stared at the phone for a few minutes, willing it to ring. Then, she received a reply: I'm here. Suddenly, she heard a rustling of leaves, so she rushed to the window, her phone forgotten again on her messy bed, and she looked down at the figure climbing her tree.









Update (March 23, 2014): I never received my story back, so I'll need to take another look at this story and continue it on my own.

One-Minute Writings (9/8/11 to 9/10/11)

Here are some of my one-minute writings from One Word and The One-Minute Writer.

9/8/2011

One Word - "bars"

My stomach is behind bars, yelling to be released or to at least get some food in the jail. Soon it will start chiseling at its imprisoning doors, slowly eating away my insides until there’s nothing left.

9/9/2011

One Word - "clipped"

He yelled at me to clip my toenails. I must have cut him a thousand times, though the only fault of mine lay in not cutting my nails. I waited a few weeks until I finally took pity on him and clipped them. My fingernails will have to wait another few weeks until he yells at me some more.

The One-Minute Writer - Write a brief bit of fiction that involves laughter, but don't use the word "laugh" or any version of it. (Feel free to use synonyms!)

"You're so silly," Tiffany giggled.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Jason replied.

"Well..." Tiffany ticked off each answer by counting her fingers. "You walk in snaky lines instead of straight like everyone else. You sometimes Rawr and move like a T-Rex. And you just rubbed my foot against your stubby beard. Who else does that?" she asked.

Tiffany smiled then jerked her foot away when he began to tickle it. "No, stop!" She gasped for breath.

Jason pinned her to the couch and tickled her sides, though she wiggled to get free. "Now who's silly?" he asked. He kissed her lips and let her go, then he jumped up and ran from the room.

"I'll get you back!" she yelled and chased after him. She giggled, loving every minute of it and loving him.

9/10/2011

One Word - "distinguished"

Can you distinguish between us? Am I Tom or am I Tim? Can’t tell? I didn’t think so. That’s the problem of being twins. You don’t get your own identity. People always confuse you with someone else.

The One-Minute Writer - Complete this thought: I'll consider this weekend a success if...

If I can write two posts for my blog, and if I can write the first two pages of a story, and if I can begin to edit my Christmas story for my friend Elaine, then I will consider this weekend a success.

The Diary of a Cat Named Binx

Finally, http://100words.com/ released the link to let me start September's writing batch. My entry for September 1st is as follows:

Today begins my journey of writing 100 words per day on this site. I will write a little bit per day, via this site and others, until my mind is teeming with ideas that I just can't put my pen down. I want to create poetry and short stories, but my ultimate goal is to write a novel, a goal that I've had for ten years. It may take me another ten or twenty or even fifty years, but eventually I will print out each page of my novel while my heart bursts with happiness at a dream come true.

For the next six days, September 2nd to September 7th, my entries revolve around Binx, a cat that I watched for a week for my friend Marie while she took a vacation to Italy with her boyfriend. I've decided to turn these six entries into a short story called "The Diary of a Cat Named Binx." For the 100words website, I had to omit "Day 1," "Day 2," and so on because it didn't fit the 100-word requirement, but each day in the diary in my short story corresponds to an entry in the 100words website.

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The Diary of a Cat Named Binx
By Candace Shultz

Day 1 

I had a rough day. Marie, my human familiar, told me she was going on vacation to Italy without me. Can you believe it? Without me! She took me to her friends' place. I do love exploring, but I smelled another cat there. I love meeting new felines, but Bean didn't like me. She hissed and growled and guarded the doors so I couldn't explore. The humans yelled and sprayed me with water when I went on the counters to escape Bean. I was so upset that I peed on my favorite blanket. How embarrassing. I want to go home.

Day 2

Today wasn't much better. Bean still hates me. The humans sprayed me with water again and they shut the door so I couldn't sharpen my nails on the couch or investigate the smells on the counters. But I showed them! I opened the door anyway. I jumped, turned the knob, and pushed the door open. Then I just sauntered in the room, but as soon as Bean saw me she chased me back to the bathroom. I've been sitting on the dryer since. At least the humans bought me a new litter box. No way am I sharing with Bean!

Day 3

I almost got my revenge today. Bean thought she'd drive me out of the bathroom, my only sanctuary so far, but I had enough of her bullying. She hissed at me, so I hissed right back. I swiped my paw at her to keep her away. I cornered her behind the washing machine, jumped up, and tried to attack from above, but the human girl stormed into the bathroom with the spray bottle and chased me away before I could show Bean what happens when you mess with me. At least they learned not to shut the doors on me.

Day 4

I had a good day. I think Bean's starting to like me. She only hissed at me a few times today. I explored the house at my leisure (no closed doors for me!) and even slept on the bed today. Bean lay on the floor. I think she's realized that I'm the boss now. I saw Bean eat my food, but I don't mind because I ate some of hers. Tasty! The humans love me now. I sat on their laps and lazed in the windows and let them pet me. Things are looking up. I still miss Marie though.

Day 5

I chased Bean around the house today. It's nice to play with other cats. At home, I only have a dog to keep me company, besides Marie of course. Maybe Bean could visit me at home! It's fun to chase and wrestle with her. We can even laze in the sun within five human feet of each other. I started using her litter box today to let her know we can be friends. I don't think she minds. Well, I'm going to go play with her catnip pillow. Maybe afterward I can convince the humans to give me my treats.

Day 6

Never again! Bean and I were getting along great, so I tried to show her some affection, but she attacked me! I'm missing tufts of fur from her claws and teeth. I fought back until the human woman sprayed us both with water and chased me into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. I opened the door once to escape, but she put me back in the room and locked it! She let me out later, but I'm still so mad! Luckily, Marie arrived and took me away from Bean, that vile creature. I'm so happy to be home.

One-Minute Writings 9/7/2011

I enjoyed the prompts for today's one-minute writings. I even created a very short poem based off the word "existence."

One Word - "existence"

Existence is nil
Everywhere a wasteland
No trees, no plants, no animals
Humans gone
Destruction and chaos led to death

One-Minute Writer - Rewrite this sentence in a way that is more interesting and less cliche: It was a dark and stormy night.

Rain pummeled the ground in angry torrents as lightning scorched the black-as-ink skies and thunder shook the heavens.


Next time I'm writing about a storm, I think I'm going to use that description. I hope The One-Minute Writer has more prompts like these.

One-Minute Writings 9/6/2011

The following are my one-minute writings from today from two websites: oneword.com and http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/. Whereas oneword posts a single word for you to write about, the one-minute writer gives you a prompt.

One Word - "insect"


Ouch! It bit me! That annoying mosquito. I don't like insects. I don't like wasps or bees or ants or flies or any kind of insect. I'm sure they're useful somehow, so I don't squash them all. Only the ones that bug me. 


One-Minute Writer - Write about a memory you have that involves fire.

The first memory of fire that comes to my mind is too vague to even describe well. I was in elementary school, maybe first grade? And we (my mom, some neighbors, me, and my three siblings) were sitting in front of our townhouse in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. Come to think of it, we could have lived in Turkey Run, Pennsylvania. We moved around a lot, so my mind is fuzzy on the details. I do remember that my brother, one or both of my sisters, and a neighbor friend started a fire at the curbside. No one came to harm, but my mom was very angry. That's all I can remember of the fire now.