This Fourth of July

This Fourth of July, I was thinking about patriotism to my country as I thought that was an appropriate time to do so. I began thinking of a quote by the great navy captain Stephen Decatur:

“Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong”

Sounds nice enough, doesn't it? Very patriotic and everything. However, I wanted to dive more into the meaning of these words, particularly, "but our country, right or wrong." Dear old Stephen believed that no matter what, our country is always in the right... even when we're wrong.

Personally, I don't believe that. Yes, I think America is the best country in the world and I love what it means very much. But, that is why I'm so concerned with the way it is going! I think that if our country is in the wrong, we shouldn't just sit back and call it right. We should, instead, demand a change! That's what America is about, right? Change! No, not just because that's what Obama says all the time, but because that's what our Founding Fathers did in the Revolution, they changed from a monarchy to a democracy. This gave us the right to be able to change things when they go wrong! And, demanding a change does not mean voting for another big man who promises change and then sit back and hope that he does what he said he would. Comfortable, right? No speaking up, no protesting, no revolting orf any kind, no thinking even, the news people do that for us, just no trouble at all!

Americans are all about comfort, which isn't always a bad thing. However, things start happening when we wish to remain comfortable. Things that aren't right. We've allowed large corporations to treat animals inhumanely because we aren't comfortable with higher prices of meat. We've let factories move over seas because we still aren't comfortable with higher prices and because we're uncomfortable with mistreating humans... inside our borders that is. (Remind me to tell you about "slave chocolate" some other time) We even let mothers kill their own babies because the mothers or fathers or boyfriends or girlfriends just aren't comfortable with the pregnancy.

We have to remember that, just because its America doesn't mean it's right.

Side Tracked

I wrote this for the Bravewriter class I took online over the summer but only remembered it until just now... Sorry 'bout that, I get side tracked and it's totally not my fault! I was cursed at birth by an evil fairy. It's true.

Ms. Rachel's Instructions: This week, chase down a memory in writing. Keep it very simple--only choose one tiny part of a memory, if you need to. Keep yourself writing about it for no more than twenty minutes.

Here are the things to look for in a memory:

1. Who was there? Were you with someone else? Were you alone? Were you there with a haunting presence (like being sent to your room alone but your father's voice keeps echoing in your thoughts)? Were you in a crowd but horribly alone? Were you wanting to be alone but caught in a crowd? Were you in the presence of reassuring friends or family?

2. Name the place. Name it as accurately as you can: Disneyland in Tomorrowland in front of the line for Space Mountain near the two hour marker...on a white cot with wheels in a pink hallway at St. Michelle's hospital in Spokane WA...in the port-a-potty near a creek just past the jr. high baseball field. If it is ambiguous in your memory, describe it--"can't remember the name of the building, but I was in a tiny white room, next to a waiting area that had a Coke machine."

3. Name the time. An exact date is good (May 21, 1996). A day of the week is good (Monday). Seasons are good (end of Spring before the blistering heat of summer).

4. Identify your most powerful emotion. Self-doubt, shame, satisfaction, boredom, fear, anxiety, excitement, energized, puzzled...Take that emotion and allow yourself to reenter it. Close your eyes and allow yourself to feel it again. Then write down what it felt like. Was it a color? Did you get chills, hot flashes, waves of anxiety, tension? Describe what happened to your body. This shouldn't be a lengthy process unless there is a lot to write. Just jot it down as it first comes to you. Even if it seems unrelated.

5. The memory. Now write out the event. This may well turn out to be the shortest part of the writing. You can include the narrative, just don't let it overpower you--forcing you to take it chronologically, or through every boring meander. Smells, odors, textures, sounds--these are more important half the time than the order of the event.

My Memory:

The rain drizzled drearly on the large window obscuring the beautiful but grey Germany landscape. I stood in the chapel annex at Bitburg and tried to remember what the sun looked like. Execpt for me, Lauren, Amanda, Sabrina, Adam and Mr. James, a piano, a few tables and chairs the room was wide and empty. We all were gathered around a lone table where Mr. James had set up a speaker and an i-pod. I was feeling very reluctant; the task he had for us made me want to scowl. But, as always, I kept my straight face and took the sheet of paper he handed to me. We began to practice singing the song "You are My All in All" even though only a fraction of the Youth Group showed up.

I felt very disconnected. My imagination was pulling me away from reality and everything I was doing seemed to be happening in slow motion. When someone said something it would take me a few minutes to actually grasp what they said. (this happens to me quite a lot) And, not only did I not enjoy singing in front of everybody but all the girls were a lot younger than me, and standing next to tall Adam made me feel very short.

Mr. James had us sing twice then said something like, "Since there are only five of you this time, lets go get some ice cream." Well, I was thinking wbout something else at the time (I can't remember what ) so the only thing that really sunk in was "ice cream". We left the building and walked along the wet sidewalk, the rain had recently stopped. "Why are we leaving?" I thought to myself, lost in space as usual. I could only think that Mr. James had some ice cream in his car, we were right next to the grocery store after all. I continued to wonder why everyone was going to get it.

I felt a chill through my sweater and finally asked, "Wait, where are we going?" Mr. James looked puzzled, "Going to get ice cream." Then, I realized that we were going to the Baskin Robins across the street. I was the only one who hadn't figured it out sooner. "But, " I said, "I left my purse and jacket inside." Everyone looked surprised, we all knew that the door locks behind us. I felt like getting angry and laughing at the same time.

Luckily, the front door was open even though Andrew told us specifically that he locked it. I rushed in to get my stuff as quickly as a could in my heels. Things like this happen to me very often. Sometimes I'm very observant and sometimes I'm totally detached and lost in my daydreams.

Election of 1800

(Click to see larger image)

This is a campaign flyer I made for Thomas Jefferson in the Election of 1800! (It was a project for my AP US History class) I take the side of Republican Thomas Jefferson rather than Federalist John Adams.

There are a few things you should know about this campaign;

• Republicans back then were not the same as they are now, they actually are more parallel to modern day Democrats (but not very close), Federalists are about the same as modern day Republicans.
• Neither Jefferson nor Adams actively campaigned, it was conflicts between the two parties and very biased newspapers that influenced the election.
• Adams had already served two years as president, and during that time he allowed the Alien and Sedition Acts to be passed. They were very un-constitutional that effected free speech so that nobody could critize elected officials and their party (Federalist) without risking imprisonment. Imagine how full our jails would be if the government passed a law like that today!
  

I am very biased towards Jefferson and the Republcans. They believed in smaller governments closer to the people where an individual's voice can be more easily be heard. That is exactly what I have believed for a very long time. I don't see my self as being a modern day Republican or Democrat but as an 18th century Jeffersonian :)

My Super Alter-ego

I've been working on changes for my blog. Sorry about the web address, I changed that too...again. It's now: http://www.samandbirdy.blospot.com/ so be sure to add it to your favorites :) I just wanted to give a little credit to Birdy, you see. Here's the story I wrote one night that inspired all this change:

"Every single day of my life has been different. But, everything I did was pretty much the same. Usually I'd finish school then do a mixture of watching TV, babysitting, playing on the computer, shopping, going to the movies, having slumber parties, cleaning my room. You know, normal stuff. I was used to change, we had moved at least 4 times, and for the most part I enjoyed change. Little did I know something big was going to happen.

In the month that I turned 16, I found myself being bustled into Germany. Everything was different; the language, the customs, the weather. Furthermore, there was absolutely mothing to do. Even TV channels were limited. For a long time it felt like I was in a state of nothingness.

This story does have a happy ending. Someone came to rescue me. An amazing superhero: my alter-ego. Her name was Birdy. She was a jewelery maker, a refashionista and a writer. She cleans, cooks and crafts; she puts Kitty into naps, washes dishes and much more. I don't know how she does it all but I'm glad she does! With her around Im never lonely or bored. My life is no longer dull and meaningless. "

Birdy told me that everyone has a super alter-ego but sometimes it takes something like a big move to set her (or him) into action. Have you found your alter-ego? I'd love to hear your stories!

Write them as a comment and I'll post them!

Scrounged Poetry

The next assignment was my favorite!

Find a picture that interests you then look at it for a few minutes. Notice the colors and the mood, see what is happening and whats in it and just let it soak in. Then take words from your list that you think could go with it. Put the words in a sequence that makes at least a little sense and then change it around. Keep moving the words around, taking some away, adding in more. Soon you will have a poem, it may make sense or it may not. What ever you do is right!

I used a postcard of the Charleston Battery. Here is a picture that looks just like it:

"valiant oak trees are a disciplined regiment
their regal power supersedes the sunshine
spanish moss are honored to be among the foliage

the oppressed humidity cries out for freedom
but all insurrections are overwhelmed
honor the oak trees; fearless and foremost "

(I added the words their, among and cries out)


I also did another from a picture of British soldiers crossing a bridge.

"honored discipline
regal power
crimson regiment
awaiting insurrections
across the restless bridge

valiant minority
dare freedom
muster courage
against the depredations
the victorious make history"

(I added the words across, bridge, and against)

Hawaiian Homicide

I promised that I would post the murder mystery I wrote for Lauren's party (which turned out to be a hit, thank goodness! Whew!) but I'm not sure how to do it. You see, there were seven guests at the party which means there are seven different manuals full of clues. It will be very confusing to everybody so I will just post one to give you an idea of what we did that night :)

KAMANAKA

(The Hawaiian name for Samantha)

The Setting

You are in Hawaii ready for Lalena’s party to begin. Tomorrow is her birthday so, to celebrate, your teacher, Ms Kapine, is going to show you what dance you will be doing in the competition which is only three weeks away.
While you were waiting for Kapine, you hear a scream from Lalene.

RULES OF THE GAME

The object of this game is for you to figure out who is Kapine’s murderer while keeping your own innocence.
This book includes many clues known only to you that are vital to solving the mystery. You must not show it to another of the other suspects but communicating is necessary to succeed in the game.
Begin each page by reading it all and then use the lines to start a discussion and ask or answer questions. (Do not turn to the next page until the host tells you to) You must not lie about anything in this book; you may evade questions or try to change the subject but, when pressed, you must tell the truth.

Here are the steps you’ll take:

Plead: Plead innocent by stating your alibi and what you witnessed.
Gossip: Talking about others will draw attention away from yourself.
Vindicate: Clear your name by revealing the truth about yourself.
Accuse: After hearing what everyone has to say, you must choose who you think murdered Kapine.

Remember, you’re trying to solve a mystery. Be suspicious of everyone! Be curious; ask questions even if they seem kind of…weird…

HINT: You may go around and look at any part of the crime scene (especially people’s bags!!) to see if you can find any clues! If you do find a clue, be sure to pass it around to all the guests!

Scene 1

Introduction:

I either like or hate you, nothing in between. I come from a very humane family. I eat healthy foods, never use any electricity or gas that pollutes the air and never purposely kill bugs or animals and especially not humans!


Alibi:

You were bringing drinks to the guests.

Witnessed:

Lalena didn’t just walk in on Kapine when she died. She was gone the whole time and was never seen in the dance room.

Scene 2

Gossip:

Lalena is the best dancer, got special treatment from Kapine and brags a lot

You heard that Kapine was leaving and also heard that Lalena would become the next instructor.

Pekani has private tutors teaching her at home. She never leaves the house except for dance class. You’re sure she has a lot of time to hold grudges and formulate evil plans.

What you know:

You asked for the lead part in the competition dance but, of course, Lalena got it.

You admit that you joked about poisoning Lalena.

Sweet and talented Lalena is your mortal enemy. She beat you out for homecoming queen and became best dancer in all of Hawaii last year. You wish she was the one who was poisoned!

Scene 3

Gossip:

Pekani came from a rival dance school. She probably hated Kapine whose class always won competitions.

Amapele has been acting strange. In fact, last night you saw her hanging upside down from a tree like a bat in front of Kapine’s house.

What You Know:

Now that Kapine is gone, Lalena is to become the next hula instructor.

You would never want to make it so Lalena is your teacher!

You are not so sure if the murderer actually meant to kill Kapine…

Solution

Kamanaka knew that Kapine was getting ready to move to the main land. She also knew that Lalena was to become the new instructor. Kamanaka was so angry that she would do anything to keep Lalena away as long as possible.
It was Kamanaka at the kitchen door that Kelikei saw. She was searching Kamala’s back pack for the Yellow Oleander she picked. Kamanaka took a few leaves, put them in Lelana’s boiling water and stained them out after a few minutes. She did not mean to murder anyone, just take revenge on Lalena.

Collecting Words

I recently joined a new forum on bravewriter.com that has really expanded my scope in writing. I'm very excited with the new activities Rachel has shown to me.

One of the things is Word Collecting, something I wcould not have ever thought up on my own. Throughout our everyday lives we are confonted with new words. New ones, old ones, descriptive ones, cliches...but some words strike us more than others. Even words like "simmer" and "yeast" are enough to spark your imagination.

To begin word collecting, you carry a notebook around with you (unless you are not like me and you remember things easily) Everytime you hear a word that you feel is worth writing dow, you do it. No matter how silly it seems. Soon you will end up with pages full of word columns. Some will relate to eachother somehow or sound the same or have the same first letter, but most are just completely random. Thats when it gets the most fun.

Then you take the very best words and put them on strips of index cards. The words are then sorted into any way you like and put in envelopes. The freedom of word collecting is very refreshing!

Here are some of my favorite words. They were collected in a very short period of time so my list needs a lot of restocking :)

insurrection

misinformed

supersede

comradery

depredations

weightless

diversity

provisionally speaking

woe is me

overwhelmed

sizzle

slightly

staircase

simmer

ruins

lovelorn

twinkle

strawberry-blonde

Happy Birthday:Hau 'oli la hanau (Hawaiian)

Frohe Geburtstag (German)

Feliz cumpleaños (Spanish)

Charleston

Spanish Moss

oak trees

letters to home

colonelcy

sacrifice

abolitionist

sheltered

comfortable

restless

assumptions

onliest

states rights

humid

fear of failure

factoid

frivolity

fidelity

fearless

freedom

Forward Fifty Fourth!

flag bearer

foremost

ultra-violet

fun, wild and untamed

cosmic pond

Land of the Phoenix Part 10 The End

At the Phoenix’s touch, she jolted awake in her own bed. Gasping, she looked around her room, confused. Had she been asleep the whole time? That can’t be possible, she went through the attic door to the Phoenix’s land and had been gone for days! She threw her blanket off and ran to her little sister’s room

“Michelle, Michelle! Wake up!” she whispered as she shook her awake. Marie groaned, “Mmmm, go away, it’s Saturday…”

“Michelle!” Anne cried in disbelief, forgetting to check her voice, “I’ve been gone for days! Haven’t you been wondering where I’ve been?”

“What are you talking about?” Marie yawned.
Anne stopped, had it all been a dream? It can’t have been… She ran back to her room, the sun was just barely tipping its hat to the world as she searched her desk. There it was; her little black book. She flipped through the pages until she found the picture of the puppy she had drawn just before she went up to the attic.

She held her breath and turned the page. There it was; the red flowers, the blue flowers, the little bugs and half of a bird. She ran back to her Michelle’s room and shook the notebook in front of her face.

“See, here’s the proof! I was gone!”

Michelle rubbed her eyes and looked at the drawings. “This doesn’t prove anything, you could have drawn these anywhere”

“But it’s true, listen…” Anne excitedly reminisced her adventure to her sister. Later that day, as soon as Michelle started to gather interest, they went up to the attic to find no hook or key (which Michelle had seen before) and no keyhole behind the panel.

A while after that, Anne told her story to her friend Rosevita who did not believe her at all but did share in her excitement. As they walked along a pier over the nearby lake, Rosevita said, “Too bad this ‘lion-man’ doesn’t exist cause maybe you’d finally get a boyfriend. Imagine you, 18 and still never had a boyfriend!”
“Oh stop, Rosie!” Anne replied irritably, Rosevita made a habit out of reminding her about that. “But still,” she continued, “I can’t stop thinking about him…”

“Thinking about who?” came a deep voice from next to them. Anne and Rosevita, surprised, turned to see a young man holding a fishing pole and tackle-box; a man with a handsome face, wavy strawberry-blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

Anne was stunned at how much he looked like the lion-man. Rosevita squealed as she ran up and hugged him, “Yay, you’re here! Anne, this is my cousin, Toby!”

“Oh, we’ve met already.” Toby said as he smiled teasingly and winked.

***

Land of the Phoenix Chapter 9

The Sorceress

The lion-man just so happened to be close by, he had been wandering around aimlessly, regretting his treatment of Anne. Now, he was sitting on a fallen tree, flipping through Anne’s drawing book and thinking about the way she seemed to love or want to love everything, even if it was bad.

Suddenly, his lion ears tingled at the sound of a faint far away scream and immediately knew that it was Anne in trouble. He got up on impulse and ran towards where the sound came from faster than any lion ever could.

***

It wasn’t long before the crow-men stopped at a huge and magnificent but terrible castle. Anne knew that this was probably where the Sorceress lived and her heart sank. The door stood like the mouth of a dragon, its portcullis teeth opened and the bird-men took her inside to her doom.

Their footsteps echoed in the hollow throat of the dragon as the headed towards the dark stomach. There she was sitting on a blood red throne, the very person Anne had feared to meet since two days ago. The evil unfeeling witch who had haunted her as she followed the lion-man across this strange country.
The witch had a long glittering grey dress, white wolf ears and flaming white hair that seemed to have no definite end as floating snowflakes issued from the end. She leaned back smugly in her throne as Anne was dragged in before her and propped her wolf paws on a red velvet stool.

With enormous surprise, Anne saw her friend the stag-fly buzzing around the queen’s throne. It’s tiny hooves clicked as it landed on the handle of the throne. Anne realized that this bug was not her friend but had told the Sorceress where the bears and crow-men could find her.

The Sorceress moved slightly in her chair, drawing Anne’s attention back to her as she spread a horrible smile across her pale face.

“So you are the young witch who has been ruining my kingdom with your unwanted feelings.” She said n a deep menacing voice which reverberated against the stone walls. The crow-man pushed Anne farter into the room and knocked her cruelly to the ground.

“But, I don’t worry. Nobody cares about you, nobody wants you here, nobody wants your feelings and soon you’ll be gone and nobody will have to worry about you. You’re witching days are over!” She stood up proudly and stepped down from her throne and raised her staff at the girl kneeling on the floor.

***

The lion-man had just arrived at the castle when he heard Anne being thrown t the floor. He slid under the portcullis which, conveniently, had not been closed all the way (it turns out that fate placed a knot in the rope that lowers the portcullis and it got caught, and the guard had not cared enough to fix it.) His padded lion paws made it easy for him to sneak through the hall. Sunlight, streaming through a stained glass window in the throne room, lit magnificent colors over the room.

The lion-man saw Anne lying at the feet of the Sorceress, her doom written on the point of the queen’s magic staff. He sneaked further into the room, the blood-thirsty crows oblivious to his presence. The Sorceress raised her wand; Anne covered her head and the lion-man, against his whole being yet unable to control himself, stepped in front of the wand point. The earth quaked harder than ever as the Sorceress, angry at his interference, stabbed at the lion-man. She screamed, when the wand stopped short and shattered into tiny glittering pieces.

Another howl came from the Sorceress as the crows standing nearby were suddenly knocked to the ground and vanished. A glowing light passed over them and hit another crow next to Anne. When it passed over the lion-man and the girl they felt its warmth flow through them. As the wave of light approached her, the Sorceress’s eyes grew wide with terror, with her dying breath she whispered “The Phoenix”

The room grew brighter as the center of the light came closer, the lion-man helped Anne up from the ground and embraced her. They both realized that the curse of the Sorceress was over and the world was returning to its natural state full of feeling and meaning. The Phoenix was released because the lion-man preformed the ultimate sacrifice. He was willing to give his life for Anne who taught him to love.

Soon the Phoenix arrived, its bright flaming feathers omitted the light that destroyed the Sorceress and gave light to the dismal throne room. Then, the majestic bird let out a beautiful call and flew over them, touching Anne with its long red tail.

Land of the Phoenix Part 8

The Trees

The flying animal took her over the forest, in which the lizards had chased her out of, and past the lion-man’s mansion. Soon afterwards, her savior slowed and gently plopped her on the ground. It then swooped around and lightly landed in front of her.

It was a tall slender dog with golden fur and huge wings which she tucked regally to her side. She had a sweet, small head that she held erect with large, knowing eyes. Her ears which were long and covered with soft feathery fur hardly matched her skinny head, long neck and short hair. Her long tail’s feathery end also seemed out of place. But, it was her ears, tail and slender body that made her the most elegant creature Anne had ever seen.

The golden dog waited patiently while Anne caught her breath. Soon, the dog started to speak, “I have been sent to you by the great Phoenix himself. You have a job to fulfill.” Her voice was powerful and harmonious and her words echoed in Anne’s ears.

After a long pause Anne finally asked, “Well…what am I supposed to do?”

“Not to worry dear human, the dog’s marvelously black eyes sparkled, “You have come as the prophesy says: ‘A woman will take this land into her greedy hands and mold it so love may not grace it. But, be not afraid, another woman, whose innocent love knows no bounds, will come from foreign lands to save this one.’ Only your sweet presence is needed. All you have to do is be yourself and the rest will fall into place.” Anne was utterly confused.

“Do not be afraid, young one, although you are not welcomed because the prophesy has been twisted by the Sorceress. But, the Phoenix is on your side.” The slender dog smiled and let Anne scratch her soft ears. Then, she leapt up on her thin but strong legs, flew into the air and disappeared into the horizon.

***

Almost as soon as the dog left, it started to rain. First it drizzled lightly but the drops quickly grew to the size of golf balls. Anne ducked under a tree near another forest with lots of foliage to keep her dry and she waited, wet and exhausted. Soon, she fell asleep, leaning against the tree trunk.

When the rain stopped, she jolted awake, suddenly she had lost her support and had almost fallen over. She turned at looked at the tree she was leaning on. It was moving! She watched it slowly move, and when it got far enough away it shook its leaves. Water spray everywhere but, the tree had gotten out of range so Anne did not get wet. Anne gaped for a moment then suddenly realized that it was a polite tree!
Then, she heard a noise behind her, the whole forest was moving. As she watched in awe, the huge tree trees aligned themselves so they made a wide path straight ahead. Maybe this land was not as evil as she thought and the trees were showing the way home. Then again, she thought that maybe this was the work of the Sorceress.

Then she thought remembered the golden dog; she had said the Phoenix was on her side. And, though the trees seemed large and intimidating, she held her breath and plunged into the forest.

The path twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Finally, Anne lay down in a sunny spot to rest. While she lay there, her stomach growled and ached, begging for food. It’s probably almost four o’clock, she thought as she clutched her stomach. Just then, the forest in front of her parted to make way for a much smaller tree.

To Anne’s delight, it was an apple tree. It came close to her and bowed its branches low enough for her to take some of its large red fruits. She could now no longer doubt that the trees were her friends. “Thank you!” Anne said shyly, not knowing if it could actually understand her. After resting and leaving five apple cores on the ground, Anne got up and continued down the path.

Finally she could see the end. She smiled widely and started to run in excitement and hopefulness. As she got closer she saw a red glowing light trapped in a jar set upon a intricately carved golden pedestal. The red light reflected beautifully off of the crystal arch and covered it. An inscription was etched into the crystal which read: Ultimate Sacrifice. The light in the jar entranced Anne, she started towards it through the crystal tunnel and reached out to open the jar.

Suddenly something whizzed passed her ear and distracted her, it was the stag-fly she had chased when she first came here. She watched the bug buzz around her head. It hovered for a moment then pranced off towards the setting sun. She stood watching it when an enormous thump landed above her on the arch. She looked up as the large black thing crawled to the edge and jumped down between the girl and the jar.

The creature had big black wings, horrible yellow eyes, an ugly crow’s beak and stood up straight like a man. It squawked at her as she turned and ran from it. But the way was blocked by two more of the creatures who had snuck up behind her. She screamed as one of them grabbed her with hands that extended out of its wings and threw her over it’s should like a sack of potatoes.

Land of the Phoenix Part 7

The Stampede

All of this had been observed by the leader of the unknown creatures with round yellow eyes. He signaled for his group to surround the unsuspecting girl. She innocently walked further away from the mansion into the ambush.

“You better watch yourself little creature, this be an unruly world you’ve found yerself in.”

Anne looked around for the sly voice but she didn’t see anyone.

“You don’t look like anyone I’ve ever seen before. Where did ya come from, hun?”

It came from above her! She looked, but did not see anyone. Keeping her eyes on the roof of the house where the voice came from, she timidly backed away. But suddenly she felt a sharp prick on her back and cried out. Behind her was a small lizard-like creature holding a primitive spear. She screamed again and looked around herself, a whole lounge of lizards had surrounded her. Back at the roof of the porch, a regal lizard slowly moved into view from behind the porch gable.

He was a larger than the rest with a lean scaly body. Like the other animals Anne had seen, he had surprisingly intelligent eyes. He wore a tribal type of necklace around his shoulders and held a crudely carved walking stick that was so thin on part that it was threatened to snap.

He jumped down from the gable and walked up to her. The lizard was almost as tall as her belly button and he walked on his hind legs. He also just realized how big she was and summoned one of his comrades to him.

“Yes, Grynde, sir?” The other lizard asked.

“Get down on all fours.” He replied in almost a whisper. His comrade got down on all fours and, to Anne’s astonishment, Grynde climbed up on him so he stood higher.

“Ahem, so, as I was saying. What kind of creature are you?”
“I’m a human…” She replied uncertainly

“I see…” He too was uncertain so he whispered to the lizard he was standing on asking what the heck a human was. The crouching lizard replied quietly, “It’s a girl, sir.”

“Girl…girl…” Suddenly he gasped, “A girl! Like the one in the prophesy! The PROPHESY!!” He turned and summoned the other lizards to him, “Listen! My good Eemi! We have stumbled on none other then the second witch of the prophesy! Beware of this girl, she has come to challenge the Sorceress and we cannot have that, can we?”

“NO!!” The Eemi cried out in unison,

“So, we shall do the Sorceress a favor and get rid of the girl!”

Then, to himself, the leader lizard said, “And how shall I do it?”

“The stake, sir! We love the stake!” suggested the lizard beneath him.

“Ah ha! I have got it! We shall burn her at stake!” cried the leader. Anne gasped and the other lizards chanted “Stake, stake, stake!”

They started crowding around her and pushing her away from the house, Grynde sauntered in front of her, leading the way.

“Wait!” Anne cried, “I forgot, I’m not really a human! I’m an ape, you see, I just…evolved a little!” But Grynde would not acknowledge anything she said, he just kept on walking in a haughty, king-like manner.

The lizards considered which tree they should tie her to. First their attention was drawn to a mighty pine, but they didn’t have ropes long enough to wrap around its wide circumference. So, they settled for a small sapling. Though it was weak, they thought, it was small enough for their ropes and it would burn easily.

But they soon noticed that Anne was too tall for the sapling and her head was hidden behind the green leaves of the tree. They knew her face must be visible for the tribe to fully enjoy her pain. After a long discussion, one lizard asked if they could shave to tree of its branches. Everyone exuberantly agreed; burning her at stake was much more proper than burning her at sapling. Finally, it was done and the lizard’s victim was tied to the shaved tree.

Roughly, and thoroughly enjoying themselves, they began to gather large sticks and threw them in a pile around the girl. Her heart beat faster than it ever had before as she struggled with the tight ropes, her life would have flashed before her eyes, but she couldn’t remember anything. All she knew was that she was about to die, everything else was black.

After the lizards finished the pile of sticks, they leaped about and shouted in bloodthirsty glee. Anne observed this horrible ritual, hardly grasping it, until suddenly, they all stopped. Their tails twitched and they all looked in the same direction towards the horizon. The ground had begun to slowly tremble; at first, Anne thought it was like the tiny earthquake that occurred when she apologized to the lion-man, but it lasted longer. It kept going and she silently pleaded for it to stop, but it never did. Instead, it gradually shook harder and harder.

She waited for the subject of the chaos to come into view. Finally, fate gave in to her anticipation; a cloud of dust billowed from beyond the horizon. She knew that it was most likely a stampede. And, so apparently, did the lizards, they twitched their tails and talked nervously to each other. Finally, Grynde called the awaited order and, in one, they all turned and ran. Unfortunately, they forgot (or didn’t care about) Anne who was tied fast to the tree.

She struggled and called for help, her heart beat fast and tingled inside her chest then rose to a lump in her throat. Animals of all shapes and sizes moved the earth with their paws and hooves. Panic-stricken eyes rolling, they charge closer and closer, oblivious to the little girl tied to a barer sapling.

Anne tugged at the ropes so hard her wrists began to bleed. Frustrated at the tightness of the knots, she yanked at the tree that was holding her captive. To her surprise, the young tree bent over slightly. Then, she had an idea; she pulled harder at the tree and it bent lower. She got on her knees and the tree leaned with her. She yelled a loud as her shoulder muscles strained. Then, just as she thought, the tree bent low enough for the rope to slide up the tree. It hit knots and stumps from the cut branches but she continued to pull. The cloud of dust came closer.

Finally her painful struggle ended, the rope slid off the tip of the sapling and she landed with a thump on the ground. Realizing how hard it would be to run with her arms tied behind her back, Anne lifted herself to a squat and wrapped her arms underneath herself. Then she sat down, pulled her legs in and moved her tied hands under and around her feet. Now that her arms were in front, it was easier to run. The stampede was dangerously close and it was then that she panicked.

She started to run away from the approaching animals, then she remembered she would not be able to out run them. She looked around for an escape route, but her panicking brain blinded her eyes from comprehending anything. Almost unintentionally, Anne ran to the side. To her amazement, she was running to a forest; she knew that a forest would protect from the stampeding animals who would avoid the trees.

She ran toward her salvation, leaned against a tree trunk and rested. Suddenly, she heard a rustling noise. To her great dismay, the Eemi had already taken refuge in the forest. They greedily charged at her, chasing her back into the field in front of the stampede.

Anne couldn’t think, she hardly knew where she was. The grass, the sky and the lizards all melt away, leaving her alone in front of the humongous dust cloud. Almost out of nowhere, a panicked elephant came into view followed by wilder beasts, deer and other hoofed creatures. But, the poor girl was frozen, she felt like a tree rooted to the spot.

From under the elephant, another animal seemed to have emerged from the dust itself. It ran straight at Anne, faster than all the rest of the stampede. Its golden light entranced her, she wasn’t frightened anymore. Then, it leaped as gracefully as a gazelle and, somehow, picked her up. Before she knew what happened, she was sailing through the air. Her heart swooped inside of her as the stampede trampled the earth underneath her.

Land of the Phoenix Part 6

The Mansion

Amid hills and across rivers and, not to mention, acres and acres of forests they trekked. Anne had not worn the right shoes for traveling for hours in untamed wilderness, so she took them off. However, all sorts of unpleasant things lie in untamed countries.

Anne’s feet were constantly bothered by slimy forest leaves and the sharp edges of pine needles. Every so often she would put her shoes back on, only to find that it hurt worse than before. The reason was unknown to her, but she kept switching; shoes to no shoes, no shoes to shoes. Her body was pleading for comfort but not finding it in any way available to it.

Finally the lion-man led them out of the forest to a old, run-down mansion. It resembled a colonial town hall with three gables jutting out from the red roof, three upper floor windows and three lower floor windows aligned perfectly. Remnants of white paint scattered the fake brick walls. The small front porch outside the front door was so rotten that they had to go through the back kitchen door.

Inside the house, the floorboards moaned desperately and the whole house smelled badly of rotting wood. The only safe place to walk was the front sitting room where there was a fairly new looking bed and an old sofa.

“Well,” the lion-ma sighed, “This is my house; we’ll bunk here for the night.” Said the beast as he took two slabs of dried salted meat out of his pack and threw one to Anne. (With amazing accuracy for not even looking at her) She sat on the couch as he sprawled carelessly on the bed on the opposite side of the large room and again they ate in silence.

At first Anne hated the dark, musty house but checked herself and decided to love it.

“I love how the floorboards creak; it makes the house feel haunted!”

The beast frowned and wondered how she could possibly like that.

“And, this couch is so squishy and comfy!”

The beast knew for a fact that it wasn’t. As surprised as it was however, he found himself liking her positive outlook. He liked how she did not fight back at being taken to the Sorceress and how she somehow loved his nasty house. It was definitely not the way a witch was supposed to act.

After eating, they both became sleepy and the lion-man was just about to drift asleep when he got a shiver and started to pull the blankets over him. Then, he remembered Anne; he thought about giving her the blanket but then remembered how lumpy the sofa was. He got up and did something he never dreamed he would do in his entire life.

“Um…you-you can sleep on the bed. I’ll sleep there.” The world shifted again like a tiny earthquake, making the walls tremble dangerously. Anne looked up amazed. She couldn’t see him very well because the room was too dark but when he started walking over she knew he was serious.

The bed was indeed more comfortable then the couch and the place where the lion-man was sitting was still warm. Soon, she fell into a happy sleep; the lion-man didn’t feel too bad himself either. He fell asleep quickly despite the lumps in the sofa, knowing that he made Anne happy.

***
The sun rose higher and higher but neither Anne nor the lion-man stirred because the poor sun, no matter how hard it tried, could hardly penetrate the dark rotten house. But outside nearby animals rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and greeted the sunlight.

A group of creatures sensed a change in their environment. The crumbling house they lived around was inhabited once again. But, not only had its owner returned but he brought someone else in with him. However, these observing creatures knew that the lion-man would never allow visitors.

They then assumed that this creature he brought into his house must be really unique and special. But, why should the lion-man get to have this special creature and not them?

“This new creature should be identified and captured,” said the leader of the creatures, “It must be taken to the Sorceress for distributing; the man lion has no right to keep it!”

Fear of the lion-man kept them from even thinking of entering the house. So they scurried up the walls of the mansion and peered through cracks with their large round yellow eyes.

Finally, Anne opened her eyes with the strange feeling of being watched. In an instant, however, she brushed that feeling away telling herself it was only the creepy old house that made her afraid.

She looked over to the couch where the lion-man was sleeping. There he was facing her; something urged her to get up. She walked barefoot towards him to get a good look at his face. The morning light hardly penetrated the musty air in the house so Anne had to stand directly over him to see. She gasped at what she saw then quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. But, she was too late; the lion-man awoke from a deep sleep and instantly realized what she was doing. He slowly stood up with a grim expression and looked down at her.

He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He had wavy strawberry blonde hair that almost completely covered his blue eyes. His eyes were deep and full of meaning almost as if they had a personality of their own. She was very astonished a his appearance, she had always imagined him to be more animal than man

At first the lion-man was angry at her. He had started to think, and even hope, that maybe she wasn’t a witch after all. But after waking up to find her standing so close him he thought that she was trying to put a spell on him in his sleep. His first impulse was to slap her or push her away but, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He saw the fear and surprise in her eyes that made him want to punish himself for being so big and hairy.

Finally, he said to her, “What were you doing? Were you putting a spell on me?”

“No, no! I wasn’t I-I promise!” she said desperately on her own behalf. “I don’t know how to cast any spells!”

“Then, what were you doing?”

“I’m sorry! I…I…”

He knew, he just knew, that she was a witch! One who was going to try to bring feeling back, but he didn’t want them, nobody wants feelings!

“You tell me the truth, witch!” he snarled so fiercely that Anne burst out crying. He immediately regretted yelling as he watched her cry.

Never had he seen anyone cry before and to see her in that strange condition made his insides tie themselves in knots again. He found himself wanting to hold her and make everything better but, instead he backed away from her.

“Stop it!” he cried almost in anguish. Anne gulped for air and tried to stop crying but the tears kept coming. The lion-man retreated towards the door.

“You leave me alone with your feelings!” He said as he grabbed his pack, “I don’t want them!”

With that he left and slammed the door behind him, nearly knocking it from its rusty hinges.

“Don’t-don’t leave me here...” She said in an unintentional whisper as she rushed to the door. But, he was gone. She broke down and cried on the doorstep.

Land of the Phoenix Part 5

The Apology

Tired, hungry and scared, Anne was right on the verge of crying when her captor grunted and awoke. She suddenly forgot about everything except fear. Picturing a monster who must be obeyed…or else, Anne tried as hard as she could not to turn around and look at him.

The lion-man stood up, brushed himself off and shouldered his pack. He sighed then said “You get up, let’s go.” He growled through a large yawn.

Now, understand that that Anne was in an extremely grumpy mood due to her damp awakening. She mumbled under her breath, “I have a name you know.”
Her captor, because of his lion ears, had extremely good hearing and surprised her when he grunted cheekily. She waited for a minute but he did not say anything. Anne couldn’t stand it,

“It’s Anne.” Still no answer. “Well, can I ask yours?” She said as politely as she could.

“No, you cannot.” Knowing that he was annoying her excessively, he smiled at his horrible cleverness and waited for her reply.

“Well, it is only fitting for you to tell me your name after I’ve told you mine!” She frowned.

“No, its definitely not the only thing I can do. I can tell you nothing if I want.” He laughed.

“I meant that its only fitting for you to do, not the only thing you can do!” She frowned even harder when he laughed shortly.

“Around here, angel, we don’t ever do the fitting thing. Now, you just follow me and shut your mouth like a good little witch.”

“Oh!” The tiny bit of fire that lived in her grew for the first time ever. Kindled by grumpiness and frustration the fire grew to hatred. She hated the lion-man as she had never hated anyone before. And, she told him so.

“I hate you! I’m not a witch…” She went on and on, yelling and snapping. Never had she spoken to anyone like that; never had she wanted to. Some strange force inside of her was pushing her; taking all the negative energy that she had ever felt and letting it all out on the beast.

“Now, the man walking in front of her had been yelled at before, and always it had been much worse. His own kind yelled and fought constantly but they have never harmed each other emotionally because they all cared nothing for feelings. They felt nothing when someone called them, or even their mother, horrible nasty names that I could never write down.

But, the last couple of days had not been good for the beast. Strange new feelings kept bugging him, feelings he had always thought he could live without. And, when Anne let her anger out on him another new feeling came. For once in his life, he was hurt. His pride stung beneath his skin, his heart welled up eight sizes and a burning seeped up behind his eyes.

He was surprised and afraid of this new feeling and tried to brush it off. But her words bit into him and clamped on tight like a crab so nothing could shake it off.

In the distance a faint laughter echoed through the trees. A maniacal, triumphant witchy laughter, it was so far away and quiet that it was hardly there.

Anne could not believe that any of those words had escaped her mouth. What had she done? Shame filled all parts of her being and tears silently poured down her cheeks. She was angry that she was a hostage being taken who knows where but she still felt she had no reason to attack her captor’s feelings like that.
“I…I’m sorry.” She said quietly.

The whole world suddenly seemed to shift. But as instantly as it had come, it became completely silent.

The lion-man stopped so abruptly that Anne ran into him. Hardly knowing what had happened they both stood dazed for a moment. Then the lion-man turned his head a little and looked at the little witch; who, he saw, was looking down at her feet and biting her fingernails.

“What? What did you say?” He asked slowly.

“I said I’m sorry, I really am. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Anne replied choking back tears.

“No one, not one creature has said those words for almost one hundred years.” He paused, thinking hard.

“Why?” Anne asked.

“Because of the Sorceress. She trapped the Phoenix who ruled the land then took over. She took away all feelings and now you’ve come to bring them back, haven’t you? But, you see, the world is better with no feelings. No one gets hurt that way. The Sorceress will not want you spreading feelings and letting creatures get put under their spells. That’s why I’m taking you to her.”

Anne still did not understand. As they continued to slowly make their way down the path she thought hard. Maybe some feelings are bad but…but she had said sorry didn’t she? Shouldn’t that make everything better? In fact, it did. The lion-mans pride was back to normal, which he didn’t understand.

Finally Anne told herself this: Some things you just can’t understand, but if your common sense is telling you that feelings are good then you should believe it. Feelings are good but sometimes outside things make us want to hate. But, maybe if you try to love it instead, things can change for the better.

So, Anne decided to love the lion-man and maybe he would change his mind. At her decision, she felt a surge of happiness. She felt like skipping and whistling. But, she soon learned that loving something that makes you want to hate it is not as easy as it seems.

The two walked on but she never saw his face and he hardly ever spoke. The more she tried to talk to him, the more he pushed her away. He kept on believing that feelings were evil and that Anne was trying to force them on him with magic.

And, the more he angered and frustrated her, the more he became angry and frustrated. So, by the end of the day they were both two angry and frustrated people.

Land of the Phoenix Part 4

The Lion-man

The only thing that Anne had gotten from the incident with the bears was the realization of the brutality of the Sorceress. Remembering the bears drunken argument she wondered what the Sorceress really said. Had she wanted thee bears to kill her on the spot? Did she want to put her in prison?

With those gruesome thoughts in mind, Anne wandered miserably under custody until the man led her around the woods to the edge of a cliff. She then realized that they were on a gigantic plateau. Besides the forest, which was on the edge of the plateau, the only thing Anne could see was the wide evening sky. Purple lined the green cliff then came a layer of white and orange clouds and then the deep blue heavens smiled down at her.

As her eyes took it all in, she felt a sense of joy and tranquility. But, that dream was soon broken by the man as he roughly ushered her over to a boulder at the edge of the cliff.

“You stay here.” He ordered, “And don’t you dare turn around!” Anne instantly obeyed.

Her amazing cooperation throughout the journey puzzled the man. It was not in a witch’s nature to act like that. This made him suspicious and he thought he better keep a good watch on her.

So, as he went through the business of setting up camp, he kept glancing over to where Anne sat. But, the girl had no intention of turning around, even though it did feel weird to be in the presence of someone who would not let her see his face or know his name. As she sat, she suspected that the man was watching her and shivers glided coldly down her spine. She wondered what he was doing but had no other choice but to stare at the sky and the fields below.

Finally the man, feeling just as uncomfortable as Anne, came up to her. His “ahem” made her jump her seat and she started to turn around.

“Don’t turn around!” he reminded her impatiently. She quickly turned her head and stood for a moment, wondering what she was supposed to do.

“Uh…okay…Just come here slowly…” The man was making it up as he went along. Looking at the ground, she nervously obeyed. He stayed behind her back as she turned and took her seat near the fire where a large bird was roasting. The man then made a wide circle around her as if she had a horrible disease. He slid a plate to the girl, took one for his own then sat on the other side of the fire with his back towards her. Dinner went on in silence making the night dreary for the both of them.

Anne watched the moon slowly rise as the man watched her. Finally she drifted off to sleep and the man kept thinking of the Sorceress, who, had she been in Anne’s place, would have tried to do some vicious magic on him by now.

“Why isn’t she fighting back?” He thought puzzled, “It’s only natural…” At least it is where he comes from.

***

As the sun rose the next morning, the dew descended and soaked Anne’s clothes, waking her up much too early. She shivered and yawned, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Instinctively, she crawled out of the shade of the trees into the sun where she could warm up and dry.

Just then she remembered her unfortunate predicament; how the mysterious man surprised her and accused her of sorcery. She looked over to where he lay asleep and hoped she could get a look at his face. But, all she could see was his back.

He was wearing cloth pants and a leather vest that showed his muscular but exceedingly hairy arms. His head was covered in waves of strawberry blonde hair. She was astonished when her eyes rested on his feet that were bare; they were huge golden paws. She quickly looked for more specification on what she was seeing and noticed fluffy rounded ears amid his scattered hairy and the bristly end of a lion’s tail peeking out from under his legs.

Suddenly, she found herself picturing a hungry savage lion ready to make an early morning snack out of her. Soon she got a hold of herself remembering that if he wanted to eat her he would have done it already.

Her panic subsided and she leaned against a boulder and waited. Any other person would have used this opportunity to run away, but Anne was too timid and couldn’t bring herself to do it. Besides, she thought, if she had gone she wouldn’t know where to go, and the lion-man would probably wake up and sniff her out or something.

So she just waited, the longer he slept, the longer she would free from the Sorceress. Soon, he would wake up and take her to the queen and she would become an enemy to the country and a murderer to an endangered species.

Missing: The United States of America

What happened to the America that is for the people and by the people?

What happened to the America that allows us to have our human rights and does not invade them?

What happened to the America whose government is not manipulated by corporations?

What happened to the America that doesn't spy on it's own citizens?

What happened to the America, the independent nation, who doesn't have to borrow money from China?

What happened to the America that takes care of it's own people and doesn't assault other countries for no good reason?

Where did our Constitution go?

Where is the United States of America?

by Klytie

Land of the Phoenix Part 3

The Tavern

Before she realized what had happened, the bears separated Anne from captor. Panicking, she ran further into the woods, but four bears chased her down and surrounded her.

Meanwhile, the man fought fiercely against his attackers but was no match for the heavy animals. They pummeled him to the ground and did not stop attacking until the man stopped moving. He was not who they came for so they left him lying unconscious and rushed into the forest after the girl.

Poor Anne had been picked up by one bear and the group, walking on their hind legs as easily as any human, made their way to a nearby town.

The strange little town they took her to was filled with all sorts of forest animals, all of them standing on their hind legs. None of the animals, however were interacting with the others, unless they were in a brawl on the ground they all minded their own business. Anne watched in astonishment as the creatures walked and acted like humans but acted like savage animals.

Presently, the bears took her into an old tavern. However, instead of sitting at the tables, the animals destroyed them while trying to destroy each other. There was no apparent tavern-keeper; the animals just helped themselves to whatever was behind the counter. This chaos stopped, however, when the seven bears walked in through the swinging doors. Foxes, badgers, wolves, raccoons, snakes, coyotes and all the other small predators there (herbivores, the ones who get eaten, wouldn’t dream of coming to this town) stopped in their tracks and stared, with apparent fear, at the bears. The bears caught their attention but the girl caught their eyes, which made Anne feel very uncomfortable.

All the creatures stared as they walked up to the counter.

“You!” roared one of the bears at an unfortunate weasel cowering behind the counter, “Get us some drinks!”

The weasel squealed and rushed to fill their orders.

As the bears zealously chugged down their drinks, Anne came up with a clever but risky plan. Almost as one, her seven kidnappers set down their mugs and then talked with each other on what they were to do next with their hostage. Anne tapped the weasel on his furry little head and said, “The bears want another set of drinks.”

“What? But I just got them…”

“Are you arguing with me?” Anne asked fiercely.

“No, no! I-I’ll get to it right away!” and the poor weasel scampered off. The bears didn’t even question the delivery of the drinks but instead drained their glasses even quicker than the first time. Her plan was working! Anne ordered two more rounds; for the last one she asked the weasel to get larger glasses this time. So, the exhausted creature brought seven glasses almost as big as himself and the bears again drained them in a few gulps.

Now the seven huge creatures were very drunk and began arguing among themselves.
“No, the queen wants us to *hic* kill her now!”

“We gotta *hic* take the girl to her *hic* right away.”

“Ya dim wits are all crazy! She must put in the *hic* big house!”

Soon the argument turned into an affray and Anne easily slipped out of the window.

Anne’s previous kidnapper awoke almost an hour later, his body aching all over. As he stood up he tried to focus his mind and remember what had happened. Finally he remembered the bears. “Anne” was the first thing that came to his mind. But, then he thought, “Well, she’s off my hands now, the bears will deliver her to the Sorceress. I can just go home now.”

However, no matter what he told himself, he couldn’t get the girl off his mind. At last he made an excuse to go rescue her, “I captured her first so I should get the credit, not those flunkies!” And so he marched off to the forest where he found the path that the seven heavy animals made.

When he got to the town, he snuck his way to the center, knowing that the bears would not be too hard to find. He was just making sure the coast was clear by peaking around an old tavern when he was surprised to run into Anne climbing out of the window next to him! She had not yet seen him when he grabbed her arm and pushed her before him.

“You’re not getting away from the Sorceress that easy!"

Before she could rejoice at being away from the bears, Anne realized that she was back where she started, a prisoner marching before her captor to her doom.

Land of the Phoenix Part 2

The Dark Forest

A gasp suddenly awoke the man from his pondering. Anne had at last spotted the lost red flowers through the bushes and almost tripped over the back of the man. He jolted to his feet and turned half around, but then thought better of it and kept his back facing her.

“Turn around!” He growled, trying to sound as fearsome as he could. Poor Anne, surprised and confused, felt she had no choice but to obey. The man heard her spin around and sighed with relief. (Actually, he was surprised that she cooperated) He turned around and grasped her shoulder, astonished about how small and delicate she seemed.

“Go on, straight ahead. And don’t turn around!!”

“Where are you taking me?” asked Anne pitifully, she was shaking all over and was unable to raise her voice above a whisper.

“To the Sorceress; just wait ‘til she sees you and hears what you’ve done!”

Anne, of course, had done nothing but, after walking for a while, she started to believe that maybe she had committed some sort of crime. Things raced through her mind like her drawings, perhaps it was illegal in this land to draw. Or maybe pencils had been banned due to some horrible accident that may have occurred. Or maybe that flying stag was and endangered species and when she chased it she had scared it so much that id died and her kidnapper found it and was going to turn her in. She felt so terrible that she caused the death of the poor bug that she almost burst out crying.

Just then, Anne noticed that her captor was taking her towards the forest she had seen earlier.

“Wait!” she cried and stopped at the edge of the woods. “W-What have I done?” It was not fair that she had no knowledge of what crime she had committed and he scared her out of her wits and now he was going to take her into a forest that practically screamed death.

“Oh, don’t try that with me, you know exactly what you’ve done, now keep going!” The man replied roughly.

“But, I-I didn’t know it was an endangered species!” Anne cried in her defense.

“What?” now both of them were extremely confused.

“I didn’t mean any harm; I didn’t even know that anybody lived here…”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” the man interrupted, “But, I am sure that you tried to put a spell on me…”

“A-a spell?” Anne asked astonished

“DON”T turn around!” The man warned because Anne had begun to turn. She obeyed straight away, a little offended.

“The Sorceress will find you a great threat,” the man explained, “and I will get a great reward for turning you in. You’re certainly in a tight spot, angel, and soon your witching days will be over!”

The poor girl was so surprised at being called a witch that she forgot to object to being pushed into the dark forest.

Moments before everything had been going right for Anne. Yesterday she discovered this world while putting the Christmas decorations back up in the attic. Then, it had been winter here but when she came back today it was spring. Who wouldn’t be happy about finding a magical world?

But, with every good thing, there’s a bad thing. With every rose, there’s a thorn. With every glittering stag-fly, there’s a beast and a Dark Forest.

***

On and on he took her. The forest seemed to go on forever and soon her feet began to ache. During the walk, Anne sadly thought about her unfortunate predicament. Mostly, it was the Sorceress who haunted her mind; who was she and what would she do to her? It seemed like hours for Anne, as her head filled with ugly, green-faced hags, when the tops of the trees glowed orange and they finally sat down to rest.

But, as the two rested roaring from off in the distance came to the man’s ears. He stood up quickly and beckoned to Anne to follow him as the pushed down the path, knowing that the Sorceress knew of Anne’s presence. Something crashed through the trees and, just as he suspected, seven huge bears bounded over and surrounded the man and his hostage.

Land of the Pheonix: Part 1

The Attic

The old wooden stairs creaked under her tiptoed step as a young girl slowly ascended towards the big drafty green door. She put her sweatshirt sleeve over her hand and grasped the cold metal doorknob. As she pulled it open a gust of cold musty air and swaying spider webs warned her to turn back. But, ignoring the warning, she went on any way into the dark attic. She switched on a lone light bulb, though it didn’t really help light the room. Then, clutching her small black notebook, she approached a plain wood wardrobe that covered the left-hand wall.

It stood tall over her and beckoned her as if a secret lied inside waiting to be found. Should she open it and walk inside? If she did she might find a magical realm full of adventure, witches and lions! But, she didn't, the wardrobe did not belong to her. She did, however, take the key dangling from a hook on the side of the wardrobe, which is against her whole nature.

Earlier that week, Anne had fought a huge conflict with herself on whether or not to take the key. I could fill a whole book on all the excuses she made on not taking it. But, she had done it anyway, her curiosity got the better of her and she told herself, "I'll put it back when I'm done. No harm to anyone."

Now back to the present time: Anne turned around and walked over to the opposite wall and dug her fingernails into a square panel that was cut into the wall and pulled out the panel that had hidden a keyhole. She put the key in and turned it and, as it clicked, a door in the wall swung open sending out a cloud of dust.

If you think architecturally (I'm not sure if that's a word, but you know what I mean) then behind that wall should be the barn that's connected to the side of the house, but instead there was a tree. Anne brushed past the tree and arrived at a small open field as big as the barn should be. The smell of wildflowers filled the air around her and fresh spring breezes blew the trees surrounding her so hard that it seemed as if they moved. Anne looked around with wonder at the new scenery; she was glad of the warm weather, because at home it was January.

“It’s perfect!” she said out loud with joy. She immediately found a patch of lovely red flowers to sit in and took out her little notebook. Then she began whisking away with her pencil; the red flowers around her appeared on one page, on the next exotic looking blue flowers bloomed and tiny bugs crawled.

Half of a bird fluttered onto the next page. His head and wings were left unfinished because something had caught Anne’s eye while she was drawing. It looked like a dragonfly but had the body of a stag. Its little white antlers glittered in the sunlight as it perched next to her.

Anne could not take her eyes off of it; she had never seen anything like it. (Well, of course she hadn’t, have you?) And when the stag-fly buzzed its tiny dragonfly wings and zipped away, the girl chased after it not wanting to lose sight of that magnificent creature. But, the bug seemed to be suspicious of the golden-haired girl following after it and never landed so she could get a better look at it. It pranced, or buzzed, or whatever it did, into a dark forest and was lost to sight.

It was then that Anne became aware of her surroundings. She peered into the dark forest that stood tall and gloomy, looming over her like a giant waiting to devour her. But, she back away, defying the giant’s wishes and leaving the bug to whatever doom must lie beyond those cold branches.

She turned around and looked back to where she came from, but nothing looked familiar. The red patch of flowers was no where to be found; she must have run farther than she thought while chasing the stag-fly. Frantically she searched the ground for her little black drawing book. She would peer around bushes and trees and, every once in a while, would rush towards any glimpse of red only to find something other than her patch of flowers.

After a while someone found the things that poor Anne was searching for. He knelt down and picked up the black book and wondered at it. He had never seen any kind of book before. As he flipped through the pages and the animals and flowers grew around him, he began to wonder about the owner of this mysterious object.

At that very moment he heard a rustling from behind a clump of bushes and caught a glimpse of something blue. He crept over, in an inhumanly quiet sort of way, hid himself behind those same bushes and peered around to see who was disturbing the land. It was a girl with golden hair wearing the strangest clothes; a light blue sweatshirt and jeans. (Though, he didn’t know what they were called)

She was a creature unlike any he had ever seen and the sight of her made the pit of his stomach twist and curl and his heart raced. It was not a bad feeling, it actually made him happy, but it was strange and it scared him. He tore his eyes away and sat with his back to the girl. The way he felt when he looked at her could only mean one thing: she had put a spell on him. She must be a witch!

“It’s a good thing,” he thought to himself, “that I looked away when I did!

* * *