Query

photo by Rachel at Elephantine

Fiction: A Query

Lefty: "Do you suppose he likes her?"

Spot: "Why shouldn't he? Our mistress is just as good as any creatures."

Lefty: "The thing looks like an imbecile."

Spot: "Don't say that. He's our mistress' dear friend. We mustn't talk of him so."

Lefty: "But he is an imbecile. Just look at him - practically flying at the Frisbee. I wonder how anyone could stand his drool."

Spot: "Well, we mustn't judge. Perhaps he is born that way. His human sure have a liking for him. Remember how he hugged him like he was leaving a baby behind?"

Lefty: "But all that drooling, how does he keep anything dry?"

Spot: "We shouldn't talk like that."

Lefty: "And why not? He has taken our mistress' time. She should be in here where it's warm. Instead, she's out there freezing, all for his exercises."

Spot: "Oh, we mustn't think that way. He does need his exercises. You wouldn't want him to exercise in here, would you?"

Lefty: "Certainly not. But why does he need her to exercise with?"

Spot: "Just look at the poor fella starving for attention. And you know how mistress feels about creatures that needs attention. She couldn't just turn them away."

Lefty: "More like drooling for attention. Look how she just pets him. How could she do it? How could she stand all that drool?"

Spot: "I'd heard humans have a high tolerance when it comes to furry creatures."

Lefty: "I suppose so or else she would not hug him like so. Just think, when she returns, she would have his drool all over her. What if she forgets and comes over to us?"

Spot: "I'm sure she is more sensible. She always takes a shower after a round of play."

Lefty: "Why does his human leave him here so often if he loves him so much?"

Spot: "Perhaps he needed a break. I'd heard some humans aren't so tolerable sometimes."

Lefty: "Perhaps you're right. But I do wish he wouldn't come over so often. How are we to get any time with mistress?"

Spot: "Oh Lefty, don't say that. Our mistress is very kind."

Lefty: "Too kind, I think. Just look at her. How could she kiss him with all the drool?"

Spot: "Lefty, would you please stop talking about his drool? You do know you wash yourself with your tongue every night? Now don't you think you have drool all over you whenever mistress kisses you?"

Lefty: "That is different. I'm clean. I get a bath every week. I don't think that fella over there gets any. Just look at his fur, it's filthy."

Spot: "That's because he has been playing."

Lefty: "Stop defending him or I'll tell the mistress about your late night roaming."

Spot: "I'm not defending him, I just think the poor fella needs a bath."

Lefty: "Yes, he does. Quick! Hide! He's coming in."

Spot: "Lefty! There's no reason to hide. This is our house."

Lefty: "Yes, this is our house but if he wants my company, he'll have to take a bath first."

Check out the April A-Z Challenge blog here >

Paper Pollyannas

According to the dictionary, Pollyanna is a person regarded as being foolishly or blindly optimistic or an excessively cheerful or optimistic person. Here is a list of characters I believe are Pollyannas. I'm not sure how the list ended up being all female but I didn't mean to do that, it just happened that way.

01/ Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
I find Anne Shirley to be very optimistic even when she gets into scrapes. She always seems to exude such cheerful energy and you can't help but like her for it.

02/ Matilda Wormwood from Matilda by Roald Dahl & Quentin Blake
Matilda is the very Pollyanna model and she takes her action very seriously. Plus she's extremely smart so she can think up any solutions to any problems.

This is not an actual cover but I like the artwork by Ingvard the Terrible

03/ Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
I think of Pippi as a girl who truly knows how to enjoy being alive. She sees adventure in everything and have such a positive attitude that I'm sure not much would get her down and also she is strong enough to lift a horse so I think she can solve any problems that come along.

Claire Foy as Amy Dorrit in the BBC miniseries

04/ Amy Dorrit from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Amy Dorrit might not seem the most optimistic and I'm sure there are moments where despair gets to her so deeply that she can't think of anything good but she have tried to see the good side of things and I think she's the main reason her family has survived.

'luna' by lb

05/ Luna Lovegood from The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Luna seems to me like the most optimistic person. Perhaps she sees things in her own peculiar way. She is strong, sensitive and sees the good in people and creatures of all types.

06/ Beauty & Grace Tremain from Beast Charming by Jenniffer Wardell
Beauty is a very practical girl and I think she is very good in keeping a positive mind-set just like her sister Grace. They definitely know how to solve problems and enjoy what little life can give them even with such a horrible father.

07/ Princess Amy from The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
Princess Amy may look ordinary but I think she is spunky. She ran way and had an adventure where most of her sister princesses would never thought of it. She sees joy in the little things and doesn't mind working hard to get what she wants and needs.

Check out the April A-Z Challenge blog here >

Onlooker

photo by by Thomas Hawk

Fiction: Onlooker

The angel sits and watches the humans come and go. Always, she have a small inkings of future dreams but none of them lingered long. She has been at this graveyard for quite some years watching the humans. They amuses her with their sobs and speeches and even sometimes touches her enough to almost make her shed tears. But never have any of them make her feel that heart aching rapture that she often heard is what makes human life so poignant.

A while back, the angel had laughed at a gargoyle when he fell and the tip of his nose broke off. She wasn't meant to be seen but the gargoyle caught her wings and pulled her down. She begged for his mercy but he had no heart. He was made of stone. The most terrible grin full of pointed teeth came upon his face. His dead black eyes sparkled. He picked her up and placed her on top of the largest grave stone. Then he flew away with his laughter echoing in the quiet air. She thought it was over. But as she leaned her elbow on her thigh, turned her head to rest on her palm and let out a sigh, a shiver ran all over her body. When she tried to flap her wings, she found she could not. She tried to move her arms and legs but it was hopeless. She had turned to stone. It was a terrible price to pay for such a small laugh. From that day on, she had never laughed again. She just sat and watched the world.

Today, there is a gathering for an old woman. Her family and there are a lot of them, surrounded her casket. But none of them felt any true despair, at least, none toward the old woman. The angel speculates that someone had poisoned the old woman but it is hard to decide which one of her family member is more deceitful as all of them seem rather haughty and snobbish. The old woman is dropped into the ground and everyone left.

But as the angel turns away, though she could only look down a little, she hears a sob. The little boy sits on the grassy ground crying big soppy tears and yet, the angel knows his tears are one of true heartache. At first it only peaks her interest but then as the sobbing continues, a sharp ache pierce her chest. She doesn't know what it is and yet, she is sure it is something human. The little boy is carried away and the angel wishes he would stay a bit longer. A small crack have began at the base of the angel's stone feet but she haven't noticed. She is pondering what makes the boy cry such aching tears.

Check out the April A-Z Challenge blog here >

Newbie Vs. Pro

art by lb

I've been blogging for a long while now so I must have gained some wisdom right? I don't think I'm a pro but I have formed habits that might make me sound like one. Today, I am comparing my newbie-ness versus my pro-ness. Isn't it odd how your opinion change with time?

01/ Comments
As a Newbie : write however you feel even if it offends everyone
As a Pro : carefully thought out your words and then self-edit like crazy

02/ Domains/URLs
As a Newbie : rush to get a domain even though you haven't really thought it out
As a Pro : decide not to use any domain because it's not all that important

03/ Posting Schedule & Content
As a Newbie : post every day even if the post is not at all interesting to anyone or yourself
As a Pro : post whenever you want and whatever you want but carefully construct and write posts

04/ Stats
As a Newbie : check it every other day even though there is no chance of changing
As a Pro : pretty much ignore it completely

05/ Blog Template
As a Newbie : choose a standard template and kept it the same and put in everything and overcrowding it
As a Pro : use a spare template but changes it just about every week

06/ Feeds
As a Newbie : set up feeds and make links for the blog so people can subscribe to them
As a Pro : don't bother with feeds but have set up bloglovin and that's about it

07/ Social Media
As a Newbie : sign up for every media there is and maddeningly update them
As a Pro : deleted accounts like they are nothing and don't sign up for any more

Check out the April A-Z Challenge blog here >

Meeting in the fog and rain

Photo by Hari Roser

Fiction: Meeting in the fog and rain

01
Mary catches a few rounds of giggles before they subsided. Under the dark sky and in the fog and rain, she winds gingerly around blurred shadows and black umbrellas and all the while, her arms hold onto the bundle of packages and envelopes wrapped in a large cotton scarf. The curved handle of her unopened, half-torn umbrella hangs on the corner of her coat pocket. That very morning, after the fog settled in, her aunt has sent Mary out to the mail office. Mary hasn't really wanted to go as she had been weeding the garden all day yesterday and could hardly move. But as she walks, the rain soaks her in a dewy coat and she imagines herself a fresh rose. She shifts the bundle every so often to keep herself balance. Two ladies walk pass her with one of them carrying such a large umbrella, it cause Mary to lean back a little. A chortle comes near her and it makes her wonder what they are laughing at. Three boys runs in front of her and the last one steps on her foot. She shakes her foot a little to ease the ache but before she could straighten herself out, some force push against her and make her fall backward. The bundle flies out her of her hands, her umbrella drops away and her back hits the ground. She blinks to adjust her vision but then she is pulled to her feet. The young man apologizes again and again as he picks up the packages and envelopes. The bundle is tied and back in her arms before she has time to think. He apologizes again and then pushes the handle of an umbrella into her hand. She tries to suppress a laugh. The young man has such an awestruck look on his face. His grey-green eyes gaze back at hers. Then she realizes she is staring and she turns timidly away. 

02
Jem tries to suppress a laugh but it escaped him. His friend Freddy is teasing Jem again about how clean and proper Jem dresses. His aunt always ironed his clothes so well. But Jem likes it. He have always felt more like a gentleman when he is properly dressed. Freddy again knocks against Jem's shoulders and Jem, unable to keep his feet on the ground, tries unsuccessfully to grab onto something before he falls on top of some poor soul. People quickly walks off as if none of it is their business. Jem quickly pulls himself up and apologizes and picks the girl up by her arms. He apologizes to her again as he picks up her piles of white envelopes and brown packages and wraps them back into the scarf and places the bundle back into her arms. That is when he really saw her. The girl have a heart-shaped face, a short thin nose, light blue almond-shaped eyes and all framed by loose strands of red-gold hair. She hardly twitches her pale lips. He finds himself involuntarily smiling at her. How bright her hair is among all the shades of gray. Even her pale skin appears translucent. Then, noticing her umbrella laying on the ground with a piece torn apart, he picks up his unopened umbrella and places the handle in her hand. There is a slight amusement in her eyes. Freddy tucks at Jem's arm and says, "We must go. The ladies are waiting." Jem wants to stay and talk to the girl but Freddy begins to pull Jem away. Jem turns to have one last look. The girl stares at him for a bit and then she is lost among the crowd. Jem sighs. He wishes she would have not gone so soon.  

03
The watcher smiles as she flicks her fingers and an envelope disappears from view among the piles on the ground. The young man gathers the envelopes and wraps them and the two packages back into the scarf. He is agile and moves with such quiet grace. The young lady stands all pale with sparkling eyes. The watcher's lips quirk up at the corners. Those two are made for each other. She just know it. She have never been wrong. There was that one time but he was pretending to be a gentleman and she and everyone else had been fooled. But she will not make that mistake again. The young man is an honest fellow and this young lady deserves someone as kind as he. The watcher sighs at the pair of them. Why do humans act with such good manners at times like these? It irks her quick heart for she have no patience for slowness. She is glad for those blasted letters. If she have been able to interfere further, those two might not have taken so long to meet. There goes the young lady. Why does she not stay for a minute? Why does he allow his friend to drag him away when he really wants to stay? Humans are such fastidious creatures. Ah, but at last, they have met and she have advanced the first step. When he comes back, he will find the envelope with her aunt's return address and hopefully, he will know what to do. If not, she will just have to put the idea into his muddy head. She watches the pair walk in separate directions and sighs again at the absurdity of humanity.

Check out the April A-Z Challenge blog here >