Guest Post: The Disaster

     This is a first for me so a big HUZZAH for the first guest post here.  The author is quite serious about this "using the imagination" thingy and since this blog was started because of her, I feel an obligation to provide her a format whenever it tickles her fancy.  I was quite surprised to find this waiting for me when I got home last night and have transcribed it here.  Minus the auto correct, I will advise I have made no corrections for syntax, punctuation, etc. because, well, that just wouldn't be right.  In case you haven't read her bio, the author is 10.

Enjoy!

The Disaster

I live on Cemetery Dr. It’s not the ideal place to live for a 10 year old girl. My street, I am the only kid on the street, the rest of the houses are abandoned it’s only me and my brother. My mom and dad are in the airforce we try and video chat with them every night, but something has been happening lately. They haven’t been video chatting with us but the sergeant has, he has been saying there are strange figures coming out of the mist and they are hovering figures over them and soldiers have been disappearing. He says our parents are still at the base but are very sick, and the sick soldiers have been the ones disappearing. He says blue lights have been coming from the mist and paralyzing the soldiers when they are well and they get sick, very sick. When I heard the news I started crying after we heard about mom and dad. Strange figures out of the mist started happening here in California, along with earthquakes, tornados and tsunamis, and this doesn’t make sense, SNOW. Strange figures, strange weather, what is happening to the world? I heard a “crash” slammed the window. “JASON,” I screamed. Jason came running into the room “What is that?” screamed Jason. “How am I supposed to know?” I exclaimed. He got shot with blue light from the strange figure. “I don’t know how to take care of you,” I said with tears running down my face. So I turned on the TV and tried to find any information but the TV wasn’t working now. The next thing you know, the computer isn’t working so I never find out what condition my parents are in. 5 years later, my dad walks through the door along with a broken arm and leg, with a crutch and says “I’m here.”

The End

Little Monkey Keeps Growing

Little Monkey has been gone for the weekend and despite getting her back tomorrow, I still miss her like crazy. If you weren't here for the start of the blog, this is the story here. I penned a few, number two is here, so in honor of her, I figured I would post number three.

Mango Tango teaches Dance

In a very hot place, in a very tiny house, the ruler of frogs, toads and all creatures that hop, was sticking her toes in the pond. The day seemed to be dragging, getting hotter and hotter every minute, so heading to the water was the only thing to do to cool off. Emma Delaney hiked up her fairy dress and started to wade in when she heard a big splash. She looked up to see Mango, dancer dog extraordinaire, swimming towards her.

“Hello Mango Tango. How are you today?”

“Very hot, Princess Emma. This weather can make me most disagreeable.” Mango climbed onto the shore on Emma’s side of the pond and shook furiously to get rid of every last water droplet.

Emma climbed out of the pond. “That is a pretty cool trick Miss Mango. I wish I was a dancer dog so I could do that too.”

Mango laughed. “You don’t have to be a dancer dog to shake, you just have to be all loosey goosey like this.” Mango stood on her back legs and did a hula for the Princess.

“That’s funny. Let me try.” Emma then imitated the hula, all the way down to the wagging tail. Mango dropped down to all fours because she was laughing so hard.

“I think that is pretty good, Emma Delaney. I am headed back to my studio to pick out music for my next class, would you like to come with me and help? I keep the air conditioning down really low so it’s nice and chilly. I am here only for a bit of exercise, I swim to keep my dancer’s legs.” Mango stretched out one of her big yellow legs to show off the muscles.

“I would love to join you Miss Mango. It is awfully hot out today.”

The pair walked up the hill to the little blue house with daisies out front. It had round windows and a stone path and seemed altogether like a lovely place to live. Emma followed Mango Tango to the front porch and into the hall.

“Here is my studio.” Mango pointed with her paw to the right. “If you would like to go and get started, I will go get us some lemonade.”

“Yummy, I love lemonade.”

Emma opened the studio door. It was a big room with mirrors on the wall, a bar along one side and a wooden floor. There were stacks and stacks of music to look through so Emma sat down by one pile and started rummaging through. In her house, her mom, Queen of the Universe, loved music and played it all the time. There was always laughing, giggling and dancing which made her house altogether a lovely place to live.

“Here you go little one.” Mango returned carrying a tray of treats, lemonade and a vase with a sweet pea blossom.

“This is a lovely tray Mango. I was just having tea with Old Toad the other day and he is rather fond of sweet peas too.”

“Well, Miss Emma, I rather hope they helped him smell a bit better.”

Emma smiled and then told Mango Tango about the really great idea Miss Halloween, Queen of all Actual Cats had.

“My! That is a great idea! I may have to come by and visit Toad myself now, it has been a long time. Have you found any music you like?”

“I think I like them all, that’s the problem.”

“Well, let’s start playing things and see where we end up, okay. Why don’t you look in the trunk over there and find the perfect tutu for a Princess.”

Emma ran to the trunk. This is so exciting! She stopped a moment staring at all the candy colored creations…what was the perfect tutu for a Princess? She moved the around until she saw it, at the very bottom. Pink, green, ribbon and beads, it was the prettiest thing she had ever seen. She quickly tied it around her waist and hurried back to Mango’s side.

“Okay, let’s get started.” Mango reached over and pushed a disc into the player.

‘it’s a beautiful night to be here…’

Emma recognized the song. “I know that song, it’s my mothers favorite song.”

“Well the Queen obviously has good taste in music. This is a possibility; we will put it on our list. I will be teaching a modern dance class so something a little peppy and a little rock and roll would be good.”

“Oh I know!” Emma grabbed a disc and put it in the player.

‘where would we be if we couldn’t dream’

The song played and Mango Tango tapped a paw. “This is a good idea Emma.” She turned up the sound and began to leap around the room, doing twirls and twists in between. Emma clapped and tapped and giggled too.

“Come on Princess, dance! Just do what the music makes you feel like doing.”

Emma joined Mango Tango, mimicking her twirls, trying her leaps and laughing loudly. They shimmied, slid, ran and bounced. Mango called out the names of movements but Emma was having way too much fun to hear any thing she said. She listened to the music, danced and spun, leapt and glided across the floor. When the music ended, they both fell on the floor in one tired heap of fun.

“Oh Miss Mango, that is the most fun I have had all day I think. It was so hot out and I was so bored, I didn’t know being inside could be so fun!”

“Well little one, you are welcomed to dance here any time. Would you like to keep your tutu for dancing at your house?”

“Oh could I?” Emma sat up and looked at the very tired, big, yellow dancing dog.

“Certainly you may, ruler of frogs, toads and all creatures that hop. I think you even became a better hopper today than you were yesterday!”

“You are right! I never though hopping could be so much fun. Now I have a few things to show Miss Kiwi, the silliest hopper in the kingdom.” Emma was excited to learn something new and couldn’t wait to share with her other friends.

“That will be funny, please take pictures. You will need to bring Kiwi here sometime and let her pick out the perfect tutu for a silly hopper.”

“Oh that is a great idea! Thank you again Miss Mango. I can’t wait to show my mother what I learned too.” Emma was jumping up and down, apparently becoming a hopper in her own right now.

“Please give my regards to the Queen, Miss Emma. I am going to get ready for my class now. Have fun dancing at your house.”

Emma jumped up and down more. “I will, I always do! Bye Mango!”

So the Princess of frogs, toads and all creatures that hop ran out of the little blue house with daisies, in a pink and green flash, down the stone path, turned at the bent old tree, and ran down the lane to the tiny house, in a very hot place. Eager to teach everyone what she knew, she turned up the music and told everyone in her kingdom that staying inside on a very hot day can be a good idea with the right tutu.

The End

Princess of Frogs, Toads and all creatures that Hop

so this week was unbearable and then the car wouldnt start going home, causing me to miss little monkeys dance recital. she was more worried about me, than her dancing so i felt even worse. a good friend suggested i write a story for her, so, without further adieu, here ya go...

In a very hot place, in a very tiny house, there lived a princess. She spent days making magic, art and music and playing with creatures big and small. The Princess was known as Emma Delaney, ruler of all frogs, toads and creatures that hop. A pretty girl, Emma had curly hair and blue eyes and understood the importance of glue sticks and glitter. Emma liked things that were green, not because she really liked green, but because in her kingdom, she knew the frogs would be offended if she didn't. When she traveled, she took her favorite creature, Kiwi (named for a fuzzy brown fruit that was green in the middle). Kiwi liked to hop. Kiwi sometimes got out of hand, hopping and hopping, higher than Emma's head.

"Kiwi, you are a silly hopper." She said.

"Emma, you are a silly girl." Kiwi told her.

"I think that you should teach me to hop as much as you." Emma said to Kiwi one afternoon over gingerbread and punch.

"It's all about the shoes, really." Kiwi lifted one of her four legs to display for Emma her sequin covered shoes.

"Those are some nice shoes there Kiwi. Where in the kingdom did you find them?"

"I got them from Old Toad. He wanted the cheese and bread I was carrying home one day. It seemed like a good idea until I got hungry later." Kiwi picked up another piece of gingerbread and gobbled it down.

Now Emma was known as ruler of all frogs, toads and creatures that hop, but the truth is, she really wasn't fond of toads. They farted a lot and had bad breath, which according to her mom, the Queen of the Universe, were not very good manners. She really wanted some good hopping shoes but wasn't sure it was worth it to have to pay a visit to Old Toad who lived in the hall closet.

"Kiwi, can you show me how to hop like you? Maybe I am a good hopper and I don't know it? Maybe I don't NEED those hopping shoes?"

Drinking her fourth cup of punch, Kiwi stopped briefly to wipe the bits of gingerbread off her mouth. "Yes, Emma Delaney, let's have a hopping lesson. Would you like to change out of your beautiful fairy dress before we begin?"

Emma looked down at her dress. It was a pretty dress, this was for sure. It had been given to her by her fairy friend, Destiny Michelle. Destiny would understand the importance of good hopping and she did look smashing.

"I think the dress will HELP my hopping. Let's go!"

Kiwi and Emma ran from the tiny house down the lane and turned right by the bent old tree and headed down the hill to the meadow in the forest. Once they got to flat open grass, Kiwi became very serious. Emma giggled because she thought it was funny that Kiwi was her teacher. Kiwi burps a lot which might be okay in some kingdoms, but was generally discouraged in this one…unless of course you could burp the alphabet, in which case there was a trophy to earn.

"Okay, Miss Emma Delaney, put your feet like this." Emma copied Kiwi's movements, giggling still because she thought Kiwi should have on glasses and a ruler.

"Now put your hands on your waist and bend a little at the knees. Hold your mouth like this."
Emma was laughing so hard, she felt like she was going to fall over and get mud on the pretty fairy dress.

"Kiwi, I can't make my face look like that! That's goofy."

Kiwi stood straight up. "Little girl, do you want me to teach you or not?" She was very serious now.

"I'm sorry, okay, feet like this, hands here, knees bent, face like this." This time, it was Kiwi to laugh so hard she started rolling around on the ground.

"Okay Emma," she said, "That IS goofy, skip that part."

They got into position minus goofy faces and Kiwi started to count.

"One, two, and on three Emma, push everything in your body up to the sky. Okay, one, two, THREE."

Emma and Kiwi hopped high, above the grass, above the bushes, up as high as some of the trees could go. When they came down, they landed upside down, in the mud but laughing still.

"That was AWESOME Kiwi."

"You are a mighty good hopper Emma Delaney, ruler of frogs, toads and all creatures that hop. And you didn't even need the fancy shoes." Kiwi was now on her back, sticking all four sequined feet in the air.

"That was a close one Kiwi. I'm glad Old Toad loves his house in the hall, but I didn't want to have to go by there since it's well, smelly."

"Me either, Emma. He would talk me out of more food and I just don't like that. Speaking of which, can we go back and see if there is any punch left? I would really like some to wash down more gingerbread with."

"Of course Kiwi. I always have more gingerbread and punch for you."

So the Princess of frogs, toads and creatures that hop, walked out of the meadow, back up the hill, onto the lane and down to the tiny house and shared more tasty treats with her favorite hopping friend.

The End