giraffe

No problem. I have to spend a week in K.C. and I will definitely contribute. I'm an addict. As far as the length and the words, I've loved this TW. I wonder if a 368 word limit may have gotten more response with 15 manditory words? Watch 'em surprise you with last minute entries.

midnightpoet

Doug, I swear I haven't "run out on you"!

I've got ideas bouncing around in my head...but I can't write for fun until I get the writing I need to do for school done...right now I'm writing a recommendation memo for a collaborative project in Tech Writing...considering making it a thinkwrite exercise and slipping in the word list

Dragon

I am trying to get another one in, I've just been really busy. There's just so much hockey, curling and speed skating to follow right now!

marius

Company went home and then a nasty illness found marius, but ahhhh, on the mend nicely now. So ... stories ...

giraffe:
Political Blogger ... that was fun and interesting. Love Doug's take, easiest way is not to play at all. Made me think of other situations in history where the one who makes sense is the one who is taken out of the picture. : )

Doug:
M*A*S*H* and The Bagger ... um ... here's something curiously creepy. When things got really bad at home when I was a kid and even a teenager, I'd cover my ears with my hands and sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" over and over. It's actually a very good song to block out the frenzied rantings of mentally ill parents. That's probably TMI, but hey, you wrote the story! Gotta tell you, after I read your stories I cried. Yeah, you'd think fifteen years of therapy would cure it all, but it's a process. If I told my alternative med doctor how your latest creep factors affected me, she would laugh and say, "This is GREAT! You are being invited to come to peace with the feelings his stories are bringing up. You should thank him." So, I thank you Doug, although really, if you're going to be providing therapy you should at least post an announcement. (LOL as I wrote that last sentence.)

midnightpoet:
Thought your 'scream in my sleep,' story did a great job of setting what I'd call a "Dark Night of the Soul" tone. Also liked the question at the end and agree with giraffe's thought that such times do end. When I was going through a time that felt rather like your story, I was given a quote from Shakespeare's, "As You Like It." Put it on my refrigerator and all my friends were copying it when they saw it there. Here it is:

Here we feel but the penalty of Adam,
The season's difference as the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind,
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body,
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say,
'This is no flattery: these are counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what I am.'
Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head,
And this our life exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
Sermons in stone and good in everything.
I would not change it.

giraffe:
The Psychic, enjoyed it and curious what the inspiration was, if you care to share. ; )

marius

Doug, stories are not growing right now, but here's something that came up. It ignores word count and word list, but I can live with that. (giggle)


ThinkWrite is like a River

I used to live by a river, more of a little creek than river, but still of the same 'genus.' Curiously, it was named Rush Creek. It was a lovely slice of heaven, part of it protected by our state conservation department. Most of the year it strolled along at a leisurely pace, whispering quietly as it passed you by. In summer there'd be days where it seemed to fall into a deep slumber and then you could hop all over the rocky bottom because the creek would sort itself out into tiny pools of life with only the smallest slivers of water hinting that they might move from one pool to the next ... sometime soon. One Autumn, we had six inches of rain in two days, and then two more inches the next day. That was when I learned why they called it Rush Creek. There were eight foot waves in this creek, the one I could easily cross on a few stepping stones! The waters crested twenty feet above normal and flooded out into the fields for a good quarter of a mile.

I loved that creek no matter how it was: fast and furious, a bit chatty, quietly whispering, or even taking a long summer nap. I'm new to ThinkWrite, but am thinking TW has the nature of a river and with each new season (torch bearer and word list) the river is going to speak and behave a little differently, but however it does, it's all lovely and perfect in its own way. : )

Dragon

marius, that was beautiful. You certainly have a way with words.

Dragon

Okay, I did manage to get another one in. Not very dark at all so marius can read it without fear (hehehe).

368 words not including the title.


The Story of the Fire Who Loved the Trees

The Grandfathers tell us of a time long past when the world had not yet found balance. Many spirits walked the earth, some in collusion with others, some all alone. I will tell you the story of Helek’adan.

Helek’adan was a fire spirit. He roamed the world alone for he brought pain to many though he did not seek to. Helek’adan knew that others had a phobia of him. They blamed him when their home burned or when the wild fires came but did not thank him when he lit their candles at night or warmed their hearths in the cruel winter. They called him destructor and cried when they saw him. And so Helek’adan was always moving on, always solitary.

One day as Helek’adan was wandering he saw Alera’Jink, a woodland spirit. Alera’Jink was dancing in the light of the silver moon in a clearing in the tall tall trees. She was so beautiful and graceful that Helek’adan fell in love with her instantly. He watched as she glided into the fibrous trees but dared not follow in fear of hurting her or the forest she so loved and protected. Helek’adan felt a serious depression now, he had never felt so alone. He lingered by the tall tall trees for many months, watching Alera’Jink and longing to be near her, but he had never had an easy way with words and had always known that others saw him as strange, obtuse and frightening. He feared that she would hate him and send him away so he watched from afar.

One day a wolf came to Helek’adan and sat with him as he watched Alera’Jink dance. Helek’adan found himself telling the wolf of his troubles and was surprised when the wolf did not scorn him. Wolf considered Helek’adan’s problem and finally said, “Perhaps your passion is too hot, you need a great water to quench it. Over the hills is the wide wide ocean. It is a great water.”

So Helek’adan travelled to the wide wide ocean. He stepped into the water and felt his passion being quenched and a great steam rose, Helek’adan became a wide fog and he was finally able to embrace his beloved Alera’Jink.

giraffe

Marius. Dragon's 'Where Meditation Leads' hit a nerve because I have actually worked as a telephone psychic/Tarot/astrol. One fear of mine was "What if someone misinterprets something I say or selectively chooses some words to validate some evil scheme they have? lol, oops

giraffe

Dragon, Is that a true piece of mythology, folk lore? It's a great story.

Dragon

Completely out of my own head. I did try to get a feel of being told a story by a native elder.

marius

Dragon, I did think it sounded like a story a native elder would tell. Very nice! Love it!

giraffe, what a colorful job that must have been. Have always wondered, is there a requirement to have some psychic talent? I had my palms read once and the gal said odd things that were true: "You are in a marraige that is not making you happy." Then she turned my palms over to 'read my fingernails' and seriously, she gasped. She said, "You never wear nail polish! When did you do this?" My girlfriends were shocked because the night before they'd convinced me to let them do my nails. It was a first for me. (and pretty much a last too)

giraffe

Dragon. It reminded me of a legend I heard about an Indian princess who's lover (a mere brave) was killed by the prince who she should marry. She cried so long her tears created a lake. The prince, in anger, turned the whole lake to stone. To retaliate, the dead brave sent a bolt of lightning that broke up the stone lake and that scattered the pieces all over the land. And that's where turquoise comes from.

giraffe

Marius. It depends. Some places will hire you right off the street and some require extensive testing. I've done both. It's always been a hobby of mine and I'm sure glad it was there when I was desparate for a job. That's "parking space magic". lol

ladyhwin

The Minds of Chocolate - 368 words w/out title
As the coconut flakes and confectioners’s sugar combined, a growing suspicion also began to form. As the chocolate-coated shapes evolved, a conspiracy began and then was quickly cut short by a sudden extreme cold.
Etahn, a well-formed bon-bon struggled to keep himself alert. He had been taught well. The cold was the way monsters made their victims lethargic, so providing a quick snack. There was no telling what horrors awaited them; forced to jink, jump and panic.
Ethan shivered, an extreme phobia beginning to set in. He fought against the temperature until he remembered a tiny match he had seen nearby. It didn’t take him long to melt a small area of chocolate on his face, then wake the twenty-odd others and get everyone marching in perfect balance.
“Up, all my fellow sweets! Overcome your urge to sleep. The monsters are in collusion together; let us make our own plots!”
Cheers greeted these words and a hearty. “Spoken like a true bon-bon, Ethan!”
But at this moment the ground began to shake and this first courage abandoned the sweets.
Ethan sighed. “Come along, you obtuse bon-bons! Pull yourselves together! Who said it would be easy!!”
The sky began to tremble and suddenly it was gone and a soldier was snatched up by a monster.
And then all the stiff, unsuspecting chunks of sugar were cruelly stabbed with weapons of the cruelest kind. Toothpicks descended on the poor things, slicing through their inner coconut regions.
Even Ethan’s courage shook, but he shouted out his order. “Serious danger! Sprout wings and fly!”
Instantly little fibrous coconut wings sprouted from the bon-bon’s backs and they took off, using the flaps on their toothpicks as rudders.
Ethan was proud… until he saw a few of his men fly too high and stick to the heightened sky or plunge to their deaths.
Not long after, the going became hard and the bon-bon captain began to give up hope. After all, where could he go?
Finally in a last attempt at bravado, Ethan yelled out a desperate command. All the remaining bon-bons turned themselves upside down so that their toothpicks would stab whatever they hit and fell the long way to a suicidal death.

Qsilv

...eyes wide... wider... ROFL.... ladyhwin that is one of the most original approaches I've seen in ages! Kudos!!

marius

ladyhwin, agreement with Qsilv! That was a fun read and very creative!

And adored this part:
“Serious danger! Sprout wings and fly!" Instantly little fibrous coconut wings sprouted from the bon-bon’s backs and they took off, using the flaps on their toothpicks as rudders.

Doug

marius: I couldn't let this ThinkWrite edition expire without a comment on your "ThinkWrite is like a river". It was beautiful and a great commentary on ThinkWrite. I think you hit the proverbial nail on the head on that one and I hope you continue to feel that way.

Doug

marius: We can schedule a therapy session anytime you like. I seem to have this "bent" for writing spontaneous "creep factor" stories. I too have my own "demons" that I'm working on extinguishing. I've never been a dare-devil or evil person in life, but I do enjoy reading, writing and watchin movies of everything scary. I'll make a promise now that the next time you are the torchbearer I will not write one "creep factor" story. (Is he crossing his fingers?) Anyway have loved your comments on all the stories and your wonderful insight.

Doug

The time has come. It is time to pass the torch. I want to thank all of you for your great stories and wonderful analysis and comments.

A few comments:

marg: you question of balance was wonderfully written. I felt like I was not only there to witness the falling, but could feel what the character felt from the time he descended until that cable was tearing at his flesh.

giraffe: Always great stories and I'm sorry you have bowed out of this edition.

midnight: Bravo, but being the former torchbearer I couldn't possibly give it back unless it was impossible not to.....and I think I've found just the right one.

dragon: The meditation story was right up my alley. Started off developing a calm character and evolved into a sinister murder.

But the person who inspired me the most in this ThinkWrite was ladyhwin. What a marvelously funny story! Bon-bons revolting....what a riot so to speak. It was very well written and just funny as all get out. So to you I pass the torch. Good luck!

marius

Doug, thanks for kind words, but tee hee, not sure a scheduled therapy session is required. Seems all marius needs to do is read a story. LOL!

Congratulations ladyhwin! Most deserving torchbearer! Have fun leading the next round of TW!