The Abby Report

Hi guys! I just got back from a two week long vacation, the first week was with my mother, and the second week with my dad. This story is kind of disgusting, so *READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*

It was Saturday, July 17th (second week). At 2 p.m., we left the lake house in Hiawassee, Georgia, that we were staying at with family and began driving toward Louisville, Kentucky. Dad had booked a hotel there.

It’s a six and a half hour drive, so we thought we were going to be there at around 9. 

Then it started raining on the drive and slowed us down. We also had to stop for gas a few times, and then Cracker Barrel for dinner. 

By the time we’d finally reached the hotel, it was 11:30 at night. Chase and I were exhausted and couldn’t wait to sleep.

It was dark, and the parking lot had a few sketchy people mingling around. I glanced up at the hotel and felt a weird vibe. It sort of looked like the set from a cheesy horror film. Very sketchy. It was the Louisville DaysInn. DO NOT STAY THERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! 

Dad went to check in and came back with the room keys, and Natalie, my stepmom, began getting things out of the car. We carried our suitcases up the stairs and opened the door. The room was a sickly yellow with yellowish bedspreads on the two beds. We dropped our stuff and shut the blinds. 

Me and my sister put on our pajamas and I went to the bathroom. The toilet just looked wrong, and a bunch of paint was chipped off of the door and doorframe on the inside, and there were strands of hair stuck to the door and wall. Nasty.

I did my business and got out of there. I sat down on the bed me and Chase were going to share. 

Then I noticed black stains on the bedspread. I rubbed one and asked Natalie “Are these cigarette burns?” 

Natalie nodded. “Just take the comforter off, there’s a blanket underneath.” 

I pulled off the yellow comforter and discovered at least ten cigarette holes on the blanket underneath. At that point, my sister was coughing. The room smelled acrid, like someone was smoking all night. 

The carpet and beds were covered in cigarette burns, and Chase couldn’t breath well. Dad looked uncomfortable and said “Sometimes we have to stay in bad hotels. We can leave in the morning.” 

Natalie had pulled out her phone and her face became more and more troubled with every minute. I sat on the bed cautiously. 

Dad had gone to get his mouthpiece from the car and came back, and then Natalie said “Okay, we need to leave. There’s more than thirty reviews that mention bedbugs.” 

Chase widened her eyes and whimpered. “Bedbugs?” At the same time, I leapt off the bed and began zipping up the suitcase and picking up bags from the floor. 

Dad’s eyes got big. “Let’s get out of here.” 

I was freaking out, but I couldn’t let on. I was literally in my oversized red Gryffindor shirt and plaid PJ shorts that I got in the “boys” section at Target. (Shh…Don’t tell!) I threw my sister the shorts I had worn that day since Chase was in her nightgown. We didn’t have time to change, so we hurried out of the room. Natalie went to cancel the room, and I glanced cautiously around the parking lot. It seemed a lot scarier now. 

We hightailed it out of there and found a hotel in Indianapolis. Natalie had to call like twenty hotels, because of some sporting event. We arrived there at 2:30 a.m. The new hotel, which was a Beymont, was FINE!! We crashed and left the next morning at 11:15 a.m.

We were traveling for twelve hours, and still had to drive a few more hours to Chicago the next morning!! Now I’m going to give the basic idea of some reviews. I give it 0/5 stars. 

“We were given the wrong room key, and there were unattended babies in that room! When we were finally put in the right room, there was bloodstains on the bed, and the drain was clogged.” 

“There were rumors of people crawling into the ceiling vents and passing into other rooms. Disgusting hotel!” 

“Creepy person standing outside near our room in the middle of the night. Police activity, fighting, and drugs.” 

I’m never stepping another foot in Louisville! Sorry, no more of my future riches. And DaysInn is losing my business. That was disgusting! I’ve never heard my dad say this before, but he said “I was horrified.” 

NEVER STAY THERE LOL

Have a good day! Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite! 😉

“The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.” -John Green

Hey GUYS!!! Today my post is 10 things you may not know about me! I got the feeling that most of my posts were *ahem* iNpErSoNaL so I wanted to fix that by talking about YOURS TRULY!

So here we go: 10 things you MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME!

1. I have been to every country in North America! I know, I know, there’s only three countries, but still! So obviously, I live in the U.S, in Chicago, but I went to Niagara Falls(Canada side) in January 2020. I also went to Mexico in the summer of 2019. SO I’VE BEEN EVERYWHERE IN NORTH AMERICA! 😀
2. I read everything under the sun! So half of my room is covered in books. I am not kidding. Some books I have read are: The Westing Game; The Mortal Instruments; The Hunger Games; The Hobbit; Matilda. That’s like 1/200 of what I’ve read. IF it’s that much.
3. I got my first dose of the Covid shot on Friday, May 14th. Yes, I have gotten my first dose! I am 12, so I was eligible. I think everyone that is able to should get it because we can get herd immunity, and we can all be safe!
4. I am working on about 10+ stories right now. I always have lots of new ideas, and my stories are a lot of different genres. My two main stories are fantasy, but I have some fanfiction, contemporary, mystery, the like.
5. My favorite meal is these pork chops I make with mashed potatoes. I looooove these pork chops. Especially when it is the Good & Gather kind from Target. They’re so BEAUTIFUL and they are so yummy.
6. I play video games a lot. My favorites are Minecraft and Roblox. I like to play Roblox with my two friends Angelina and Elizabeth. And I play Minecraft with my other two friends Edward and Cooper.
7. I can shoot a bow and arrow. I am an archer. Last time I went shooting, I got three bulls eyes, and I wasn’t even using my usual bow that I learned with. The bow that I usually use at the shooting range is named Arjuna, which is totally cool.
8. I can speak Spanish. Lately, my Spanish has been suffering, but I want to save it, and in Roblox I was having a conversation in Spanish with a confused player in my favorite game, Flicker. It helped a lot and now I play a game with myself to help me with my Spanish. And it helps me sleep.
9. I hope to get novels published. I really want to be a writer and novelist, and I think I have a fair shot at life.
10. My favorite song is “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police. I really like this song, and though it’s kind of creepy, it has a nice tune and it’s a good song.

Thanks for reading, have a good day!

“Only the paranoid survive.” -Andy Grove

Hey friends!!! I hope you all had an amazing week! Today my post is going to be another book review, but I’m hoping to post a poem or essay sometime soon. The book I’m doing today is my all-time favorite book, The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. The first one. Anyone who calls Catching Fire and Mockingjay “Hunger Games #2” and “#3” has lost my respect reading wise.

Next post I’ll do the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, because it’s controversial in the reading world, and I want to settle my opinion. Of course I pre ordered it 11 months early and read it in 3 hours, though.😆(If this is interesting to people, I’ll do the rest in the trilogy later on)

Okay, I give it 4.5 stars. But before I explain why, I’ll give you a summary.

The Hunger Games is set in Panem, a country that exist over the fallen United States. After a terrible time, Panem emerged, a “shining capitol ringed by thirteen districts”. (don’t ask me how I remembered, I’ve read that book 15+ times).

Then there was a bloody war, and District 13 was nuked into nonexistence. As a reminder to the other districts after the war, the oppressive district in charge, the Capitol, established The Hunger Games. Annually, 2 children ages 12-18, a boy and a girl, are chosen from each of the 12 districts. The 24 children are locked in an arena for a fight to the death, until a lone victor emerges.

This story starts with a 16 year old girl from District 12, the poorest district, Katniss Everdeen attends the reaping for the 74th Hunger Games. Her 12 year old sister, Primrose, is chosen, and she volunteers in her sister’s place, since she can use a bow and is older. And a boy her age named Peeta Mellark is chosen. How will this play out?

So now that you know the synopsis, let me explain why I give it 4.5 stars.

The book is BEAUTIFUL. It is written perfectly. There is a perfect amount of suspense, romance, sadness, and hope. The book has a great female heroine, Katniss Everdeen, and it’s just so good. I was covertly reading it for the first time in my 5th grade class and finished it within hours. Even after reading it so many times and loving it for so long, I still remain a true fan.

But, just because I’m a fan doesn’t mean that I’ll let it cloud my critique skills. The ending is incomplete and doesn’t answer any questions. I know Mrs. Collins wrote 2 more books, but at the time she published it, that wasn’t the plan.

That’s really my only complaint.

I love this book so much and I 100% recommend. It’s the best book I’ve ever read and you won’t be able to put it down.

Well done Suzanne! You deserve every penny of the sales! 😀

Here’s my quote: “You never forget the face of the person who was your last hope.” -Suzanne Collins. (yep, it’s a hunger games quote. :P)

Have a great day, and buy The Hunger Games!

Hello everyone! So I’m going to take a break from writing a story every week, and I’ll do book reviews instead. So today the book I’ll be doing is called “The Thing About Leftovers” by C.C. Payne.

The rating I give it is 3/5 stars. But before I explain why, I’ll give you a summary.

This book is about a young girl named Fizzy Russo who likes to cook. Her parents got divorced in the past year, and her dad married a woman named Suzanne. Fizzy doesn’t like her because she thinks that Suzanne is perfect.

Meanwhile, Fizzy’s mother is dating a man named Keene. When it is discovered that her mother will marry Keene, Fizzy feels betrayed.

At school, she doesn’t have any friends until she meets a girl. They become friends and then Fizzy also meets a boy named Zach. Together they become a close-knit trio.

Fizzy likes to cook, like I said, and she enters a cooking contest. The rest you’ll have to read to find out.

The reason I give it 3 stars is next. First, Fizzy’s character is very relatable. She is a normal kid living her life and her account of being a divorced kid is so true. She also has a tendency to overthink things and makes a big deal out of something small, but bottles up these emotions. She’s convinced that she is the “leftover” product of her parent’s failed marriage and isn’t loved.

Second, the other characters are realistic and the book is well-written. It seems like it is written from a 12 year old girl’s account, in a good way. The character developments are perfectly crafted and I was interested the whole way through.

So you may ask, why did I only give it a 3/5?

It’s simple. What did I not mention? The ending.

The ending was a bit iffy for me. It seemed like all of Fizzy’s problems were miraculously fixed in the span of 2 weeks. While some of these may have been fixed easily, such as her getting karate lessons, but others seem like they should take longer to fix up. But I don’t want to spoil.

And in the span of half a chapter, Fizzy goes from being a sad, lonely, confused, witty 12 year old to this preppy, chipper, speaking in exclamation points only, yoga instructor-type person. It doesn’t suit her age and how the story played out until that point. And she becomes a 12 year old Dr. Phil, spouting wisdom that someone twice her age would take months trying to figure out and she understands it in about a week or two.

Otherwise, a good book. Maybe get it at the library, it seems like a one time read.

Hope you enjoyed the book review! Here’s the quote: “Not all who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien.

Have a wonderful day!

Hello friends! Today I have a post about a new non-profit organization me and my sister Chase started. It’s called Girls Against Food Waste and is working to help stop food waste. If you want to check it out, click the link!

Well, anyway, I hope you all have had a GREAT day and will have a great week!

Seeya!

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while! I’ve been busy…

You guys know where to find the link…

And without further ado, let’s get into the story, called “2 weeks”

Author’s note: Contains suicidal thoughts

I sit in my room, rubbing my temples. I look around, sighing. The room is nicely decorated. Dark green bedspread; matching rug. Nice paintings. Dresser. Desk.

The sky outside is partly shielded by the green curtains I put up 2 years ago. A discarded surgeon’s mask lies in the garbage can I haven’t emptied in months. I haven’t talked to a human being in weeks.

Almost a year ago, when I should have been getting ready to get drunk with my friends, everything shut down. I remember texting my friends, us making plans to meet 2 weeks later. 

I scoff out loud. Those group chats lie untouched. It’s not that we aren’t friends anymore, we are. It’s the ghosts. The memories. The pain. The bills. 

I remember when we thought it was just 2 weeks. Hah. If only we knew. I don’t know what I’d give to hear Elizabeth’s laugh, or sit thigh to thigh with Becky, her knobby knees clanging with mine. 

College had just ended the year before for us, we were saving up to live together, us all living in tiny studio apartments. 

I hear birds chirping, a forlorn dog. Was I supposed to schedule a telemedicine visit next week? When is next week? Was “next week” actually last week? 3 weeks? A month? I don’t know. 

I stand up. I could check my phone, but I can’t bring myself to. I look at my reflection. When was the last time I showered? Changed my clothes? I don’t remember. “You’re rank.” I say to my reflection. My voice is hoarse and gravelly from lack of use. 

I look again at my red leather pocket knife on my dresser. I’ve thought about it. Too many times. How easy it would be to cut my pearly white wrist, how satisfying to see the bright red blood. To slip away. 

But every time I think about it, Elizabeth’s laugh fills my mind. I wouldn’t want to drag her down the same path. 

I remember, vaguely, waking up, on a day long ago. I remember the trees outside were losing their leaves. They said we had a new president. The news. My mail in ballot sat untouched at my dusty table. I forgot to vote. The election me and my friends were so excited about, so giddy to be included in, wasted. Gone. But not forgotten. 

As I pull out my battered laptop, I watch 3 episodes of a TV show on Netflix. Lately, they help zone me out. I have trouble getting excited by things, having trouble actually watching them, really watching them. 

I can’t remember the date. I used to be excited about Fridays. Now I don’t know. Is it Monday? Tuesday? Saturday? 

There’s nothing I have to do, nothing bringing me places. No social life. 

The days are like a cycle. 

Wake up. If I remember, eat something. Look out the window. Watch Netflix or scroll through Amazon. If I remember, eat lunch. Take a nap. Pop some bubble wrap. Watch more Netflix or scroll through Amazon. If I remember, eat something. If I remember, shower. I always forget to shower. Finally, I then go to sleep. 

And then it repeats.

Like clockwork.

And thus I do not remember the days. 

I sit on my bed and rub my temple again. What is the day? 

I check my phone. March 18th, 2021. It’s been a year in this pandemic.

Suddenly the air is pierced by a scream. “Help! My friend is choking!” is coming from outside. 

I stand up and race outside. Some of my neighbors are sprinting too. A distraught high school girl wearing a red face mask is sobbing over her friend’s limp body. “Sh-She just collapsed!” 

Sure enough, the limp girl is slowly turning blue. 

I dial 911 and say to the high school girl “An ambulance is on the way. Can you check for a pulse?” 

My neighbors are surveying the scene from a distance. 

The girl’s brown eyes are bright and I see tears spilling down her cheeks. I can hear sirens approaching. “Yeah I’ll check for a pulse.” 

The girl places two of her cocoa colored fingers on the inside of her friend’s wrist. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Lillian.” she mumbles soothingly to the unconscious girl. 

“She probably choked on something. Was she chewing gum?” I say. My voice is finally going back to what it was, a musical, pretty thing. I used to sing. 

“I think she was. She always chews 3 pieces at once. She laughed and I guess she-” 

“Why don’t you sing to her?” I say. 

The girl nods and starts to sing a silly nursery rhyme. She sings a verse and says “It’s the only thing I can think of.” 

“That’s okay.” 

She starts over. 

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again”

She finishes and the ambulance arrives. The limp girl rides away, and after her friend texts their moms, sits down next to me. 

“Sorry. I don’t have my mask with me.” I say. 

“That’s okay. We’re outside, and I’m wearing one.” 

Hearing the girl sing the nursery rhyme brings tears to my eyes. Why did I give up on life? Life is precious. I should sing again. 

“What’s your name?” I ask. 

“Josie. You?” 

“Dorothy.” 

“Like the Wizard of Oz?” she says, laughing. 

“Exactly. My friend Elizabeth calls me Toto sometimes as a joke.” 

Josie giggles. 

“Do you like to sing?” I say. 

“Sure. It’s alright.” 

“Would you sing for me?” I say nervously. 

“Okay. What do you want me to sing?” 

“Whatever you want.” 

“Okay.” Josie clears her throat and starts singing. 

“Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff

Josie continues singing, her voice rich and full, even though slightly muffled by her mask.

When she’s done, tears are once more in my eyes.

“Josie. I’d hug you if it weren’t for covid. Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything.” I say, standing up, self consciously running a hand through my limp hair.

Josie nods slightly, and then walks away, talking on her cell phone.

When I get inside, I decided to take a shower. As I rub shampoo in my oily hair, I start to sing. It’s not perfect, but it’s the most happy I’ve felt in a year.

The End

Here is the quote, friends:

“The loneliest people are the kindest, the saddest people smile the brightest, the most damaged people are the wisest, all because they do not wish to see others suffer like they do.” -Jellal Fernandez

Hello, here’s my story of the week! “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” -Dolly Parton.

You know where to find my Etsy Shop link. This is a true story, so bear with me:

It was a Friday evening and I was eating dinner with my mother and my sister, Chase. We had let our hamster, Primrose, roll around in her ball in the kitchen while we ate. I had just finished a chicken finger when I decided to check on the hamster. I got up and walked into the kitchen. When I stepped into the room, I gasped.

“Oh my Gosh.” I said, rubbing my temple.

I repeated the phrase a few times. My cat, Panda, was sitting next to the empty plastic ball.

My sister and mother rushed into the room. I started breathing really fast and huffing and puffing as if I was in labor.

My sister chased Panda up the stairs so she’d be out of the way and we looked under the oven. After a few suspenseful minutes, we heard a noise. My breath caught in my throat and my heart started pounding. Suddenly, Primrose popped her head out from under the side of the cabinet that was under the oven.

I breathed a sigh of relief, thanks Gosh, Prim was alive. She returned back to the place where she came and then my sister rushed to another cabinet, grabbing things to entice the hamster. Seeds, treats, seed sticks, all her favorites.

Primrose popped her head out again and spent a few minutes chewing on the gas line to the oven, completely oblivious, just wanting to explore.

She eventually creeped towards the food and then we managed to put her back in her ball. We were all pretty shaken up, but she was completely fine. And that is that, the time I thought I killed my hamster, who, for the record, is less than 3 months old but quite fat and big.

Hope you enjoyed this story! See you next time!

Hello everyone! Today’s quote is “Well behaved women seldom make history.” -Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Remember to visit my Etsy shop:

Here’s the story, called “The Siege of Darkwell”

“That’s the thing about this city….” Autumn said as she twirled around under the serene trees. 

“What?” Isabelle replied, a hint of curiosity creeping into her voice. “I do love this city.” 

Autumn laughed, her dark hair spilling down her back. “Well, Darkwell is a beauty, for one. The marble turrets and all the red and yellow flags waving in the wind.” 

“Ohhhh, I understand.” Emersyn chimed in. “And all the people selling fruit and things in those gorgeous wooden stalls on Main Street?” 

Autumn nodded, running a finger through her hair. “And all the different races living here? Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Humans.” 

“Once I even saw a centaur!” Isabelle laughed, her shoulders springing up. “He was trying to sell me leaf lingerie! Can you imagine?” 

Emersyn and Autumn laughed with her. 

“And…once, I got lost and ended up in a beautiful library, where this wizard looked at me like I was crazy!” Emersyn remembered, holding her stomach, rolling on the forest floor. 

After they had all calmed down, they sat in a circle, the three of them facing each other. Emersyn and Isabelle both knew that Autumn was the leader of the clique of juvenile Elves, and though back when they first became friends, they’d both been intimidated by her, now they were all on the same boat. They’d trained together and been friends for almost 100 years, not very long for the immortal Elves. 

They were now in the Darkwell forest, the lovely forest that stretched on three sides of Darkwell. Darkwell lay in the vast Elven kingdom of Goldhorn. 

“So…Autumn…you were saying, ‘That’s the thing about this city’” Emersyn said after glancing at Isabelle. 

“Yes…so. You know how Darkwell is surrounded by these woods?” Autumn said, glancing down at her long legs that were intertwined on the ground. 

“Yes.” The other girls replied. 

“Well, last night, I sort of had a premonition.” 

“A premonition?” Isabelle said, furrowing her eyebrows. 

Autumn nodded. “It was of Darkwell burning. Overrun by Orcs. And the thing is, well, Darkwell would be easy to take.” 

Emersyn gaped. “But…how?” 

Autumn sighed. “King Theon isn’t thinking things through. He’s only got defenses on the side facing the Scarlet Plains, not the Woods. The Orcs could sneak through the forest.” 

Isabelle and Emersyn were speechless. “Well, Autumn, it’s hard for me to say this but…your dreams usually come true. Remember that time you dreamt we’d have a substitute trainer, and you were right?” Isabelle said softly. 

The Elves laughed nervously. 

“Speaking of training, shouldn’t we get ready? You know, warn the King? Ready our bows and armor?” Emersyn asked, her piercing blue eyes shifting between Autumn and Isabelle. 

The other two nodded solemnly. They stood up and slid their boots back onto their bare feet. “Isabelle.” Emersyn whispered as Autumn walked into the King’s castle to warn him. 

“What?” Isabelle sat next to Emersyn on a secluded balcony overlooking the Scarlet Plains. 

“I…I just want you t-to know th-that…” Emersyn started to sob. 

Isabelle wrapped her arms around her friend. “Keep going.” she said soothingly. 

“Well..Autumn’s premonitions are usually right…so if this one is…I just wanted you to know that…it’s been…nice having friends.” Emersyn’s tears dried.

Emersyn liked to say they were like a pineapple, which they had tasted once when it was imported from the coastal village of Waterfall Crest. Emersyn was the hard outside, Isabelle was the fruit, and Autumn was the juice that flowed through the pineapple. 

Isabelle held onto Emersyn for a while longer, rocking them back and forth. Suddenly a yell rang through the pristine white marble streets. “All swordsmen to the gate! All archers to the designated posts!” 

Emersyn looked up, her hard resolve back in place. Autumn ran out of the castle, her brown eyes wide. “He wouldn’t listen to me!” she cried. 

“It doesn’t matter. A general is calling for us.” Emersyn said.

Isabelle looked at her two friends before saying “Yes. It’s begun.” 

They ran to the armory and equipped their bows and light chain armor. Other people were there too, some mirroring the trio’s nervous expressions, others wearing faces of courage. The stuff of legend.

A pack of Dwarves charged out of the armory to the gate to fight the tide of Orcs. 

The Pineapple gang climbed up to their archery posts and began shooting into the throng of Orcs. They all had about 60 extra arrows apiece along with the 24 or so strapped onto their backs. 

Autumn lit one of her arrows on fire with a brazier on the archery post and shot it into an Orc’s scalp. Some Gnomes on the next post shot fast and shouted encouragement to the girls. 

Emersyn fumbled with her bow before arcing a shot into the throng of Orcs and killing one. “I’m better at swords.” She mumbled sheepishly.

They poured in from the Scarlet Plains, hundreds of them. “We can’t make a dent! There’s too many of them!” Emersyn yelled to the Gnomes. 

Suddenly one of the Gnomes drew a curved scimitar and slid down the archery post. She shook her head to let out her clumsily made bun and sliced threw Orcs. The others followed, wielding similar scimitars. 

The first Gnome to abandon her archery post eventually took a sword through her abdomen. As if in slow motion, Isabelle watched as the Gnome cried out, and then fell, her white blond hair spread out around her on the ground, only to get dirtied by the muddy feet of an Orc. The dead Gnome laid peaceful, her eyes closed, the delicate lines of her face beautiful. Her scimitar still laid clutched in her hand, her final grip still very strong. 

Her friends started to cry, and threw themselves into the battle. The dead Gnome had paved a way for other fighters. She had taken out a fair few. A Dwarf rushed towards the body, killing Orcs as he did, and lifted up the corpse and carried it into a nearby chapel. 

Isabelle put a hand over her mouth and made a sobbing noise. Autumn and Emersyn kept shooting, silent tears running down their faces. 

Isabelle shot a few Orcs and then said “Damn this!” she picked up her longsword and jumped into the battle. 

“Wait! Isabelle!” she heard Emersyn call. 

She cut through Orcs like a butcher would slice a hog. Around her, there were bodies and the stains of blood on the stone streets. “Hi-yah!” Isabelle heard Autumn yell behind her, and the screech of Autumn’s sword getting unsheathed. 

Autumn’s sword was a beauty, a strong iron thing, with amber on the hilt and her name, Autumn Whitefang engraved on the blade.

Autumn cut through Orcs with a strong vigor. Isabelle looked over to her side and saw Emersyn stabbing Orcs. 

The defenders of Darkwell fought the Orcs for hours, getting tired and picking back up. The Scarlet Plains really were stained scarlet with the blood of Orcs and Humans and Dwarves and Elves.

After the battle, Isabelle picked her way through the corpses, smoke rising up in plumes around her. It was dusk, and the Darkwell was safe. They had driven the Orcs away. “Autumn! Emersyn!” Isabelle yelled, holding the broken hilt of her longsword in her hand. She needed a new one. 

She heard Autumn sobbing and ran to her figure sitting on the ground surrounded by bodies of Orcs. 

“What? Autumn…what….” Isabelle’s voice faltered. 

Autumn was bawling, hunched over a dead body. Not any dead body. 

“No! Not Emersyn!” Isabelle said, choking up, dropping the remains of her sword on the ground.

Isabelle dropped to her knees next to Autumn. She was sobbing too. 

The two Elves looked at the lifeless shell of Emersyn. They were quiet, not making a sound, but hundreds of words passed between them then. 

After a long time, Isabelle broke the silence as if she was stepping on a thin sheet of ice. “I guess this is why they called them the Scarlet Plains.” she said softly. 

Autumn nodded. “Emersyn.” she whispered, tracing her thumb along Emersyn’s jawbone. “I wonder how it happened.” 

Isabelle pointed to a gaping hole in Emersyn’s tunic and pulled back the flap of fabric. A mess of blood rested on Emersyn’s pale skin. 

They stared at Emersyn’s wound a while longer. “I hope whatever vermin did it died.” Autumn spat. “They deserve death. The Orcs were bred to kill.” 

Isabelle nodded. “We should help clean up the defenders of Darkwell’s bodies.” she said softly, all her fighting courage gone. 

As they made countless visits to the chapel to deposit the fallen over the next few hours, a thought occurred to Isabelle. 

“Autumn…” 

“What?” 

“If I hadn’t abandoned my archery post…Emersyn wouldn’t have died.” Isabelle said so softly, she almost didn’t make any noise. It was the first time either of them had admitted out loud that Emerson was gone. 

Autumn’s pointed ears picked up Isabelle’s voice and she softened. “No…don’t say that. Either way, we would have run out of arrows. I know it was that dead Gnome that got you out on the ground. It broke me too, and I know Emersyn was shaken up by it as well. She was a fighter, and did you see all those dead Orcs around her? She brought down 70 and died in the process. She was a hero.” 

Isabelle nodded, tears trailing down her cheeks again. “What will we do without the hard skin to protect the pineapple?” 

Autumn laughed softly, and bit her lip. “I don’t know. But I do know one thing.” 

“What?” 

“Emersyn would have wanted the pineapple to keep living on. I know this sounds cliché, but she wouldn’t have wanted us to give up.” 

“Yeah…” 

In the darkness of the night, and the silence, Isabelle felt strangely at peace. The absence of parties and the gang of Dwarves that threw them chilled her. 

The gloom of the marble towers and turrets and buildings of the city loomed in front of them, and Isabelle gasped softly. It was so beautiful, so sad. It held centuries of memories. 

Isabelle remembered something Autumn had said. She began, ready to launch into a story, “That’s the thing about this city…”

Hi guys!!!!!

So, today, I’m not going to do a short story, but I wanted to let you all know that tomorrow is my birthday! 🥳

I’ll be turning 12, and I plan to be excited about it! 😁

I hope you all have had a wonderful week, and remember to visit my Etsy site!

Here is the quote:

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small” -Richard Branson

Sorry I’m a little late! I have a fantasy story for today. Here is the the quote “Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit” -The Internet.

Make sure to visit my Etsy site, I posted some new listings. “All you need is the Sisters!” :

Here’s the story:

Lynn splashed in the tropical cove that was her home. Her shimmery blue green hair shone in the sun. It almost looked like water, her beautiful hair. It was down to her waist, and she usually had it down, with a waterfall braid curving around her head. 

Her ears were big and pointed. She was like an elf of the sea, except she was a water spirit, or a tele h’ai, which means “children of the sea”. She was giggling to herself in the paradise of the tropical island in which she lived, called Sunset Isle. 

Only a few humans lived there, and they came only in the fall, to fish. Lynn watched them with curious eyes. There was one. One she always saw. He had come for 10 years in a row. She let her guard down around him. 

“Lynn!” Lynn’s friend, Dori, called. “Lynnie!” 

“What, Dori?” Lynn replied, exasperated. 

“The queen wants all of us in the coral reef, quickly!” 

“Oh no, what’s wrong?” 

“I’m not sure, just it’s something grand. Even the hunters are returning from the springs!” Dori replied, fear present in her greenish eyes. 

Lynn furrowed her eyebrows. “What?! The hunters!? They live in solitude, I haven’t seen them in weeks! This must be bad news.” 

Dori nodded. “Well, we’ll know soon enough. Let us join our noble queen.” 

They both dived down and swam through the beautiful warm turquoise water. Other tele h’ai swam through the deep, calling to each other in the h’ain language. 

“J’koine!” 

“H’kulta?” 

“She’ea.” 

Finally, the tele h’ai arrived. They sat under the water, their small gills flapping in the water. Lynn looked at her webbed hands and then looked at the queen. She had pale white hair, a symbol of leadership. She wore a crown woven of tropical leaves and kelp. Her name was Shae’oina. You would be given a traditional name whence you became leader. 

“Order! I have brought you to attention today to make an announcement. The humans, not the ones that come to fish, but those who live on the mainland of the United States, the leaders, have decided to colonize the tele h’ai.” 

Several gasps. One water spirit gave an anguished cry. 

“The leader received a grainy photo of one of us. None of you, but one of a colony to the north. Up near the coast of Greenland. One of the tribes down in the Gulf of Mexico has been slaughtered. But we will no longer stand by. None of the tele h’ai will this time. No. I want a time where we last more than 3 generations before being almost extinct, and bouncing back. I want the tele h’ai to step out of the shadows. I want us to rejoice in front of J’lointa, the Mother Sun. I want you, just like me when I was a young girl, to feel the sand on your feet. We will step out of the shadows.” 

She looked at the tele h’ai. Several were speechless. A few were clapping. An older water spirit smiled. 

“The way of J’lointa and the leaders of the tele h’ai tribes have spoken. We are incredibly powerful, ancient beings. We, the first beings on Earth, will go to war.” 

The Sunset Tribe cheered. Most of them. Lynn felt as if her world was crashing down.

The tele h’ai stood up and made for the armory. They began equipping armor and grabbing bows and arrows made of sharpened coral and very strong tropical wood and the feathers of cormorants. 

Except Lynn. Lynn swam up to the surface, hiding behind coral and dolphins as she did. Why did they have to go to war when she was alive?! What about that 6 year war during the 40’s that she heard about? She swam to a human bridge that she could hide behind. She liked to watch that human boy from there. 

She couldn’t stand it. He’d die. The tele h’ai could easily overpower the humans. She didn’t mind the humans. 

Lynn knew they polluted, but some were trying to fix it. She saw this boy picking up plastic from the bay. She saw him talking to the birds. She saw his brother ruffling his hair and taunting him. She longed to talk to him. Just for a minute. Just to warn him. But the tele h’ai were forbidden from talking to humans. 

He was sitting on the bridge, just meters from where Lynn lurked like a predator. She heard him singing softly. How could they rage war? Why not march to where the leaders lived and reason with them? How could they destroy such innocent, kind people? 

The boy was 18, barely old enough to have access to the world. Lynn was 17. The palm trees swayed in the beautiful tropical sun. Lynn almost talked, her mouth was open, when she clamped a pale green hand over her mouth and sighed. 

Suddenly the noise of a propeller filled the air. Tele h’ai popped up from the cove, pulling back their bowstrings. The boy was the only human on the island. 

His eyes widened. The boy gasped. He ran to the end of the bridge, yelling in the human tongue “STOP! STOPPIT!” 

Not at the spirits, but at the small planes that were like birds in the skies. His voice faltered with desperation and he dove into the water. 

Lynn cursed in h’ain. “Mei’noka!” 

The boy was just feet away now. She knew that humans usually closed their eyes while they swam, especially in salt water. 

She tried to swim, but she got caught in a net. A net that some human had planted for the war. She struggled. She had forgotten her whale bone knife!

Suddenly the boy surfaced. “Why-why aren’t you with the others that look like you?” he said in disbelief. 

“I might ask the same for you.” Lynn replied, pulling at the nets that were digging into her skin. 

The boy laughed. “Do you need some help?” 

“Please.” 

He dove back under and she felt the net loosen. “I thought your kind was a legend.” The boy said when he surfaced. 

“No. We’re not.” 

“Are those…gills?”

“Yes. They are. Wait. There’s something on your lower stomach… A hole. Have you been bitten by a sand flea? I’ve heard of them.” 

The boy laughed again. “No. They don’t have those here. That hole is a belly button.” 

“Where’d you get it?” Lynn said, flabbergasted. 

“Every human’s got one. It’s a scar from being born.” 

“Interesting. Wait! Have you heard about the war?” 

“Yes.” 

A thought stung Lynn like a bee. “What am I doing here?! This is forbidden, I shouldn’t be talking to you. Definitely not now!” 

She dove under the waves and swam through the boglike water. It was hard to swim in and felt heavy somehow. 

The boy, almost as good a swimmer as her, though limited by his lack of gills, caught up to her. “Why’d you run?” 

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why aren’t you fighting?” 

“Because I know that humans don’t deserve it. Some do. But not all. Why are you here?” Lynn said softly. No need to tack on that she was saying that he didn’t deserve it. She felt he already knew. 

“Because my family hates me. I have no friends. This feels more like a home then anywhere ever has.” 

“Did you know that I existed?” 

“All these years, I’ve seen something out of the corner of my eye. Drove my mom crazy. Told me I was crazy. All of them did. Now I realize it was you.” 

A whizzing ball of fire hit the cove. The spirits dove under the water, none of them getting hurt. 

“We have to warn the others. The kids that play on the beach when the humans are gone.” Lynn said. 

The boy nodded. “What’s your name?” he said as they swam down the stream and into the open ocean. They had to swim around the bay to reach the beach. 

“Lynn. How about you?” 

“Nick. You know, the books I read about your kind, they said you were called Nereids. Is that true?” 

“Those are my kind’s cousins, from Greek waters. They are rare as diamonds. Our proper name is tele h’ai.” 

Nick nodded. He was getting tired. “I can’t go on, Lynn.” 

“I’ll carry you.” Nick got on her back, and she began to tow him through the water.

They swam to the beach. The water spirit children were playing, oblivious. They giggled. “Kids! You have to run! Go to the Hidden Caves!” Lynn yelled.

They obeyed. 

Nick collapsed on the beach, and Lynn cautiously sat next to him. The planes were leaving. The tele h’ai had won the battle.

“Let’s stay in touch, okay?” Nick said. “I’m going to live here full time now.” 

Lynn nodded, biting back her grief. She saw the dolphins doing the dance of mourning. She wondered who had died. And she wanted Nick to stay. But she knew he couldn’t. If anyone ever found out…

Nick waved. “See you.” 

“Farewell.” 

She stayed on the beach for hours. She knew Nick was lingering at the edge of the palm tree forest, just out of sight. She knew he was a very quiet walker. Lynn had seen him spying on his happy family. She knew that he mumbled angry things. She’d heard him. 

She knew that he was there. She knew he was watching her while she fell asleep on the beach, almost in the water. 

She knew that he’d come close, watching her for a long time while she slept. 

She knew that when she woke up, he’d be there, that he didn’t want to leave her, no more than she wanted to leave him.

She knew that their friendship was forbidden. 

Lynn knew a great many things. It was in her nature.

But did she care? Now that is the question. 

I hope you enjoyed the story, have a great day.