A figure stood alone on the top of the dwarves' mountain-fortress.  He was watching the sun sink into the west, a globe of fire among cushions of purple.  Around him -- north, south, east -- all was dark.  A crescent moon rose in the dusk of the east, the same sliver that had shone down upon a far away fairy wood -- almost 14 years ago now.  The same boy looked up at it, marveling at its mystery.  He heard the trees rustling in a cold wind far below, whispering secrets to each other.  This was Eltar's favorite place to be, and he often came up on an evening, to rest and think.  Tonight he w

Tortei walked quietly up to Elinor and touched her arm.

“Elinor?” he said gruffly. Elinor said nothing, only stared with glassy eyes. Her breathing was heavy and her face pale. Tortei watched her for a moment and tried to talk to her; but she showed no sign of recognition. At last Tortei signaled his companions to come closer.

Slightly Magical: The collected adventures of Nat and Elisabeth, pertaining to usbom and what they encountered because of it.

Here's a short piece I wrote in about five minutes when I was really supposed to be writing something else... Long story. Anyway, laugh it up, you know, ha-ha....

**Dedicated to my dear friends Elizabeth, Stephanie, and Bernadette, and all our Strange Shows...... <3 **

"LaaaaaLALALALAlaaaaaLAAAAAAlaaaaaaaa!!!!!" screeched the plastic badminton birdie. He sat on his perch in the tree, looking down at his audience expectantly. They stared back, holding their ears. "Well?" the birdie asked. "Am I your new star?"

The boy and the girl stared blankly back.

*I don't know what made me think of this today, but here's what came of it...*

It was green, I remember,
fields stretching long,
and bushes hunched together
blackberries

It was stone, I remember,
statues, steps, path
grass growing through the cracks
and the pool full of our reflections
and tadpoles

It was damp, I remember
on a cloudy day under sweeping trees
reaching high with rustling leaves,
and the little house in the shadows with cobwebby sills
chasing, running

The horse ran through the field, his long black mane shining in the sunlight. It was a tall beast, with a broad chest and delicate lags built for speed. Its chestnut coat, dark mane, and arched neck seemed better suited for a royal procession than hard farm work. The horse had been bought with the understanding that he would work for his feed, but the boy watching him had often dreamed of riding his horse across the finish line of the kingdom’s most prestigious race. Gerhard leaned against the top post of the split rail fence and watched his horse.

This week I'll turn sixteen. Apparently that's a big milestone. In most states, you can start driving when you're sixteen; you can get a job; you start looking at colleges and planning for the future. For some reason, it's more of a big deal for girls than it is for boys. I guess it's like a modern-day coming-out....our new version of "You're a lady now".