Blog Post #14: Confrontation

Alaina and Boy walked together until they reached a door. "Are you sure you're ready?" she asked him, really just trying to fill the scared silence that had fallen between them. "No," he said, "But whatever happens, I want you to know, he will get into your mind and reveal secrets that you never wanted to see the light. Whatever he finds, just know that I love you and you have to trust me if we are going to get out of this alive." "Of course I trust you Boy," Alaina answered "You can't have that bad of secrets, can you?" She turned to face him “Can you?” she asked incredulously. Boy sighed and said "You just need to trust me no matter what." Disconcerted Alaina turned away and they resumed walking. They came to the door. On the other side waited their enemy, Alaina’s Uncle, the source of long years of suffering on both their parts. Boy reached forward and opened the door.
A loud booming laugh shook everything as they stepped through the door. "So my brave little niece has come back to try and defeat me! How cute! Oh, and what’s this? She brought along her little boyfriend!" An astral projection of a man stood in front of Boy and Alaina. He was tall and striking, and he had her mother’s eyes and cheek bones, but that was where the similarities ended. The man had a wild tangled mass of blonde hair, and he wore all black save for a skull that he wore around his waist on a belt. His collar went up above his ears, and his eyes were full of madness and broken images. "Well, I guess you will die together, I admit I will enjoy watching you tear each other apart." He said. "I would not be so sure of victory!" shouted Alaina. The similarities to her mother on this monster had shaken her. "Oh?" said the Burglar King, "And why is that, little one? Do you really think you can defeat me? I am the second generation of Cecily the Sorceress, you are the third, and of my pathetic sister! The girl had no back bone, only went to the Mind Field once in her life time and it scared her so bad that she never went back! What in the world to you think you can do?” He said with scorn. It seemed that he got larger with every word that he spoke until he looked down upon the couple from several feet up. “It is not about what I can do, dear uncle” Alaina said much more calmly than she felt as she reached for Boy’s hand for comfort. She squeezed his hand to tell him that it was nigh time that they attacked and got this whole business over with. She contacted him with her mind and they began the countdown. Five, “It really depends,” Four, Three, “On others, “ Two, “And what I must do, for them” One!

Blog Post #13: Confessions

Continuation of Blog Post #12

Boy, it's you! Alaina thought. Its always been you! You are the one who gives me power, you are the one I need! Hearing this Boy retreated and pulled his consciousness from hers in their complete submission to each other. "What are you talking about?" He asked looking bewildered. "There is no possible way unless..." he stopped his face reddening. Alaina saw that he would not accept this unless she confessed it out loud. "Boy, you remember the stories my Grandmother told me right?" She asked him. "Of course I do, I just brought them up remember?" he snapped feeling edgy. Alaina stepped towards his turned back. "Well," She said softly, "Do you remember the most powerful force there ever was in any of those stories?" she said getting closer. He didn't answer, his back was tense. Alaina reached out to his mind, craving the closeness that they shared just a few moments ago, and trying not to lose her nerve to tell him what she felt. She reached his mind and was met by a hard, high brick wall enclosing his consciousness. Alaina searched for a chink in his armor to get through to him. As if this wasn't hard enough already, now he was resisting her failed attempts to tell him how she feels.

Finally Alaina found a hole in the mortar between the bricks of his wall. She whispered through it, "The most powerful force was always..." She stopped suddenly terrified of her own feelings. What if she had interpreted them wrong? What if it was just a heat of the moment sort of feeling? Suddenly a strange warmth radiated all throughout her body emanating from her heart and she knew that what she felt was true. She pressed on with her message with courage in her words. "The most powerful force was always love, Boy. I am in love with you." she whispered through into his mind. The wall around his mind suddenly and instantly disappeared and she was engulfed by him, psychically and physically. She saw how he had listened to her all these years, how he had come to love the sound of her voice. How though he had never seen her he thought she was beautiful, and how he would cry when bad things happened to her and he could do nothing to help her but give her comforting words. How he thought he would go crazy if he did not see her face, or hold her hand. The truth was he had loved her for his whole life. And knowing that she returned his love was the greatest moment in his whole life. There is nothing we cannot do, together. I love you Alaina. he whispered. "Well then," Alaina said out loud, pulling back from him a little. "Do you think we should go take down the Burglar King now?" she said with a smile. "Definitely!" Boy said esthetically "But first," he leaned down and kissed her. He pulled back and smiled in her breathless face "Just in case!"

Blog Post #12: Power

Continuation of Blog Post #11

"Well what should we do?" Boy said turning to her "I'm gonna wait for a little to see if anyone else shows up." Alaina said, peeved. "Come on, Alaina! We have a more important problem than your messed up family!" Boy said trying to get some sense through to her. "Right, right. Well all we have to do is find what gives me power, easy!" Alaina said sarcastically. "We can do this, Alaina!" Boy said empathetically. "Listen to me, ever since I first talked to you, I knew you were powerful and special. Seeing what you have done in the short time you were here just proves it! Remember when you used to tell me the stories that your Grandmother told you? The ones about the heroes and quests and saving the day and adventures? I know I remember. I also remember you telling me that you wanted your own adventure and how I would be your first choice to come with! Alaina! This is it, this is your adventure!" "I know!" Alaina shouted back, "but think how I feel! All I've known all my life is ordinary! I always knew that I would never really get an adventure and I knew that Grandmother's stories were, just that, stories!" She turned away from him to hide what she was really feeling. Because the truth of the matter was, Alaina was scared. Sure she had a less normal life than the average child, but she really was not ready for all of this. Most of all she doubted herself. She did not know a thing about the mind field and her two most beloved people in her life had just abandoned her to deal with her most difficult challenge by herself!

I know how you feel. She heard Boy's voice inside her head. She became completely mortified as she realized Boy had heard her innermost fears because in her emotion she had forgotten to block her mind from him, with their close proximity they were almost always privy to each other's thoughts. "I can't believe you would listen in on my thoughts like that!" she said turning towards him "It's not like I had a choice!" he said " you were practically throwing the thoughts into my head!" Alaina turned away again, her entire frame shaking with embarrassment and anger. She felt Boy come up behind her and whisper in her ear. "I truly am sorry." he said sincerely "But, I really do understand. I grew up as a prince, with almost everything done for me. My world changed almost completely overnight. I lost everything, my friends, my teachers, and...." he paused, "and my parents. I know how it feel to be a lone and to have so much responsibility thrust upon you when you know you aren't ready. But you must know that you are ready. You know why?" he asked her, then he slid into her mind. Because you are not alone. Alaina felt Boy completely. He was every where. It scared her. But she felt his fear as well and was soon comforted by his presence and slid into his mind. They became one being and were completely open. That is when Alaina realized she had already found what made her strong, what gave her power.

Blog Post #12: Cecily the Sorceress

Continuation of Blog Post #11

"Grandmother?!" Alaina said, "How did you get here? You knew about this place to? Did mother? Did everyone but me?" She was getting frustrated. Next to her Boy was muttering something under his breath. "It can't be, she was a fable. She can't exist." "Oh I assure you dear boy, I exist, I am Alaina's Grandmother." she said " Oh! Beg your pardon madame, it's just I thought for a moment, you looked exactly like..... never mind." Boy stuttered, blushed and looked away. "Exactly like what? Like Cecily?" Her Grandmother said. When she said this Boy's head snapped up sharply. "Yes, you are her aren't you?" he said getting excited. "Oh Alaina we're saved! Cecily is the most powerful mind ever, she can defeat the Burglar King!" "What in the world are you talking about? This is my grandmother, I have no idea who Cecily is!" Alaina said thoroughly confused. "Alaina dear, do not yell at the poor boy. He is right, and so are you." she quickly added at Alaina's astounded look. "You see dear, Although I have never journeyed to the Forest physically, mentally, this is my second home!"

"What do you mean your second home?" Alaina asked " Well, back when I was younger," her Grandmother started "I was at a fair when a old gypsy beckoned me over, she said that I had a young strong mind, and would I like to learn to use it to its full potential? I agreed and she began to teach me. She taught me a bout the Mind Field and about Astral Strands and how to follow them to other places. I grasped each concept with ease and was progressing quickly, too quickly. My teacher said I had great power but it would get out of control, so she set a spell on me to harness my power. The spell was the last thing she did, she was old and it took all of her to complete it. I loved my teacher and grieved her death, but the spell she put on me did not do exactly what she wanted it to do. It allowed me a complete understanding of everything in the Mind Field. So I was all powerful and in no danger of getting out of control. I began to wander the Mind Field a lot in my spare time. Even when I was pregnant with your mother and her brother. My power was passed along to them, but in unequal parts. Your mother got most of the control and limited access to the Mind Field, but your uncle got next to no control and full access to the Mind Field. He went crazy and lost his mind to the Field and one day ran into the forest and never returned. I searched for him in the Mind Field and found him several months later in this kingdom, secretly taking the names of people. I psychically contacted the King and Queen of the realm as Cecily the Sorceress and told them of the danger and how to rid themselves of it. They aprehended your uncle and I banished him to the Mind's Cradle, an inn where he could do no damage. I visited the King and Queen often, and their young prince and taught them simple workings of the Mind Field. Soon when they had learned enough I withdrew and had to tell your mother the news. She was so devastated at losing her brother she made me promise to never enter the Mind Field again. So when years later you were born, I could not see if you had the gift of the Field or not, and I had no idea that your uncle had escaped, until we got the letter with your name on it. For you see in the ancient language of the Forest your name means Hope or Help. Your mother knew what it ment, her brother, or the Burglar King had escaped, but still forbade me to help. So I allowed you to take the sand and see if you could save them yourself, for you see, you are the most powerful mind of all, you just need to realize what makes you powerful."

"But Grandmother, you've beaten him before, why can't you now?" Alaina asked "The Mind Field has rules and I cannot interfere for I have already used these Astral strands to much, you must do this alone, but it is not impossible, you must find what makes you strong!" and with that she faded away and they were left alone again.

Blog Post #11: Battle Plans

Continuation of Blog Post# 10

"Alright, we will deal with that later" said Alaina standing up "Right now we need to free all of Boy's people. Father, will you help us?" she said looking down at her father, who still sat on the ground "I will tell you what I know, but if I were to fight in my own mind, I would not make it." He said looking defeated. "The Burglar King's mind is set up like a castle, with the best defenses I've ever encountered. The names are kept in the throne room as piles of treasure and gold. You will be able to see the reflection of the trapped person in the shiny surface, instead of your own. To release them, you must either, make the Burglar King release his hold on them, this is a highly unlikely outcome my dear." " You mean to say, we cannot reason with him?" She said dismayed. " You have seen his mind, it is not one you can reason with." He responded gravely " Then what must we do?" Boy asked " You must take his very existence and bind it and throw it into the Mind Field, and make sure he has no control when you do, or he will be able to grab a cord and find his way back. But if he is bound correctly then he will float forever in the Mind Field. Then you must take each of the names out of his mind and they will automatically return to their bodies. This is all I can give you, you must figure out the rest for yourself, good luck my dear." And with that he faded and was no more.

Alaina stood staring at the spot where her father had been not just moments before for what seemed like eternity. Finally she turned towards Boy, who was watching her. "Are you all right?" He asked her. "Well, lets see. I've found out my father isn't dead, that he is a spineless fish and is trapped in his own mind, and I must save him and a whole population by defeating one of the most sick and powerful minds in the known, and apparently unknown worlds!! Oh yes, I'm quite all right." she said letting out all of her pent up frustration. "But you do not have to do it alone. I will help you Alaina, whether you want my help or not!" He said and the way he looked at her reminded her of how they had come to this white place. She blushed and looked away. Boy grabbed her face and turned her to face him. "Don't you turn away from me! You have no idea what you mean to me, and I hate seeing you so sad, I just want to keep you safe and you won't let me and it's so frustrating!! Alaina, I love you!" Alaina stared into his face in shock, then leaned forward and kissed him again. "Oh! Your first kiss!!" a voice said. Alaina broke away to see her Grandmother standing behind Boy.

Blog Post #10: The Burglar King

Continuation of Blog Post #10

"Quite right you are Boy." Her father replied "I was one of those who were in the special circumstances to enter the Forest. When I found out where I was I was so over come with grief that I would have to wait over a month and by that time every one would assume I was dead and if I were to "come back from the dead" it would be seen as some sort of sorcery, and I would be killed. I found an inn called the Mind's Cradle" At this Boy drew a sharp intake of breath. "You went in didn't you?" he said "Yes, I had no idea the horrible history of the place. I went in and spent the night there. The next day I was approached by an old man who went by the name of Poshtër. He said that he knew the deep depression I was going through and he knew how to help me. He told me to just let him into my mind and he could ease the pain and help me find a new life. Alaina you must understand how hopeless I felt" He said in response to her look of repusion, as she knew first hand how it felt to have your mind violated. "I let him in and he completely took over, I could do nothing about it, as I had not ever encountered this before. At first I tried to fight him, but after counless mental beatings I was close to losing my sainity. So, I retreated to this little part and he has left me alone and I've grown stronger so now he could not even get in here if he wanted to."

"Father, do you have any idea what has happend? What he's done while in your body?" Alaina said to her father. "Boy's kingdom is all in the freak of a mind that this Poshtër has, all of their names. Do you know what thats like? I do! I have been on both ends of the spectrum! I have almost taken a name, and I've been seconds away from having my own tore from me! And you just sit here in the back of your OWN mind! You could have stopped this a long time ago, and come home!!" Alaina breathed heavey all of her angry words spent and leaned into Boy's shoulder, but Boy was looking at her astonished "What?" she asked "You ventured out on to the Mind Field? It took me years to go beyond the connection you and I have!" "How else did you think I got out of the cell?" She asked him "I guess I never really thought about it till now, Wait the Burglar King was taking your name and you're still here?" "Yes, something distracted him then I followed his cord to his mind and his body. Well, I guess it's your body." She said looking at her dad. "Thats impossible!" Her father said, "Much more powerful minds have not even phased him, Who could distract him?" "Or what could distract him?" Added Boy added. They all pondered the fact that the Burglar King may not be the biggest of their problems.

Blog Post #9: Alaina's Father

Continuation of Blog Post #8

Alaina woke up looking into Boy's concerned face. "Oh!" she groaned. Her head hurt something fierce. "What in the world happened?" she asked "You don't remember?" He said looking concerned, and maybe a little relieved, "No, wait," she was starting to remember what had knocked her out, "did you, um, kiss me?" Boy blushed and didn't say anything as he helped her up. She looked around her, and saw, nothing. At all. There was just a large expanse of endless white. "Where are we Boy?" She said turning to him. "I-I have no idea." he answered her with a look of fear. She started to wander around, looking for something, she had no idea what. After what seemed for eternity she came upon a figure sitting on the ground in the distance. "Boy! Do you see him too?" she said excited "Yes!" he said. Alaina ran forward, and as she grew near to her goal she began to recognize him.

Alaina stopped abruptly. "No, no, no, no." she murmured under her breath. "It can't be possible!" Boy stopped along side her "Alaina, are you all right?" he asked her. When boy said her name the figure stiffened and turned around. Her suspicions were confirmed as she saw the face of her father once more. "Alaina?" his voice came out hoarse "It can't be, I must be hallucinating again" he turned away. Alaina broke from Boy with a cry and ran to her father. "Daddy! Daddy! Its me!" she screamed as she threw herself into his arms. He hugged her and spun her around and around "I never thought I would see you again!" He said crying into her shoulder. "Oh Daddy! What happened? Where are we? Why did you never come home?" she said, and realized that she was crying now too. Her father put her down and said "How did you get here?" he asked, and then laughed "It seems as though we have a lot of catching up to do!"

When Alaina had introduced her father to Boy, they all sat down in a circle to hear her father's tale. "To answer your first question, we are in my mind. Yes, my mind, also the mind of the one called the Burglar King. You see, we are one and the same in a way, he is in my body and I am a fugitive in my own head!" He stopped seeing the completely lost looks on Alaina and Boy's faces. "Goodness, I am no good at telling stories, I guess I should start at the beginning."

"As you know I was away at war. My commanding officer needed a scout to go ahead of the bulk of the army and chart the best way through the forest that we would need to go through. I volunteered. I was given a horse and provisions and set out that night around midnight, but it was a new moon. I'm sure you know what that means Boy" her father said looking pointedly at him. Alaina sat confused, Boy seeing her look explained. "You can only enter or exit my realm, the realm of the Forest, at midnight on a new moon, or on a solstice. Many a traveler has wandered into the realm, and the realm is connected to all great forests of the earth so we acquire many different people. Your father must be one of them!"

Blog Post #8:Still The Same Story

Continuation of Blog Post #7

Alaina/James walked over to her door and reached for his keys. "Hey, James!" the other guard yelled "What in the world are you doing?" Alaina got nervous and had James collapse into unconsciousness. She then followed the cord to the other man, she was ready this time and slid unhampered into his mind. She had him reach down and take the keys from James and unlock her door. She had him lay down then he was unconscious too. Alaina pushed open her door and walked down the damp hallway. She came to a stair case leading up. Up was probably the best option so she started walking. Suddenly there was a voice in her head. Alaina! Are yo- The voice suddenly cut off as she threw up blocks over her mind thread. But wait, she knew that voice! Boy is that you? she slowly let down her walls Oh, Alaina, you scared me! You have been learning haven't you? He sounded scared Alaina I have to go but what ever you do, don't ever go to far, you know what I mean. And then he was gone.

His last words sent chills through her. She had already scared herself with how easily she could impose her will over others, it was not natural, but she knew that she must save every one then she would never use it again. ever. She reached the top of the stairs and fell to her knees. She grabbed her head. There was someone in there! He was snooping around sifting through her very essence the Burglar King! So that is how you steal names! You take the person's very being, but where would you put it? Alaina futilely put up walls around her mind that the Burglar King tore down mercilessly. She screamed in pain as he started to rip her essence from her mind. Fight! Fight Alaina! A voice screamed in her mind and stalled the Burglar King for a moment. In that moment Alaina launched her own attack on her assaulter. She raced along the thread to his mind, imagining calvary and footmen racing into his mind. While back in her body she followed where her mind told her the physical body of the king was. She burst into the throne room just as she reached his mind, and then she was lost.

Alaina tumbled through his chaos of a mind. It was a fractured, sick and tortured thing. The weight of all the people completely crushing his mind except the hunger for more. Alaina could feel herself losing herself, she was being dissolved in the mix of madness. She felt a hand grab hers and looked to see the Boy of the Forest. "Boy what are you doing here?!" Alaina yelled. Now they would both be lost! "I can help you!" He said, "Let me try!" "No! You are one of the last people alive that I care a bout! I can not lose you!" She screamed and pushed him away from her, back to his own mind. But he fought her and came right back. "You think I don't care about you to? I have been alone all these years, except for you! I can not lose you!" He then pushed her back to her mind. She fought back and pushed him, and he pushed back. They sat there suspended by their strength and their passion. Then at the same moment the both let go and came together and Boy pushed his lips to Alaina's and the world went white.

Blog Post #7: Second to Last Chapter, I hope!

Continuation of Blog Post #6

As soon as the door was closed she was thrust into gloominess again. The heat behind her eyes gave her warning of the betrayal that her eyes were about to commit, and soon enough her eyes brimmed and tears made their trek across her face. Stop it! She told her self, He needs your help! She remembered the stories that her Grandmother told her when she was young and all was right with the world, "You will do great things one day," her Grandmother had told her "Just remember it's you who decides to give up or figure out how to solve the problem" With her Grandmother's words anew in her mind she looked around the cell with courage. Its gloom would not drag her down now. She sat and thought of her next move, her objective was to, primarily, get the Boy of the Forest free and get his name back. Maybe she could get his people's names back too! Oh, she could be the heroine of this story! Then her spirits fell. What did she have to use? All of the heroes in the stories had some kind of special power or help of some kind! But wait, she did have a special power! She had a mind link with the Boy of the Forest, and although she couldn't seem to reach him now there had to be another way to use this gift!

Alaina closed her eyes and concentrated on the part of her mind that she used to communicate with the Boy of the Forest. She could feel something there, almost like a thread, she followed it and she came upon millions of other threads, their numbers were overwhelming! It took her a moment to realize that they were links to other peoples minds! She could see them! And some how she knew that she could follow them into the minds of others. Suddenly she drew back into her own consciousness. The thought of entering another's mind repulsed and scared her. Who was she to invade upon someones most private and intimate space? Come now Alaina! She said to herself, How else to you expect to get out of here, and save the Boy of the Forest? She realized she had no other choice and ventured out of her mind again. Alaina followed the threads that she realized were the guards' minds out side her door. She paused at the threshold, not fully committed, took a deep breath and entered the mind of her first guard.

The information was overwhelming! His name was James Pats, he didn't want to be a guard for the burglar, but was terrified of having his name stolen. Thousands of thoughts filled Alaina's head. James's past, his family, all of the Pats' names had been stolen, his likes, his dislikes, his fears, his joys. All of it, crashing on to her so that she felt that she was drowning! She was losing herself, she could feel it. She tried to imagine a solid rock wall at least a meter thick blocking all of the information, and it stopped. She was free of the constant torrent of thoughts! She could now hear his present thoughts and was relieved to find that he had no idea that she was there. Now, to get herself free!

Blog Post #6: 4th Word

Continuation of Blog Post #5

"Why are we locked in your dungeon?" Alaina asked him. "Well, its quite a long story," he said. "I've really got no where else to go." She answered. "Alright, it all started with the thief. When I was just a small child he would come in the night and would steal things, you must understand in my kingdom no one steals we are a very peaceful race so it was quite alarming that some one would steal from the royal family." "What did he steal?" Alaina asked " Quite a number of things, jewels, the crown, silverware. But steadily he would grow more confidante when he realized that we had no way of catching him. He began to steal more valuable things. Light, magic, and the most horrid of all, names." He said gravely.

"Names! How is it possible to steal a person's name? And what harm would it do?" She asked gasping in horror. "It is no easy feat to steal a person's name, but he was a seasoned burglar. You see, a person's name is who they are, if you were to steal it slowly that person would fade, for without a name, you are quite easily forgotten by others, and soon you forget your self and become nothing more than a shell with no name that is easily controlled by the burglar. The burglar would come at night and steal the name of those who were sleeping. At first it was just servants and lower class that lived in the castle, then soon he worked his way up the hierarchy and stole the names of all of the royal family. Including my own." He said looking sad as he remember all of his friend and family. Alaina was confused, "If he took your name, then why aren't you a nameless shell?" "Because I got a new name, the Boy of the Forest." He said smiling at her. "You mean, I gave you your new name?" She said in amazement. "Yes, my parents, once they realized what had happened sent out the communication sand. I was saved because you did not know my name yet you did not forget me, you called my by a new name. When I first contacted you I had almost given in to the Burglar King's power, but you saved my life, and now I plan to save yours."

Alaina was about to ask him how, when she heard heavy foot steps coming down the hall. "I fear we have run out of time, I must tell you something before we are split up. The sand that you received was only a introductory connection to set up mental link, I kept using it to not scare you as you come from an almost magic-less world, but now, I can talk to you from where ever and you may talk to me. Alaina jumped, she had heard him speak the last part, but his lips had not continued to move. Think of me and imagine sending a letter to me, but with your mind, I will sense you and will try to answer if I am able. She heard his voice again, but again his lips did not move. Just as she was about to try to communicate back to him in his absurd way, the door to the cell was thrust open and a light cast on to the two of them. The large man who had knocked her down at the edge of the forest loomed over them. He tore the Boy of the Forest away from her, and shacked his wrists behind his back. "No! Stop!" She yelled. Alaina, it is all right. She heard his calming voice in her head. I will be with you. She looked at him and finally sent him back her own message as he was yanked out the door. I trust you. And then the door slammed shut and she was left alone.

Blog Post #4: Same Four Words, Not So Short Story ;)

Continuation of Blog Post #3

"It is very important that you do not tell anyone!" said the boy. "Why of course! Where would be the fun in telling everyone?" She answered. They continued to talk through out the night. In the morning, when the house had woken up, Mother went to check on the envelope. When she saw that it was no longer there she started to yell. When she and Grandmother had come to see what all the racket was about, Mother had sunk to the floor in despair. "Oh no! She cried "Not again, it can't happen again!" While Grandmother helped Mother upstairs, She hurried to grab the envelope from her room. She stared at her name on the front"Alaina" It was the nicest handwriting she had ever seen. She quickly climbed up to where the envelope was supposed to reside and placed it there, now empty, and climbed back down just before Grandmother walked into the room. "Whats wrong with Mother?" She asked "You're Mother has just had a good scare that's all" Her Grandmother replied, while covertly trying to look at the envelope. When she had caught sight of it she visibly relaxed. "Let's go outside today. We may even catch sight of you're Father, he is supposed to be arriving home soon."

They spent all day outside. Alaina would try to slip into the forest to see if she could find The Boy of the Forest, but every time she would draw near to the edge Grandmother would snap at her "Child! We do not go into the forest" She would then draw back and wait until Grandmother's attention seemed to waver then she would try again, but she would always get caught.

Her Father did not come that day, or the next, or the next. Three whole months went by and he did not return. The whole time Alaina would comfort herself with her new friend, and the wonderful secret they shared. She would talk to him every night, by talking to the sand in her bedside desk. Tell him everything about her life, how her Father was so very late coming home, and how her Mother was growing sicker each day. She would ask him every night what she could do to help him, and every night his answer was the same, "Come and find me. As soon as you can I need you to come into the forest and find me." Of course he understood her predicament with her Father being so late and her Mother so sick and was content to wait and listen to her. But they both knew he could not wait forever.

The next year her Mother and her newborn child died in the winter, and Alaina had given up hope on her Father ever returning. She was completely alone except for Grandmother and The Boy of the Forest, but as she grew, she and Grandmother grew farther and farther apart, and she sunk deeper and deeper into despair. Her one glimmer of hope was her unseen friend in her bedside desk. Her Grandmother began to worry about her and would invite young men and women from town to visit. She was always polite but distant, and quiet, and the others seemed to sense her desire to be ignored and would only include her if her Grandmother was in the room. Alaina would endure these visits only with thoughts of The Boy of the Forest, and after would always lock herself in her room for hours to talk to him.

One day her Grandmother had had enough of all her moodiness and poppycock. "Alaina" she approached her "What in the world is the matter child? I am aware that you have lost both your parents, but that was years ago! You must move on with your life!"

" Grandmother I can't, I just can't" Alaina replied

"Nonsense! You were so full of life and excitement for living when you were young, and that can't all just be gone!" Her Grandmother was getting frustrated now "It's because you talk to your desk at night isn't it? Oh yes I know about that!" she said in response to Alaina's look of shock. "I figured since you were grieving you had made a friend for yourself, but it must stop! You're fifteen for Heaven's sake! Tonight is you're last night in you're room, we are moving tomorrow. I am sorry that I did not tell you earlier."

Alaina stood frozen with shock for a moment. Those words she had never expected to fall from her Grandmother's mouth. She couldn't leave! The Boy of the Forest needed her! And what of her farfetched hope of Father returning? Without a word she ran from the room and into her bedroom. "Oh! Oh, Boy of the Forest!" she said gasping on her tears

"What? What has happened Alaina?" came his voice from her desk.

"Grandmother is making me move! I will have to leave the forest! And what if Father were to return? I just can't do it, but there is no convincing her!"

After a while his voice came again from her desk. " Alright, I think I know what to do." he said "I have hated to ask you this since so much tragedy has befallen you, but I think it is what must be done to end both of our plights. You must come to me Alaina."

"C-Come to you?" she stuttered through tears

"Yes, pack everything you can and meet me at the forest's edge at midnight. It is time we finally see each other face to face don't you think? I am sure you are a beautiful as your voice is. Will you come?"

"Of course! Will I then know your name?" Alaina asked

"Yes, yes. You will then finally know my name." he said "I must go now. Be brave. I will see you at midnight."

I will finish it for real next time promise!! :D

Blog Post #3: Four Words, One Short Story

I am going to write a short story based on these four words: Burglar, forest, envelope, and desk. Here we go!

Her eyes searched the impenetrable black of night. He would come, she knew he would. He was the only thing that she could hope for now. She had lived on the edge of this forest for her whole life. Raised for fifteen years in the same house, at the edge of town, at the edge of the woods. She had never seen him, ever. but because of the incident (as her Grandmother called it, she refused to think of it as an "incident"), she would talk to him every night. He had become her closest friend, and, she hoped, maybe something more. She never knew why the things that happened to her did, only that people were getting scared, including herself.

The "incident" started when she was only 7 years old. She had been living with her Mother, Father, and Grandmother. Her Mother was heavy with child and could not do much, and her father was always away, so it was left to her and Grandmother. She enjoyed her time with Grandmother, they would make dolls and play with them, she would run around outside while Grandmother watched, and at night they would curl up together and Grandmother would tell her stories of faraway places and magical things. She loved Grandmother's stories most of all. She would lie in bed awake thinking of dragons, princes, magic curses and true love that could break all curses.

One day while she was running around out side, a letter came to their home. No one knew who it was from, but it had her name on it and nothing else. None of the servants had seen it before, and the post didn't come 'til tomorrow. Ah! Finally, it was her chance for mystery and adventure! but as young as she was she did not understand that the adults feared the envelope, for it would be the beginning of something they had hoped would never happen. The envelope and its unknown contents were taken away and she was not allowed to open it. Much later that night, she snuck down to where she knew they had hidden it. Once she had found it, she let the excitement control her imagination. It could be an invitation to a ball! Or a cry for help from a city under siege! Or a threat from a powerful magician! The possibilities were endless, and so she tore open the envelope and poured its contents into her hand. It was sand. Sand? Why in the would would someone send her sand? And what was she supposed to do with it? She put it in her desk drawer and went to bed thoroughly disappointed.

As she slept, she heard a voice in her dreams. The voice was one of a boy, a voice she had never heard before. "Hello?" said the voice "Hello? Are you there?" She sat up with a gasp. Was someone in her room? "Hi," she answered "who are you?" "Aha! Finally! I was beginning to think that you had thrown the sand away." said the voice. She now noticed that the voice was coming from her desk drawer where she had put the sand. "I am the boy of the forest" the voice said with bravado.

"Is that your name?" she asked

"Of course not!" he said "You asked who I was not my name silly!"

"Well then what is your name?" she asked him

" I can't tell you!" he said back

"Why not?"

"Because I am under a spell! I need your help! I am trapped in the forest, never to come out. I have been watching you and how you love adventure and I hoped that you would help me." He was pleading now. "Of course I'll help you!" she said brimming with excitement "Just tell me what I must do!"

Sorry this turned out longer than I thought. I'll finish it next week.

Blog Post #2: A Poison Tree

500 word post.

I read a poem today in theatre that caught my attention. It was called A Poison Tree by William Blake. This poem was about revenge, and the way he portrayed it really caught my attention. The poem went like this

I was angry with my friend

I told my wrath, my wrath did end

I was angry with my foe

I told it not, my wrath did grow

I water'd it in fears

Night and morning with my tears

and sunned it with smiles

and with soft deceitful wiles

And it grew both day and night

'Till it bore and apple bright

And my foe beheld it shine

And he knew that it was mine

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole

In the mourning, glad, I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree

I was intrigued because of the first stanza. He said that he was mad at his friend and he told his friend what happened and it was all good. But when he didn't tell his foe that he was angry with him, I mean who wants to tell their foe that they made you mad? It just gives them the satisfaction. but by not telling him he let it fester and grow inside of him. I think that revenge can be very dangerous. It usually hurts you more than the person you're trying to get revenge against.

I have some of experience with revenge, living with 2 sisters and all. We insult, hurt and are all out monsters to each other all the time. When one sister does one thing to another she usually feels that it is her responsibility to get her back in the worst way possible. This is all fine when done in the light of laugher, but under the clouds of contention it can get very ugly, very fast. My sister has kicked a hole in my wall to get me back for something I can't even remember! Revenge can be dangerous, and it makes for a not happy house. And it doesn't cause problems just at my house, at school girls will go without talking to each other for weeks to get back at the other. I hate being trapped in the middle of these fights, especially when we could be having so much fun otherwise!

It surprised me though how William Blake did not seem at all concerned by his killing of his foe. I know that it is only metaphorically, but it seems that you should at least have a little remorse for what you have done. I don't know, it might just be me, but I know that I usually feel foolish after I lash out at someone. I usually don't realize how petty it was until it's too late. I guess that if the insult was steep enough that you could get revenge and have no remorse and feel accomplished. there are a lot of stories about getting revenge, but most of the time they realize that the problem is within themselves not the perpetrator.

Revenge is a tricky business that I try my hardest to stay out of. Don't get me wrong, I still want and have gotten plenty of it, but life seems to have less drama the less I let things bother me. If you don't let things bother you, you will be happier and you will make the people around you happier too. I'm kind of up on my soap box now, but I think we could solve a lot of problems by being more understanding of others mistakes and our mistakes. It's a hard thing to not try to get revenge but it will count for something in the long run.

Blog Post #1

Hello World!