Emilie and Jessica!

Chatterbox: Inkwell

Emilie and Jessica!

Emilie and Jessica! All right, if no one else will make us a thread I will. So... What do you want this to be about? I was thinking fantasy, as long as we don't have any "fractured fairy-tales." I mean, they're great, but for all the eliminating of cliches, they're becoming cliche.

submitted by Emilie L., age 14, WA
(January 24, 2010 - 8:24 pm)

TOP! And I am really sorry...

 

Andy P. C. says rmwy.

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, IW!
(September 13, 2010 - 3:00 pm)

Laran groaned as she eased Karreth off of her. She hoped he wasn't hurt. But she needn't have worried. He sprung up instantly.

"How about this for plan B?" He said. "There's an unused wire trellis over there, we could lean it up against the wall. I'm light enough, probably, for it to support me."

"Okay," said Laran, getting to  her feet. Together they dragged the trellis over and set it against the wall.

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(September 18, 2010 - 12:05 pm)

Thanks for coming back! And from now on I will respond promptly.

 

 

Hold on while I find out what a trellis is, exactly...oh nevermind.

 

Karreth climbed onto the trellis and crept in through the window. Laran watched anxiously.

 

"I got it!" he called from inside.

 

"Great. Fine. Now come on, let's GO!" Laran said.

 

Karreth climbed out and down. Suddenly someone shouted, "There they are!"

 

 

Andy P. C. says twmh.

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, The IW!
(September 19, 2010 - 1:23 pm)

Laran's heart pounded and her breath almost caught in her throat as she screamed out, "RUN!" They tore across the back lawn, over the bridge, and to the waiting Skyonso.

We've got to get out of here! Karreth thought urgently. They both clambered onto his back as fast as they could.

Run, Skyonso! Laran thought to him. Run like you've never run before!

Just as their pursuers reached the bridge, Skyonso reared up on his hind legs, with Laran and Karreth clinging on hard, and then snorted and dashed forward so quickly they almost flew off. He swung around, and dashed straight through a startled crowd of servants, along with Lord Bindrillhald, who barely managed to get out of the way. Then, at the same high speed, he dashed out along the open plain, heading to the northeast. No one keeps the white stag prisoner for long, he cried. Now let's go to the Golden Phoenix!

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(September 20, 2010 - 5:28 pm)

Laran leaned back against Karreth and sighed in relief. She was shaking all over, but she managed to turn her mind ahead to the task and think about what they needed to do.

 

It suddenly occurred to her that though they might have escaped, they had no food, no water, and they weren't even sure which direction to take.

 

She then proceeded to startle Karreth and Skyonso by bursting into tears.

 

What's wrong? they both asked her at once, Skyonso thoughtspeaking, Karreth speaking out loud.

 

She managed to get enough control of herself to tell them. For Skyonso's sake, she spoke in thoughtspeak.

 

...And I don't know what we're going to do, she finished hopelessly.

 

Karreth was silent, as was Skyonso.

*********************************************************************

 

You may have noticed I like to end my parts on cliffhangers. :) It makes it more interesting that way. Also, I've often discovered that it's easier to get inspiration if the story is ended on a cliffhanger--don't know if that's the case with you or not.

Andy P. C. says tghk. Thoughtspeak? What do you want to say, Andy?

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

 

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, The IW!
(September 21, 2010 - 6:34 pm)

Andy definitely has a speech impediment. He can only speak in four letters at a time!

*********************

Then Skyonso spoke. We're going to do the best we can. I won't let you two down. The nest of the Golden Phoenix isn't far from here. We need to keep going, and we'll reach it tomorrow. I was just itching to stretch my legs, I can probably keep going all night. If you settle down, I'll try to give you a smooth ride.

Laran was comforted a little by the sound of Skyonso's deep voice, and leaning forward on Skyonso's neck, she settled into an uneasy sleep.

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(September 23, 2010 - 7:06 pm)

Hmmm...oh drat. I'm really not inspired right now. Um...no. Sorry! I just can't seem to continue the story. Could you try to keep going? Please?

 

Andy P. C. says hkfz.

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, The IW!
(September 23, 2010 - 8:29 pm)

Umm... Okie, 'cause I know what I want to happen next.

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(September 25, 2010 - 7:23 pm)

Thanks! :)

 

Andy P. C. says fmgo.

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, Do you REALLY w
(September 28, 2010 - 1:25 pm)

Laran woke when Skyonso stopped. She groggily raised her head and looked around in the cool morning air. On one side of her was a large, smooth, rounded rock pillar, tall enough that she could not see what was on top of it. Far away on the other side was a small rural farm. Karreth was already up and pacing around the rock.

"Hey Laran," he called. "Did you see this thing? I wonder how we're going to get up." 

Laran dismounted. Skyonso was already sleeping on his feet, his knees locked like a horse's. She started walking around the other side, when something caught her eye. It was two lines of runes, etched into the side of the pillar. Laran could read, but these symbols were unfamiliar.

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(September 30, 2010 - 7:10 pm)

She walked over to get a closer look. The runes proved to be fairly easy to understand--mostly they were just pictures of certain things, although occasionally she would come across a symbol that looked very strange and that she could not figure out, no matter how hard she tried. She kept seeing rings--one looked very much like Karreth's. Suddenly something caught her eye and she froze, feeling chills all over, and not because of the air.

 

"Karreth!" she called urgently. "Come here and look at this."

 

Karreth came over from where he had been looking at the huge pillar. "What's up, Laran?" he asked.

 

"Karreth, look at this!" She pointed to the runes. Karreth gasped. "Exactly! It looks just like-"

 

"Us," Karreth finished.

 

*********************************************************************

 

Andy P. C. says rxmr.

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, The IW!
(October 8, 2010 - 7:19 pm)

Oh... Sorry, I honestly don't know where to go with this rune thing. Do you have any ideas? I thought maybe they would have some significance after they had met the golden phoenix.

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(October 24, 2010 - 6:40 pm)

Hummm...I was thinking the runes could be about the rings and the Golden Phoenix. :S What do you think of that?

 

Andy P. C. says buhi. Sounds a bit like bindi.

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, Thinking about
(October 25, 2010 - 8:13 pm)

Oh! Dug up some new information: The rings each grant one wish to each user. So, if Karreth makes a wish while wearing the ring... oh, I hope he didn't already and we just weren't paying attention...

submitted by Emily L., age 15, WA
(November 2, 2010 - 9:33 pm)

*thinks back*I don't think he did. I'll check if you like. Or maybe, if he did, then we could make it that he already made a wish before Laran met him and the ring granted it and that makes all his other wishes while wearing it null and void. That would work.

Anyway, sudden burst of inspiration for the story, SO!

 

************************************************************************

 

Karreth and Laran continued looking at the runes. They were hard to understand, but a lot of them were Laran and Karreth, sometimes as small children. Once or twice, with a cry of surprise, they would recognize Skyonso, who would come over to see. And there were rings too, which was the most puzzling part of all. 

 

When they had looked at all the runes twice, Skyonso called their attention to dinner, which reminded Laran that she and Karreth hadn't gotten any food, having been so busy looking at the runes.

 

"Oh no, oh Skyonso, I'm sorry," she said, then, realizing that he couldn't understand her, she repeated it in thoughtspeak.

 

It's quite all right with me, he told her. How do you think we white deer survive when there are no humans to get food for us? We graze. I've been grazing all this time. But I thought you and Karreth looked too busy to get food for your own selves, so I managed to get plenty of roots and berries. You may wash them off in the stream over there.

 

Oh, thank you, Skyonso! they both exclaimed, and ran off to wash the food.

 

While eating, they discussed the ruins, in thoughtspeak for Skyonso's sake.

 

It seems to me, said Karreth while munching, that these runes are telling the story of our journey.

 

Yes, Laran said, but what about those rings? There aren't any rings in our journey.

 

There is one, Karreth reminded her, and held up his hand with his mother's ring on it. Laran gasped.

 

"Karreth," she said out loud, "you don't think-?"

 

But she didn't finish, because at that moment a brilliant pillar of red and gold flame burst from the top of the mountain.

 

The Golden Phoenix! all three cried inside their heads at once.

 

Skyonso turned to them. Quick, you two! he ordered. Mount! I'll try and get us at least halfway there by nightfall.

 

And Skyonso did try. But the going was rough, and soon night had fallen. The three collapsed on the mountainside, exhausted--for the past hour, Laran and Karreth had been walking alone.

 

Suddenly Skyonso stopped and pricked up his ears. Listen, he said. Do you two hear that?

 

And the children did hear it--an unearthly, screeching cry that chilled their blood.

 

That's not--Karreth asked. That's not the Golden Phoenix, is it, Skyonso?

 

No, Skyonso answered, shaking his head. The call of the Phoenix is much more beautiful than that. My mother told me to fear something called the Roc bird. This must be it.

 

LOOK OUT! Laran screamed inside their heads, and the three ducked just in time as a huge shadow swept overhead. Something bronze and enormous flew away, screaming.

 

What was that? Karreth asked.

 

That was the Roc bird, said Skyonso. Then he suddenly lay down flat out the ground. You two! he ordered. Lie on top of me and make no sound. The bird can spot my shining coat, and it might be able to hear you. If you must speak, thoughtspeak.

 

The two did as they were asked. And there the travelers waited, not daring to move or breathe.

 

*********************************************************************

Well, how's that? I was going to have them reach the Golden Phoenix and find the egg, but then I remembered that Skyonso's mom--forgot her name suddenly--warned them about the Roc bird, so I thought we'd better add that in.

Andy P. C. says bryk. Kind of sounds like byre, which is an old-fashioned place to keep cows in. Are you thinking about taking up farming, Andy?

~Wolfgirl67 signing off.

 

 

submitted by Wolfgirl67, age 12, 117 pieces of c
(November 3, 2010 - 1:23 pm)