Dear Elizabeth,

Wow!  I love your story!  It's really powerful!  Great descriptions!

Do you mind if I post mine?  Here it is, sorry that it's kind of long.  Besides being an actress and a singer, I write.  A Lot.

The story, continues, but the book is called, A Place to Go.  It's a part of the first chapter.  Tell me what you think!

            A secret is a marvelous thing.  It is something that one can keep, hide, and treasure forever, if it is the nice kind of secret.  Cora Nere had a secret.  She didn’t want anyone else to know. She didn’t want anyone else to find it.  She wanted to keep it a secret forever and ever.  To keep it hidden from the rest of the world.  Just to be hers only.  Her secret. 

            It all started when she was two years old, and her two older twin sisters, Dianne and Daphne, who were both four, demanded that Cora share all of her toys with them.  Then, at her third birthday, when Cora received a small blue whale from their Uncle Norris, the two sisters had grabbed it and took it everywhere with them, much to Cora’s dismay.  At Cora’s fourth birthday, Dianne stole the birthday cake and ate up in her closet, and Daphne opened two presents before Cora could even see them.  Dianne was punished for the cake, Daphne was given a scolding, and Cora did not have a birthday cake.  At Cora’s fifth birthday, her sisters forgot.  So she had a blissful birthday with cake and many presents.  All of which she desperately hid from the twins.  When her sixth birthday came, the sisters had four of their friends over, all of which ate up the cake, and ‘borrowed’ Cora’s new doll to play tea party with.  Cora’s seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth birthdays were much the same, with the sisters intruding, and taking the valuable presents, which included a pink doll house, a parasol, a painting set, (she did manage to eventually retrieve that, after they used up most of the pink and purple paint,) a new bike, (Daphne later returned it after the handlebars bent,) a hamster, a make-up kit, a fancy jewelry box,  and a radio. 

            A year later, at her fifteenth birthday, Cora was nervous, and not just because of her pilfering older sisters, but because something strange had been happening lately. 

            One day, it was July the twelfth, if I remember correctly; Cora was alone in the house.  All her family was out at the sisters’ summer cello recital, and because she did not want to go and hear them, Cora was alone, reading her favorite book.  The Adventures of Robin Hood; the unabridged version.  Robin Hood had been her hero for as long as she could remember.  Sh found him terribly romantic, always saving people.  Just when she got too the exciting part where Robin kills Sir Guy of Gisbourne, When suddenly, there came a knock at the door.  She rolled off the bed, still absorbed in her book, and walked over to the window where she glanced out the door. 

            Her book fell to the floor, unnoticed.  She blinked.  Twice.  A shiver rolled up and down her spin.  She dashed down the stairs to the door, where she opened the door a crack, “Who is it?”

            The door was flung open from the outside, and she was swooped up and flown around in the air.  “Ah, little maid, how much you’ve grown since I’ve seen you last!”

Later they were sitting in the kitchen, Cora sipping a cup of her specially tweaked hot chocolate made from the mix, and Robin Hood, sat smiling opposite her.  “Okay,” she said, “How did you get here?”

Robin shrugged, “I’ve always been here, you’ve just never seen me.”

“What do you mean?”

He shook his head, “Augh, there’s plenty of time for that later, but look at the time!  And you’re not even dressed!”

“Dressed? For what?”

He grinned, “For the festival of course!  You did receive the invitation, did you not?”

Cora shook her head. “Ah, silly me, to trust Little John to mail anything, he terribly forgetful about such things, you know.” Said Robin, he reached into his green vest, “Here, I happen to have a spare.”

It was a golden card written in sky blue lettering, the words:

                        My dear ___________,

You are invited to the Sherwood’s Yearly Festival of the Wood a time of joyous and gay celebration.  There will be dancing, contests, and a feast provided.  We look forward to seeing you there.

            Sincerely,

            Your friends in the Forest

                                    Robin Hood

Robin leaned forwards, “So, you had better get dressed, my dear.”

Cora looked up at him, smiled, and raced upstairs, only to stop, and run back, “But I have nothing to wear!” She cried in dismay.

“Never fear, child, Marian thought as much.”  And from his pack, drew a light, fluttery, green gown. “Made by her own hands, just for you, try it on.”

Cora took the dress with shinning eyes and ran upstairs.  When she returned, Robin turned her around with one hand, “My, you certainly are a beauty.  Well, shall we tarry further or off to the festival?”

“One question.”  Cora eyed Robin, “How are we going to get there, and is this really real?”

Robin nodded, “Fair enough, here, sit then, they won’t miss us quite yet. I need to explain a few things to you.”

They both sat down at the table. He took Cora’s hand in his and said, “This is very hard to explain.  It really depends on your point of view.  I am not the best person to explain this to you; there are others who would do a better job.  What were you watching or reading or thinking about right before I knocked on the door?”

Cora’s eyes widened, “The adventures of Robin Hood!”

Robin pounded the table, “exactly!  So you see, you have reached the age, this special day, of being able to see.  Not just see as in looking and observing, but to see… ah, you’ll have to read something else, later!  Not now, but I cannot explain this to you.  But I do seem familiar to you, right?”

Cora nodded, “Yes, I have seen you somewhere before, you seem like an uncle, or a second father!”

Robin nodded wisely, “correct, come, let us to the festival.  They await us little maid.”  He said quietly, “It is for another to tell you of this.”

And with that, Robin swept Cora off of her feet and carried her out the door as if she was a small child.

Robin stepped off of the porch, and Cora gasped, “Oh, no!  Here comes Mrs. Larne!  She’ll think I’m being kidnapped or something!”

Mrs. Larne was forever frightened of her neighbor’s children being kidnapped.

Robin looked at her, “Don’t worry, my dear, she can’t see us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, why do you think I’m carrying you?  Do you think that I think you cannot walk for yourself?”

Cora shook her head, “No I just…”  She stopped; she didn’t know what to think.

“This is too complicated for me to explain,” Robin said, “We’re almost there.”

“Where?  This is my neighbor hood, there’s no Sherwood Forest here.”

“True, but there is a Sherwood Forest here.”  He set her down opposite himself.  They had crossed the street and were standing just inside of the dense woods that stretched for some miles in all directions. 

“Where?”

“Here.”  Robin leaned close and tapped her head. “This is all in here.  Like I told you, just enjoy yourself.  I was chosen, by you, to be the Counsel to celebrate your seeing day with you.  Just enjoy it; Marian will give you a reading suggestion later.”

Cora froze, “Wait, if this is all in my imagination, is this dress in my imagination too?”

Robin laughed, “Here, let’s walk while we talk,” they walked further into the forest, which was growing darker and more overgrown each minute.  “It’s complicated, but whenever you put something on, like a sword, or clothing, it become’s real, but only clothing and weapons and such seem to do so, money, valuables, don’t seem to work.  It’s strange, but there it is.”

Cora nodded, confusing as it all was, it seemed to make sense, in a crazy sort of way.  “Well, we’re here, welcome, Cora, dear, to Sherwood Forest, home of Robin Hood and his Merry Men!”

With those words, Robin flung aside a curtain of vines that hung down from the trees and Cora beheld a sight she would not forget for the rest of her life. 

Ribbons hung down from the trees, there was music, oh, such music!  It seemed to come from everywhere at once!  The people!  Oh, it was just like her books!  Dressed in long dresses, the women were laughing and chattering, and the men!  Dressed in colorful tunics and capes, they roamed the wide clearing laughing and slapping each other on the back in their mirth.  “Hold your festivities!”  Robin proclaimed from a rock, he had apparently jumped up on, to gain his fellows’ attention, “I announce, proudly, the newest Seeing Lady, Mademoiselle Cora Nere!”

The applause was defining!  Shouts, cheers and whistles came from all around, a flock of women surrounded Cora, she was hugged, kissed, and her hair was fussed with.  When they had finished, color had been added to her cheeks and lips, and her hair had been put up in a small loose, messy bun on the top of her head, with her the ends hanging down against her neck.    

She stepped forwards and joined in the festivities.

That was really good, Stargazer! I really like yours too, Elizabeth M.! What happens next? And Elizabeth D., yours is awesome! Can't see Vida's post right now.

Well I'm not sure what to call this, but here is the prologue:

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One snowy winter day, as I lay on my bed, reading and waiting for my mother to come through the door and give me a BIGGG bear hug, I heard a horse “whinny”.

It wasn’t a regular whinny sound – but it was a sort of screeching sound. If you had no knowledge of horses, you would be very scared. I was, – at first, but then I went to my window and I saw a beautiful, tall, and majestic white horse. It seemed to me that it was glowing. I squinted to see it better. In fact, as I was looking as close as I could (through my frozen window), it was glowing!

“This is not true,” I said to myself. “Could it really be what I think it is…?” I thought it was a unicorn when I actually thought about it. “No, it can’t, unicorns don’t exist – they, they, never did, stop thinking about it! IT CANNOT BE REAL!!” I said in my mind.

I grabbed my shawl and put it on. I ran outside to my bedroom window, where the horse was. I was scared. I don’t know why.

I knew what horses looked like. My father bought and sold horses for a living; sadly he died about 6 years ago. I guess I had forgotten what they looked liked – and how big they were.

I reached my hand out to touch it. I jerked it back right as I almost touched its belly. What was I doing? “I am 13 years old! Why am I acting so childish?” I though t to myself. I reached out again. I went all the way to his belly but… something wasn’t right. My hand went all the way through the horse!! “What on earth is happening; is it…ah… is it a… NO! Stop being ridiculous! IT IS NOT A GHOST!!!!!!!” I said to myself (pretty loudly).

I tried to rub its head, thinking I would really touch it, but… something was wrong. The horse said something... like “I am Riptide. I am a messenger of the gods. I am here to tell you that you are in grave danger. You need to flee at once; your senses shall direct you." He said it in ancient Greek. I do not know why I understood him, but I did. Everything started to spin; the horse said one last thing about… Greek gods…? The horse vanished. I woke on the floor, sweaty, breathing hard. I felt faint.

Sorry, it was kinda long..

I love everyone's stories!!  I will post an exerpt from mine, too, but I'm going to make a new thread. :) <3 <3

Spamboy says tedi. Oh you have a teddy bear? Nice!

I hope you guys like it as much as the prologue!! 

Chapter1

I swung my long tan legs over the leather bike seat. It was 1.00 pm and school was over. I pushed the pedals hard and flew over the pavement. I turned a corner and skidded to a halt in front of a circular white building which said:

SALT PINES RECREATIONALCENTER

I stepped of my bike and locked it up on a small tree. I pushed through the glass doors and stepped out in a large airy room. I walked up to a desk where a middle-aged woman with silvery hair was talking on the phone. She put one finger up and mouthed the words: One minute. I nodded and studied the room. Glass windows covered the ceiling and the floors were made of hard, salmon-color stone. Some chairs stood in a small corner where a woman was flipping through an Oprah magazine.

“Ok, dear. What do you need?” I turned around startled and looked at the woman who was smiling a big toothy smile. “Umm… Well, is it to late too sign up for Mountain Treks? The weekend one for intermediates.” The woman thought and nodded. “Yes, I don’t have them though. There’s a sheet over there. Put your phone number and name on it. Is that all?” The lady smiled again. “Yes,” I said shortly.

 I walked over to the large bulletin board that covered a wall. I scanned the flyers until I found the right one:

MOUNTAIN TREKS FOR INTERMEDIATES

I took a small pen, which was hanging on a string next to the sheet and wrote: Natalia Brookes_______ 554-5544. Now all I had to do was wait for them to call.

I smiled to myself. I loved things like that. Mountains, climbing, hikes… It was in my blood. I’d gotten that from my father. I felt a lump rise in my throat at that thought. My smile faded slightly and I hurried out as if wanting to run away from that thought.

* * * *

I closed the door quietly and pulled off my green coat, hanging it up on one of the small hooks on the wall. I went into the large open kitchen that connected to our old-timey living room. My mom stood next to the stove stirring something, which smelled like chicken. Her hair was pulled into its usual ponytail. A strand of brown fell into her face. Mom looked up and her eyes wrinkled in a smile. “So, did you have a good day?” Her voice was cheerful. “Yep! I signed up for the Mountain Trek thing at the Recreation Center!”

“You what?!” my mom exclaimed. “I signed up for…” “I know what you did! But how--how could. No you can’t go! After what happened to your father. I don’t want to lose someone else.” She covered her face with her long thin hands and I could hear a small sob. I felt like I’d done something wrong. Well I guess I had… But she had to stop being scared at some point.

My mom wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and walked upstairs leaving dinner unfinished.

I felt left alone and helpless. Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

I took some orchids from a small white vase on the table and threw on my coat.

·     * *

ANDERSON CEMETERIES

I parked my bike next to the large brown stone arch and grabbed the slightly wilted orchids from my metal bike basket.

I walked down the rows of headstones until I came to an old oak tree. Under it was a small polished brown granite headstone.

Nathan Brookes

Born: March 17th1968

Died: October 5th2000

May you always be in our hearts.

My eyes were wet with tears that I wiped away. I had to be strong like Father. I would follow in his footsteps.

I set the orchids down saying: “I love you, Papa.”

You may be wondering what happened. An incident that I will never forget. Mama had told me.

Papa had been a mountain climber, one of the best in the area. He went out one day, alone. That was the end. I remember snippets of that night.

Mama next to the phone crying, the old doctor, papa’s peaceful face. And the words: “We couldn’t help him any further. He died.”

Those words stung in my mind as I set the orchids down.

I sat next to the grave for a while. Thinking and looking at the pale blue sky.