Haikufeel :: Stories

No Regrets?!

gillanshoukry@aol.com (Yasmin) — Fri, 15 May 2015 18:36:00 +0100

This is a narrative I wrote last year for my English class. Hope you like it! - Yasmin

Days, months, years had passed since it happened. Yet I still live in that very moment, or rather that, this moment, lives on in me, with me, off me. I would be mendacious if I said I had forgotten or if it had forgotten me. How could it, how could I, after all that we've been through. My safe, my saviour, my equal, yet it is the source of so, so much pain and anguish.

Continue reading No Regrets?!

Like a shadow, it -

stalks...me.

Like a shield, it GUA me RDS.

And -

like a dagger, it kills. Me.

The very weight dragging... dragging life on, which like a heavy chain, lengthens behind with many links of pain.

"I must overcome. It. Must be laid to. Rest. In peace. It will be done. Now."

It was a dark, cold, February evening when I decided to set off. The moon, riding high above the clouds, was surely leading the way. By the time I had arrived, nightfall had well and truly fallen, unlike the lagging hours of the day, going by like windless clouds over a tender sky.

I was greeted by the door, or what was left of it, though this was far from the usual unapologetically "warm welcome" that one is accustomed to. Nevertheless, I expected nothing more. Taking in deep breaths, breathing out all the fear and worry instilled in me, I lunged myself inside.

It was exactly how I left it, how we left it, after it happened.

I could hear the screams, feel them passing through my lips and booming like thunder, around the house. They seemed to be coming from along the hallway to my right, at the far end, but I just couldn't tell. I carefully made my away along the corridor, the sound of my shallow breathe echoing, just as much as our screams. The corridor split into three rooms, the living room, bathroom and kitchen. Tentatively, I looked inside, my heart racing like a runaway train, getting faster and faster. I could hardly tell the rooms apart; everything, from the kitchen worktop to the old, ebony rocking chair had been reduced to the ruins and the avenging ashes that they are. It all happened so long ago, yet it seems like only yesterday.

The screams grew louder and stronger as I approached it, like a siren in the heart of the night, pounding at your eardrums until they bleed. Would it still be there? Would it still remember? More importantly, has it changed?

Running unsteadily into the living room, like a blind man feeling his way, I tripped, as the arms of agony reached for me from below. I looked up and there it was, sitting in the corner, beckoning me to take a closer look, like the devil whispering in your ear.

"You came back for me, didn't you? Go on, open me then, take me out, don't you want to play? It's been so long. You know you want to, you can't resist me, us."

And so I did.

Deafening and implacable like some elemental force.
As fatal as the fangs of the most venomous snake. Gleaming like a diamond on a dancing girl. Gone astray as a sheep that is lost. Empty like a corpse in its grave. Revealing all the same.

It was never meant to happen. I never wanted it to be this way. But the things he would say and the things he would do. To me.

I had no choice, I had to do it.

I couldn't take it anymore!

I gradually lifted it out of the box and grasped it tightly with my right, bloodstained hand. All I could see was the blade reflecting a face, a face of a monster, who was just as bad as he was.

It hadn't changed. I had.

"I must overcome. It. Must be laid to. Rest. In peace. It will be done. Now.”

The Door

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Thu, 07 May 2015 20:26:00 +0100

Pulling my hand towards the door, was a force I had no power or authority over. A force that had left me appalled, bewildered... that had left me staring at the contents of a room I could not yet make sense of. It was unspoken of. What was I doing? My mind, submissive in character, was desperately ordering my body to obey the words that I had been told only too often: "Don't you ever dare walk past that door". But I did.

Continue reading The Door

And here I was. But I no longer knew who 'I' was. For this room I stood in seemed incredibly familiar, and I was certain this was the first time I stood in it.
It was an ordinary room. A bit dusty, a few spiderwebs every half a metre or so, but ordinary nonetheless. Forty centimetres in front of me, prevailed a space occupied by a rickety desk, sustaining what seemed to be the catastrophic consequences of disorganisation. To me, it was far from normal, but then again, I was far from normal myself.
Beside it, a bed, neatly covered with beautiful designs, and above it, the indications of a celebrity obsession - a few annotated posters of good-looking men. A mirror, a wardrobe, a lamp, chair, bookshelf - the furnishings one would expect from an average teenaged girl.

Teenager. How had my life been as a teenager? I could not remember a detail. And it struck me that I had never thought about my adolescence - for I could not find it in my memories. Or rather, it wasn't there at all.

Almost as if on cue, the room became dark. Cold. Forbidding. The cobwebs increased in size. The dust swivelled, only to make a perfect circle around me, as if to highlight my presence within the room. Kicking furiously around me, I tried to regain control of my body, which seemed to be working in unison with this circle of dust to keep me in place. My seemingly detatched body would not obey.

"You are not Elisa," It said. Insanely terrified, satisfied to realise my voice was still within my control, I yelled, "Then, who I am I? What am I doing here? Who are you?"
Having received no answer, I managed to seize The Force and turn on the light. I then realised I was floating on an ocean - of papers strewn on the floor. It forced me to stare at the wall, at what I now realised were not absurd celebrity posters but four letters pinned to the wall. In fact, the rickety desk was full of them too.
H - E - L - P

The shock was so great I collapsed to the ground: This was my room. This is who I used to be. And they did not want me to know.

The Storm

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 18:27:00 +0100

Stress. Pain. I had to relax. And so I found myself in the forest, where I stretched my arms and released it all. Poured the negative contents out of my brain, into the grass, which in turn, absorbed it all.
“I am free!” I yelled, laughing, almost maniacally. But my behaviour no longer mattered, for I was all alone. I had all of this to myself! Oh, how unbelievable it felt, how spending a few minutes in nature, among the trees and fruitful plants, how it made you feel so alive, so detached from the insane world of ongoing stress.
Except, it didn’t last forever. Because now, my reasons for running had changed.

Continue reading The Storm

In a few seconds’ time, the beautiful warm weather that had accompanied my powerful sense of peacefulness had fallen apart. Monstrous, charcoal clouds emerged from the mountains where thy had been hiding, and now I was at their mercy, destined to be their prey. Two centimetres behind me, lightning struck, and my heart stopped as two trees came crashing down - in front of me, two more - and the booming resonance of thunder - the whole forest appeared to collapse, like shot soldiers, and I stopped. I was the only one standing, in this naked territory, exposed to the storm which would unquestionably take me. I had no choice. Breathing in what I thought would be my last breath, I closed my eyes and submerged myself into the pool of dead trees and grass.

Yet, as I opened my eyes, I realised I was no longer in the woods, but where the storm had actually taken place. Elisa, with a shotgun pointed towards her forehead. The court. The voices. What I had chosen to block out, to forget, to destroy, all those years of my life, and now I stood right in front of it.

“If you say a single word - you are killed, is that clear?” Dear God, that was his voice… And how loud, how handsome…
“David, drop the gun. NOW.” I said, my voice shockingly firm, in contrast to my trembling body. He seemed so unresponsive, so emotionless.
“Where are they?”
“I will never hand my family over to you! Kill me instead!”
“No!” I yelled, as loud as I could. I reached for the gun and grabbed it from him. For a second, everything was still. But David’s anger had soon started to build up, and I felt his hand slap my cheek, taking the gun from me, and the gunshot….

I was convicted for her death. Twenty years of prison, and David out in the loose. His arguments were stronger, and he had a better lawyer on his side - which I could have never, in my lifetime, been able to afford. Fingerprints corresponded. And his story was so convincing that even I began to believe it.
But I had committed a crime far worse than the one I had falsely been convicted of. I had deliberately chosen to forget my dear friend, which was, by far, what my ex-husband was wishing for. I had fallen for it.
The lightning, the trees, the room, the court - it was all gone - and I immediately realised what was the right thing to do. I go to her favorite place, and carve, ‘for my best friend Elise, who, since the storm, will always be remembered’. And before I say goodbye, I laugh to myself, for the place I am standing in is the forest I saw collapse before my eyes.

The letter which arrived too late

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:31:00 +0100

My eyes filled with tears as I read the letter again, and over again.
“If only she’d gotten the letter… If only..”
“If only, what?” a beautiful tall girl gazed at me as she asked me, her blond hair sweeping against her face. Her sad, haunting eyes reminded me of someone long lost and gone, yet I could not remember…

Continue reading The letter which arrived too late

But I did remember that day. It was a cloudy, windy day and I sat with my sister at the park as she told me she was going to marry some gentleman named Alexander… I even remember what she told me when I said that marrying him would be a bad idea…
“I knew you wouldn’t agree. I knew you would trample all over me.You’re just selfish, cruel, and mean. I don't want to see your face, ever again. You disgust me. Get out of my life -“
I grabbed her hand and said, “Rita, you make no sense! You asked for my opinion, I gave it to you. Now, if you want to marry him, fine. Marry him! It’s all about him, isn't it?”
“You, you.. dare? I thought I could confide in you! Im leaving…”
“No! Rita, come back!”
Never did I know… Never did I think that it would end so wrong…

“Would she ever come back?” I asked myself as I sat on my bed, thinking, desperately. My mind raced, and I felt a jolt. Suddenly, I was in a room, and I was staring at Alexander.
“Rita, darling, I’d say we should sign this contract. It states that if anything should happen to us, all our money and belongings shall pass on to the other”, he said looking at me.
“Yes, there is no way I am allowing my wretched sister take all of my money, if anything should happen, anyhow.” However, the strangest thing was that my sister wasn’t saying this aloud. I was hearing her thoughts.. Was this a dream, or was I having a vision? It seemed so realistic…
I felt my sister move her hand across the smooth delicate paper and twirl her hand in a complex motion until she had achieved her beautiful signature I had always admired. I had a terrible feeling. Why was I in that room, in her mind, I did not know, but something, I knew for sure, would go horribly wrong…
“Good” he said, grimacing, “Very good”
The room became obscure.
“What is going on?” asked Rita, panicking.
“Nothing, darling, the electricity must have gone out.”
I knew better than to believe that. I felt a jolt again, and I was on my bed. I raced downstairs, grabbed my coat, and before I could do anything else, A sudden thought came to my mind. The mailbox. I did not know why I felt pulled towards it, but I opened it and saw the following letter:

Dear Miss. Marguerita,
Alexander Bruce Williams is a dangerous man. You must not get involved with him in any manner.
There is a reason for the direction of this letter. This is confidential information and must not be shared.
Kind regards,
Anonymous

I did not know where I was going to. I was racing, to wherever my legs brought me to, but I knew it would be the place I was meant to be in. I found myself in front of the police office. I did not know what I was doing there but I opened the door and found myself shouting out: “My sister is in danger! I need help!” But I said no more. As soon as the last words came out of my mouth, I felt another jolt, and I was on the floor. My sister was gagged and her hands were tied together with a rope. Alexander was dragging her somewhere, and as time ticked by, I knew. He was going to drown her at the lake. I was back at the police office, and there were police officers around me asking me if I was alright. “There is no time! I- I have had a vision! My sister is in grave danger! I know I may sound insane, but listen to me, please, I beg you. I have a letter. It has proof. My sister is engaged to a man named Alexander, and this man is now currently drowning her at a lake. I dont care whether you believe me or not. This is real. My sister is about to die.” As I said the last words, I let out a cry of despair. What had I done?
Everything was stagnant. All eyes were on me. I felt my breath pulsating and suddenly, one man rose up from the public and exclaimed: “We are to help this poor girl! She may be mad, but it will do no harm to go and see what is going on. Where exactly is she?” He directed his last question to me. As soon as I told him about her location, I was brought into a police car, and I was unconscious again.

The water was cold. Very cold. I could not breathe. Water was rushing into my ears and mouth and I was choking. I could hear my sister’s thoughts. Her thoughts about me, how she’d been so terribly wrong, how she was so sorry she had not believed me in the first place. How- how, she loved me..

It was too late. She was dead. I felt dead. I felt nothing, I felt empty, lost, unconscious. My twin sister, my soulmate, was gone. Rita.. It struck me then.
“Rita!!” I said to the tall, beautiful figure. She nodded.
“We will be seeing each other again,” she said, and smiled. She then disappeared.

Etipi's Rhyming Story

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Sat, 25 May 2013 18:34:00 +0100

This is a story I wrote back when I was 10 years old :

Once upon a time, there lived an elf called Etipi (pronounced Et-ip-ee).
He lived in a mushroom.
He took the toy train every day to his house.
He was a magical creature, and he could make flowers fly.
He liked eating flowers, which gave him powers.
One day a Big Troll came and ate Etipi.
In the Big Troll's tummy, Etipi ate flowers.
The flowers fave Etipi powers to get out of the showers in the Big Troll's tummy.
Then Etipi threw a mushroom at the Big Troll and the Big Troll died.
All the elves celebrated and Etipi was a hero.
Bravo Etipi!!!

THE END

Continue reading Etipi's Rhyming Story

Letters to Paige

tanxinrongsteffi@gmail.com (Steffi Tan) — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:41:12 +0100

This is a story I submitted into the YAFF (Young Adult Fiction Festival) Festival at the American Library In Paris! Unfortunately the results aren't out yet, but who knows, maybe I'll win something! :D

Continue reading Letters to Paige

I run out to the sea and let the wind ruffle and toss my already unruly hair…
I want to just laugh and shout out to the sea and do a silly dance myself. It’s early in the morning, and no one else is up yet. I love it here by the sea, with the fresh salty air and the soothing sound of the tides crashing against the ivory white cliffs.
Sing, seagulls, sing! I spot a few egrets wading through the marshy wetlands, and hear the sandpipers go “Pee-wit, pee-wit wit-oh!” I’ve never felt more at peace. Suddenly the shrill song of the sandpiper seems to become “Pity me! Pity me, oh!” and memories flood in again, but they don’t hurt anymore.
I start writing in my diary Paige, listening to the sea, sketching the waterfowl, recording my thoughts, scribbling gibberish. I flip through her pages, reading through them and wondering where he is now…

...

Sunday, 22nd December 1996

Dear Paige,
It was a fun day today! Terence stayed with me all day, and we spent time on the beach just bird-watching and running up to the cliffs and lots of other stuff only our imagination can explore. I don’t know what I would do if Terence wasn’t here. You were my only friend before he came, and we’ve been such good friends for about two years now. If he left I think there would just be a big hole in me.
Cheerio!
Evanlyn

Monday, 17th March 1997

Dear Paige,
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s been a while since I last wrote. Sorry!
More and more children are coming to this boarding school, mostly kids who need lots of fresh air and sunshine. Luckily none of them really bother to come down to the beach. That’s mine and Terence’s place.
Terence didn’t go out with me, saying he was going to meet the new people. Huh, who cares about the new people? I think its better that we just leave them be, and they leave us be. Just you and Terence is all I need.
Love,
Evanlyn

Friday, 4th April 1997

Dear Paige,
Terence has been hanging out with a new girl called Abigail, and it’s not fair that he doesn’t spend as much time with me. He seems to really like her, but I don’t see anything special in her…
I tried tagging along with them, and Abigail treats me nicely in front of Terence, but I still can’t figure why she has this cold attitude towards me. Well, who cares what she thinks of me… I just hope Terence and I get to go out again sometime soon, just the two of us.
Sincerely,
Evanlyn

Sunday, 20th April 1997

Dear Paige,
Happy Birthday to me! I’m finally 15 years old!
There are no classes at the moment, for it’s spring vacation, but Terence and I are staying, so we just make our way down to the old beach and listen to the waves.
Terence made me a nice birthday surprise! He sketched a cute little sandpiper he’d been watching the other day for me and it looks so real on the paper. Said it was just like me, running away when the waves come in, but always making its way back, never giving up. How sweet of him! We spent the day together building a big sandcastle.
I’m trying not to think about Abigail. I don’t want to ruin this perfect day.
Ciao!
Evanlyn

Saturday, 17th May 1997

Dear Paige,
Terence found some time without Abigail to spend with me again for the past few days, but it doesn’t seem to be the same as before. He keeps talking about Abigail. Every time he talks about her I feel something burning inside. What do you think it is, Paige? Do you think it’s jealousy? He seems a little more distant. I’m a little worried about this. And about the feelings in me that have started to act up lately. What if he doesn’t feel the same way?
Love,
Evanlyn

Tuesday, 8th July 1997

Dear Paige,
Too much has been happening lately; I can’t put them in words… Terence and I have fallen apart. He wants to be with Abigail. But I want to be with him. This seems so bare on paper, but there’s much more to it. I’m not going to write about it, or I’ll start crying again.
I’m looking at the empty page next to this entry. Now, I’m like that empty page, waiting for someone to fill it again, just as Terence filled it before. But who would be able to fill that vast space?
Evanlyn

Wednesday, 26th November 1997

Dear Paige,
Maybe an empty page isn’t so bad after all… It’s about time I moved on.
I haven’t felt like writing lately, so I apologise. I was thinking during summer about what to do next.
Does an empty page scare you? Some people find nothingness frightening. It’s not so bad, once you get over it. All you have to do is flip the page and start anew, filling it in with doodles and words. Besides, I’ve found a new friend, someone else who understands me – Keira.
I’ve already gotten over Terence. He’s now like a good friend to me, like before, that’s all. Maybe it was just some girlish fancy I had for him.
Lots of love,
Evanlyn

...

“It’s already been two years since these events,” I realise…
I look up from the pages, noticing the sunlight is suddenly blocked by a shadow, and see Keira grinning down at me. “You came out to the beach alone and didn’t invite me?” she jokes.
I stand up in the wind, spread out my arms and close my eyes, and Keira does the same. The wind makes me feel like I’m flying. “Nah, I thought you weren’t up yet, so I came out myself. But it was kind of lonely, and I like it better with you around.”

Piping Hot Apple Pie - Part One

micaandersongeneva@gmail.com (Miça Anderson) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0100

It was a fresh spring Sunday morning, if a little chilly, and Mama woke me up at the crack of dawn to roll the pastry.
"Today is the busiest day of the market, and people will be cold and hungry. Piping hot apple pie will soothe any hunger!"
So I rolled the pastry and shaped it and poured in the filling and put on the top and baked it in the oven and made little slits on the top.
Finally, at 8 o 'clock, Mama told me to get washed and dressed. I brushed my hair into my usual side braid and washed my face and brushed my teeth and slipped on a green silk dress.
Mama was caring for baby Sid and told me to start selling.
I loved caring for the pie stall. We were quite popular in the village and almost everybody would stop and buy a pie, and if not, they would buy a slice.
I stacked the pies on the racks, and switched the signs from 'Closed' to 'Open'.
All of a sudden, there was a mad rush. I thought that they were all for the pies, but instead they were watching a scene unfold in the market square.
I left the pie stall and ran to the crowd of people.
I recongnised Farmer Jenkins, a old stout man of 50+, with a gravelly voice and wrinkly face. He was strong as a bull, and he was holding a boy my age down to the dusty floor.
"You dare pickpocket me! You filthy young man, why I oughta-"
He was stopped when his wife, who worked in the tavern, caught sight of him and pulled him off the boy.
"Leave him be, you monster, leave him be." She cried.
"That young man-" He said, pointing an accusing finger at the boy, "Comes into our home, eats our food, sleeps on our sheets- and he nicks money!" He made one last dash at the boy, who ran out of the way, through the crowd and down the dusty track that led to the woods.
Farmer Jenkins was led to the tavern to calm down by his wife, and the crowd broke up. I was supposed to go back to my stall, but instead I ran down the track that led to the wood.

Continue reading Piping Hot Apple Pie - Part One

***

I found the boy scuffing about under an elm tree, kicking up the dust and spitting.
"You shouldn't do that." I said.
He kicked the dust again and said, "I don't care."
I came out of the shadows.
"Who are you?" I asked,
"Nobody. I'm from nowhere. Leave me alone." He said, spitting.
"Stop that!" I ordered. To my suprise, he stopped and looked at me.
For a moment, he held his gaze in mine. I watched as he walked towards me. He came very close and I stared into his caramel eyes. I felt a tiny smile play across my lips...
He broke his gaze, and sat down on a root of the elm tree.
"My name is Lance. I'm from Westershire. My mam, she died when I was small. My pop, a good-for-nothing tavern-goer. My grammie thought it was unsafe for me there, so she sent me to live with my uncle and aunt, Farmer Jenkins and his wife. Only Farmer Jenkins don't like me much. I asked him for a shilling or two, to buy myself one of those apple pies everyone was talking about, and he told me to earn it myself. I couldn't find a job, so I decided to steal it out of his change pouch when he was having his nap.
"It didn't work. I ran and hid in the haystacks, but he found me and dragged me to the town square, then held my face in the dirt. I got away when I could."
He tilted his face and I saw a jagged cut across it, oozing blood.
"Oh my goodness! It's bleeding!" I said, and walked closer to him, holding his face in my hands and examining it.
I reached into my change pouch, which nowadays was more full of more useful things than change. I brought out a hankerchief and a disenfenctant my Mama made out of sweet apples.
"Hold still. This might sting." I said, and dabbed the remedy on.
"Ouch! Dang it, ouch!" He said, jerking his head away.
"Hold still, you big baby!" I said, and finally cleaned the cut. Then I took one of the sticking plater my Mama gave me and stuck it on his cheek.
"All better." I said.
"Not yet. You gotta kiss it to make it better." He said, cheekily.
I came in, acting like I was going to kiss it, then slapped him instead.
"Ouch! That was on my cut, too!" He said, rubbing it.
"Sorry. I don't kiss strangers." I said innocently.
"I ain't a stranger anymore." He said, "But you're a stranger to me. Who are you?"
"I'm Diana. My Mama and I make the pies you wanted to buy. My Papa...he's sick. He lives my my Gram and Gramp. They have a nurse, and she treats him, and we visit him once a month. I have a little baby brother called Sid. He's a cutie." I said. I smiled. "I ain't no stranger to you anymore now."
"You sure aren't. Now how about that kiss?" Lance said.
I hesitated, wondering if I should, when a crack was heard from above. I watched in horror as a branch came tumbling down...
Lance threw himself on top of me and flung us out of the way.
"Oooooffff!" I said.
He came nose to nose with me."We certainly aren't strangers now." He said.
"Get off me!" I exclaimed, and stood up, brushing the dust off my dress. "Mama is gonna be furious with me!" I said.
"Oh well. Bake her a pie." Lance said, limping over to me.
"The pies!" I exclaimed.
I ran from the wood and back to the market square, then to the stall, and looked in horror at the empty shelves.
TO BE CONTINUED...

Strange Princess Lea

micaandersongeneva@gmail.com (Miça Anderson) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:07:58 +0100

I entered this story into a competition. Let's see if I win!
Once upon a time, there lived a King and Queen in a beautiful kingdom, and they had a lovely daughter, who they named Lea.
It is pronounced Lee-a.
Oh, I do beg your pardon. They had a lovely daughter called Lea.
Lee-a!
Low-a?
No, Lee-a!
Loo-a!
Oh, move over and let me tell the story.
Right. We’re not having any of that ‘once upon a time’ lark. That’s how normal sappy fairytales start, see. And this is no sappy fairytale. Anything but, my friends, anything but…

I guess it started when I was born.
Everybody in the palace turned up to see me pop into the world. Unfortunately, they all thought I was coming at exactly 3. They had planned around that. At 3, royal birth. At 3:30, group portrait. At 4, first baby stroll in the palace grounds. And at five, a celebratory dinner!
I came at 3:20. That’s not too bad, you say.
I came at 3:20…the next morning.
Yes, I was a bit slow. But that wasn’t as bad as the next surprise… I was a girl.
See, the royal doctor, Professor M. Ad, thought I was a boy.
“You are slightly more round than a woman pregnant with a girl.” He said. I haven’t the faintest idea why that classed my mother as a woman pregnant with a boy, but that’s men for you.
Anyway, after I finally came into the world, my mother was fast asleep, and as for my father, he had abandoned it hours before and gone to bed. So my first hours or so in the world was parentless.
Still, the nurses wrapped me up warm and took me to see the royal doctor. He unwrapped me from my blankets and…
“A girl!” He proclaimed.
“A girl?” The nurses gasped.
“A-ga!” I probably said.
My parents were devastated. They wanted a boy to take over their kingdom when they were old and weary. A Queen… that was bad news. I mean, look at Cleopatra. And Anne Boleyn. And Marie Antoinette…
The point is, I wasn’t wanted. I was a mistake. So my parents hurriedly named me and locked me away in a tower the day I turned 13.
The castle was all right. Sometimes, during the cold winter nights, the dragon that guarded me would blow wisps of fire to keep me warm. We were a happy pair.
Until the prince came.
As I said before, this isn’t a sappy fairytale story. So the prince didn’t defeat the dragon. He tricked it.
He dressed up as a woman and said he was my mother, come to visit me. The dragon let him climb up its scaly back and into my room. When safely inside, he swept off his disguise.
“Hello, Princess Lea!” He proclaimed.
He even got my name right. This was my kind of person.
So we were married, and lived in the tower together, had numerous, lovely children, and lived… oh, all right. We lived happily ever after.
THE END

Continue reading Strange Princess Lea

Lean On Me

micaandersongeneva@gmail.com (Miça Anderson) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:52:03 +0100

There was once a girl who could not talk. Her name was Anita. She could hear, she could see, and she could feel. But she could not speak.
Her mother sent her to a special school. Her father hired a special tutor. But still no sound emerged from the girl's throat.
Her parents took her to the doctor. The doctor told them that her daughter would possibly never talk in her lifetime. Her parents were so sad and depressed, they divorced and sent thier daughter away to a boarding school.
The boarding school was full of glamorous, pretty girls who made fun of Anita's scraggly mousey plaits while they flicked thier jet-black or honey-blond or caramel-brown or ruby-red hair. They made fun of Anita's drab faded blue school dress while they wore cute little skirts and blouses and ties.
Anita's only comfort zone was the library, where she immersed herself in other lives. She suffered in the cruelty of the workhouse with Oliver Twist, she survived the Hunger Games with Katniss, she twirled around in beautiful dresses and silver shoes with Cinderella.
Anita never spoke up in class and often read under her desk. She failed most of her subjects and was held back. After 4 long years, she was still in 8th grade at 18. And yet she still read.
Her new teacher was named Miss Partridge. She came in and clapped her hands. Anita dragged herself away from Romeo's speech to anyslase the teacher.
She had brunette hair like Anita's, cut in a stylish bob. She had a beautiful dress, a gorgeous sky blue. And on her back she had a guitar.
She swung the guitar and started to play a song and sang to it.
Anita cocked her head. She listened hard, replaying it again and again. Miss Partridge wrote the words on the board and Anita hurridley copied them down.
Miss Partridge played the song again, encouraging the class to sing along.
'Lean on me
When your not strong
I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on...'
Anita sat, and listened to the class singing, and mouthed the words, trying desperatley to make a sound come out.
The next day, they learnt a new song.
'When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom
Let it be.'
Every lesson was a new song, and soon Anita's notebook was filling up.
Anita focused in class. She passed 8th grade with flying colours. She went on the 9th grade, but skipped ahead to 12th grade. She was finally going to graduate, at 19, and go to a musical college. Just because she couldn't sing didn't restrict her ambitions. She played piano beautifully and wrote many compositions that Miss Partridge had sent to hight-power colleges. One day, Anita was writing a new composition, a fast, happy little tune about spring, but she couldn't get the next riff. She decided to go on a walk through the woord for inspiration.
While she was walking, she saw a gazelle emerge from the shadows, limping. Her ear had been savaged and she looked as though she hadn't eaten in days. She wobbled on her frail legs, and Anita rushed over. The gazelle tentativley lent against Anita, but didn't trust her completley. Anita had to get her back somehow, but the gazelle was scared of her. She tried hard to mouth the first song she ever learnt with Miss Partdridge, but the deer didn't understand. Anita got frustrated and suddenly sang.
That day forward, Anita was able to sing and talk. All she needed was a little love.
THE END

Continue reading Lean On Me

A letter to the past

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:23:00 +0100

It was one of the last years of snow and ice where no one could live anywhere else apart from the north pole. There was only one polar bear left, and scientists reckoned that this polar bear, if it had survived climate change, he must have caused it. It was the 10th of December 2080. It had been planned, a few years ago that this would happen. Now everyone lived in a world where nobody would believe anyone who hadn’t been approved from the government. Nobody would listen to a small eleven year old girl, who had found the hundredth year old encyclopedia of polar bears, if she wasn’t approved.

Continue reading A letter to the past

This small eleven year old girl, it’s me. My name is Poly Splay. I am the same girl who tried to save Snowflake and didn’t succeed. I am a miserable, homeless, family-less girl. Nobody cares about me. I live in Snowflake’s cave now. It’s kind of hard to get food here, but I am sure nobody won’t find me here.

It all happened when I found the book. I was eleven then, actually I turned eleven that same day.

“Bring, Bring” the bell rang.
“Good morning class!” said mrs. Joyful.
“Good morning mrs. Joyful,” the class echoed.
“Please sit down,” answered the teacher.
As soon as the rattling sound of chairs was over mrs. Joyful said,
“Have you heard the news today?”
“Yes!”
“No,” I said. Everyone turned around to face me.
“You should have,” said mrs. Joyful, “It was your homework.”
“I never listen to the news, mrs.” I say politely, “The news just hypnotize you to believe in fake stuff.”
“Like what for example?” asked Daniel.
“Like polar bears causing climate change,” I answered, “They are lovely peaceful creatures, and I have proof.”
“What is your proof?” He asked again.
“An Encyclopedia,” I answered, “from the 1980’s”
“Nobody reads those anymore,” He answers back.
The whole class was silent for one minute, and that was the last one minute of schooling I ever had.

Schooling was the only good thing in my life. Without it I had two options: to commit suicide or to go and meet this particular polar bear. Either way I was going to die. The government would surely not allow me to live longer.

I took my stuffed animal and stepped into the snow determined to find Snowflake's cave. Loads of questions surrounded me as if I was reading every single one from every snowflake that falls. My main question was: “How will I communicate with it?”. Every step was a new question to me and every time I made a new step, I wanted to turn back. But I knew that there was no point of turning back, for I had no friends or family. I had no choice but to move on.

Two whole days passed until I actually saw something, (apart from the time I saw a stick, and I was so tired I mistook it for her cave) something that reminded me of warmness, safeness. It was brown, and scratched, you could actually see the bear’s claw marks. Next to it there was fish bones and blood, so it was very obvious that a bear lived there.

Then I saw it. The bear. Her body was white as snow, and smooth as silk, and her feet were brown and dirty. When she turned around I saw her sad face, and It was hard for me to recognize old signs on it that might have been a smile. Her eyes were blue, and it reminded of my mother. Suddenly I started to cry.

The bear heard me and I could see the mixed emotions inside her. She felt sorry for me in one side, but she was scared in the other. Then I stopped. Crying wouldn’t get me anywhere, not in the middle of an iceberg where the only habitants are a bear, dead fish, and a cave.

“Hello,” I said softly. She stepped backwards.
“My name is Poly” I explained. “Poly Splay.” She stepped backwards. I stupidly discovered that speaking in human language would not help. I took the stick I had collected later on, and I traced a human and a bear on the snow. Then I traced a heart around that. I watched Snow-blanket slowly as she traced a word with her paw, “S...N....O....W.....F.....L.....A....K....E”.
Using my hands to talk I asked her if that was her name.

After that we went inside the cave. Just as we entered, I discovered that it was safe and warm enough to relax. She brought me into a tunnel and we entered a room with massive walls. Snowflake told me later on, by scratching - to draw and write - on the wall (by the way, she’s good at drawing!), about this girl who she met ages ago.
“She was a girl with blond hair like yours,” she wrote. “You remind me of her, she taught me how to write.”
“What happened ?” I wrote.
“The hunters killed her when she was older for being their traitor,” She wrote, “ Stupid, they could have used her.”
“How did all your family disappear?” I asked.
“Climate change,” she wrote, “It went killing us one by one. The hunters made it go faster.”

We both talked (wrote) to each other for a long time, until I actually talked about my own mother. It was then when I discovered that the blond haired girl was my mother.
“I thought they killed her because she was trying to save me,” I wrote. “Why did they kill my father?”
“What they say is to fake out the truth, make it fantasy. They want to make fantasy the truth by lying, but they don’t notice it’s the wrong way. They want kids to be happy by making fairies exist,” She wrote, “About your father.... they killed him as an excuse. It would be stupid to kill the mother from protecting the child, if they don’t kill the father. You are lucky to be alive,” she told me. I indeed was.

I decided to stay in Snowflake’s cave, until they found her. It was a long sunny summer day, when it all happened. Snowflake had gone to get some food, and she didn’t come back. When I saw she wasn’t coming, I had a bad sensation in my stomach. And I directly saw two images. The first, was her Jumping from an ice-berg to another running away from the hunters. The second one was her body on the snow, bloody, dead.

I ran out into the snow.
“Snowflake!” I shouted stupidly knowing it would be no use. I ran in all directions, until I found her. She was as dead as I’d imagined, but there was an image in the snow that I didn’t see in brain before. On the snow it was written:
“Be brave and stay in my cave. Spread a message far away. Far enough for the people who read it understand. Bring it to the past, so they can not make the same errors that happened.” I started to cry. Crying wouldn’t get me anywhere. I lied on the floor next to her. Polar bears are now officially extinct. Hours passed until I had the energy to stand up.
“I will be brave” I said.
“I will be brave” I repeated loudly.
“I will spread the message far away to the past!” I shouted. I was so confident, I buried her next to her cave. I then found a bottle in the pile of trash the hunters left, and I wrote this story into this piece of paper which I hope will be read from the people in the past.

Apple Juice

nuria@w4bw.com (Núria Duran) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:58:00 +0100

Once, there was a girl who sold apple Juice.

Continue reading Apple Juice

She always had people in her market. However one day she sold nothing. She was getting poor, because another person was selling apple juice and they liked that person's apple juice better than hers. One day the girl went to the forest to pick some fruits because she would die of hunger if she didn't. However, when she ate a banana she died because it was poisonous.

THE END!

The hug sickness

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:22:00 +0100

Kalleforamargashopa forfomurto was a very smart girl. She had many positive things. she was polite, she was strong, she was helpful, she had creativity and so on. She liked hugging but she could control it and she would hug her mother when she got home. She was very bright, she always looked at the positive. Like the time when she lost her favorite doll she did cry but she ended up looking at the positive.
“I know I have lost my doll but crying won’t help. I have to look at the bright side. Now that I won’t have my doll I might start paying attention to other things going around apart from her,” That’s the kind of thing she always said.
But then one day, something horrible happened. Her mother was forgetting stuff. Like the day it was cold and a storm was outside during the winter her mum said,
“Hey henry, let’s go to the beach!” You should have seen her wearing those sunglasses and sandals and the dress she had on. Everything was going to far and she went to the hospital. Kally and her dad were outside the door on a bench. Kally wasn’t wearing a smile today, she was wearing a frown. You could tell she was worried. When the doctor came out he said,
“She has cancer, she won’t survive this one.” Then Kally’s dad couldn’t stop asking questions like:
“Are you sure she didn’t just faint and forget everything and that she is fine?” And the doctor would always answer:
“No she seriously has it.” And the next day.... She was dead.

Continue reading The hug sickness

Just after a few days strangely Kally got sick. Her father was desperate and couldn’t stand any more deaths. He sent her to a very clever doctor which did indeed find out what was wrong.
“Did she have a gigantic relationship with her mother?” he asked.
“They were very close together,” Kally’s dad answered.
“I mean was there something she could only do with her,” the doctor asked.
“Not any that I know,” her dad answered
“So tell me child, what hurts?” the doctor asked Kally.
“My chest, my tummy and my arms,” she moaned.
“I see,” the doctor said. He stood up, he bended and touched the floor, he stood up again, and sat down. He then kept seated for a minute.
“Do you like hugging, Kally?” he asked.
“I would always would come home and hug my mum, because I’d had no hugs during the day,” Kally answered nearly unable to speak. The doctor stood up and did his routine again.
“Kally, I know what you have,” the doctor said after his one minute pause. “ You miss hugs. Your body is used to hugs and will never get unused to it. The only thing that can cure you is a hug.”

Five years later when Kally was eleven years old everything was over. Though Kally still dreamt about mum she often forgot about her. Kally’s classmates didn’t know what had happened to her mother. Actually they didn’t care. Nobody in the class cared about Kally’s problems. In the class next door Kally had a friend called Sally. They weren't best friends but they got along well. Sally was Maria’s best friend; a selfish girl from Kally’s class. They three usually played together even if Maria hated Kally.
One day her dad had forgot to hug her in the morning which meant that she had to hug somebody in school 2 times if she didn’t want to be sick. Kally managed to hug Sally with some difficulty but she didn’t let Kally hug her more.
“Maria, I need a hug,” she said.
“Why the heck do you want a hug they are so stupid!!!” Maria responded.
“ A hug always makes you feel better,” Sally told Maria.
“But Kally doesn’t need a hug, or does she?” Maria teased Kally.
Kally didn’t speak for the rest of the day. She wouldn’t answer teachers when they asked a question, and she wouldn’t participate in class. Kallly got sick for the second time of her life and was changed school. Sally, nor Maria, nor the entire school knew what had happened, and didn’t want to know.

I am better than you!

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:03:00 +0100

Max and Alex were both King Lato and Queen Lata's grandchildren.They were both twins and they were equal at everything. There was nothing one could do better than the other. The only problem they both had is that they could not support each other and thought each other as the best. Whenever they went swimming, Max said:
"I can swim better than you Alex!!! You are so bad and slow!"
However, Alex wasn't happy with that and didn't give up easily:
"It's you the slow poke, rotten turtle! You're nothing but it's shell!"
"You call me a Rotten turtle? wait to see yourself in the mirror pig-like-troll!"
"Repeat-"
"Stop calling yourselves names! You are both the same!" their mum would shout tired of them discussing.
Like that it would always happen.

Continue reading I am better than you!

Max and Alex had a Smaller sister Anu and a smaller brother Anic. They also had a bigger sister called Mariola. Max and Alex hated Mariola but adored Anu and Anic. Every time Alex and Max always were arguing who would play with Anu and Anic. You may have thought it was as easy as splitting them up but if either would be separated they would cry until they were back together and hit you really hard. They would also start to strangely pee and poo. They at least had to be able to see each other. Whenever Max or Alex played with Anu and Anic the Same happened:
"Anu likes me better,"
"No way! She would never like such a smelly and horrible jelly-pig!"
"If I were such a jelly-pig or whatever you call me why would she be laughing at this point?"
"Because she is happy I am here,"
"Anu is mine!"
"She is mine, go and play with Mariola and her makeup, it would serve you right!"
They would start tugging and fighting and ripping Anu and Anic's toys. Then the babies started to cry.
"It's your fault!" Alex would shout
"No its yours!"
Then the tugging would start again but on Anu. then Anic would start crying because he did not want to see his sister hurt.
"the room smells like poo!" Max would say stopping the fight.
"seems like you have to clean baby bums!!!!" They said together

One day the situation was different. There was competition or bum problems. The was a different type of fighting. It was no longer with babies but with adults. This time it was more serious. There was something new.

"Grandpapa will make me king because I was Born a minute before you," Max said
"Grandpapa likes me better so he will make me king. He would never give the throne to such a chicken-donut type of person, but an intelligent and handsome person like me!"
"Grandpapa doesn't like you NO NO! You are getting confused. The other day he was telling Grandmama that..-"
"What is the Racket about this time? About the tennis competition? Or about Anu and Anic?" Mama scolded
"I'm saying that I will become king when I grew up because Grandpapa likes me better and I am older than Alex,"Max said
"That is not true!"Alex tried to say
"I am tired of you arguing,I can't stand it anymore!!! You are both equal. You are good at the same things and bad at the same things too. The people who love you love you equally. You are only causing trouble in this house. Anu and Anic can't live in this environment. None of us can."
"It's Max's fault" Alex said
"Stop that at once," Mum had a new idea. She was tired of her sons. Even if she loved them she knew that the best for them was to live separately.
"I have a deal," Mum remarked.
"What is it ?" Max and Alex questioned curiously forgetting their problems.
"We will phone King Lato and Queen Lata. You will ask who they like the most and will become king. The one that isn't that person will go out of this kingdom for at least 5 years before coming back. If they like both the same you both go out of the kingdom for 5 years in different routes."Mama explained being sure that both would end up leaving the kingdom.
"That's a deal!" Both said.
"I'm so going too be the king you loser!" Alex told Max
"No time for that now," mum said.

You could have guessed both grandparents said they liked both the same and they wouldn't be king; Mariola would become queen. So Both Alex and Max had to leave for 5 years. That taught them a lesson that they will never forget and after that Max and Alex were always best friends!

The Kooky Erasers

micaandersongeneva@gmail.com (Miça Anderson) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:38:10 +0100

‘’Mom! If we don’t hurry up, everyone will get there first and take all the Kooky Erasers!’’ Kayla yelled up the stairs.
‘’And?’’ Her mother said, clopping down the stairs in her high-heels.
‘’Everyone has them at school, and if I don’t, then I’ll be left out!’’ Kayla replied, opening the door. Suddenly her mother’s face turned serious.
‘’Oh, honey. If people are teasing you at school, you have to tell me.’’ She said, sweeping over and placing her hands on Kayla’s shoulders. Kayla squirmed. She hated when her mother got like this.
‘No-one is teasing me. I just know it’ll happen if we don’t go!’’ Kayla said. Her mother’s hands slid downwards and zipped up Kayla’s coat. Kayla ran out the door, while her mother searched for the keys. There was a jangle as her carefully painted nails brushed over them. She dug deeper, and produced them with a flourish. As soon as the beep of the car un-locking sounded, Kayla was in the car, buckling her seat belt, urging her mother to move faster.
The car ride there seemed to take hours for Kayla, when it was 15 minutes to the shopping center.
At the parking lot, the car had barley stopped before Kayla hopped out. She and her mother walked through the sliding doors into the warm air.
A smell of coffee and pizza floated in the air. Boxes were being hauled into shops. Kayla ran over to the 3rd escalator, going downwards. Her friend Casey had told her the directions. She went over them in her head.
3rd escalator down, 4 shops to the left and 2 shops up.
As she and her mother stepped off the escalator, Kayla was immediately worried. There was a long line stretching all the way there. She peered at the front of it, and sighed with relief. There was some rock legend signing CD’s in the rock store. She directed her mother 4 shops to the left, then 2 shops up, and the stationary store lay in front of them. Signs were on the door and window, presenting their Kooky Erasers stock. She ran into the store and scooped up a handful from the open barrels. She had a vanity set, a sports set, a smiley face set and a dog complete with a bone, a collar and a bowl. They were surprisingly cheap, 0.50 each, and she happily handed over her 2.00.
The next morning, as Kayla walked to her class, she wished she hadn’t asked her mother to take her to the store. Everyone probably had really cool Kooky Erasers, and would all laugh when she brought out her sets. In the class, the teacher was not there, so the children were talking loudly. Some looked worried, not taking out their pencil cases and chatting nervously.
Kayla went to her seat, brought out her pencil case and her Kooky Eraser sets.
Everyone looked at her.
‘Lucky!’ Some-one said. They all rushed over. Apparently all the parents of the children had not taken them to the store to buy Kooky Erasers. Kayla was the only one. Even Casey had forgotten to buy them. For that day, Kayla was the most popular girl in the class.

Continue reading The Kooky Erasers

Back to spain's past

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:06:00 +0100

You know, weird things happen every day. But you don’t really know it. My name is Anna and my twin brother’s name is Arnau. We are a Catalan family. My brother is a very weird person. Everyday he does something very... weird. Before yesterday my brother was making a noise. “What are you doing?” I asked like always. “A...... surprise....” he answered. So I waited playing along... until I went to sleep. Early yesterday morning, I had heard a strange noise. I was scared. So I got out of my bed. Then I saw that my brother was awake!
“Get up , Arnau ! There is a noise and I-” I screamed
“Ssshhhhh ! You will wake up mum,” Arnau whispered “and I know what the noise is ... It’s the sur-... Don’t !” He had just said “Don’t!” when I fell in the closet. So he dived in to the closet to catch up. We fell down a deep hole..... until we Rose up.

Continue reading Back to spain's past

I looked around me,it was a very horrible place. Just then a girl ran up to us. She started speaking a strange Catalan language but then I started to understand her. The girl ran towards a half broken building and I followed her. By surprise Arnau followed her too.
We finally arrived at the building where we saw an old lady by the door. Luckily she spoke better Catalan than the earlier girl. Actually that girl was her granddaughter. The old lady leaded us inside the house .We sat down on a broken sofa and started to speak .They told us that their house had been bombed while they were away. So they found this abandoned house and stayed there. After a long conversation, another girl opened the door and burst into tears.
“Why are you crying?”I asked. “My.. best..best..bestest....friend........DIED!” she said.
“How can so much terrible things happen, like someone bombed your house?” I asked “It’s just like war!”
The three girls looked sadly and said “IT IS WAR!” “Like,DA ! Didn't’t you know that?”said Arnau. Actually had made a hole to go back in time and he new it leaded to the civil war of Spain. Then the three girls introduced themselves to me and my brother.The first girl which we met was called Rosa, and the girl which burst out crying was called Adriana.The Grandma told us that she liked to be called Grandma.
Later we heard someone knocking on the door. We opened the door and saw a beggar.
“May I have a little shelter, food and drink?”the beggar said weakly. “Sure” said Grandma giving some food and a drink to the beggar. She even turned the fire on. The beggar slowly got up with an evil
smile . “Come with me...”she said taking the cloak off “ADRIANA!!!!” She ran away with Adriana which was grabbed by her hand.
“Help!” she shouted.
“We are coming to save you!” Arnau and I said.
We ran and ran after that woman until she stopped on a unbroken house. She opened the door, went inside, and locked it.
“Oh ! No !” we cried “We are locked !”
Meanwhile inside, was Franco and its judges (which were forced to choose Franco). Adrianna was held by the “beggar” (called Clara).
“So who has come here....”said Franco.
“Let me go!”cried Adriana
“Her name is Adrianna sir, and I think-l let's use the pink prison to make her happier,” said Clara
“I don’t wan’t any prisoner happy !”shouted Franco “The other way round: unhappy. Though I like the pink prison idea !” Adrianna was carried away to prison.
We saw everything and ran to the broken house to ask for some help. We told Grandma and Rosa what had happened, and they came to help us.
We went back to the judgments building. We knocked on the door and a voice said "Come in!"
We went inside and Franco said “Well......, new visitors ......who are they ?
“Ha ! I’I've seen them before ! They are Adriana’s friends !” said Clara
“If you desire to free her from prison, you will have to do a very complicated job. And if you fail, you will be added to my collection of prisoners ! I like the sound of this idea !” added Franco wickedly
“So what is our job ?” Arnau asked.
“Your job is to.... clean all the bathrooms in this building. But some of them are locked so you will have to find the map to find the key to unlock the bathroom. Each time you enter a bathroom you draw a line so I will know if you did all of them. If you don’t do all the bathrooms YOU FAIL !” Franco responded We started our work. We had lots to do. We started looking for the map : it was very easy to find it! So we started looking for the key : it was very easy too ! Everything we did was easy. We started cleaning : it was easy too !
We ended cleaning 134 toilets. We nervously showed our answer. It was correct!
“THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! May my SERVANT read the RESULT?” screamed Franco shocked
“ One hundred, thirty four Toilets sir!” responded the servant rapidly
“IMPOSSIBLE !!!!I hate losing prisoners, I hate, hate, hate that! At least my bathrooms are clean!”declared Franco stomping his foot against the ground. And Adrianna was freed.
“If I catch you speaking Catalan again, PRISON, I will keep my eyes on you young lady!” he said to Adrianna
We went to the broken house and put all our equipment in a suitcase and moved to France. We took the train and when we got off we fell into a hole......and rose up.
We were back at home on our beds. It was 8:00 in the morning and our mom came to our room.
“Where were you?”she asked
“In the civil war of Spain!” we answered

THE END

Maria and the bears

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 10:30:00 +0100

I used to live in Barcelona, in the stinkiest apartment you could get. You could hear all sorts of noises there. It was a really polluted place. I hated it. Why couldn’t they do something about it? In the apartment we used to live we were supposed to recycle. The man who was supposed to do the recycling, was extremely lazy. So he didn’t do it. He just pretended to do it. He was also in charge of the doors and helping people to get in. The thing is, he didn’t. He just sat in a fancy expensive sofa drinking some weird drink with 5 sexy girls around him. Sometimes he isn’t even there. Sometimes he’s in the jacuzzi with 5 different sexy girls. After all that he get’s paid all the same. He gets about 1,000 euros per week. Introduction usually means “present yourself” but I am not going to tell you much because I’m running out of Paper. My name is Cuca and I am ten years old now. I’m a girl and I have long blond hair. I come from spain and catalan is my native language. My favorite colors are pink and green because they are “naturful”. I like mountains and I love hiking as well as exploring. I love animals and I’m vegetarian It’s kind of weird for me to tell you and I hope I’m not hurting anyones feelings, here but I hate selfish people.

And the story I am going to tell you know happened to me about four years ago.

Continue reading Maria and the bears

Chapter 1

It was a saturday morning and I was really tired. Next week would be my birthday. I was so excited and I wondered which presents I would get. The only one I knew about was my mother’s present. I was going to Austria. It was something we had decided.

“Cuca,” Mum exclaimed, “What would you like for your birthday?” I wasn’t really expecting this type of question.
“What do I want? A toy? A doll? A book? Hmm.....” I asked myself.
“Mum, I ‘ve told you more than twice! I want Peace to this stupid dirty old polluted world!” I answered instead.
“ Honey, you know that isn’t possible. It would take lot’s of work. I don’t know how to explain this to you, you are too young to understand,” She explained.
“Why is that not possible” I asked myself, “I am old enough to understand!”
“Then, I don’t know what I want,” I told her.
“Hmm,” thought mum, “what about a trip to Austria? Your cousins live there and it would be really fun to go away on a trip so you can rest from all the stress in Barcelona.”
“A trip to where?” I asked.
“To Austria ,” Mum explained, “I’m sure you’ll like it there.”

The thing is, I didn’t know that this “trip” was going to change my life forever.

Chapter 2

How do you think I was supposed to go to Austria? By Plane. I was scared of planes and now even more. If I ‘d ever go in a plane again I would surely get a heart attack. I was really frightened about all the dangers of a plane. I was so frightened that it would happen, that I spent the first thirty minutes memorizing the security sheet. It might seem funny, but look; you are bored, and scared; You need entertainment. So this sheet was helping me to be less scared and less bored. Five minutes later I fell asleep and I dreamt that the plane had an accident. Just then I woke up by a yell. The plane was really having an accident! The plane started falling and suddenly it caught fire. This time everyone joined the yell. The security sheet! Instruction number 1: if plane falls on water get lifesaving jackets and jump of plane. Suddenly it landed on water. I put my lifesaving jacket, And I was about to jump off when.....

I woke up and I was some weird kind of bed.
“Where am I?” I yelled. “What happened? I’m on fire!! Help!”I was going crazy. My mum threw a bucket of water on me, and somehow, I fell asleep.

This time I woke up in a hospital with tubes around me. I started yelling again, “Oh my gosh! I’m drowning! Help!” This time nothing went black. It went pink. Pink with ten purple elephants around me.They were saying:
“She’s got plane-phobia.”
“She got so freaked out that she fainted”
“She won’t be able to go on a plane again”
“She will have to stay here for the next week just incase she doesn’t do anything else crazy”

Chapter 3

Once I got out of the hospital, I was sick for 5 more days. Nice present wasn’t it? I think it was because I got a second effect on one of the pills.

Anyways, I discovered I was stuck in Bern. Why? Well, I couldn’t go anywhere else because I couldn’t take the plane. My mum told me that bern is a cool place. If she said so, it was so. So, my mum bought a flat for us two. What about my dad? Don’t mention it. They got divorced. Now, he has a girlfriend, I hate her so much!

The first thing I visited was the bear pit. It was really famous. So I went there.

In the bear pit you could see a stone made house, there were some scars printed on it, and you could guess it was the bears’. On the floor you could see some footsteps, they were so big you could guess it were the bears’’ too. Next to the footprints there was a small pond which was supposed to be the bears’ swimming pool. Next to that there was a stream which the bears drank from. Then the were some holes recently dug facing a wall with two doors leading to the bear’s hiding place, underground.

Next to me I saw a girl with long brown hair. She looked about my age. She stared at me and then said:
“Hi,” she looked down shyly, “Um,would you mind me guiding you around a bit today?”

She guided me around explaining the history of everything we passed through. She was really intelligent. “Would you like to visit the inside of the bears pit?” she asked.
“Sure!” I answered. She led me through a path that looked really secretly hidden.
“Why is this so... So hidden and secret?” I asked.
“It’s time I’d tell you,” she explained, “I am Maria and I’m a friend of the bears. You are Cuca and you are going to save them. Grandmamma will tell you more.”
“What is she taking about” I asked myself “How does she know my name?”

As soon as we entered the room she presented this “grandmamma” person. She was the oldest bear in earth and she is the only animal that speaks the human language.
“The nature needs you ,Cuca! The nature has called you but you haven’t heard it. That is why it brought you here,” she explained. How did she know my name? And what was she talking about?
“The plane crash has brought me here,” I corrected grandmamma.
“Yes, but the Nature caused the plane crash so that you would end up here. It was the only way,”she explained, “It brought you here so that you could save it.”
“She has the power of nature and she will not die until anyone kills her. And if anyone kills her, Nature will die. This an emergency! The people are up to something! And we need to find out soon, or else Nature will die. Cuca, you are our only hope!” Maria explained.
“What am I supposed to do?”I asked.
“Find out what they’re up to,” Maria answered. And when she said “they’re” She meant the owners of this pit.
“Wait, there’s one more thing...” Maria told me
“Chenka! Pahratilumbanightatus!”Grandma shouted in bear language. Suddently a bear cub appeared out of the door. It was cute. Her name was Chenka.
“Frohtimbula canchenko! Canchenko deht Lula! Potabinadiht fuhtatenctumbala likuadescope. Wih engra tap in dar tumbha! Txa ihn emro rap! Gha!” Grandmamma shouted again. Then 2 other bears came. One was “Frohtimbula” and the other was “Lula”. Chenka went out and came back in. She was holding a necklace with an emerald on it.
“This necklace brought you from nature and it will protect you as well as helping you,” She told me while giving me the necklace.

Chapter 4

I entered the touristic office and guess who was there?
My mum. I had no time for her.
“Hi sweetie,” she said, “You having fun?” I nodded.
“Remember that you have to be at home by eight!”she reminded me.
“I’ll be there on time, don’t worry,” I groaned not sure if I was going to be.
“ Just make sure!!” she reminded me again.
“I’ll be fine!” I grumbled while she left.
“Finally!” I thought.
The secretary in the office only spoke swiss-german so I had to talk directly to the man in charge which spoke to me in English. I didn’t speak much english those days but I had to manage with it.
“Do you know where I can find the owners of the bears’ pit?” I asked.
“Next to it,” he grumbled in a bad mood.
“Thank you for the advice!” I said sarcastically while I slammed the door shut behind me.

Then I saw a chalet named “Bärngrube” with a picture of a bear next to that. I guessed that was the chalet the grumpy man was talking about. On it, there was a sign and it said “Only open on tuesdays and sundays” Why? But there was no time for that. I needed to get going. But it was closed! What was I supposed to do? Then my emerald necklace started to tingle and it whispered“use me”. Right.
“Emerald, Emerald show me what to do,”I told it not sure if it would work. Suddenly it shone and whispered, “Say ablingsfar!” I did as I was told and the emerald showed a picture of a few men in a meeting. Very strangely they were speaking english.
“I’m tired of this. We are not getting enough money,” the man which seemed the owner grumbled.
“You’re rich, and have everything you want so stop arguing!” Another man said.
“My plan is to build a factory right on this stupid pit. The bears, they shall be put inside and be fed preproctilisma, which is a pill that will make them pregnant everyday. So then, we will have so many bears I’ll be rich!” the owner cried.
“Will it be good for their health” another man asked.
“Why should I care?” The owner scowled, “ And the oldest ones which will never be pregnant again we shall kill them to be richer!”
“Like that old bear that never dies?” A man spotted out.
“Exactly!”The owner shouted while the picture in the emerald faded away.
Oh-no! I had to tell Maria.

Chapter 5

I ran to Maria’s house. I knew where it was because she showed me it while she was being my “touristic guide”.
“Ring, Ring!” went the doorbell.
A lady came out.
“ Hallo, warum bist du hier?” she asked, “Was brauchen Sie?”
“I don’t understand,” I told her.
“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” she asked, “Englisch? Italienisch? Spanisch?”
“I’m spanish,” I told her.
“ Maria, Kom her!” She shouted, “Es ist ein Gast, die spanisch sprechen und ich verstehe das nicht!”
Soon Maria came out.
“Oh, it’s only you. Do you have any important news?” She asked. I nodded. “Come into my room and we’ll discuss it.” Her room was was really nice and neat. There were lot’s of pictures with her and the bears.
I told Maria everything, and soon my emerald started to glow again. Maria came around to see. The emerald showed a picture of all the bears imprisoned in a cage.
“Oh-No!” she cried. “We must do something about this!”

“Maria!” shouted her mum, “Kom her!”
“I’ll be right back,” Maria said while she walked by the corridor. When she came back she looked really worried.
“Oh, Shoot! I didn’t think of that!” she shouted. “The onion festival is on sunday.”
Just then my emerald shone again. This time it showed a text. Printed on it, it said, “Use me! Read the book that will appear in front of you!”
So we read the title of book in front of us, “Natural spells”
That must be useful.
“Let’s look for a finding spell first,” I recommended.
“There it is! Let’s read it!” Maria exclaimed.

“In order to use the finding spell you need an object related to what you want to find. Then you read the words and hold the object up high while reciting.”

“May I borrow one of your pictures?” I asked her in order to use it as the object for the finding spell.
“Letatumbatchimbalactimbalatendivationda!”I recited holding up the picture. On my emerald the exact place where the bears’ were, was printed.
“It’s in a boat going to...-”she hesitated.
“China!” I interrupted. We both looked confused. “So they’ve changed their minds!”
“There is no time to waste let’s go!” Maria exclaimed.
“Wait, The spells!”I shouted.
“Come on!”she shouted.
“I’m sorry mum, you’ll have to worry, there is no time for this now.” I thought wishing mum could hear me.
“Where are we supposed to go?” I asked her.
“Use the Rock!” she shouted.
I used the Rock.

“ USE THE TRANSPORTATION SPELL. FIRST GO TO GERMANY BY TRAIN. TAKE TRIPS TO CHINA WITH SPELL OR PROBLEMS WILL OCCUR.” It said.

“Let’s take the train, quick!” she shouted.
“Got some money?”I asked.
“Plenty!”she answered.

We took the train to germany; it took quite a while. As soon as we got off we read the transportation spell.

“Read the spell and say the place you want to go to. Tip: If destination is far away take a few trips.” that’s what it said.

I don’t remember exactly what happened while we were going country to another. We also sent letters to are parents explaining where we were. It took about a month to get to Hong-Kong. Once we were at the foot of the factory we decided to sleep the men with a spell and then explain their crime to the police. And we did and it was really easy because we poisoned them with the truth-spell so that they would say the truth to the police. All the bears went back to their pit and all of these men which were working on this plan were going to jail for 10 years and the owner forever. From now on there was no owner to the bear pit.

Chapter 6

“Cuca!” Mum exclaimed while I entered my house,” You’re back. I’m so proud of you. But next time you tell me, okay?” I hugged her.
“I got you a school,” she explained, “and its close to the bear pit!” I hugged her again.

Everything went really well and me and Maria were in the newspaper. I went to Maria’s school and it was fun. Everything was fine.

THE END !

The Girl Which Became the Sun

judit@haikufeel.com (Judit Duran i Calzada) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 10:27:00 +0100

Anna-Stella had bright blond hair, with bright eyes, and bright feelings. Her family was a very poor family, which lived in a very small house in Saas-Fee. They never knew from where they got their food, because it was her Dad’s secret which he never would tell anyone. However they knew that he got it somewhere in the woods in the mountains. One day he left normally at 5 o’clock and never ever came back... The family thought it was from the cause of the Dom monster. The Dom monster, as the villagers called him, some people thought he was only part of a legend. However, some people claimed that they had seen shadows of him in the woods. Others, claimed that they had actually SEEN him (nobody believed that). And of course there were some people that went hiking in the woods and never came back. So, there weren’t many people willing to climb the Dom.

Continue reading The Girl Which Became the Sun

The children were wondering how they would get their own food.
“ We could go to the safest part of the woods, and get the food there.” Mum told them.
“ But the people always go there and take all the food!” Anna remarked.
“And animals too!”Kika added.
“It is the only way to survive...”Mum explained.

From that day on, Baka, the oldest brother, when up to the woods to get the food. Baka was sixteen so he traveled a lot to all sorts of countries. So when Baka wasn’t there Mum had to go fetch the food.

Once when Baka was away Mum was sick. It was Kika and Anna’s turn to go and fetch the food. Anna couldn’t go alone because she was only nine, so Kika (which was 5 years old) had to come just in case that anything happened.
“I don’t like hiking!” Kika cried.
“Don't worry, we won’t walk long,” Anna encouraged her.

However they actually did hike a lot. Anna thought she would find food easily but she didn’t.
“Let’s leave, there is no food here!” Kika exclaimed. “I’m going home!”
“ Mum is sick, she will die if we don’t feed her,”Anna explained. But Anna couldn’t find any solution to the tiredness of her sister, and when she found out Kika was going pale Anna told her, “Go home, and tell Mum you couldn’t anymore. Tell her I will come back soon as possible.”

5 hours later Anna couldn’t anymore. She just couldn’t. She needed some sleep. So she took a rest and easily fell asleep.

Anna was woken up by a strange noise. Someone was crying. Anna cleared her eyes and saw that there was something blue behind a rock. She then figured out it was the monster which she thought had caused the death of her father. However she did not run away. The monster was crying, maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
“Why are you crying,” She asked.
“Why are you not running away,” he asked.
“Why should I?” Anna replied. “but why are you crying?”
“Your father-”the monster was interrupted.
“-You knew him?” Anna knew that the monster had the power to know each other’s families.
“He fed me from the cave on top of the mountain, we had a deal. I carried him up there, he would go in the cave which he stored his food in, and he would share the food with me. But now he is dead and I am dying of hunger because I can’t fit through the gap of the cave!” the monster replied.
“But my dad died 3 years ago, how could you survive that long?” Anna asked.
“Monsters can live without eating 5 years maximum before dying, but lets start heading towards the cave cause I’M HUNGRY!” The monster roared.

Anna climbed on the back of the Saas-Fee monster and it took quite a while before they arrived.
“What is your name?” Anna asked him.
“Monsters don’t have names. People usually call us by the name of where we’re from” The monster replied.

They soon arrived to the cold, and spooky top of the Dom. Anna soon saw the entrance of the cave which had a very small entrance. She imagined her dad crouching to get in.
“Go in,” the monster told her.

Anna went in the spooky entrance. It was all dark, full of webs, but as she approached she saw some light. It was the light of the magical fruits in the cave.

Anna took as many fruits as she could. She filled her basket, and her pockets until they were full. She then found a bowl in the bag that mum had given to her, and filled it for the monster. Then she ate a few fruits because she was very hungry; she hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

Anna soon noticed that there was a bear in the cave, and she started to run but it was to late. The bear jumped on her and killed her.

The gods loved her so much that they turned her into the sun, and that is why it is always sunny in the Saas Valley.

And this is the story of an adorable poor child called Anna-Stella.

Now, when you visit the Dom you will see the glacier that represents the monster which died pale of hungriness, and all the rocks that you see on the way to the glacier are broken rocks which used to be the cave.