[Drawings]

I finally found time to upload these. Enjoy.

This is some sort of fox/cat/dog/skunk/bunny. I'm not quite sure what I had in mind.



A lil' girl in some more traditional Asian clothing.

A snoozin' lil' baby wolf pup.



[Thirty]

This was an assignment in my English class to write a science-fiction short story to wrap up our science-fiction unit for the quarter. This is what I came up with. At first, I had a real trouble coming up with a decent plot, considering how many different directions I had to choose between. I was in the school's computer lab when the air conditioning came on and I felt real cold, and then the rest just bloomed.

I didn't finish this until four nights ago, and I did so through gritted teeth. I've been in a real downer mood lately, and I'm still recovering. I've been having trouble doing anything creative, and I think that finishing this will be good a good outlet for me to let other ideas flow. Enjoy.

------

            She pressed her dead fingers to her metallic blue lips. “Too cold,” she thought aloud, “It’s too cold.”

            Tean nodded at her, and touched his own shimmering, sapphire lips. “Do you remember the warmth?”

            She shook her head. “My mother told me that it was wonderful, though. She only had some as a child. It’s like being held all around by someone you love, she said.”

            “I want some,” Tean whispered; his face was thoughtful, but gloomy and yearning.

            The pair shivered in the dark together, looking skyward as if the Sun would spontaneously reappear as it used to each and every morning, or their families told them. They held each other in hopes that somehow, some warmth would seep into their bones to chase away the chill that held deeply under their skin.

            She shifted her head off Tean’s shoulder and they both looked to her watch. It was nearly five, so she bid him goodbye and hugged him gently.

            “Goodbye, Shri,” Tean called as he watched her walk from the bench. A tear escaped his eyes. He craved to learn warmth, and love.

            Shri wiped her boots off on the front mat and stepped into her house quietly. She ate the evening food rations sent from Aion in silence, chewing on the tough material. It had a bland taste, but it filled her, and kept her alive. Shri slinked off to bed soon after showering and brushing her teeth with icy bottled water. She envied those who had the money years ago to be transported to Aion, where warmth was common, and life thrived.

            Expressionless, she pulled the sheets up to her chin, cramming her eyes shut in hopes of finding sleep in the bleak, frozen dark.

            Tean lay in bed, feeling clean of the nasty mask of cosmetics that was required by law to wear during daytime. This was how it was if you wanted to stay on Earth, if you refused to leave to Aion. We were governed by strict, ridiculous rules. “For your safety,” they told us. The chalky make-up was supposed to keep our skin warm when we weren’t under the weak protection of our bedspreads.

            Both he and Shri’s family found it beneficial to stay on Earth, as if the Sun would show its face, as if green might sprout from the ground once again. Neither family had money for the expensive transport to Aion, either. That was before Aion had flourished. By the time Tean was born, the Aionians didn’t even want Earth dwellers to join them. They were considered sullied and brainless for thinking the Sun would return to them, so they were stuck here on this forever wintry wasteland called Earth, left to eventually die off.

            Soon after Tean’s parents were terminated at 30, Shri’s were as well. Ever since, she had been under a fog of depression. Tean found it up to him to stay with her, to be her guardian until he too, turned 30. Tean was only three years older than her, so he kept to the rules so he could live the last few months of his life helping her in any way he could. Tean knew what he had to do—and soon—because if he delayed the task any longer, it’d be too late.

            The following morning brought thick, glistening cerulean lipstick to Shri’s face. She signed forlornly at her morning routine as she dragged herself down to the kitchen. Slowly pulling the leathery, freeze-dried plants apart in her teeth, she counted the days.

            67 were all Shri had left with Tean. Moisture rolled from the corners of her eyes as she swallowed. Inside, Shri knew that she would have to somehow make those 67 days count.

            Slipping on her worn boots, she left for Tean’s house as she would have any other morning.

            Tean shut the front door behind him as he welcomed Shri in to sit where she’d like. She decided on a beat up two-seater that belonged to his father in the living room. “Did you eat before you came?” Tean asked her, offering her some freeze-dried snacks. She nodded yes and Tean set the small plate of preservative-filled food on a small table by the window.

            “Want to go to the playground today? Like we used to when we were kids?” she asked with a smile, bringing distant memories to Tean’s mind. He felt his own lips curl into a crooked, blue crescent of a smirk in agreement. They gathered the snacks into a small plastic bag which Tean shoved into his pocket and headed out the door.

            The two walked side by side, Tean holding onto her fragile hands. The two were a funny pair to watch stroll down the street, Tean being a whopping half foot taller than tiny Shri. She looked up to him when Tean spoke.

            “Are you cold?” he asked Shri, gripping her small hands tighter.

            It was a stupid question, of course. Shri was always cold, even with the temperature-regulation dome set up twenty years ago. “Freezing,” she answered anyway, pulling herself closer to him, breathing in the faint scent that belonged only to Tean.

            They finally arrived at the abandoned playground that used to be for schoolchildren. He led Shri toward a swing set where they each took a swing and sat on a slab of rubber, each held suspended in the air by a pair of chains. Tean could comfortably place his foot on the ground, while Shri could barely touch her toes to the earth. They gently pushed themselves back and forth, lifting themselves no more than a few inches off the soil.

            He began pumping his legs stronger and faster now, pulling himself many feet above the ground. Shri soon joined him though he was feet ahead of her. In a single fluid motion, Tean released the swing and jumped off as he swung forward, throwing him several yards as he landed suavely. By then, Shri had found her peak height and was ready to fly off the swing like Tean. After gathering himself, he got up and opened his arms.

            “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you.”

            Shri flung herself toward him as he positioned himself to be under her as she landed. She crashed into him, toppling him onto his back. They both laughed uncontrollably.

            After the laughter settled down, they just lay there momentarily, staring into each others’ grey eyes. Tean knew that the moment was now.

            He reached for the back of her neck and pulled her close, closing his eyes. Shri did not object as their blue lips met. Her eyes fluttered closed too as their lips intertwined into a fusion of indigos and baby blues. She pulled her face from his, lifting herself up, but Tean was not satisfied. He rolled around so that he was atop her body now, careful not to crush her delicate frame. Tean set his lips on hers again, and she welcomed them with ease.

            “I have always loved you,” Tean whispered into her ear as if it were a secret. He pressed his mouth to her neck twice and returned to her lips.

            “I have always loved you, too,” she replied in the same tone between kisses.

            Tean criss-crossed his fingers between hers again as they walked back to his house, snacking softly on freeze-dried Aionian versions of a plant that used to grow on vines on Earth called cranberries. They were slightly sweeter than the cardboard meal rations they ate three times a day, but still were very tasteless.

            “Mom used to give me chocolate,” she told Tean, “I only remember that it was really delightful and always cheered me up when I was sad.”

            “With dad, it was usually fruit. I liked their sweetness, and he always told me that they were good for me,” Tean smiled. As they recollected about when they were young, Tean was reminded of his love for his parents; when he had love and warmth. Tean was only eight when his parents were executed. From then on, he was left to grasp at faint memories of the warmth he had. With Shri, he could feel that he had warmth and love with her, too.

            September soon approached, as did Tean’s 30^th birthday, like a chilling wind breathing down their necks. The two spent every moment with each other, holding onto their newfound warmth for as long as they could, knowing that the 13^th neared them.

            “I don’t want you to leave me, Tean,” Shri whispered in a broken voice.

            “I don’t want to leave you,” he murmured to her, smoothing her hair as the two sat snuggled close to one another in the two-seater. He continued to Shri in the same, soothing tone, “But you’ll let me go. You’ll be strong, I know it,” he seemed to struggle to maintain the soft timbre of his voice as tears threatened to choke his words. “Look at how far you’ve come already.” Of course, he was referring to Shri’s parents.

            Tears already tracked Shri’s face. Both of them knew that she wasn’t as resilient as Tean described, but neither of them said anything about it to spare their breath.

            It was shameful how Aionians had the nerve to exterminate the remaining Earthlings the way they did. No matter how understandable it was that Aionians wanted to save money on trips from Aion to bring food and supplies that could no longer be made or grown on Earth, it was cruel to have an age limit set to speed up the process to finally rid all life from Earth, rather than let us live our full lives.

            It was cruel, but efficient; beneficial only to the Aionians. That was all that mattered, anyway. Earthlings were undesirables given enough pity not to be destroyed with nuclear bombs. Did Aionian government officials have hearts?

            Or were they malicious to let them watch their loved ones be executed one by one? It was difficult to fathom the Aionians’ true intentions, living so many light-years away from Earth.

            A few days later, Tean took Shri to the playground again, hoping to make the day last for all it was worth. Just as they reached the sacred place of memories, a Flyer flew overhead. An earsplitting gunshot sounded and filled the still air. And Tean fell dead. Shri knew that she would meet the same fate in three years of cold loneliness.

------

            As Shri pasted an azure pigment to her lips, all she would think of was the pressure of Tean’s kiss. It had been two and a half years since the Flyer planted a bullet in his head and still, Shri did not sleep a single night without nightmares. Every day was spent in Tean’s home, eating rations, moping on his two-seater, eating some more, showering then falling asleep to horrendous dreams. The routine hardly varied.

            Today was one of those days when Shri would have to open the door to retrieve the quarterly supply of food rations sent from Aion. She’d shuffle out to the porch to find the package, take it inside, and organize it into the cabinet. However, today, the Deliverer of the rations was still setting down the large box when Shri surprised him by opening the door.

            “… Thank you …” Shri mumbled through heavy-feeling lips as the Deliverer handed her the supplies.

            His dazzling golden eyes looked up to her as she did. He nodded a “You’re welcome,” to her and noticed the tears that stained her cheeks. Shri paid no attention to the man and quickly turned to shut the door, but the Deliverer caught his foot in the small slit before she could. “How old are you?” he asked suddenly.

            The question caught Shri by surprise. “29.” The Deliverer’s beautiful face quickly turned to shock.

            “Come with me,” he whispered rapidly, pulling her to his vehicle. Shri hadn’t stepped farther from Tean’s house than the porch in nearly three years, and now, being in the open was uncomfortable. Before Shri could object, she was strapped into the passenger seat of his car and the two were speeding down to the transport station to Aion. During the course of the ride, she could not help but stare at the Aionian’s beauty. His skin had a golden glow that Shri had never seen before.

            “Where are you taking me?” Shri asked the man as he led her from his car to a disc-shaped inter-stellar transport vehicle.

            He answered her as if it were obvious, “To Aion, of course. Do you want to be shot and killed?” Shri became too choked up with the pain of Tean’s execution to speak. Within a matter of a few hours of dead silence, they began landing onto the gorgeous planet of Aion.

            The greenery was breathtaking to Shri; it was nothing like the frigid Earth she had always known. No longer was the landscape painted in plain, varying shades of navy, but in bright hues of reds, greens, and oranges. The skies still held a familiar cerulean color, but there were bright green plants and red flowers. It looked so much like the drawings in her childhood storybooks. Shri looked to the eastern sky, and she found what she’d been searching for for years:  an assuring sense of warmth known only to her as the Sun.

            The Deliverer carefully and quietly led the cold Earthling out the passenger-side door. Had he done the right thing by bringing her here? Would she get caught by the authorities? Would both of them get killed? He decided to show her around.

            The Deliverer zoomed the girl around in his Aionian vehicle, describing the plants, buildings, and new technologies. She seemed extremely fascinated by the world he lived in and the man began to feel sorry for all that she had missed out on.

            After the tour, the Deliverer brought her into his house so she could stay while she got accustomed to her new surroundings. He also did so to make sure he could keep an eye on her and away from authorities. Her skin had not yet tanned to the same tone as the Aionians’.

            As she gazed out the window at this new world, Shri realized how much potential the new planet held for her. She had color, and Sun, and light here. No limit to her lifespan; no more tasteless food rations, blue lipstick, or boring days.

            And then the truth hit her like a bowling ball. Wherever Shri lived, there’d be no Tean, and now, she was farther from him and his warmth than ever.

            The following morning, the Deliverer awoke and headed downstairs for his breakfast. Rounding the corner, it brought horror to his eyes to find a pale, bloodied Earthling lying motionless on the kitchen floor, with a pleasant smile on her face.

------

Stupid Blogger made this post the day I wrote it instead of Saturday like usual. So, surprise! You all get early posts, but won't get another for a week and a half.

[Torn Up]

Sorry for the late post, if anyone every really swings by here anymore. I feel like I'm eluding myself that people are by checking in so often, I make visitor counter goes up. Dunno.

Feeling kinda lethargic, 'cause of all the terrible things that happened over in Japan. I'm worried about the people who died, who got injured, and lost their homes and families. I'm also worried about how the radiation from the nuclear plant explosion will make its way around and affect the inhabitants of Japan. It's also concerning how Japan shifted eight feet. I'm not sure how that will affect future events.

I've got a short story to write by Thursday, but whatever I try to type down doesn't seem quite right and I have to delete it. ( Sorry if this post seems lacking in descriptions. ) I can't seem to draw anything well or do my make-up right. My nail art was a disaster. I can't even look at my homework.

It just kinda tears me up when people go on casually with their lives as if the earthquake in Japan didn't happen, and neither did the tsunami or countless aftershocks. I feel really useless right now.

Sorry for the lame post.

[Caught Under the Willows]

So, that story that Melinda and I wrote over the summer of 2O1O I mentioned in my first post? It's called Under the Willows, and I decided to send a modified snippet of the second chapter in for a local writing contest. I wanted to share it with you guys. I hope you like it, and if you would like to read the first chapter, it's posted here.

-------

Caught Under the Willows

            I woke up to glass breaking. I looked around, realizing it was still dark. I couldn’t help but get angry. My parents were fighting again; and at the middle of night, no less. Couldn’t they control themselves? I decided to go downstairs to make sure no one got hurt. I didn’t know it, but that choice changed my life forever.

            Putting on my robe, I wondered why my parents were even up this late. Nevertheless, I sneaked downstairs to see what they were doing. I could hear shouting from the base of the stairs, and I slowly stepped down. “They must be in the living room,” I thought. I inaudibly made my way down into the hallway. I crouched low, beginning to army crawl. I heard their voices more clearly, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Suddenly, I sneezed, giving away my position. I darted back to the stairs, for once hoping my parents were too drunk to hear me. When the talking resumed, I began making my way back to the hallway.

            I crawled forward again. The voices were louder, so I moved up and looked around the corner of the hallway. I could see two figures having a whispered argument. I was having a hard time knowing which one was mother and which one was father. I assumed the thinner of the two figures was Mother. I leaned in closer to hear what they were saying.

            “Oh, you just had to go and break the glass, didn’t you?” Father said, in a deep voice. He paced around the room. “Do you want us to get caught?” He said, lifting his head. “Is that what you want?”

            “Captain, I told you, it wasn’t me! It blew over from the window,” said a voice that was obviously not my mother’s. I wondered who my father was talking with this late at night. And they called him “Captain.” What did that mean?

            Suddenly, a pair of gloved hands pulled me up from behind. One of the hands went over my mouth, while the other held my arms together behind my back. I tried to scream, but the hand covering my mouth stopped me from doing so. I tried to squirm away, but whoever was holding me had a tight grip. They forced me over to where Father was standing. As we got closer, though, I realized that it was not my father. He was taller, wider, and unshaven. I tried to scream again, without any luck.

            “Captain,” said the man holding me, “I found her in the hallway. She was listening to what you guys were saying. What should I do with her?” I was paralyzed with fear, and my eyes grew wide. I realized this was it. They were going to kill me, there was no way they would let me just crawl back into bed.

            “Oh, take her out to the yard first and then we’ll decide. Fisher, give Seaman the girl while you go out and load the van. We’ll be out shortly,” he instructed the one who I guessed was Fisher. I tried to pry loose when he passed me to the other guy, Seaman, but they were too strong. Seaman’s grip grew even tighter as he walked me out the door. His hand slipped off of my mouth, and I took that chance to scream.

            “Shut up! Don’t you know any better? Now, we really have to go!” Seaman started to walk faster to the van parked in front of my house. “Captain, we don’t have time to get rid of her, we’re just gonna have to throw her in the van for now,” he said, with a worried tone. Just before he shoved me in the back, I saw my willow trees in the yard, the ones I grew up with all my life.  Their branches swayed wildly in the rising wind. I started to kick and scream with much more effort now. I needed to be free, to be with my family, my dog, and most of all, my willows. When they closed the van into darkness, a shower of tears rolled down my face. My Wisconsin life was over.