#Where is the love for the giant silkworm what’s wrong with you people. Do you not hear the way he shittalks Bop
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there are exactly SIX posts in the Berith tag INCLUDING the one I just posted cmon guys we can do better than that
#Where is the love for the giant silkworm what’s wrong with you people. Do you not hear the way he shittalks Bop#clamtalk
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Something Good, Part Eighteen
Today has been a Bad Day, so here have some feelings.
In which a decision is made
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen
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Lan Wangji wakes him up before five.
“Nooo, Lan Zhan, have pity,” Wei Wuxian whines, covering his face with the pillow.
Lan Wangji pauses in dressing and sits next to him, removing the pillow. “Would you like Wen Qing to take the children again today?”
“Ugh, no, that defeats the whole point.”
Lan Wangji yanks the covers off of Wei Wuxian, who yelps.
“But Lan Zhan, growing children need their sleep. Let them sleep. It’s better for their temperament. Surely waking up so early every day is the reason your uncle is the way he is. Come on, kiss me some more before we get up.”
Lan Wangji thinks for a second, then leans in. Wei Wuxian makes sure the kiss isn’t the quick peck he intended, wrapping as many limbs as possible around him.
“My uncle was right about you,” Lan Wangji murmurs into his ear. Wei Wuxian shoves him off.
“Ew! What?”
“You are a problem.” Satisfied, and looking far too smug, Lan Wangji continues dressing.
Wei Wuxian sighs and finds his clothes on the ground. Pulling up his trousers, he feels something in his pocket.
“Ooh, my bun!” It’s cold, but still tasty, so he munches as he gets himself together. He’s got half the bun shoved in his mouth and is tying up his hair with both hands when he notices Lan Wangji watching him. “What?” he tries to say, but it mostly comes out “Mmpf?”
Lan Wangji says nothing, just wrinkles his nose.
Wei Wuxian swallows a giant mouthful. “Too good for pocket buns, are you, Lan Zhan?”
Lan Wangji does not dignify that with a response.
“It’s too late.” Wei Wuxian cackles around the next bite. “You already love me.”
“Yes.” He doesn’t sound particularly happy about it.
Life is almost back to normal in the Cloud Recesses—no one else seems to have noticed the massive shift in the universe that has taken place. Wei Wuxian would like to stay and watch Lan Wangji teach, but he’s hardly been helpful for the past few days so he helps with repairs and deep cleaning the guest quarters.
It’s not a punishment. It’s honest work. It’s annoying, just because he knows Wen Chao is responsible, but helping Wang Xiaolu scrub the floors and rigging a way to air out the soiled mattress makes him happy. These are his friends, and helping them could never be shameful. Sure, maybe he used to create clever spells and melodies to control bodies, call down thunder, but this is still creative. There are new ways to clean, domestic tasks that could be faster, more efficient, more fun. In fact, if he’s no longer a prisoner, then perhaps he can create some useful talismans. He could teach the other servants.
“Uh, Wei Ying,” one of the younger servants says, teetering under the weight of the mattress.
“Sorry, Chen Shu! I was just thinking.” He puts the idea to the back of his mind and turns back to work.
Lan Wangji and Wen Qing join the disciples for dinner, which is cause for much delight from the children. It’s incredibly difficult for Wei Wuxian. Wen Qing keeps giving him significant eyebrow raises and half-smiles, and he can’t knock her soup into her lap because he must set an example for the children. Lan Wangji is listening to Lan Sizhui tell him a very repetitive story about a frog he saw, and the combination of his patient attention and his broth-wet lips, red and ready and unbelievably distracting, is tying Wei Wuxian in knots.
Wen Qing pokes his arm with her spoon. Get ahold of yourself, she mouths at him.
He means to mouth back Fuck you, but Ouyang Zizhen has a question for him about how long silkworms live, so he has to settle for a glare.
Perhaps Lan Wangji’s glare will rub off on him.
After the children are put to bed, he and Lan Wangji walk down to the Cold Spring.
“I will not marry Wen Qing,” Lan Wangji says, like it’s nothing, like he’s commenting on the weather, and Wei Wuxian runs into a tree branch.
“What?”
“Obviously, I cannot marry her.”
“Are you insane?”
Lan Wangji looks confused. “I love you. I cannot marry someone else knowing that you are the one I love.”
“Lan Zhan, what does love have to do with anything? You didn’t love her before and you were still ready to marry her! What’s changed?”
“It is dishonest. Before, I loved you but never thought it could happen—”
“It still can’t happen! Lan Zhan, my dear, I adore you, but you can’t marry me.”
Lan Wangji gets that look that says he’s digging in his heels.
“I don’t need to marry you. But it would be dishonorable to marry Wen Qing.”
Wei Wuxian groans in frustration. “You can’t betray her! Lan Zhan, there is about to be a war. This is bigger than us three fools, and if you don’t marry Wen Qing then she’ll have no protection. She’ll have no option but to go back to Qishan or go rogue, and any alliance between the Wen sect and Lan sect will be compromised. Not to mention Wen Ning. Look, this marriage might not protect everyone from Wen Ruohan, but if you go back on your word then you are asking for Cloud Recesses to be the first attack. Please, I know what it’s like to watch my home burn. Do not underestimate them.”
Lan Wangji stays quiet for a long time, looking out over the water. “I cannot be her husband,” he says, finally.
Wei Wuxian leans against his side. “You don’t need to be her husband. You just need to, you know, be her husband.”
Lan Wangji gives him an exasperated look out of the corner of his eye.
“You know what I mean. Look, just marry her, and then we’ll cross whatever bridge comes next. And if you need an heir, a blood heir for whatever reason, then we’ll figure it out. The three of us.”
“Do you love her?” Lan Wangji asks, not looking at him.
“Of course I do. She’s the dearest friend I’ve ever had.”
“I mean—”
“I know what you mean. I’m thinking.” He plucks a leaf and spins it between his fingers. “Maybe, in a world where I never met you. Where none of this had happened. And where Jiang Cheng wasn’t smitten with her, of course. Maybe in that world I’d love her the way I love you. But in this world—we’re too similar. And we know each other far too well. What’s romance without a bit of mystery, eh?”
“Please do not tease me.”
Wei Wuxian tucks his arm around Lan Wangji’s waist. “I’m sorry, Lan Zhan. I’m just trying to be honest. My life is better for knowing her, and yours will be too. I am loyal to her. Devoted. I will not stand by and watch her hurt.”
“Neither will I.”
“Well, that’s that then. And who knows what will happen. The three of us together, Lan Zhan? The cultivation world won’t know what hit it.”
Lan Wangji leans farther into him, just a bit closer than is proper, and it feels like acceptance. “Are you saying burn it all down?”
“What would you do if I did?”
“Hmm.” The water rushes, the wind picks up the ends of Lan Wangji’s hair, brushing it against Wei Wuxian’s cheek. “I would agree.”
“Really?”
“The world that took so much from you, that hurt you, hurt Jiang Wanyin. That forces women into marriages to stay alive. Wen Qing, my mother. Jiang Yanli. The world that turns honest people into puppets, pulled apart by wicked men with power for their amusement, for their pride. That world doesn’t deserve to stand.”
“So.”
“Burn it all down.”
Wei Wuxian smiles. “It’s going to burn anyway. Whatever we do, the fire has started, it’s just waiting to spread.”
“So we let it?”
“We can’t stop it. No, our job is harder than that. We have to build what comes next.”
“Is that pride, Wei Ying?”
Wei Wuxian laughs. Yes, says the voice. “You know, I was about to ask the same thing. Maybe. Probably. But you know what?”
“Hmm.”
“Someone’s got to do it, so it might as well be us. And if we go wrong, the little ones will burn us down when it’s their time.”
“Yes, the little ones.”
Wei Wuxian grins, letting the leaf go. “Plant them in the ground. Let ‘em grow.”
“Hmm.”
“You like that. I can see you smiling.”
“I do like that.”
The sun goes down, the reds and oranges dancing off the water like the reflection of flames.
Part Nineteen
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Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Starters
Change pronouns and locations as needed, under a cut for length.
Prologue
"It makes you wish when you fall asleep you will dream about the view.”
“Bizarre and improbable and pretty, as a page from the fairy-tale books. It makes you wish that the world could be as lovely as it looks.”
“It makes you wish that the world could be as lovely as it looks...”
Me, Who Am I?
"Who am I? A far-from-perfect guy...”
“A guy who dreams like a lion but wakes up like a lamb.”
“A bum who wants to do what’s right but often does what’s wrong.”
“A kid who’s voice is way off key but loves to sing a song.”
“His Royal Highness ( name ) slayer of dragons, pitiless to ogres, destroyer of griffins and giants, no friend to gargoyles, nice to the needy, sportsman and poet!”
“He's our hero! Such perfection!”
“He’s a plain and simple complicated fascinating guy!”
In My Own Little Corner/Reprise
“I know of a spot in my house where no one can stand in my way.”
“I can be whatever I want to be.”
“On the wing of my fancy I can fly anywhere, and the world will open its arms to me.”
“I’m a young Norwegian princess or a milkmaid!”
“I’m the greatest prima donna in Milan!”
“I’m an heiress who has always had her silk made, by her own flock of silkworms in Japan!”
“I’m a girl men go mad for, love’s a game I can play with a cool and confident kind of air!”
“I’m a thief in Calcutta.”
“I’m a queen in Peru!”
“I’m a mermaid dancing upon the sea!”
“It’s a dangerous kind of sport and yet it’s fun.”
“Then I’m glad to be back in my own little corner! All alone in my own little chair...”
“I am in the royal palace, of all places!”
“And the color on my two stepsister's faces is a queer sort of sour apple green!”
“So what if I do have a dream to see the prince again?”
“And then to have him fall in love with you?”
“Then be foolish with me! What would you dream of?”
“No one will fall in love with me.”
“Are you really my fairy godmother?”
Transformations
“And now ( name ), I must tell you, all of this magic is very powerful, but it will end at midnight tonight.”
“ Now go, to the ball. In the name of every girl who has ever wished to go to a ball in a beautiful dress. In the name of every girl who has ever wanted to change the world she lived in!”
“Go! With the promise of possibility!“
It’s Possible
"It’s possible for a plain country bumpkin, and a prince to join in marriage.”
“For the world is full of zanies and fools who won’t believe in sensible rules, and won’t believe what sensible people say!”
“Impossible things are happening every day!“
“It’s possible!”
Ten Minutes Ago/Reprise
“I saw you I looked up when you came through the door, my head started reeling you gave me the feeling the room had no ceiling or floor.”
“I have found her, she's an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes.”
“And I like it so well that for all I can tell I may never come down again!”
“I may never come down to earth again.”
“I wanted to ring out the bells and fling out my arms and to sing out the news!”
“I have found her!”
“I have found him! He's the light of the stars in my eyes!”
“I may never come down to earth again.”
Stepsister’s Lament
“Why would a fellow want a girl like her, a frail and fluffy beauty?”
“She’s a frothy little bubble, with a flimsy kind of charm, and with very little trouble, I could break her little arm!”
“Why can’t a fellow ever once prefer a usual girl like me?“
“She’s only as graceful as a bird so why is the fellow going crazy?“
“Yes, he’s witty, so disarming, and I like the way he really holds a room. Clever cunning, ever charming, how do I make him see I’m special?”
“It’s a pity.”
“I’ve got the patience of a perfect saint. So I’m waiting always waiting nevertheless, I’m in a mess.”
“She’s the matter let me at her!!!“
The Pursuit
“Lord ( name ), where is she?”
“Your Majesty, we saw the carriage! And, this I cannot explain – it simply flew into the mist!”
“I just know I will find you! you’re the girl of my dreams...”
“Impossible? Then we shall do the impossible!”
“Ten minutes ago we were dancing in the palace of all places!”
He Was Tall
“He was tall, very tall, and his eyes were clear and blue...”
“When he walked across the ballroom floor he was like a thing divine, and all the ladies turned their heads... and naturally I turned mine.”
A Lovely Night/Reprise
“You meet your prince, a charming prince, as charming as a prince will ever be!”
“The stars in a hazy heaven tremble above you while he is whispering,“Darling, I love you!”
“All of your life you’ll dream of this.“
“Darling, I love you.”
“Are you sure you can keep my secret?“
“May we both find our loves.”
“All my life I’ll dream of this...”
Loneliness of Evening
“And start to pray, as I pray each day, that I’ll hear some word from you...”
“I lie in the loneliness of evening, looking out on a silver-flaked sea, and ask the moon; Oh how soon, how soon, will my love come home to me?”
“I have found her. She’s my angel.”
“I have found my angel, with the dust of the stars in your eyes.”
Announcing the Banquet
“The Prince is looking dreamy-eyed.”
“So spread the word throughout the land; The Prince is throwing a banquet!”
“His Royal Highness ( name ), dopey and dreamy-eyed can’t find his lady!”
There’s Music in You
“Beyond the voice that keeps insisting “no” there is something more than doubting breaking through the darkness.”
“Someone wants you, you know who.”
“Now there’s nothing you won’t try!”
“Move a mountain, light the sky, make a wish come true –!”
“Now you can go wherever you want to go!″
Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?
“Do I love you because you’re beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you?”
“Am I making believe I see in you a girl too lovely to be really true?”
“Am I making believe I see in you a man too perfect to be really true?”
“Do I want you because you’re wonderful? Or are you wonderful because I want you?”
“Are you the sweet invention of a lover’s dream? Or are you really as wonderful as you seem?”
The Shoe Fits
“The Prince intends to search until he finds the girl who fits the bill. But not 'the bill', the shoe I mean, a shoe to fit a queen!”
“The shoe does not fit!”
“Here goes nothin’.”
“Me again.”
“Is that the last eligible lady in the kingdom?”
“She appears to be, yes.”
“I haven’t tried on the slipper...”
The Proposal
“( Name ), I love you so much, I don’t know what to do.”
“Oh. Well. Is marriage still on the table?”
“Yes. YES. OH MY – YES!! You have to marry me. I mean, will you marry me?“
“Yes, my handsome Prince. I will marry you.”
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Lost Girls an Wild things (a ten page story)
I resented them. I hated them. I wished they’d never found us. They came, they saw our way of life and they tried to put a “Dr..ees..sss.ee” on it.
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“The tribe of Sleeperentis overatus was an all-girl, No cooties, area. It’s a place where young girls can escape the troubles of stinky brothers, evil teddy bears, and broccoli.” Sinsin, the newest member of our tribe, followed me eagerly through the all you can eat candy buffet. “It’s a place of innovation and excitement. There is never a dull moment here, but if you find yourself not entertained, you can visit on of the many workshops located around the tribe grounds. For example, Sinestra teaches a workshop on finger painting every 30 seconds.” I pointed at Sinestra, who was laying back on a rock and snoring. A snot bubble grew and shrunk with her breath. “She looks like she’s on break right now, so it might be a while before the next class.”
We continued around the toadstool paint mixers and the braiding circles. I continued, “Sleeperentis Overatus is the place we come to in order to learn how earthworms feel when they are squished under our toes, how many crayons we can eat without being sick, and how to burn baby ants.” We passed the racecar tracks and the marble routes. We passed through the squishy frog pits and then we reached the edge of the highest hill.
I motioned to the view, “We are located on the outside edges of the Treehouse kingdom. On the opposite side from the tribe, “No girls allowed”. That’s where the boys are, and as shown by their group name, they are very uncreative. Our Kingdom is self-governed, self-sufficient, and self-….. I don’t remember what the third one was… But anyway,” I turned Sinsin to face the entirety of the tribe.
“As you can see our kingdom is made mostly out of what nature provided us with, and what we found around us. Blankets, stuffed animals, toothbrushes, pillows, and towels, were all put together for the betterment of our society. We built our mansions from the ground up, and we were all proud of it.” We took the soda pop slides down the big hill, which concluded our tour.
“My name is Cinder. I am one of the tribe council members her in Sleperentis Overatus. I have a degree is counting dust-bunnies, and I’m the tribe’s explosive/technical tantrums expert. Which makes me a leader in social justice throughout the community. I also have a strong inclination toward technical devices. Such as The Barbie cell phone, anamorpherators, and the G.I. Joe Jet plane. Ohh and don’t even try to build Legos better than me. I can tell you now, you can’t. I strongly believe everything a girl does should be messy, and if you aren’t covered in mud or finger paint, you’re doing it wrong. I have been in charge of this council for 15 min, and it has felt like years. The changes I have made have been beneficial to all. Especially me. What? Would you not create a drainage system out of Legos, fizzle sticks, and giant sponges that also double as a trampoline? I know I would, and I did. There is a story behind my name, but I’ll get into it later.
If you have any problems at all, contact Morgana. She’s the eldest, and she will know what to do.” I paused and looked at my watch, “Ohh popsicles, I’m late” I said aloud, and ran to the Council center. It was an important meeting place because I was running it.
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“What’s a Dress?” Toranu asked. She was sitting on one of the cut up logs surrounding the elevated sandbox that functions as our round table.
“It is something that binds you,” I said as I stared into her eyes. ”It covers your skin, but not like armor. Its material is weak, and could easily be shredded by a winged worm, much less a Hanectin. It’s like they aren’t even accounting for them. They are stupid, primitive beings.”
�� “Is it true they wear armor on their feet?” Saratoni asked. She was sitting cross-legged, as always, on the log she occupied… show off.
“It is true,” I continued,” Their feet do not have the strength that ours do. They fear the hot ground. Sheltering their feet from their true calloused potential. Their worst offense is that these shoeeesss are for fashion more than they are for utility. But that’s just the beginning. Have you all heard their worst offense?” The council leaned forward. Their eyes wide. They leaned forward in anticip…
“That’s enough Cinder.” Morgana stood. ”There is no need to scare them.” She stood up and got onto the table. She did it with such grace and efficiency. Whereas when I had done it, I had stumbled and almost fallen. Her robes, made by silkworms and spiders shimmered in the afternoon light. My robes were made of an old potato sack and dental floss. They were covered in mud still wet from the Soda pop falls. Her hair was long and clean, whereas mine was short and choppy. Basically, she made me feel inferior just with her presence, and that’s why I respected her so much.
I took the seat she had left to silence me. I felt useless, all the attention that I had worked hard for was stolen away by Morgana. It didn’t help she was had been my BFF forever.
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Grizzledomor: (A.K.A: Bearded Dad) Known for Their facial hair, Often tells jokes that are only amusing to each other. Commonly known as “Dad Jokes”. They are not usually violent and spend most of their time with Hearthrops.
Hearthrops: (A.K.A. “the mom card”) these creatures are very much caring….until they are not, they despise messy spaces, and often clean them. They spend all day “Nagging” their partners.
Disclaimer: Any and all combinations of Grizzledomors and Hearthrops can exist. All is socially, economically, and politically acceptable.
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“Why’d you do that? I had their interest. I could change their minds. I had them.”
“You had them in fear Cinder,” Morgana said. “That is not how you lead a tribe. Not through fear, through hope.”
“You’re wrong. They believed me.” I crossed my arms in my patented professional tantrum position.
“You are not pulling that malarkey on me,” I kept my pouty face at a prime. “You will never learn. How are you going to run this tribe? You are not ready” She said the last quip firmly.
“You BUTTERSCOTCH!” I screamed, and I stormed away. I went straight to my bed and grumbled until I pouted myself out, and I fell asleep
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The next day the council met, but Morgana wasn’t there. It was weird because she was always 15 min early or 15 min late. This time she was neither. I went to her Victorian treehouse mansion. It took me 30 seconds, but when I returned with no Morgana, the council was asleep. When they awoke, they panicked.
“This is an outrage,” Hilenestra said. “That was the last straw, we are all scared.”
“I understand, but we cannot rush into action. We need to figure out where she is “
“But the tribe, Sleeperentis Overatus, Must prevail,” I said. “But without morgana who will take charge?”
“Does anyone have any ideas?” Toranu said.
The council hushed, waited for anyone to speak. No one did. Then all eyes turned towards me.
“What if we sent someone after her?” I said, “Find out where she went.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Saratoni “Is anyone willing to go?”
After a moment of silence, council members decided in the ancient traditional way. Their fingers snapped to touch the tip of their noses being careful not to smudge their war paint.
I was the last, but only by a millisecond.
“Wait but I’m not qualif…”
“Hush,” Saratoni said. “You are plenty qualified for this mission. If you require assistance you may take one other with you, but that is it. We cannot spare anyone else.” Everyone, except for me, stomped their feet and the session was adjourned.
What had I gotten myself into?
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No one was brave enough to come with me, and I didn’t blame them. So instead, I took my teddy bear named Kenai with me. He was good company and seriously loved eating grilled cheese sandwiches. Which I packed in my backpack, along with juice boxes, some nerds candy rope, a hellomacdula for disguise, and my cocooned caterpillar Peeps. He was still in his cage so I put him in the bottom of my backpack for safe keeping. I was far from ready, but it was time to go. The Tribe was waiting for me at the tribe gates.
“You’ll do great,” Sinsin whispered and winked at me. Hannara was on her left. She was the officially official war paint artist. She grabbed some toothpaste from her bag; she mixed it with mud, berries, melted crayon, and glitter glue. She then took two fingers, scooped up some of the goo and put it on my face. I will not lie. It hurt, but I didn’t want to look as scared as I was. So I took a breath, my eyes watered from the toothpaste, turned towards the door, I inhaled some glitter glue, and headed out of the camp. I started walking, and after 2 seconds, my thoughts got the best of me.
Earlier I was talking about my name. My name is Cinder. It was given to me by Morgana when I was first accepted into Sleperentis Overatus. It’s a strange name, isn’t it? But I like it because it’s just as unique as I am. I think. It’s so weird to think about the tribe without Morgana. She had been a pivotal point in the development of the tribe, and of me. I used to not be able to control my explosive tantrums at all. Honestly, they kept me from a lot of things. Especially other people. But Morgana had taught me to control my power, and harness it for good. She and I used to practice, all the time. So that’s where I think I got my name. I was the Cinders left after an uncontrolled fire.
“Cinder? As in Cinderella?” a low grumbling voice echoed on the branches.
Ohh no, I thought
“Are you a girl? Or an Ember?” It grumbled, “Because IIIIII am hungry, and if you’re a girl I can eat you, but if you aren’t then I cannot.
What is it? I thought.
“C’mon, you know me. I can see that you know me. Come out and play”
“Ohh no,” I said.
“Ohh yesss”
Before the Gossishnuzzle finished its last “S”. I was running.
No, don’t talk to me. You don’t get to know me because my secrets are mine. You will not change them.
Vines seemed to grow up from the forest. They snagged onto my bare feet and I fell face first on a gray cement square.
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Gossishnuzzle: A.K.A: Rumor Weed. This nasty little vermin will disguise itself as your friend until you tell it something it can use. Rumor Weeds once started, are difficult to stop. They tell everyone half-truths about you. That are usually quite embarrassing.
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My veins were throbbing with the weight of my movements.
If I stay here, they’ll come and save me. Stay in one spot when you realize you’re lost.
Wait…what? No. No one will save you, you’re on your own
I should run….Run.
I tried to stand up, but I couldn’t. I turned over onto my back and looked at my foot. It was wrapped in vines. Lime green colored and smelled of dandelion, and somewhat disgusting looking.
“That’s not very nice,” It said. The vines molded and grew until it made a shape that resembled, well me except it looked older. Kinda like Morgana’s age. Which was weird. It also wore one of those “Dresssss” Things. Its grip was tightening.
“Do you like it?” The Rumor Weed asked.
“It’s so yellow,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” The Rumor Weed loosened its grip on my leg as it showed off its pale yellow dress. “It was dyed with Mustard, and soaked in dandelion juice.
“No, it wasn’t,” I said.
“Yes, it was.” The Rumor weed crossed her arms in my professional patented pouty stance and stuck up her nose.
Sockertoph, do I look like that? I thought. How Childish.
“It would be sticky and gross if that had happened to it,” I snapped at it. It stuck its nose higher.
“How would you know? Huh? You are a technical dress dying, expert.”
“You’re right.” I said,” but I do have common sense, and have eaten my fair share of both mustard and dandelion flowers. So I would say I know enough to say that your dress was not dyed with that.”
With this, the rumor weed turned towards me. She balled her hands into fists and flung them down by her side. Her shoulder then rushed up to her ears, and she took a big gulp in and held her breath. Her vines loosened.
“I bet you can’t hold your breath longer than I can stick out my tongue.” I teased. She accepted the bait, and the vines loosened even more. I stuck out my tongue. With a little squirming, and since the rumor weed wasn’t breathing I was able to kick my foot free. She didn’t try to stop me. She was too focused on winning. To focused on being better than me. So I stood up and gathered my things. She hadn’t moved the whole time. I turned towards her. Pointed at the tongue, that was now dry, but still sticking out of my mouth. I then turned and walked away.
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Soon after my encounter with the Rumor Weed/Gossishnuzzle, I put my tongue back in my mouth. It was super dry so I grabbed a Juice pouch from my backpack, and after first giving some to Kenai, I drank it.
Respect the pouch, Respect it. I thought.
Then I blew up the pouch with the air in my lungs and saved it for later. You never know when you’ll need a good explosive. I was tired, and I was almost to where I thought Morgana would have gone. Why did I think this? You may ask yourself this, but let me tell you it’s for me to know and you to find ou….Just kidding I’ll tell you. The Candy Land trail, it was the game that Morgana and I Used to play between Pitshals, and Flabbernuggets. If she had gone anywhere, it would be the candy castle.
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After I took an impromptu nap, I started on my quest again. I decided I was wasting too much time trying to feed Kenai grilled cheese sandwiches. He was hungry. I was sure, but he was mad at me because I made him miss his tea party date with Stratoni’s Pegasus.
Bears am I right.
After some wandering I found the trail, I had been looking for. It was the shortcut that would lead me directly to the palace, but I had to hurry because it was getting late. I walked up to the fork in the road and heard a grunt. Leaning against the arrow sign was a girl a little older than me. Her face was entirely covered in make-up, her hair was just as black as her clothes, and her boots squeaked when she moved them.
“Don’t bother” It said.
“Why not?” I snapped, “Why do you think you can tell me what to do?”
“I don’t care,” she said, “At least I’m not as bad as parents, am I right?”
“Parents?” I inquired.
“You don’t have parents? You’re lucky. All they do is yell, nag, yell, and I got sick of it. I’m my own independent woman, and they’re sitting like….”
(I censored the next few things this girl said. She used some language I am unfamiliar with, but I doubt is appropriate for young readers, you’re welcome.)
I left the, what I later found out was a Teenangster, with herself as she seemed to be self-destructing, and took the “Gloppy trail” This was the short cut the Candy Castle.
--------------------------------------------------------
It was starting to get dark, and I didn’t have a plan.
Ohh numbnuts, I thought. You didn’t pack anything for sleeping. So I kept walking. Kept walking. Kept walking, until I yawned one too many times. Then I found my salvation. I saw an old cottage that seemed to be made of pillows. They looked nice, and warm, and comfy. So naturally, I knocked on the bedsheet door.
An Old lady opened it. “Caroline? Caroline? Is that you?”
“No, I’m Cinder.”
“Ohh thank goodness, Caroline. The McDonalds have been calling for hours saying that you just left the…..without a word…blah blah blah…”
The lady seemed to grumble on and on for hours. While she did this, I noticed something very peculiar.
I interrupted her, “Are you blind?” I said.
“Why yes, yes I am.” The old lady replied.
“Why are you blind?” I asked.
“Well,” she said. “I’ll tell you that when you’re older.” She then motioned for me to come inside.
“But wait,” I stopped her by grabbing her hands, “I am older, I’m older than I was when you said,” I mimicked her voice as best I could, which in my opinion, it was spot on, “’I’ll tell you when you’re older’ so tell me now.”
“Alrighty, but first let’s get you inside. You must be getting cold”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After some warm soup and a bathroom break, we sat down next to the fire. We were sipping hot chocolate, but it was too hot to drink so I set mine down and waited.
“Now will you tell me?”
“Alright fine Caroline,” I edged closer. “What do you see when you look at me?”
I was taken aback, “Ummm…” I struggled for words, “An older lady with blue tie dye dress, a scarf that doesn’t match, and sneakers with socks that also don’t match. Who likes sunhats, and is blind.”
“Now isn’t that interesting. Did you notice what you didn’t mention?” she paused,” No? What about my spunky attitude, my slight drawl when I say words with the letter W, what about what’s not on the surface?”
With this foreign idea in my mind, I sipped some hot cocoa, and then promptly realized it was far too hot. The old lady stood up and made her way to the wall mirror.
“C’mere Caroline.”
I obeyed. Tell me what you see when you look in this mirror.
“My hair is…longer than it used to be, and a lot less choppy. I stand up straighter and seem to look kind of like Morgana… MORGANA.”
Ohh my geez how could I forget
I knew what this lady was now, A Hearthrop. How could I have been so foolish? I moved slowly towards my backpack that lay on the side of the door.
“You want to know what I see.”
“You can’t see. You’re blind.” After that remark, I kept my mouth shut. I was almost at my backpack.
“I see a young lady who is growing up too fast and is going to lose her childhood. She’s scared of growing up, and she needs to know. She doesn’t have to…”
I snatched my back and ran through the bed sheet door. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore, and then I kept going. It was until I stopped that I realized I had been crying.
Potato, Potato, you idiot potato. What were you thinking?
Don’t cry anymore.
Don’t let her know she got to you.
You’re stronger than this.
I collapsed against a wall, my spine slid down the rough hard candy texture until my but collided with the soft candy sand ground.
She got to you, I thought.
----------------------------------------------
Candy castle. I stood up and looked at the wall behind me. It expanded into a giant fortress. I, regardless of my other qualifications, was not an expert at infiltrating candy castles. So instead, I made my way around to the front door and knocked. A Grizzledomor answered the door.
“Hello? Who are you?”
“I….I… is M-oo-o-rrogan---…”
“Morgan!” He shouted at the castle behind him. “Are you babysitting today?”
“No?” I heard from the inside of the castle. “Why?”
“There’s someone here to see you?”
“That’s odd, why would someone be here….” Her face fell as she saw me.
“Caroline, your mom has been looking everywhere for you, what in the world. She’s worried sick.” I stood there stunned. “Well c’mon in” she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the house, she then motioned for her father to call my mother. She took me up the stairs and into her bedroom. Her hair was now a different color than it used to be, and her face was painted in a way that made her seem unfamiliar. It was make-up, I knew about that. Teenagers wore it to be unique.
“Listen, Caroline...”
“That’s not my name. My name is Cinder.”
She grimaced, “Cinder”.
I cut her off, “Why did you leave?”
“What do you mean?” She replied.
“You left the tribe, almost a day ago. Without saying goodbye.”
“Caro-…Cinder. You knew I was leaving early from our birthday party. I had horseback riding lessons in the morning. Don’t you remember?”
“Our birthday party?”
“Yeah, we celebrated mine late and yours early because both our birthdays is on a school day. I turned 13 last week, and you will actually be 13 right about…now.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
“Well? Cinder?” Megan asked, “Do you feel any different?”
I looked up at the mirror on Megan’s wall. I stood up and walked towards it. It wasn’t until I got closer that I noticed and stopped, and turned towards her and inquired.
“Who’s Cinder?”
~
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