The Turtle Part 3

    Barney put the jeweled turtle down and rushed out the door.  After second thought he rushed back in and slipped it into his coat pocket.  A pair of eyes watched him from the closet.

   Barney rushed up to the street vender and the old lady inquired, "Oh, hello Barney?  How do you do to-"

   Barney curtly interrupted her, "Have you seen a suspicious man?"

   "Sus-picious?" She asked quite slowly, thinking over it, like a cow chewing on grass.

   A few long seconds past.

    "So!?"

    "Ehhh...?" She looked up at him, "What is wrong?"

    "Well, have you seen a suspicious man!"

     "Why yes, of course!" She exclaimed and smiled, "He was past my right across that street, holding a turtle with water on his cloak from a turtle tank..." She giggled.

    Barney took off down the street, took a corner and squeezed into a narrow alleyway, a nice hideaway for gangsters.  He felt around a bit, (It was a bit dark...) and found the rusty ladder that he had been searching for.  He climbed up to the roof and looked down.  Nobody was in the street...the vender had also left.

   A gust of wind blew from behind and he turned around.  The old lady was behind him, smiling crookedly.

   "When it comes to life," She said, "Be happy with what you have..."

    She put Tito onto the ground, and said, "Two turtles would only lead you into trouble, pick the one you favor!"  And with that she disappeared.

    Barney blinked and took Tito.

    Only one?

    Fine, he thought and put the jeweled turtle onto the ground.  Suddenly he exploded into dust...

    Barney opened his eyes and heard the chirping of his alarm clock.   He walked over to the turtle tank.  Both turtles were there.

    And he knew that he was going to return the jeweled turtle first thing today.





   

Spanish Correction!

    My mom and I were riding the bus back from my violin class.  She spotted a sign that said "This Bus is Equipped with Security Cameras" It was in English and Spanish.  My mom started reading the Spanish out loud and saying how similar it was to English and Latin.  She read, translated and kept reading.

    A guy that was sitting next to us started correcting my mother's off-tune and off-beat Spanish.  My mom looked a little embarrassed but followed along.  Looking back, I guess you should learn a language before using it!

What is The Meaning of My Life? (Chinese Story)

    There once was a little monk who wanted to know what the meaning of his life was.  So he asked his master, "Master, masterer, can you tell me what the meaning of my life is?"

    He answered in a wise tone, "Go up to the mountain behind our monastery, my boy, find a boulder and bring it to the market.  If someone asks how much the boulder is, don't say anything, just put up two fingers.  If they are still interested, don't sell it, bring it back here and I will tell you the meaning of your life."

    The young monk did as his master said and brought a boulder down to the market.  A while later, an old lady approached him and inquired, "Young man, how much do you want for this boulder?"

    The monk put up two fingers.

    "Two yuan? " She asked. The little monk said nothing. "No? Twenty then. Oh, well, I need it to help me pickle some vegetables." She said.

    The little monk was amazed, "There are so many boulders on our mountain." He took the boulder back, and told his master, "Guess what?  A lady at the market wanted to buy this boulder for twenty yuan!  Now will you please tell me the meaning of my life?"

    The master replied, "Once again take the boulder, then instead, go to the museum and stand besides it.  Do the same thing and return.  Then I shall tell you the meaning of your life."

    The monk took the boulder and placed it in the museum.  He stood besides it like his master had told him to.

    A little later a bearded man came over and said, "Hey you!  Is this boulder for sale?  It seems pretty old.  How much?"

    Once again, the young monk put up two of his fingers.

    "Well, well," the bearded man said, "Now, is that two hundred yuan?  No?  How about two thousand?"

    The monk smiled and shook his head then returned to the monastery.  "Master!" he chirruped excitedly, "Today someone offered two thousand yuan for that bolder! Tell me the meaning of my life now."

    His master chuckled and said, "Now, now, bring this boulder once more, except this time bring it to an antique shop.  Come back and I shall finally tell you the meaning of your life."

    The little monk was off again.  He brought the boulder to an antique shop and set it down.  No later did someone approached him and asked, "Do you know how much this rock is worth? Eh?"

    And so, the monk put up two fingers.

    "So that's two thousand?  Or perhaps twenty thousand yuan?"

    The monk hurried excitedly back to his master.  He said, "Today some thought the boulder was worth twenty thousand!"

    The master nodded his long neck and smiled, "Oh, You see.  Your life is like this boulder, my dear student, the greater you value yourself, the greater you are truly worth."

    The monk remembered this for the rest of his life ...

My New Violin

    Yesterday I got my new violin.  Yippee!  I've been waiting for this moment.  Before I knew my violins would come and go so there was no point loving them.

    My new violin is in-between light and dark colored.  It's pretty old and was made by Maline Koel.   If you look through the f holes, you will see the name stamped inside the violin. I think we might need to switch the pegs since they keep slipping. It looks very dirty but I like it that way.  It has a mellow and dark sound.  But you can still make it bright if you try hard.  I really like it. 

    There are also lots of thingamajiggers in the case.  One was a ticket that was for a performance on my mother's birthday!  I think this violin will bring a lot of good to me.

Too Soon

When did the stars fall?
When did the Night Bird call?
When did foreign mists overlap
your shadowy thoughts?

It happened on the Dark of Death,
The unexpected time,
The Night Bird was the one to sing
The mourn stuck in my path.

There was no star to see that day,
They all dropped from the sky.
Those small dreams tucked away
Were dimmed with misty thought.

Oh, why couldn't come the latter day,
Or even in the noon?
For how can someone handle something
That has come too soon?

The Untold Story of the Giant Peach

    At 6:00 A.M., in a small town called Loomingsburg, an enormous amount of people were waiting in a single file line. Each held an extremely precious bright red ticket. Why had they come here, and why so early? They had come here because of a man named Johnny Priseless. Johnny Priseless spent millions of dollars to build a wonderful amusement park. It was filled with toys and rides that you’ve only dreamed of. Johnny sold his house, his computer, and even his shoes! All these people wanted to be the first to see it. But sadly, nothing went the way that it was supposed to.It started with a faint crash, which sounded awfully like a car had gotten smushed. Then there was a louder crash. A few seconds later, a string of crashes, booms, bangs, and loud noises were heard. The people watched with their jaws touching the ground, as a gigantic fuzzy sphere crashed into a brick wall a few buildings away. It rolled at an extremely fast speed towards them. The sphere was about as tall and wide as a two story house. As it got closer and closer, people saw that this fuzzy sphere was actually a peach! Now the peach was only thirty feet away from the line.

    These people had two reactions. An old lady screamed for the first time in centuries (it sounded more like a croak.) She cried, “Oh my! I must be dreaming! It’s going to crush us! It’s going to crush us all!” Then, as fast as her little legs could take her, she hobbled towards the exit of the park.

    A small child tugged on his mother’s shirt and exclaimed, “Mommy, I love peaches! Can I have this one?” This boy’s mother grabbed him and tried to drag him away from the peach’s path. But, she was too late. The little boy with an extremely small brain greedily leaped onto the peach. Realizing that the peach was going to crush him, he started to run the opposite way that the peach was rolling to keep himself upright. The little boy shrieked, “Mommy! Help! Help!” His mother ran after the peach crying out, “Billy! Don’t fall down!” She failed to catch it. Nobody could outwit the peach!

    The peach advanced into the amusement park. It sped right on the path in a perfectly straight line. Slightly afterwards, it came to a circus tent and tumbled through the entrance. It had also tumbled into a group of clowns huddled in a circle. They did not see the peach until it rolled over their feet. The clowns (There were about four of them) yelped and each them clutched a foot while they hopped around and sobbed like infants. In the meantime, while these clowns were wailing and moaning, the peach decided to try out an outfit. It charged into the dressing room at full speed. There were some tearing sounds and as soon as the tearing sounds stopped, the peach crashed out of the tent. It wore an extra-extra-extra-large mitten with purple spots. The little boy hadn’t been so fortunate. A pair of shorts that said, “I Love Elmo!!!” had ended up on his head, completely covering his face. Also, a long scarf with a leopard skin pattern was halfway tucked into his pants, making it look like he had a tail.

    Even though the peach was dressed up, it didn’t slow down. Wobbling a bit as it shot down a grass covered hill; it stripped the grass out of the ground, leaving only dirt behind.

    The Omni Theater of Excitement was located at the bottom of a hill. The workers inside decided to test out a movie. It was called “Paintballs.” Giant paint balls started to fly out of the screen. Suddenly, all the workers heard a low-pitched boom and a huge peach-like paintball seemed to come barreling out of the wall. A worker that went by the name Jill was frightened. Her eyes bulged out and she bit her lip to keep from screaming.

    Someone said, “It is okay! You know it isn’t real.”

    Another worker asked, “Does anyone know where these Elmo pants came from?” Then he turned to Jill and laughed, “Jill, come on, it’s just a movie!”

    But as they got a closer look, they saw a boy with a tail clinging onto the peach paintball with all his might. So this peach was real! The rest of the workers eyes bulged out and their mouths formed perfect Os. The peach sailed over their heads and crashed through the opposite side of the theater.

    A millisecond later, the peach flew out of the Omni Theater and somersaulted up a small slope. Its pace got slower and slower as it went up the hill. Although the peach was rolling very slowly, the small boy on top of it was too scared to jump down.

    The peach was on the main path again. It rolled through the door of the candy shop. A bell that hung on the door jingled as it entered. The clerk was shelving Hershey bars with his back to the door. With the corner of his eye he scanned the customer that had entered. He saw a very fat woman with a small head.

    “Good morning!” The clerk said.

    No answer.

    “Good morning!” The clerk repeated.

    Silence.

    “GOOD MORNING!” The clerk yelled.

    Chirping birds.

    Who did this person think she was? He growled under his breath. He turned around and to his surprise, nobody was there. Then he shrugged off his anger and went back to work. A few minutes later, he heard a faint squishing sound from the caramel room. At first, the clerk ignored it. Yet the sound got more and more frequent and a sudden realization swept over him. That lady had gone to the caramel room! The clerk dropped all the Hershey bars he was holding and sprinted into the room. He was too late! He would remember what he saw for the rest of his life! A peach that was covered in a thick coating of caramel and sprinkles was knocking down barrels of the sweet candy. Also, this special type of caramel was very slippery and had increased the peach’s rolling speed.

    You must be wondering where the little boy went! The small boy had fallen into a barrel of caramel. I wonder how many trips to the dentist he will have to take when his mom finds him. The peach smashed into a ferris wheel, roller coaster, and everything in its path. After a while, there was a ground shaking clash ……

    The peach had finally stumbled out of the park. Everyone watched as it rolled farther and farther away. They all wondered where it would go next.

    Poor Johnny Priseless! Nobody knows where he went. Maybe he’s seeking revenge on the peach!

September 15, 2010

Plot or go for it?

One day I was wondering- if you were to write a book would you first plot the events or just start writing? I personally think it depends on what kind of book you want to write. I also think it depends on your individual writing voice.

I also started wondering- do people who plot plot in daily life and do people who go for it go for it in daily life?

Berry Sue and her Fox

There once was a girl. She went by the name Berry Sue.

One day in art class she made a paper mache fox. Little Berry Sue was very proud of her creation. Before she went home that day her classmates told her that her fox looked like a cat. Berry Sue thought that they were joking. When she got home her mom said, "What an adorable little cat!" Berry Sue got very mad. She still thought everyone was playing a trick on her.

From that day on, Berry Sue would not accept any criticism. So she always stayed at the same level at everything she did.

Berry Sue's Brother and the BELL

(A Chinese tale retold)

There once was a man who loved to take a little something he liked here, and a little something he liked there. He might take a gift card with a decoration he liked while visiting a friend's house, or cut himself a little piece of chocolate cake when there was a birthday party going on in the bowling alley down the street. Anyway, you get the point.

One day he was taking an afternoon walk, strolling around, in the neighborhood and he heard something jingle in the wind.

" Ah... what a nice sound!" he thought.

The man followed the sound and soon came across a house with a bell dangling from a nail right above the door.

"Oh, how beautiful that bell is, and what a melancholy sound it makes!" He said aloud. The man felt eager greediness rise up through his body and sway in his throat.

"I could just take the bell. It is just a little tiny thing! It would be worth it. Right?" the man asked himself. He made up his mind and went home. Not to get ready for dinner, but to get ready for his midnight bell robbery.

At night, the man tiptoed through the stillness of the neighborhood. This night was a perfect night! There was absolutely no wind, unlike the afternoon. He soon found the house he was looking for, the house with the wooden stairs and porch. The man slowly climbed up the stairs to the door and placed his feet gently on top of the welcome mat. The moonlight settled atop the bell and gave it an eerie glow.

Right before he plucked the bell from its nail, he suddenly realized something, "since it is such a silent night, if I take the bell, it ought to make a noise! Then the people in this house will discover me! What am I going to do?"

The man took a while to think. "Ding!" He thought of an idea! The man took out his pocket notebook and ripped two pages out. (by the way, he stole this notebook!) Then he scrunched each entry into a ball. The man stuffed one ball into each ear using his paper inventions as earplugs.

"Now nobody will hear my bell!" He thought, "I can't even hear myself!"

Bliss, the man plucked the bell off of the nail. It jingled very loudly. Not realizing his foolish mistake, the man got caught.

You might think this man's mistake was very obvious, but if you pay attention closely, many of these mistakes happen in the world around you!

THE GIRL and HER SWORD

(A Chinese tale retold)

Once Berry Sue was crossing a river on a nice summer morning. Her boat gently rocked back forth as she rowed her way to the other side of the river.

Soon she had reached the middle of the river. A swarm of mosquitoes flew toward her and started buzzing in front of her face. Annoyed, Berry swiped his hand between the mosquitoes separating them into two groups. Suddenly she lost her balance and almost fell into the water. Unfortunately, while she regained her balance "Cur plunk!" Her precious sword dropped from her belt and fell into the warm water. "My sword! My sword!" she said in panic. "My sword dropped from here "She mumbled while taking out a small pocket knife and making a deep cut on the boat. After she did that, he looked at the cut and made sure that that was where her sword had dropped.

Satisfied with her work, she happily rowed his way to the other bank of the river. when she was at the other side of the river she looked at the mark and jumped into the body of water from the part of the boat she had marked.

The Lost Ax

The Lost Ax
(An old Chinese story)

On a nice morning, Berry Sue came to realize that her ax was missing. She had planned to go to the woods to chop some firewood.

Her neighbor walked outside. "That guy never seems to look at me," Berry Sue thought suspiciously. "He must have stolen my ax, and look how he walks! " The more she thought about it, the more the man looked like an ax thief. Soon she was sure that the man was guilty.

One day Berry was sorting out her tools, and spotted a sharp shiny thing. It was his long lost ax!!! Now whenever she saw her neighbor her neighbor looked normal. He walked normally, talked normally, and looked at her normally.