Rapunzel Clip

I am writing a retelling of Rapunzel, and I am having a lot of fun with the country-type characters and setting of Rapunzel's parents. So here's just a bit of what I've written so far. It's not the very beginning of the story, it's like the middle of chapter one. Sorry if it's really long.

~~~~~

Murphy bent closer across the counter. "Heard the rumors about?" He asked conspiratorially.
Gregory leaned closer as well, curious. "Seems the town's all a bother about it."
Murphy nodded. "She's a fright, I say - doesn't look right, sound right, feel right... no, she's trouble. Of course, I might just be prejudiced. You know that someone that looked like her tried to steal the family recipe once..."
"Who?" Gregory asked.
"Well, you've heard, of course." Murphy said in whispers. "A witch has moved into town. Into the old house on Willow Bay Street, if I'm not mistaken. And word tells she's a first-class vegetable grower. Might have some competition coming your way, Thomas... but anyway, people are saying she uses spells to enchant her veggies, and I don't like it. I'll still be your customer, eh?"
Gregory nodded absently, taking his packaged loaf of bread. "Better get this home before it cools. Thanks Murphy."
"Anytime, anytime!" Murphy called as the door shut.
Gregory thought over this latest news. He didn't hold much stock it magical people, things, animals. But all the same, new people were always naturally treated with caution at first. Never knew what they were up to.
And besides, this woman grew vegetables. What about fruit? Murphy hadn't mentioned that. Gregory forced away the worry. He had the town's trust. He had nothing to worry about.
Except one thing. He and his wife lived on Willow Bay Street. He didn't like the idea of the stranger living so close, especially being suspicious and a business rival.
"Hello there, neighbor," a voice called. Gregory hadn't noticed that he was almost home. He stopped, looking for the source of the call, and was caught off guard by the sight of a tall, thin figure, draped in a tattered black cloak, standing in front of the old house, just four doors down from his own cottage.
The woman, though wearing poor clothing, was noticeably clean. She was pale, with dark brown hair straight as a pin, flowing to her waist. She didn't look like a witch, really, and there were no cauldrons or fires or dead animals about, which is what Gregory had read that witches often accompanied.
"Hello," Gregory said politely, but with a stiffness and formality that only came when talking to strangers. "I hear you've moved in."
"Yes," the woman said with a smile. Her teeth were rather large. "I'm still getting settled. Do you live on this street?" She was polite and her grammar was good. Another sign that she wasn't a witch, for Gregory had read that witches had bad tempers, and spoke with terrible slang.
Gregory nodded. "Yes, just - just a bit up the road," he said, pointing vaguely. "My wife and I. I'm Gregory Thomas."
"Ah." The woman nodded pleasantly. "And I'm Gothelda."
No last name. Curious. But certainly not proof that she was a witch. Gregory nodded. "Pleased to meet you. I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I must return home."
The woman Gothelda said, "Of course. Happy to meet you, neighbor!"
Gregory nodded and hurried on, muttering about fools who couldn't tell goat from sheep. A witch? Surely not. A gypsy at the worst, but otherwise another person like everyone else.

Song

A song I made up I think about two years ago.... :D It's not the best but hey it's the heart that counts. <3

~~~~~

V1
God said
"I'll never leave your side
If you
Put your hand in Mine"
It's true
He'll never leave you, oh
He'll never leave you
And then, God said

Ch
"I'll be there for you
Whenever you need Me
You know, oh
I'll be there for you
Whenever you need Me
It's true
I love you"

Voice

Another clip of a story I started but got really stuck on - hopefully I will continue it in the future.

~~~~~

My voice filled the stage and the room beyond. I even liked to think that it filtered out to the beggars listening secretly at the theater's back door. I finished on the highest note, letting it linger as I counted in my head, slowly letting it fade. The music had stopped seconds before, so that it was just my voice, then abruptly nothing.
Silence rung all around me, and I breathed deeply after that long note. That space in between the last note and the clapping was, as I would reflect later, what I would love most about singing. When you have barely enough time, yet just enough, to feel the accomplishment of what you've done. To feel that exhilaration as if in slow motion.
Then the clapping began. People jumped out of their seats, throwing roses and coins toward the stage. I realized that I had been staring at the crowd, soaking in the noise, and blinked, flashing a smile and curtsying. The crowd roared.
The curtain was pulled as I took a few steps back so that I was behind it. When it hid me from view, immediately people appeared around me. The fetching boys emerged from the shadows and pushed past the curtain, leaving backstage to go and collect the money and flowers. Servants began changing the scenery and scurrying about. I stood there, still listening to the noise of the crowd. I closed my eyes, the smile still on my face.

Beauty And The Beast Twist

This is one of my stories I started a while back and never continued, but I hope to sometime.... tell me what you think. :D
Oh yes, and sorry, it's rather long.

~~~~~

There was a knock on the door. The maid, Gretel, rushed to answer it. "Ooh!" She said excitedly. "Mistress, it must be your father."
The Mistress she spoke to was a young girl lounging by the fire in a large-backed chair. She was reading, her long golden hair falling into her emerald eyes. She brushed it away lazily, with a pale, elegant hand. "Mm," was her only reply to Gretel. She did not share in the excitement of her father returning. There were much more exciting things in this book.
Gretel undid the lock, and opened the door wide. Her anticipating smile slowly faded, her eyes widening. "Oh! Oh, my. Mistress!" She called, her voice turning frantic. "Mistress, come quick!" She didn't want to leave the doorway.
The young girl debated about ignoring her servant, then sighed and rose from her comfortable position. She strode gracefully toward the front door. "Yes, Gretel, what is it n-"
She stopped. Just outside the doorway, cowering from the rain and darkness, was a girl. Around her own age, perhaps. She was filthy, her hair matted and soaked, her skin dirty, giving off a bad stench. The Mistress wrinkled her nose. "Send it away," she told Gretel.
"But - but Mistress, look at the poor thing! We must get her inside, or give her food. Or perhaps a few coins to buy her a meal, at least. She must be starving and -"
"Make it go away," the young Mistress said dismissively. "It looks filthy."
Just then, the motionless figure raised her head. The hood of her dirty cloak fell to reveal her face.
Gretel and her mistress gasped. The girl's face was beautiful, flawless. Stunning. It was so radiant, it seemed to glow. She was pale, paler than anyone the young Mistress had ever seen, with the brightest blue eyes. But her hair! It was not golden, or even brown. It was the richest, deepest black. It curled wildly, except for a few strands near her face, which were perfectly straight.
The young Mistress's first reaction was awe. She was stunned. But a second later, after she had taken in this strange and overwhelming sight, her haughtiness returned. This beautiful girl was prettier than her; she knew it. And she wanted to be the most beautiful.
"What is your name?" She asked sharply. The beautiful girl smiled, and Gretel had to blink to gather her senses. "My name is Maralissa," she said. Her voice was like angels, like bells, like the most heavenly sound ever heard.
"And why are you here?" The young Mistress continued to question.
The girl Maralissa answered, "To see."
Gretel scrunched up her nose in confusion. "To see what, my lady?" It now seemed fitting to call her that.
Maralissa turned her eyes on Gretel, who felt that she was being somehow examined. "To see the Mistress of this house." Her eyes returned to the young girl. "And I have found her."
The young Mistress sniffed. "Well, be on your way then." But she was somewhat appeased. Perhaps this Maralissa had come to see if the tales of her beauty were true.
Maralissa frowned. "I do not like what I see," she said. Gretel and her Mistress both blinked. "What?" The young Mistress asked sharply. "You do not? And why is that?"
Maralissa said sadly, "The Mistress of this house has everything. But she has nothing."
Gretel scrunched up her nose again, and the young Mistress snorted. "And what does that -"
"I would like to ask for food and shelter," Maralissa cut in smoothly. Gretel smiled. "Of course, my lady, you may stay in one of our -"
"No. We haven't room," the young Mistress cut in angrily. She wanted this beautiful girl as far away from her as possible. She couldn't stand the perfect, flawless sight of her in comparison to herself.
Maralissa frowned. "Is that your final answer?"
The young Mistress shivered under the harsh gaze, and for a moment a ripple of fear coursed through her. A warning. But she shook it off, and recovered. "Of course it is. Be gone with you." She made a shooing motion with her hand.
Maralissa shook her head. "Then I have no choice." She lifted a hand. Before the young Mistress or Gretel could speak, she said loudly, her voice echoing, "You shall from this day forward live in a castle secluded from the world. You shall be ugly and alone. When you see beyond yourself, or if anyone could ever come to love you, then you will return to your former life - and your beauty."
The young Mistress, whose eyes had been glazed over as if in a trance, fell to the floor.
"And you, servant, shall be beautiful. You judge a book by its cover, but you have a kind and loving heart. Thankyou for your kindness, however small."
Gretel collapsed, and Maralissa surveyed the two unconscious figures. Her charms had worked. Sighing sadly, she walked out into the cold, rainy night and disappeared into the darkness, before she even left the glow of the house. Just as she disappeared, a carriage approached the large castle. It was the young Mistress's father.
When he arrived inside, he found a confused and frantic Gretel. He thought it must be his tired eyes, but his servant looked younger, and very beautiful.
When he asked where his daughter was, Gretel sobbed, "She's dead." For this was what Maralissa had spoken to her unconscious mind. The young Mistress was as though dead to her family, until she broke the charm that Maralissa had set over her.
Miles away, in a dark, empty castle on top of a lone hill, the young Mistress woke. Her name was Rosabelle.

Color

So I have always wondered what it would be like to be in this position. I can't imagine it.

~~~~~
I could hear the wind rush through the trees, I could hear a lawn mower humming down the street. A cat meow, people talking as they walked by. Their footsteps on the pavement, and from that, how many people there were. Three. I could hear Mom walk toward me from behind, and I could tell it was Mom by the sound of her slippers on our driveway.
"I brought you some lunch," Mom said. I felt her sit beside me. "Thanks," I answered, holding out a hand. A plate was placed in it, and I caught the smell of chinese food as my hand grasped it firmly. I smiled. "Yum. Thanks." Mom loves making chinese food. "Is there a special occasion?" Mom breathed in the new spring air. "No, I just wanted to make it today. I'm cleaning the house." I grinned. Mom's typical Spring Cleaning.
"Feel free to come inside and help," Mom hinted, but laughter was in her voice. I heard her walk away.
I know I was born blind. But I don't really know what that means. I don't know what "seeing" means. I suppose it's another way of hearing, or smelling. I can do those two very well, much better than my family, because I don't have "seeing". In that way, I'm an impossible opponent when we play hide-and-seek. We can play in the day since I will never be able to "open" my eyes anyway. And I always win.
I like to sit here in the driveway and just listen. I'm always listening, because it's all I have to go by.
I heard someone coming up the street. The steps were in a pattern, quicker... I frowned. Skipping. And then the person started singing, and I smiled. It was a little girl.
"Hi!" She said. I pointed to me, but she didn't answer. She probably nodded. We never do that in my house anymore, for my sake. "Hi," I said back. I heard her steps get closer. "What are you doing sitting in the road?" Her voice had confidence and attitude. I smiled. "I'm in my driveway. Just listening."
"What for?"
I love how little kids are so fearless, and there's no such thing as prying or being rude yet. Just innocence (well, MOSTLY - my baby sister sure can be a terror when she gets in a mood). "Because I can't see. I'm blind."
"Oh. Well, I'm not. I can see."
"What's it like?" I asked. I like to hear different people's explanations of sight, but I haven't asked a child before.
"Well.... I can't REALLY esplain it," she said, stumbling over the word "explain". "But... Mommy says it's like hearing with your eyes. Whatever THAT means! But I think it means... color."
"Color."
"Yeah. You know, like, green and blue."
"No. I don't."
"You don't know what color is? That's too bad, because you can't know what color your hair is. I always want to know that. Yours is red. Mine's gold like goldilocks."
I frowned. My family doesn't talk about color. They had never told me that hair had color. "What else has color?" I asked. The girl giggled. "Everything. Even if it's nothing, it's black. Like when I close my eyes. That's black."
I squinted. "Hmm."
I heard a woman's voice call down the street.
"Well, I gotta go, Mommy's calling. Seeya!"
"Bye," I said. I listened to her go.

Meadow

So this is just something random... :) Nature is so fun to write about.

~~~~~
The meadow was a peaceful place. The green grass seemed healthier, more beautiful and lush than just any field. The occasional groups of flowers scattered every once in a while seemed specially radiant and bright. Also, the sun seemed to shine brighter in this meadow, as though it knew what a special place it was. All the animals that lived in it knew no danger, and any humans that entered the meadow could forget their worries and spend a wonderful afternoon.
This meadow, though the forest around it changed considerably over the years, remained the same for centuries, and was always a comfort to anything that stumbled upon it. It's one desire was to bring happiness to anyone or anything that ventured in.
Soon the forest around it was cut down, and after a while buildings were built, and roads paved. Though people tried to continue their progress into the meadow, something always seemed to prevent them. So instead, the people made it into a park, and a safe haven for animals. It was much enjoyed, and people came to call it magical, saying that there wasn't another meadow like it. And it was true.

Lava Lamp

So I chose your suggestion for the day, Danielle. At first I was like, wow, she really DID pick something random... but anyway, here's what just came to mind...

~~~~~

two young figures skipped in the middle of a bare field. Infact, it was bare for miles. the war hadn't left much else.

mari, the taller of the two, squinted, looking into the distance. "hey! what's that?"

her companion, a young boy, frowned. "it could be an animal."

mari shook her head. "there aren't any more animals, fay. besides, none glowed."

"oh. right. well, i don't know. could be a fallen star."

mari cocked her head, deciding not to contradict him again. "let's go see."

"but - we're not supposed to cross the Impediment."

mari sighed. "fay, you're such a ninny. you don't really believe the stories about monsters, do you? come on, the elders aren't around."

mari immediately felt colder once they stepped over the invisible barrier. but she wasn't going to be a ninny like fay.

they approached the glowing thing in the distance. "let's go back," fay said nervously, after a powerful gust of wind. "no, i want to see it up close," mari whispered fiercely. she knelt down to get a closer look.

it was like a vase, only see-through, and inside it were circles of glowing light that separated and floated around. "is it a drink? or - or -" fay whispered, "monster eggs?"

"no, look, there's writing. it says - lav - lava lamp?" mari was puzzled. "i don't know what that is."

"mari! fay!"

"mari, they're calling for us! we're going to be in so much trouble!"

"never mind! fay, don't you remember something from that old story mama told us?"

"what? no. what's that got to do with -"

"grab my hand."

"why-"

"just do it!"

fay grabbed her hand, and mari reached out and touched the lava lamp. she gasped.