GoldFish Cracker

Every single time I get on an airplane, I am convinced it will crash, but I am equally as sure that I will somehow survive... and since Lost, I now scan the other passengers and imagine who I'd like to hang out with should we end up on a deserted island.

On one of my trips, the one girl who I decided would be my new best pal ended up being the very person to sit smack beside me.

When she offered me some of her goldfish crackers with a friendly smile, I got a little concerned... I figured it was a sign... but, thankfully that wasn't the case.

Sometimes a goldfish cracker is just a goldfish cracker.

Dark Angel

When I was a child there was a Man who sat on a chair in the corner of my room. I never saw him come and go but he was often there when I was frightened or worried.

I remember the first time I noticed him, during my walk to the neighborhood store. We needed rice, sugar..... something.

There I was lost in my day dream at night walking and thinking.

Daydreaming during a mid-evening walk.

A horse. I heard a horse drawn carriage running towards me!Alack horse who looked like the devil hissed at me to move.

Missed.

Suddenly there he was. I wasn't afraid. Just curious. There he was sitting there, on the corner. I can see his feet, his legs, his body, hands, arms, no face. It's too dark. His face in hidden in the shadows.

Somehow, i believe that even if a light has been cast on his face...i would not be surprised if there was not one.

Strange, I thought. He sat there on the ground. More like a drunk who was passed out, not looking at me.

Strange, I thought.

Odd that he warned me about the horse but never uttered a word.


Strange and kind, he told me soft stories of things that are difficult to remember.

I think he was always doing something with his hands like carving little birds with his pocket knife.

My parents and family never spoke of him and sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and he would still be sitting there in the dark.

Dark Angel...maybe

I think I would like to meet him again one day when I am very very old and had enough of this world.


Maybe my dark angel would move away from the shadows and reveil himself to me.


Remove his hood to reveil, a face.

A face so familiar, it would take me back a second in time.


my face would appear...smiling. we would hold hands and walk together into the shadows.

Why do you want me?

From time to time, you ask me Why I choose you. What is so special about you.

Well the reason is simple, i chose you because of you.

I have never had anyone treat me the way you do.

I have never had anyone just look at me and make me feel beautiful.

You do that to me!

You make me feel special and wanted.

As liberal as I can be, I would never do anything to hurt you.

You mean more to me than you realize.

I am hoping that one day I can prove all of this to you! I want you for you!

Good and Bad. Handsome and ugly. Thin or fat. Perfection and Flaws. Good mood and not so good mood. Mistakes and achievements. I don't want a version of you. i want the real, honest, bare You. All or nothing.

Nmaria

She came running into the store. i thought I was going to be late she said. Her hair wet from the rain.


Did you run in the rain? I asked, knowing the obvious answer.

Yeah, but I don't care, I thought I was late she said with a nervous smile.

She was never late. As a matter of fact she was always a delight. Kept herself busy. She knew how to think on her feet. Independant. Most important trust worthy. I could see how she grew more wise, more confident after the summer. She knew her stuff.


I haven't seen that nervous smile since.....well since that first day she I met her.


Short and sweet, she trotted in the studio. Shy and nervous, I thought.

There was a sort of determination about her.

She looked back towards the door, then I noticed this sweet pretty lady, with a big proud grin. Mother, I thought. She has to be the mother.

Mother waved her hand foward, as if to propel daughter forward. It did.


With an air push, daughter moved closer and uttered, "umm Hello, my name is Maria. I go to school near by here. I live near by here too. I like volleyball."

Is there a job opening here?


I didn't need an assistant. "Well, let me have your number and I'll call you," I said smiling.


She wrote her name and her number. Mother proudly standing by the door.

Good job Mother, I thought. To raise such a good daughter, that I would notice what a special kind person she was the first minute I met her.


Nervous smile I thought, nevertheless , her smile made me smile.

Smart girl,. I thought. Brave front with a nervous smile.

I think I'll call her.

The Velveteen Rabbit

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."





THE Velveteen Rabbit
OR HOW TOYS BECOME REAL
by Margery WilliamsIllustrations by William Nicholson

Retail

She has the soul of artist, the face of an angel and the instincts of a killer shark, of course she naturally gravitated towards retail.

Only to find that....... the fish in her, was actually a Dolphin. She swam far far away.

Smile

Macka and Layla headed out the door with their Luxury named brand bags and accessories ready to tackle the retail world.

Mother looked at her beautiful girls and someone yell out to them with a course voice, Someone once said " You are never fully dressed without a smile".

The girls looked at each other and kept walking away.

Layla, now pouting more then ever ...... asked Well, Then where can I buy one of those?

FAT

Atche sat on the bed waiting for Ceilya to finish dressing. Does this make me look fat? Ceilya asked.

Atche sat there and glared at her, thinking how dare she parade her little frame in front of a large woman and ask that question.

Atche managed to blurt out a lazy, No.


Are you sure? asked Ceilya quickly realizing that it was a mistake to confirm the unsatisfactory reply.


Too late. Atche was irritated. Fat peole are usually short about weight topics.

Why do you always ask that question? Atched snapped.


Ceilya poundered a minute, as if this was the first time she was met with this question.


Because I just want to know what makes me look fat, and I don't know what makes me look fat. Can you tell me? Ceilya, sounding like a 6 year old girl.

Atched looked at her once ugly duckling, now turned beautiful butterfly of a sister. She was standing there in her designer outfit at a negative size and Atche thought about all the times Ceilya carried her make-up kit during fashion shows. The times Ceilya waited on her during pageants. How Ceilya would help fix her hair everyday before school.

Atche looked at her beautiful sister and smiled inside knowing that she was beautiful no matter what she wore.


Hello? said Ceilya

I asked you What make me look fat? sang Ceilya


Atche took one look at her, got up and said. Fat.

What? asked Ceilya

Atche irritated again, started walking out of the room and yelling.

You heard me, I said Fat.

"Fat makes you look Fat."

No outfit in the world can make you look Fatter then Fat.

Pencil

He told her that she was too complicated. He has been in love with her since the 3rd grade. They been together for less than 2 years when he called it quits. How could you love someone for over 10 years and not be together.

After collage he came back for her. He never for got how beautiful she walked, talked. The way she cared about people privately was different from her public persona.

He told himself that he knew the real woman. The one that he grew up with. The girl who loves to dance and laugh out loud.

Everyone knew how much he loved her. He didn't care that the entire football team teased him about her. She hardly paid him any mind in school. Just a friends she would say. The team would bet that it would never work out between the rich jock and the free spirit, artsy poet.

He tried to forget about her. He broke his promise to her and tired to love another while in collage. This would make me forget about her he thought. But no one will ever compare to his first and only love.


He thought about those years he was haunted by her. Not able to fully love anyone but her. Maybe that's the way his heart will love. Only by having her fill all of it and a tiny faction to some one else.

Why was she so difficult? Why can't I understand her? Why won't she let anyone in? Why does she have to act so independant?


He didn't cry until the car door closed behind her. He told himself not to look but he saw her walk away and thought "she never loved me". It was me that made it happen. I convinced her to love me. The team was right, someone like her would never fall in love with someone like me.
He saw one stran of her hair on the seat. He almost laugh inside his pain. He thought about all the times he got upset with all those hair strans in the car............ then his heart broke.



Why can't he accept that fact that I am in love with him?she thought. All those years that he claimed that He was in love with me, I treasure.

Why does he think that I will run out of love for him. Why does he try to ground me. Doesn't he know I'm a bird. I'm not meant to stay on the ground. But i'll never fly away from him. She thought about those blanks looks she got from him when she tried to explain things.


She sat in the car for what seemed a life time. Do you really love me? he asked. Even after what I did. Yes, she replied. She meant it with all her being.

She wanted to explain to him that she changed through him. She could not be the carefree innocent girl he met in the third grade. She was now a woman that understood that love was about committement and not just promises and romance.

I do, she said. with all her heart she meant it. But it wasn't enough to convince him through his guilt.

Blank looks she thought. She couldn't bare another blank look.


I don't think you really do. I think this is over, I don't feel that same love from we were children. He said so softly that it was almost enough for her to think that she may have not heard it.

Taking a deep breath, she held the pencil in her hand.


Before going into the car, she ran into the bedroom. She looked around knowing that she wasn't coming back. Football shoes on the floor. He wasn't suppose to have those there.

On his desk, she saw a pencil. It was new, unsharped. He took it out to write to her.

His first love letter to her was in pencil. From then on, each time he writes to her he used a pencil.


She took the pencil and held it in her hand.


Gripping the pencil, she looked at him and said. We are not children anymore and walked out of the car.


He never loved me she thought. How could he fight for something for so long and not believe it when he wins it.

If he doesn't believe me, then he can't possibly love me. "Too know me is to love me" she thought. She never let herself cry. She thought those tears are the only part of him I have in me. I'll keep them. All of them.

Make-up

He said, I can't tell who is really is. She's buried in the those beauty products.

I looked at her and said Maybe the huge amount cancel out the beauty part.

He looked again and said " I thought that stuff was supposed to make you match what you look like on the inside.

We both started to laugh.

Chicken

He pop his items on the counter. Cereal box with a monkey on it. Two tangerines, a bunch of Bananas, a bit of this and a bit of that.

She looked at him and smiled.


Looks like your stocking up, she said.


He smiled.

Woooow, that smile made her glow inside.

He looked towards her and his eyes were the color of the ocean. Well, it's a Good thing i'm half fish, she thought to herself.


Suddenly she heard herself saying, "I'm here every thursday, it's my grocery day, yup thursday, I get chicken". Turning red she quickly looked away to hide her blushing cheeks.


He waved goodbye....... to the cashier, then said something to the bag boy. Must of been something funny. She could hear the bag boy laughing all the way across the parking lot, where she was parked.


He started to come closer, and closer. She thought, I should of ran that red light. That light takes at least five minutes. The city has to fix that light.

closer.

Her heart started beating faster. She turned up the radio in case he should hear the pounding.

He was parked right next to her.

As she looked up fromthe radio dail, his eyes met hers, as he picked his pocket for his keys. Then, splat......cereal box, milk,bananas, this and that all over the parking lot.


As one of the tangerine rolled pass her car...She quickly fasten her seatbleat and decided that she didn't need chicken today.

Box

A young woman walk into the studio with the most beautiful box I've ever seen. "What a beautiful box. what's inside? "I ask. The young woman held it up high and proudly said "Why thank you. I made it myself. I used the finest gems and the most exotic feathers, and the most rare of pearls."

"ummm wow, so what's inside the box? " I asked once more. It's something more beautiful and more precious then the box it's self she replied.

"My mother has one just like it. She made hers after I was born. She keeps the same thing in there." the young woman continued.

My curiosity was taking over me. "What is in the box?" I asked again, this time with a little more force on my voice.

She blinked slowly, at least four times and said "I 'm not sure, it's been in there since I could remember."

Well, then How do you know what it looks like, or that's it's beautiful? I asked

"Because I've seen it. I was the one who put it in the box therefore it wasn't get used, torn, broken or worst yet stolen"said the young woman's mother.

I was startled and proceeded to walk away. But then turned around and ask .."How do you know it's still in there."


The mother looked concern. She and her daughter have been carrying these boxes for years. She never thought of someone stealing the items then leaving the box.

Maybe we should check, I suggested with a bit of guilt for my chance to profit.


The mother immediately opened her box.

Three woman stood there, staring at ashes and dust......


What is it? the daughter asked


It's my heart said the Mother


I think someone stole it after all.


The daughter and I looked at each other. With much protest from her Mother, the daughter pop open her box and said. Here Mom take mine.

A Dip

She looked around and Dipped her toe in the water. ooooohh that's way too cold said she. I'll just have to wait for the sun to warm it up. She sat by the ocean smiling knowing that she was brilliant. By mid afternoon the sun was in full force. It's was hot. All the kids were jumping in the (still) cold water. She laugh as she watched them shiver. They looked so funny with their teeth chattering, she thought.

As the afternoon clouds gathered above the children took turns trickling out of the water, and leaping into the warm towels that the Mommies were holding.

I think i should swim now she said. The sand was hot under her feet. It burned from the suns heat. She ran towards the empty ocean and jumped into. OOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhh that's cold.

Sleepless

Yaaaawnnn, I'm so tired Maggie groaned. Then go to sleep said Pete.
Maggie giggled and said " I can't, I may miss something".

Fear

Arrrrrrggggggghhhhh! Scared ya.

That's not funny said Kat. Why do you scare people so? Dee looked offended and said "When people are scared they don't have time to think about their mask,
therefore i see their real face. "

Kat looked surprised and asked. Well, what does my face look like.

Your beautiful said Dee.

Broken

He is looking at you, said "The She".

I don't care, "The Star" said to "The She".

"The Star" looked sadden, then said. " I'm broken...... How can I fly, if my wings are broken.
I have fix myself myself first. I'll wait til I'm fixed.

"The She" smiled at her gently and said. Maybe he is a Handy Man.