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 Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 8:22 pm
Needs More Life The lime green and black necklace swung back and forth like a pendulum as Annabel, or just Anna, rhythmically painted onto the canvas set before her. This was, what, her 9th take at painting a simple bowl of fruit? The fruit itself had begun to attract fruit flies, which surprised the art student.
She stood silent for a few minutes, staring at her painting. It looked too plain, too average. The painting seemed to have lost a certain glow it once had. I used to be able to do better.., she thought disappointedly. She gave a long sigh and set the dirty paintbrush down, before retiring to a nearby armchair, careful not to get her paint-covered hands on it. As long as she was living in Mr. and Mrs. Abbot's house, she'd have to respect their property by not staining it violent shades of blue, orange, etc.
Shipped over to this new land on the hopes that studying abroad would rekindle her artistic flame, Anna felt little more than mindless. The once-gushing river of creativity that flowed through a brushtip or pen was now stagnant, frozen over by boredom and frustration. An artist's block 3 weeks long had settled onto her, refusing to budge. And even when inspiration did come, she'd either run out of materials, or was too lazy to get up and paint it or write it.
Now, the art-deco girl was to spend "as long as she needed" in this unfamiliar place, armed only with her wit and a Swiss army pen. With a grunt, she shoved herself off the armchair, walking downstairs to the immaculately clean bathroom. Carefully, she turned the handle for hot water in the sink with her elbows, before washing her hands clean of paint. Anna stared down at the sink as she watched the paint swirl around the drain, mesmerizing her. That was basically the first month she'd spent here summed up in 5 seconds! Glancing up at the mirror, she gazed at the figure reflected back to her. "Who am I... an artist, or a lonely, washed-up student?" she muttered to herself.
Walking down the hallway that seemed to stretch forever, the feeling of loneliness really set in. It was a terrible feeling that no one should have to experience. A strong breeze was blowing outside, as well, making the house creak. This nearly made Anna jump out of her skin, before she made a mad dash for the living room. Grabbing the flame-kissed quilt the couple had given to her a long time ago, she tightly wrapped it around her. "W-what a h-h-horibble noise.." she stammered, out of breath. "This house needs m-more life in it..."
Luckily, soon her life would have more life to it, as well...
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 8:22 am
Maternal Desire The sun that morning had been so strong, by the time Anna awoke it'd already burned off the thick fog that hung over Rowanoak St. The first few minutes of consciousness were always the worst for her, as she stumbled about her room in a tired daze, feeling around for her bathrobe. Even if the house did have heating, it was still pretty damn cold in the morning. As she grabbed the fluffy striped robe, she gave a yelp as she felt something cold and metallic press against her hand. Rubbing her eyes, Anna blinked at what appeared to be a metal pencil box. How did that get there?
After all the hubbub of going downstairs and getting the paper and washing her face and hands and making coffee, the art student settled comfortably into a cushy armchair, blowing back steam from a mug that looked as though someone from the 1960s had painted it blindfolded. "Another day to being alone, uninspired, and lazy.." she toasted, clinking it with an invisible one, before taking a sip from it. She had to stop this. It was as if she'd accepted this new, unproductive lifestyle, and her artistic abilities were being locked away. Anna had to do something that would liven the place up again, and at least inspire her!
"I could get a dog... dogs aren't so bad, once you get past the shedding and crapping... and the neutering... a-and the rabies shots..." She swallowed hard, before sipping again.
"A cat could take care of itself," she said, and then after a long pause, " But I want to take care of it."
She thought back to her childhood days when animals like cats and dogs were so amazingly interesting, she'd follow them around and draw them, then show her whole family just how amazing an artist she was. She gave a little smile, the first one in a week, recalling how her aunt Columbia, who was pregnant at the time, smiled warmly at her. Even though she wasn't a mother yet, Columbia definitely acted like it, but in a soft, gentle way. Almost like a lioness that lost it's cubs, so it took in an orphaned bear cub and raised it, giving as much love to it as she would her family.
"Oh Annabel, it's a lovely drawing." she cooed, holding the drawing at a fixed level.
"Thanks, Aunt Coco!" the little girl giggled, bashfully twirling her little blue dress back and forth.
"Anna, my love, I have something I'd like to ask you. When little Rupert is born, will you paint his room for him? I think he'd love to live in a room painted by his older cousin."
Anna was so flabbergasted at this request, she gave a squeal of delight, before dancing around her aunt. Obviously, this was her way of saying 'yes'. She then paused in front of Columbia's large belly, giggling and shaking with excitement. "You--you'll have the best room ever!" she yelled, as if Rupert was living inside a metal box 3 feet thick.
By now, Anna sat dreamily, smiling wider and wider as she recalled the following events. The room was painted to look like a sky with puffy white clouds, with lots of different birds flying around it. The smile became a sad one as she drifted back into reality. Aunt Columbia was an extraordinary mother to Rupert, she'd noted over the years. Perhaps... perhaps she could be an extraordinary mother, too?
It began slowly, but suddenly, like an epiphany, Anna felt the overwhelming desire to have a baby. She rustled uncomfortably in the chair, before standing up, shaking a bit. "Ooh, I don't w-want to have a dog or a cat... I... I want to have a child!" she yelled, before covering her mouth. What if the neighbors heard her? She stood still for a few moments before walking quietly to the kitchen, where an old rotary phone sat. She picked up the phone, and was about to dial, before she blinked. She didn't know any adoption center's phone numbers. Hell, she didn't even know the area code. There wasn't a phone book lying about, either. What was she to do?
She angrily shoved her hands into her bathrobe's pockets, before yelping. She pulled out the metal pencil box, and curiously opened it. Inside it lay a small torn piece of paper, with a phone number written on it. Underneath that it said, "It'll be difficult, but she'll love you." Anna stared at the note for ages. Who knew about this sudden desire, except her? It wasn't her handwriting. And who was this "she"? Was it a baby, perhaps?
"Can't hurt to try," she said to herself, and began dialing the number. After a few moments of ringing, a voice answered on the other line.
"Hello, this is the Cabbage Patch, how may I help you? Are you interested in an adoption?"
Anna couldn't help but give the largest grin she'd ever had. "Y-yes."
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Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 6:25 pm
The First Night is Always the Toughest God, how true that was. As Anna had carried little Casia home from the bus stop, it had begun snowing hard, which forced the girl to stuff the baby in her anorak. She got a few strange looks, but it wasn't long before they'd reach the doorstep of the old house.
What's worse, the locks were so cold, ice had formed on it, causing the door to refuse to open. Anna muttered under her breath, before running behind to the back door. Underneath the growing mounds of snow was a doormat, which she lifted up, only to find a small, brass key. It was chilly to the touch, but she quickly grabbed it and fiddled with it in the keyhole, undoing the lock and pushing the door open. Without thinking, she tore off her anorak and slammed the door, while Casia tumbled down her and onto the dark red Persian rug in the hallway. The girl yelped, before kneeling down to Casia, checking her body for any injuries. "S-sorry Casia!" she stammered, expecting the girl to be bawling and shrieking any minute now. Instead, she got a fussy little baby with a desire to take her coat off, as well.
It didn't take long for the coats to be hung, the logs to be set, and a fire to get going. The living room was now ablaze in warm hues, and the atmosphere itself felt more cozy and homely, much more than before Casia had arrived. The large, cushy sofa, adorned with 2 or 3 blankets and a number of pillows, served as a sort of nesting place for the baby. Wrapped up in a blanket with fiery tones, Casia had already started nodding off, until Anna walked through the swinging kitchen door with a small bowl of soup. It smelled wonderful, mostly because it was from a can and anything resembling food smelled good. Little twirly noodles and bits of chicken floated in it, as well as a little spoon. Casia smiled and layed onto an armrest, expecting to be fed. Instead, Anna shook her head, chuckling.
"We're eating this in the dining room, missy."
Casia frowned, and protested loudly, thrashing around. Did she look like she wanted to eat on a hard, cold chair?! No! Casia wanted room service! Anna yelped, nearly dropping the bowl at the volume of the baby's voice. She tried 'shh'ing her, and after many tries, she set the bowl down and slapped a hand over Casia's mouth. She then spoke very softly, trying to calm her down.
"Either we can have nice yummy soup in the dining room, or we can eat slimy, slippery worms, freshly dug up."
Casia had no clue what a worm was, nor did she want to go back outside, but she was still feeling rebellious, and promptly licked Anna's hand, causing the art student to shriek.
"CASIA!!" The baby gave a playful chirp of delight, before hopping off the sofa and scrambling to her feet. Anna, meanwhile, wiped her hand on her pants, and ran after the baby, chasing her through the ground level of the house. Casia had managed to dodge Anna's eyes, but her laughing, harmonious voice was all the girl needed to run after her. Casia was a genius at this game; she hid in the closet in the front hall, and when Anna ran by, she'd bolt out, squealing with the delight that she'd fooled her guardian. Anna nearly crashed into a table as the baby scrambled under it, before rolling under a dining chair. Despite the art student being out of breath, she still didn't give up! Just need to wear her out, she thought. Just then, the baby turned down a hallway, only to find it wasn't lit, and that at the end of it was a large, scary door. The hallway gave a large moaning creak, as if greeting her. She whimpered loudly, eyes as large as dinner plates. What if something scary burst through? What if she saw a ghost?! Did that closet door just open!?!! Without a second thought, the girl was screaming and crying, scurrying back to the warmth of the rest of the house, only to colide into Anna's legs. She clung to them, sniffling and choking out sobs.
Anna blinked, surprised by Casia's new actions, but nevertheless scooped up the baby, rocking her back and forth like a worried mother should. "What's wrong, Casia?" she cooed, stroking the baby's head. "Did you see something scaryyyy?" She got a sniffly, teary-eyed nod in response, before chuckling softly. "It's okay... I'm here, Mommy's here.." Casia did not see what was so funny about scary ghosts and doors opening by themselves. Yet she felt comforted by her new guardian's actions, and stayed quiet, occasionally sniffing and hiccuping. If Anna was nice, she decided, she wouldn't mind adventuring with her to the scary places. It might be fun!
And so, the first, fun-filled evening ended with a bowlful of chicken noodle soup, a story about a bizarre little girl who decided to ransack some bears' house, and falling asleep on the sofa. Anna made a mental note (before she nodded off) that Casia would need some more clothes, not to mention shoes. Perhaps tomorrow...
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:22 pm
Nightgowns and Coffee "Ahnaaaa!"
The familiar cry of Casia's voice was the first thing that had woken up Anna before 12 pm in a month. It was astounding how rapidly Casia grew to be a major part of Anna's life. She'd brought both burdens and inspiration to her, not to mention a nice voice.
"F.. five more minutes, Cassy.." came the groaned response. The siren baby gave a 'hmph' and promptly tugged the covers off her guardian, causing the girl to curl up tightly due to the cold, before blindly feeling around for the edge of the bed. "Up, up, up!" the baby chirped over and over until Anna was on her feet, tying the belt of her bathrobe up, and shuffling into a pair of fluffy blue slippers. She never was a morning person, and with Casia flitting about her like a little white sparrow, she never would be.
She was cute, though, Casia. The baby took every opportunity to show off her new white nightgown, and twirled about the hallway like a little whirling Dervish. Sure, it made her dizzy, but didn't she look beeeaaaautiful doing it? Anna staggered to the kitchen, beginning to make a pot of coffee, while Casia spun around until she flopped onto the floor, giggling and clapping her hands. Anna leaned against the countertop with her head on her hand, smiling at the antics of the baby. "Casia, you amaze me sometimes," she chuckled, before pushing herself up and over to the fridge. Examining the exotic and fresh inventory, she shoved a hand into it, like an inexperienced surgeon would into a patient's chest. Casia tilted her head, which had a few bandaids on her chin from her recent playdate with Harper the Menace. Somehow she'd managed to split her chin open and get a tooth loose, which was why she'd be eating soft foods for a while.
Her guardian finally pulled out a cup of yogurt with strawberries, which immediately caused Casia to squeal with delight and run over, clawing at Anna for it. She tugged on her bathrobe and leapt up at the cup like a ravenous wolf, until she flopped onto the floor, sulking angrily at Anna. Why couldn't she just give her the breakfast already?!
"What do we say, Casia?"
The baby glared up at her, before heaving a sigh and standing up, folding her arms behind her back.
"Please."
"Atta girl," Anna replied with a grin, handing her the yogurt cup and gently kissing her on the head. Casia beamed, before she danced over to the drawers above the cupboards, and stood on her tip-toes to pull one drawer out and feel around for a spoon. Of course, she still preferred to open the yogurt and eat it with her hands.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:38 am
It's All in the Mind It looked awful outside that afternoon, and Anna and Casia had planned to take a trip into the woods, maybe do some bird watching. Casia was absolutely heartbroken over this, and refused to calm down. She immediately threw a temper tantrum on the floor, flailing and thrashing about, while Anna freaked, thinking she was having a spasm attack.
"Casia... C--Casia! CASIA!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! WANT!! WAAAANT WANT WANT WANT!!" the baby wailed in response. If this continued for much longer, it'd be Crystalnacht at 37 Rowanoak St. While Anna loved that Casia really wanted to go outside, she didn't like the fact that the siren baby could have the lungs of an elephant if she didn't get her way. She looked around desperately, hoping to see an instrument lying around (not that there would be). Wait! The TV! Her eyes watched the TV, and she quickly ran over, fiddling with the buttons, remotes, and stereo system. Where was her Beatles CD when she needed it? She quickly opened the DVD player, finding "Yellow Submarine" instead of the disc she'd hoped for. Whatever, it's good enough!
Anna hit the play button on the DVD player, and walked over to Casia. It'd take some time for the band to start singing the titles, but at least the baby could watch the animation. She scooped up the thrashing infant, nearly getting punched in the chin. She tried to 'shh' the baby and calm her down, but it wasn't until she was set down on the sofa that she calmed down.
"WE MEANIES TAKE 'NO' FOR AN ANSWER! Is that understood, Max!?"
"No, your blueness!"
Casia immediately scrambled off the furniture and ran to the tv, watching the Blue Meanies converse. Who were they?! What the heck were these Blue Meanies and Bonkers and Snapping Turks and-- a GLOVE?!
"WHAAA?!!" she yelled in disbelief, turning to give Anna a confused look. The woman chuckled, shaking her head, and beckoned her over. "Just watch it, Casia, you'll see!" The siren baby rolled her eyes, and stumbled over to sit next to her guardian. She watched, and squealed as she watched the Glove fly and destroy Pepperland.
"NOOO! NO NONO! BAD GLAH!" she yelled, before hearing a somewhat congested voice start singing about some guy who lived in a submarine? It was silly, but she liked it, and clapped her hands in time. As the band sang the chorus of the song, she was astounded to hear such harmony! Casia figured only one voice could sing, and looked up at Anna, wide-eyed.
"I know, they sing really boss, don't they?"
Anna got a blink in response.
"E-er... it's really cool." The guardian made a mental note to teach her baby 60's slang as soon as she could talk in full sentences.
They continued watching the whole thing, with Casia hanging on to every word the band spoke, every song they sang, and every action they did. They were phenomenally good for cartoons! As the movie ended, Casia was about to leap off the sofa when she saw 4 men sitting in front of her. She squealed and scrambled back on, while Anna grinned widely at the sight of the real band.
"What's the matter, John, love? Blue Meanies?"
"Newer and bluer Meanies have been have been sighted within the vicinity of this theater! There's only one way to go out."
"How's that?"
"Singing!" Anna yelled it out at the same time with John, causing Casia to jump a bit. The familiar tune of "All Together Now" drifted in as the Beatles counted off, causing her to run next to the TV and start singing.
"One, two, three, four, can I have a little more? Five, six, seveneightnineten I love you!"
And this time, she really meant it. Maybe.
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Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:34 am
Symphony in Screamin' Strawberry No. 1 Phew! After yesterday's episode, the guardian of the infamous Casia was a bit more prepared today as to what their artistic activity would be. Up in the attic where her work place was, Anna had set up a little easel and pad of watercolor paper for the child, as well as place newspaper on every inch of the floor. Sitting on the easel were two paintbrushes, a cup of water to wash them, 4 little cans of paint, all of which had ridiculous names, such as Blasting Blue, Screamin' Strawberry, Grinding Green, and Yellin' Yellow.
The best part about this was that Casia had no clue about any of this. She spent the morning watching old Disney cartoons, many of which were Silly Symphonies. Around 11:30, though, Anna had come downstairs, grinning slyly.
"Oh Casiaaaaa!" she called, and heard the little 'pitter-patter' of the baby's feet echo in the hallway. She came running to Anna with excited eyes, bouncing up and down. She did look rather adorable in her little mod dress, and a polkadot headband holding her hair back.
"What what what what?" she asked, wiggling in place.
"Close your eyes, and turn around."
The baby promptly turned around, and suddenly felt something being pulled over her head. She gave a chirp of surprise, but wiggled her arms through what felt like long sleeves. They were long, but kind of droopy, too. What was she wearing, a cape? Were they gonna play superheroes!? She loved that game, except at the Nursery it was difficult to defeat a villain who was less than a year old and couldn't do anything except sit there and drool. She wriggled around more in excitement; perhaps Anna would be the villain!
"Alright, open your eyes!"
Casia quickly opened her eyes, and saw she was wearing some sort of white poncho. Were they going to play outside instead? Casia grinned, and pointed at the door.
"Play in snow?" she asked, ready to run and grab her boots. But Anna shook her head, and took the little girl's hand. They went up 2 flights of stairs, until they were at the door to the attic. Anna slowly opened it, with Casia staring in awe at the easel set before her. She gave a loud and long squeal of delight, and ran towards the canvas. Thankfully Anna was faster, and slid in front of the easel.
"Hooold on there, Cassy. Before you start going ape, I've got a few rules."
The siren rolled her eyes. Here we go.
"Number one: don't get the paint on the floor! You can get it on the newspaper," She held some up. "But not on the floor. Second, don't eat the paint. It's groady and it is not marvy to eat. Third, if you need more paint, let me know. Y'dig?"
With an obedient and excited nod in response, Anna stepped back and watched as Casia grabbed a paintbrush, and roughly shoving it into the blue. She took a seat in a nearby armchair, watching the girl with a maternal gaze.
Oh dear, she didn't know what to paint. Then again, she wasn't exactly given time to prepare. What could she paint?.... OH! What if she painted Harper? She drew a somewhat sloppy pair of legs, before making them wider, so it looked like a pair of pants. She grinned, and washed the paint off the brush, before dipping it into the Screamin' Strawberry and painted a pair of bright shoes on the legs. She giggled wildly, accidentally sticking the brush into the yellow. Oh no! She whined, and called to Anna with teary eyes.
"What's up, Cassy?" she asked, walking over and kneeling next to the child. Casia gave a sniff, and held out the brush.
"Dirty!" she choked, sniffling again. Anna shook her head, stroking her head gently.
"It's alright, Casia, you can make a new color with it! See?" She took the brush and swirled it around on the edge of the paper, making a skin-colored spot. The baby watched in amazement; she took two different colors and made a new one?! Casia grabbed the paintbrush out of Anna's hand, and began painting a head above the legs. After washing the brush off, she dipped it into the Yellin' Yellow and painted a mess of hair on the head. The baby gave another giggle, and washed the brush off, getting some water-y paint on her poncho thingy as well. She ignored this, and began painting a green box between the legs and head, and painted two long green arms. There! Done!
Oh wait, it needed a face, too. She mixed around the green and blue until it made a dark, dark teal. Perfect! She put two eyes on the face, a nose, and washed the brush off before painting a Screamin' Strawberry smile on it. There! Casia stood back, hands on her hips, and surveyed the picture. Hmmmm... it needed something. Something to show Harper was what Anna called "boss". Something that said "I'm Harper, and I eat meanies like you for breakfast!"
That's it! A Blue Meanie! She quickly painted a big blue blob next to Harper, and mixed the blue with the water so it was a lighter shade. She then made hands and a head, as well as teal boots and the silly little hat they wore. She then gave it a Screamin' Strawberry frown, to show he was sad that Harper was better than him. Perhaps she could give Harper an instrument, since the Blue Meanies hated music. But what could he have? She tried to remember what he played at the music store. Xylophone? No... Harmonica? Nah..
"GUH-TAR!" she yelled, causing Anna to jump. The guardian had been reading a magazine, and looked up to see what her baby was painting. She shook her head, chuckling to see Casia gave Harper a rainbow guitar. It was sloppy, but it sort of looked like one.
"Casia, want to mail that drawing to Harper?"
"Yeahyeahyeahyeah!" the baby screamed in delight, finishing up the guitar. This was turning out to be pretty much the coolest (and only) painting she'd ever done.
"Don't forget to sign it so he knows it's from you!"
She gave a furious nod; he wouldn't be able to know SHE had drawn it if she didn't sign it! She was about to write her name, before realizing she didn't know how to write! She looked ready to cry, eyes welling up with frustration. WAIT! She could draw herself so he'd know it was her! Brilliant! She quickly painted an outline of her waving in the teal paint, before beaming.
"Donedonedone!" she chirped, and ran over to Anna to tug her off the chair. The woman laughed, and walked over to the easel, which was pretty dirty. She 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed at the painting, causing Casia to fold her arms and bask in the praise.
"We'll mail it after we have lunch, does that sound cherry?" Hopefully the painting would be dry by then, and they could fold it and send it in a regular envelope.
The siren baby nodded; it was indeed very cherry.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:21 am
Walk in the Woods "C'mon, pleeeeeeease?"
"But it's cold outsiiiiide..."
Casia put her hands on her little hips, giving a "hmph" as she watched her guardian curl up on the sofa, wrapped tightly in blankets. Despite having suddenly aged into a child only a few days ago, the little siren was already becoming more outgoing (or at least towards Annabel). She'd gotten dressed this morning in a sailor dress (what else?), and a pair of Mary Janes. In one hand was a butterfly net, and the other an old copper lantern.
"Well if you won't go, I'll go by myself!" she huffed, and spun tightly to start towards the back door. She looked back to see how Anna'd react. The woman only waved her hand from under the blankets. "Don't get eaten."
Casia was only angered further. "I'll tell the bears and wolves to eat YOU!"
"How do you know they won't eat you first?" Anna replied, poking her head out. Oh yeah, how would she know? Casia put a finger to her lips in somewhat frustrated thought, before noticing her guardian was grinning slyly.
"Go check the fridge while I get ready, dig?"
As she waited for Anna (who was now thought of as "choice" in the eyes of a certain child), Casia was examining a large wicker picnic basket she'd found in the fridge. In it was a big turquoise blanket, a thermos, 2 boxes of cookies, some plastic containers of various vegetables (including sauerkraut), and some plastic boxes containing little sandwiches. The girl's eyes widened in delight, and she quickly closed the basket as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She wore a simple dress, along with her heavy gray anorak over that, and a pair of blinding green Wellies. She was not one for this kind of weather. Underneath her arm was her sketchbook. A bit of sketching would be good for her brain, and she could sketch Casia, as well.
"Right, let's cut out!" she announced, picking up the picnic basket, while Casia bolted at a breakneck speed towards the door. She opened the door, and was already running towards the trees, butterfly net and lantern in hand. The little girl stopped, watching Anna take her time, and and huffed impatiently.
C'mon c'mon c'moooooon!" she whined, her wings flapping. Anna blew a raspberry as she watched her child float a foot or two off the ground. Note to self, she thought. Put bars on Casia's windows when she's older.
As the pair trekked into the woods, the sun's rays slowly but surely made their way across the forest floor, drying the dew off the plants, and raising the temperature to a rather nice 67º F. Various bird calls echoed throughout the forest, while the shuffling of mulch and leaves could be heard from time to time. Already the forest had come to life!
There was a bit of silence (aside from the birds, of course), before Casia asked,
"Now what?"
(To be continued... ;0 )
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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:26 pm
Walk in the Woods Part Deux "Are you honestly asking me that, Cassy?" Anna asked with a dumbfounded look, which made the little siren before her blush in embarrassment. She'd never been in the woods, and didn't expect to have to amuse herself there.
"I-I thought maybe we c-could talk to some animals, and I could sing with them," she began shyly, before she felt a hand set on her head. The art student grinned, stroking her child's head with a knowing smile. The memories of being a little girl and expecting nature to instantly befriend you, as though you were a squirrel or bird in disguise, drifted back into her mind. "First thing we'll do is set up our picnic area, then we'll go take a walk, solid?"
The fact that she said 'we' didn't really enter Casia's brain. She simply stood, watching the birds dart in and out of trees, and sighing dreamily as she thought of herself flying.
"Casia.... hey, Cassy, hand me the blanket will you? .... Casia!" Anna stood up from examining the forest floor, making sure the ground wasn't wet or muddy or riddled with bugs, and turned irritably to see that... she was gone! "CASIA?!" Frantically searching for the siren, she ran through the woods, or at least as far as an old, rotting log, not far from the picnic basket. She tried calling out her name again, and just when all hope seemed lost-- the soft, melodious giggling of Casia drifted to her ears.
Sitting on a tree branch directly above her was the siren herself. A few birds sat nestled beside the girl, until Anna's cry caused to fly off in a flurry.
"CASIA! H-how'd you get up there?"
"I flew!" was the cheerful response, before Anna went into 'angry-mother' mode. "You had me worried sick! You know better than to run--er, fly off! What if there'd been a fire, or what if you hurt yourself? I couldn't be able to reach you! Now for heaven's sake, get down off that branch right NOW!" Within seconds, the siren leapt off the branch, causing the guardian to yelp with fear. Rather than plummet to the earth, Casia flapped her wings rather hard until she alighted onto the ground, looking guilty (and slightly tired) of what she had done.
"S-sorry," she choked out, eyes watering up as though she were a dam ready to explode. "I-I wanted to... to... surprise you.." With that, she burst into tears, lowering to her knees and holding her head in her hands. A bit over the top, really.
"Casia," Anna started, setting her hands on the little girl's shoulders. "C'mon, don't cry. It's okay. H-here, you want a sandwich?" Standing up and walking to the basket, the art student fished out a plastic triangular box, opened it and held out a delicate sandwich for the siren. Gingerly, she took it and ate it slowly, keeping quiet except for the occasional hiccup. After a while, she'd curled up next to Anna in an afternoon doze, leaving the guardian time to sketch her cabbage child in peace. The occasional call of the mockingbird and the sun filtering through the leaves eventually lulled her to sleep as well, and the two spent a peaceful afternoon the woods, at least until it began raining.
END
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